NewzIntel.com

Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Statement on Trump Undermining USDA-Rural Development

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s efforts to reduce the workforce of U.S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development (USDA-RD) offices in Vermont and New Hampshire through buyouts and early retirement offers:
    “Across America, and especially in Vermont, USDA-RD is critical to the success of our rural economy. This small but talented office makes the impossible, possible—providing services, grants, loans, and technical assistance to help strengthen rural communities. Their expertise is far-ranging, and goes well-beyond the field—from disaster recovery, to affordable housing support and health care access, to business development, to funding new energy and infrastructure projects.
    “President Trump’s actions to undermine USDA-RD is a clear indicator that he is willing to abandon rural America. In our region, USDA-RD was already understaffed, operating full-stream-ahead but with only 50-70% of the necessary workforce. President Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE have now put the department on life-support. What the Trump Administration is doing to Vermont and New Hampshire to farmers, families, and rural communities is happening nationwide and every one of my colleagues should be outraged.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Markey, Pressley Demand State Department Release Memo, Documents Related to Öztürk Arrest

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    April 18, 2025
    State Dept memo reportedly reveals contradictions in Trump Administration’s rationale for revocation of Öztürk’s visa, detention
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. – After a recent report indicated that an internal State Department memo concluded that the key premise underlying Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk’s arrest and detention was false, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to immediately release the memo and any other relevant documentation.
    “Ms. Öztürk’s case demands transparency. The circumstances of her arrest and detention raise serious concerns about civil liberties, academic freedom, and free speech, as well as the Trump administration’s truthfulness. Congress, universities, legal experts, and other members of the public have a strong and compelling interest in the matter,” wrote the lawmakers.
    On March 25th, plainclothes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents apprehended Rümeysa Öztürk outside her home in Somerville, Massachusetts. Ms. Öztürk, a Tufts University graduate student, was informed that her student visa had been revoked. She was taken into custody and transferred to an immigration detention facility in Louisiana, where she has now been held for three weeks.
    Publicly, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has claimed that Ms. Öztürk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas” and recommended revoking her visa under a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that permits the deportation of noncitizens who pose “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.” The State Department has suggested that Öztürk’s visa was revoked on foreign-policy grounds because of alleged participation in activities linked to terrorism.
    Reporting from the Washington Post revealed that, days before Öztürk’s arrest, an internal State Department memorandum concluded that the Trump administration lacked “any evidence showing that she engaged in antisemitic activities or made public statements supporting a terrorist organization.” The memo appears to contradict the federal government’s publicly stated rationale for revoking Ms. Öztürk’s visa — and has not been made available to members of Congress or the American public.
    The lawmakers requested a copy of the memo, along with any other documentation regarding the basis for Öztürk’s visa revocation and arrest, no later than April 30, 2025.
    Sens. Warren and Markey, along with Rep. Pressley, have pushed for answers and action since Öztürk’s March arrest. Last month, they led over 30 lawmakers in writing to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Acting Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons, demanding information about Öztürk’s arrest and detention as well as similar incidents across the country. The lawmakers also sounded the alarm on Öztürk’s medical neglect in DHS custody and renewed urgent calls for her release.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 04/18/2025 Blackburn Wishes Tennesseans a Blessed Holy Week

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
    NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released the following video ahead of Easter Sunday with well wishes for Tennesseans during Holy Week:
    “I hope that this Holy Week is a time of blessings given and received and a time of hopefulness for you and your family,” said Senator Blackburn. “As you spend time with your family and friends, I encourage you to do this with a sense of gratitude for the freedoms that we exercise every single day.”

    Click here to download this video.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz Statement On Trump Order Gutting Protections For Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz
    Published: 04.17.2025

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to open up the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument to commercial fishing.
    “At a time when the climate crisis is threatening our fragile ocean ecosystem and costing us lives and livelihoods every year, President Trump’s response is to gut protections for some of our nation’s most important natural resources, including the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.
    “Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was unequivocal when he assured me during his confirmation hearing that consultation would take place prior to any actions on fisheries in the Pacific. No such consultation occurred in advance of today’s executive order. The public deserves answers, and I expect him to come before Congress to explain this misguided decision.
    “We should be protecting the Pacific’s unmatched ecology and biodiversity for future generations – this order does the opposite.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Collins, King, Shaheen Visit Portsmouth Naval Shipyard with Navy Secretary John Phelan, Highlight Shipyard’s Role in Supporting U.S. National Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    KITTERY, ME – Yesterday, U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Angus King, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) visited Portsmouth Naval Shipyard with Secretary of the Navy John Phelan. The visit was Secretary Phelan’s first to a public shipyard since his confirmation as Secretary of the Navy by the U.S. Senate. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is a key economic driver in the region, supporting thousands of jobs integral to America’s national security.

    “It was a great pleasure for us to welcome the new Secretary of the Navy to our nation’s oldest and best public shipyard. We talked about a wide range of issues that Senator Shaheen and I have worked on together, like exempting our public shipyards from the hiring freeze that has been applied to many agencies,” said Senator Collins. “Strengthening our Navy is critical to our national defense, and the work of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to maintain and update our nuclear submarines is an essential part of that goal.”

    “The United States Navy and the State of Maine have worked together for generations to protect our nation and maintain the best built ships in the fleet for the fight; I was proud to accompany Navy Secretary Phelan during his first visit to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard,” said Senator King. “Our shared commitment to our national security relies on continued, sustainable investments in our workforce. Together we will continue to support our shipbuilders so we can maintain superiority on the world stage.”

    “I was pleased to accompany Navy Secretary Phelan on his first visit to a public shipyard so that he could see the vital role that Portsmouth Naval Shipyard plays in advancing our country’s national security priorities and maintaining a strategic advantage over China,” said Senator Shaheen. “I look forward to working with the Secretary to protect the investments that ensure the shipyard’s workforce can continue to support our nuclear submarines and military readiness.”

    Earlier this year, Senators Collins and Shaheen sent a bipartisan letter, with Senator King’s support, to the U.S. Department of the Navy urging an exemption for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees from the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) deferred resignation program for federal employees. In their letter to Acting Secretary Terence G. Emmert, the Senators noted that any reduction to the Shipyard’s workforce would jeopardize our nation’s security by increasing submarine maintenance timelines.  

    Senator Collins has long advocated for Maine’s shipbuilding and ship repair industry and workforce, including through appropriating funding and securing workforce development initiatives for PNSY. Senator Collins secured $401 million for a Shipbuilding Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) project at PNSY in 2025, which will help to expand the Shipyard’s capacity to maintain America’s fast-attack submarine fleet.

    As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and the Seapower Subcommittee, Senator King has championed funding for both Bath Iron Works (BIW) and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY). Recently, Senator King and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan discussed the importance of utilizing lessons from the private sector to maintain best practices for ship designing, building, and maintenance. They also discussed the top three priorities for our nation’s shipbuilding capacity: “workforce, workforce, workforce.” Last year, he strongly urged Mr. Frederick J. Stefany, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition to prioritize long-term investments in the defense industrial base to avoid a ‘trough’ between contracted work, resulting in a likely loss of workers and threatening American national security.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: April 18th, 2025 Teachers and Staff from RioTECH High School

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    PHOTOS  

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) convened a roundtable conversation with local educators to discuss his efforts to support students and teachers amidst Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s attacks on public education and our children’s futures.  

    “Public education is the foundation for functional democracy,” said Heinrich during the roundtable. “The message of disrespect that Trump and Musk are sending by creating all of this chaos with the Department of Education hurts our teachers and it jeopardizes our kids’ futures. I am deeply grateful for the work that New Mexico educators do, and will continue to push back against efforts to dismantle our education system with every tool available.”

    As a father and as New Mexico’s senior senator, Heinrich has been leading the fight against the Trump Administration’s attacks on public education. Heinrich led the charge in Congress to demand Trump reverse his attacks on Tribal education and immediately halt, exempt, and reverse any federal workforce or federal funding reductions at Tribal Colleges and Universities. 

    Heinrich has also demanded the reinstatement of $600 million in federal funding intended to strengthen our educator workforce and improve student learning; underscored the disastrous harm that shuttering the Department of Education will have on millions of students with disabilities and their families; and introduced legislation to protect federal education funding for New Mexico’s students, parents, and educators. 

    For a detailed timeline and background of Heinrich’s efforts to fight against Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s attacks on public education and our children’s future, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: April 18th, 2025 READOUT: Heinrich Convenes Listening Session With Teachers Amid Trump and Musk’s Attacks on Public Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    PHOTOS  

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) convened a roundtable conversation with local educators to discuss his efforts to support students and teachers amidst Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s attacks on public education and our children’s futures.  

    “Public education is the foundation for functional democracy,” said Heinrich during the roundtable. “The message of disrespect that Trump and Musk are sending by creating all of this chaos with the Department of Education hurts our teachers and it jeopardizes our kids’ futures. I am deeply grateful for the work that New Mexico educators do, and will continue to push back against efforts to dismantle our education system with every tool available.”

    As a father and as New Mexico’s senior senator, Heinrich has been leading the fight against the Trump Administration’s attacks on public education. Heinrich led the charge in Congress to demand Trump reverse his attacks on Tribal education and immediately halt, exempt, and reverse any federal workforce or federal funding reductions at Tribal Colleges and Universities. 

    Heinrich has also demanded the reinstatement of $600 million in federal funding intended to strengthen our educator workforce and improve student learning; underscored the disastrous harm that shuttering the Department of Education will have on millions of students with disabilities and their families; and introduced legislation to protect federal education funding for New Mexico’s students, parents, and educators. 

    For a detailed timeline and background of Heinrich’s efforts to fight against Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s attacks on public education and our children’s future, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: United States – Italy Joint Leaders’ Statement

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    President Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held their first official meeting yesterday in Washington, D.C., where they confirmed their resolve to promote a mutually beneficial relationship and further strengthen the U.S. – Italy strategic alliance across security, economic, and technological issues.
    U.S.- Italy Cooperation for SecurityThe U.S. and Italy underscore that the war in Ukraine must end, and fully endorse President Trump’s leadership in brokering a ceasefire and delivering a just and lasting peace.     The U.S. and Italy reiterate the unwavering commitment to NATO and to the principle of developing their collective and individual capacity to contribute to the Alliance’s goals. We therefore commit to ensuring our national security and defense are aligned and funded to meet the challenges of today, and critically, the risks of tomorrow.     Our defense cooperation must rely on a deep and extensive transatlantic supply chain. We are facing a complex security environment, and we are ready to further increase defense equipment and technology cooperation, including co-production and co-development that strengthen U.S. and Italian defense industrial capacity and protect it from foreign adversaries.     The U.S. and Italy reaffirm their shared commitment to counter illegal immigration and to ensure that legal migration is used as a tool to benefit our nations and not to create a security problem for our citizens. We will step up our common efforts to eradicate international organized crime groups engaged in migrant smuggling and human trafficking.     The U.S. and Italy confirm their joint effort to fight the production, distribution, and sale of illicit synthetic drugs, especially synthetic opioids and the criminal networks trafficking these drugs, which collectively damage the health, security, and well-being of our citizens and people around the world.
    U.S. – Italy Cooperation for Shared ProsperityThe United States and Italy agree to work to ensure that trade between the United States and Europe is mutually beneficial, fair, and reciprocal.     We highlight the importance of information technology to enabling free enterprise across the Atlantic. We agreed that a non-discriminatory environment in terms of digital services taxation is necessary to enable investments from cutting-edge tech companies.     We welcome American investments in AI computing and cloud services in Italy to maximize the opportunities of digital transformation and support Italy as the key regional data hub for the Mediterranean and North Africa.      Developing a workforce that can deliver on the needs of our economies is vital. The United States and Italy are proud partners in industrial endeavors that will benefit employment in both countries, playing a vital role for each other’s supply chains and strengthening our industrial bases. Italy will contribute to the maritime renaissance of the U.S. shipbuilding sector, while the U.S. will look into the investment opportunities offered by the increasingly positive Italian business environment, including through the incentives granted by the new Single Special Economic Zone (SEZ) established in Italy.     The U.S. and Italy cooperate to strengthen energy security by further encouraging the diversification of Italy’s energy supply source and by increasing exports of U.S. liquefied natural gas to Italy in a mutually beneficial manner.     The U.S. and Italy will work together to develop the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor, one of the greatest economic integration and connectivity projects of this century, connecting partners by ports, railways, and undersea cables and stimulating economic development and integration from India, to the Gulf to Israel, to Italy, and onward to the United States.      Following the example of the President Trump’s successful Abraham Accords approach, the U.S. and Italy will cooperate on crucial infrastructural projects and consider leveraging on the Mattei Plan’s potential.
    U.S. – Italy Cooperation for TechnologyThe United States and Italy recognize the need to protect our national critical and sensitive infrastructure and technology, which is why we commit to using only trusted vendors in these networks. There is no higher trust than our strategic alliance, which is why there can be no discrimination when it comes to U.S. and Italian vendors.     We are proud to partner on Space Technology, including through two Mars Missions in 2026 and 2028, and lunar surface exploration on future Artemis missions.     As we transition to and innovate on the technologies of the future, such as 6G, AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology, we also commit to exploring opportunities for enhanced partnerships in these critical industries that protect our data from adversaries that would exploit it.
    Invitation to Visit ItalyPresident Trump accepted Prime Minister Meloni’s invitation to pay an official visit to Italy in the very near future. There is also consideration to hold, on such occasion, a meeting between U.S. and Europe.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Addresses Nevada State Legislature at State Capitol Outlining Her Work to Deliver for Nevadans, Oppose Harmful Actions Threatening to Raise Costs & Cut Medicaid

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

    Watch Senator Rosen’s Full Remarks HERE.
    CARSON CITY, NV – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) delivered remarks to the Nevada State Legislature detailing how she is working to deliver for hardworking Nevada families, including by fighting back against cost-raising tariffs and cuts to Medicaid to give tax breaks to the wealthy. Senator Rosen also reiterated her commitment to finding areas to work with Republicans to take meaningful action to lower costs and improve the lives of hardworking Nevadans.
    Below are excerpts of Senator Rosen’s remarks:
    Since the last time I spoke here, a lot has changed in Washington.
    But there’s something that hasn’t changed, and will not change. And it’s my commitment to always put Nevada first. 
    I’ve built a record as one of the most bipartisan, independent, and effective U.S. Senators because I focus on getting things done for our state. Agree where you can and fight where you must.
    No matter who’s in the White House or who’s in control of Congress, I will do everything I can to deliver for Nevada families who work hard every day. They count on me and they count on all of you.
    And as I said, as some of you know, my motto has always been: Agree where you can, fight where you must. 
    […]
    Nevadans are practical and pragmatic and they want solutions…They want stability… They want us to work together to tackle rising costs, create better paying jobs, and protect the freedoms and opportunities that define our state. 
    And I can tell you what they don’t want. They don’t want the reckless actions this new Administration is taking: Funding Cuts. Mass Firings. Economic chaos.
    These actions have put millions of dollars that our state depends on, that all of you are depending on as you do our budgets, putting it all at risk. Every single bit of it.
    These actions have led to many Nevadans losing their jobs. They are jeopardizing the jobs of veterans who were hired by the federal government to help and serve our veterans, our local communities.
    […]
    This is no way to run a country. It’s no way to treat the men and women who risked their lives to protect our freedoms.
    We should be doing everything we can to honor their service, recognize their sacrifice, and make sure they can access every benefit that is owed to them, that they earned. We sit here free, able to do what we do because they put their lives on the line. And I want those calls to be answered at the Veterans Hotline, and I know you all do too. 
    Earlier this year, I helped introduce bipartisan bills to help veterans access their VA benefits more easily, and to increase veterans’ awareness of things like the VA Home Loan Program.
    For those who were injured while fighting to protect all of us, the least we can do is ensure they all have full benefits. 
    Current red tape is preventing more than 50,000 combat-injured veteran retirees from receiving both their retirement pay through the Department of Defense and their disability payments through the VA.
    That’s wrong. They earned it, they deserve it, and I helped introduce a bill with colleagues on both sides of the aisle, because veterans come from all over this great country, to fix and repeal the offsets that are currently in place. I’m proud of that bill and hope that we can pass it.
    Now at a time when families are seeing their budgets tighten, I’m working across party lines to eliminate taxes on military retirement pay so our veterans can keep more of their money.
    Military families aren’t the only ones being squeezed by higher prices. Because when costs go up, they hurt all Nevadans.
    This is why Nevadans I’ve talked to are worried about the Trump tariffs.
    These tariffs – they’re essentially a national sales tax – are going to raise the cost of everything you buy: your groceries, your gas, your medications, not to mention construction materials, which will make housing even MORE expensive. Interest rates go up, prices go up, everything goes up and up. 
    This is the complete opposite of what I believe we should be doing right now. We should be finding ways – every way we can – to lower costs. 
    It’s why I took action to help stop the Kroger-Albertsons mega-merger that would’ve raised those grocery prices for Nevada families.
    It’s why I introduced bipartisan legislation to lower housing costs by helping to train and grow our housing construction workforce – because houses don’t build themselves – and I’ve introduced a bill to crack down on corporations who buy up housing and jack up prices for families.
    It’s also why I’ve introduced bipartisan legislation to help lower the costs of child care and provide some relief for working families.
    And just last week, I helped introduce legislation to provide those hardworking Nevada families with a much-needed tax cut, and expand the Child Tax Credit. 
    This is in addition to the bipartisan bill I helped introduce to eliminate taxes on tips, and allow working families to keep more of their paychecks.
    I’m doing all of this because we should be providing relief for our Nevada families, for people who work hard and play by the rules, and we shouldn’t be giving more tax breaks to billionaires who frankly don’t need the money.
    […] 
    And that’s exactly why I’m fighting back. 
    I recently helped pass legislation overturning Trump’s tariffs on Canada, which is Nevada’s largest trading partner. That was bipartisan legislation we voted to pass, by the way.
    I also helped introduce a bill to require the United States International Trade Commission to investigate how Trump’s recent tariffs will impact the American people, and make that information public.
    And I am leading the charge in the Senate in making sure the Administration knows how destructive its tariffs are for small businesses.
    […]
    I know many in this room know just how important, how critical Medicaid is. It makes up a sizable portion of our state budget, and we stand to lose more than half billion dollars if Medicaid is cut.
    It’s more than just funding. It’s a lifeline for families. It’s a lifeline for moms and for children. I’ll talk about my special guest in a moment. This is more than a number. It’s more than a number they’re cutting. These are our families, our friends, our neighbors. And attempts to cut this important lifeline for children is going to put more than 300,000 children in Nevada at risk of losing their only source of health care coverage.
    Nevada children like Levi, Levi is my guest, along with his really incredible mother Allyson Marchus.
    They are here tonight because Medicaid has made a difference in their lives. And with their permission, I’m going to share just a little bit of Levi’s story because sometimes we look at budgets and there’s numbers you’re trying to balance and make all of this work, but there’s people behind every one of those numbers.
    When Levi was just three years old, Allyson noticed a strange mole behind his ear.
    So she thought she was just going to go to the doctor, like all of us who are parents here, you just go to the doctor, it’s just a little thing, you’ve got a bug bite. Simple doctor’s visit. But every parent’s worst fear was realized when a biopsy came back positive for melanoma — not just a person who’s been in the sun their whole life, that happens when you’re three years old, skin cancer –  he had to have further tests, and his cancer spread. 
    Levi and Allyson have had to jump through hoop after hoop in order to implement a care plan — treatments, and medications, and surgery, and radiation – they had to repeatedly travel out of state to get special pediatric care, you have to go to hospitals where they know how to take care of young children. 
    […]
    No family should have to go through this, but Allyson never gave up. She and Levi have shown awe-inspiring strength and resilience every step of the way –  they refused to quit fighting this awful disease.
    And, the one thing that they didn’t have to worry about on this journey was how they were going to pay for that care, how are they going to get to the doctor, how are they going to go to these treatments, how are they going to be cared for, because they had Medicaid. So thanks to Medicaid she was able to be there for her son.
    [Medicaid] made sure they had not one expense while dealing with some of the worst moments any parent can go through. Not one out-of-pocket expense. It took that burden, that one extra stress right off their back.
    Today, Levi is five years old, and we are glad to say that he is in remission. It’s a pretty good thing. Of course he’s going to continue to be watched and cared for, but it’s a success story. It’s a success story because she had Medicaid.
    This is why Medicaid matters. Not just for Levi and his family, but for all the Levis and all the families in Nevada and across the country, story after story after story, this is just one of them. I’m sure many of you in this room can tell stories like this as well. 
    Medicaid has made the difference in their lives. It covered medical care, it covered travel expenses, just like it did for Allyson and Levi. 
    It is literally a lifeline. All of these children, every one of them, have a name, have a family, and I want everyone in Nevada and in America to see these kids and see these families and know their names before they cut that budget.
    So it’s shameful and immoral, I believe, that Republicans want to cut this program just to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. 
    [..]
    And while all of you in this legislature work to expand health care access in rural communities and tackle our doctor shortage, I want to tell you that in the Senate I’m doing the same thing. I have multiple bills to help bringmore nurses, doctors, and dentists to underserved areas. […] So I’ll tell you about a couple of bills I have, I know I’m going to partner with you on some of them, and they’re all bipartisan.
    The first one is called the Physicians for Underserved Areas Act. It’s going to take the long overdue step of revising the graduate medical education process to increase the likelihood of states with physician shortages – like we are – to get more medical residency slots. We don’t have enough slots to take care of the people we have. So we’re going to fight to do that.
    These bills are all bipartisan. Why? Because we’re not the only state who has a physician shortage. So we find our friends across the aisle, agree where you can and fight where you must. This is what we agree on. So I have a bipartisan bill called the REDI Act. It’s going to help increase the number of doctors and dentists – we never can forget the dentists because dental care is important too – in Nevada’s underserved areas by allowing them to defer their student loan payments without interest until they complete their residencies and internships. So they can go serve some of our rural communities, it’s hard for them to get dentists and doctors out there. We know this. This is a benefit. Everybody benefits.
    My bipartisan SPARC Act, which I introduced just last week, will help increase the number of medical specialists in rural communities. 
    And finally, my Train More Nurses Act. We’ve been lucky in the past few years, we’ve been able to fund programs in our community colleges and universities to build out our nursing training. We’re about 4,000 nurses short, like I said. But we need nurse educators to train the new nurses. So the Train More Nurses Act does just that, makes new nurse educators. It passed the Senate unanimously last Congress, and we’re going to get it through again, and that’s going to help us address Nevada’s nursing shortage because we have all the space, but if we don’t have all the teachers, you all know it’s for nothing. So we’re hoping to get that through.
    So much to do there. Health care, housing. We have to complement the efforts we work on together to improve access to tackle our housing crisis by creating new legislation to help small home builders, small local home builders, access financing to build new affordable housing.
    […] 
    Nevadans chose each and every one of you here for a reason, and they are counting on all of us together to support each other and support success in our state. It doesn’t always mean you agree on everything – find the things you agree on and do those. People are counting on us. They sent us here to find the places we agree – do that. Don’t let it stop you.
    There is a lot to fight about in Washington, but there are a lot of places for agreement too, especially right here in Carson City. 
    I just really want to leave you all with a call to action and something that in my eight years now in the United States Congress I’ve really been using every day, and it has shown in my work that I’m proud of. The call to action is to find places to work together to deliver for the Nevada families, for our home, for the Nevada we care about. 
    I’m not asking anyone to compromise your values. What I’m asking you to do is value compromise. Find the places where you can agree and do that because babies are counting on you, seniors are counting on you, the vets are counting on you. Twelve things on the to-do list; you can find six. Do them. People will applaud you for that. You can argue about the other six, but trust me, they will send you back here and be proud, and they will tell you how proud that makes them to see you do that. You don’t have to compromise your values, just value compromise where you can agree. People are counting on all of us to lead. They’re looking to us in these tough times. […]
    It’s not easy. It takes energy. It takes passion. It takes commitment. It takes care. Something I know every person in this room has or you wouldn’t have fought to be here. You could all be doing something else but you chose to come here and do this. 
    So in Nevada, we are not just Democrats or Republicans—we are Nevadans first. In this room especially, we are Nevadans first.
    So I want us to think about moving forward together – with common purpose, shared values, and that unshakable commitment to build a stronger, more prosperous, and just a better Nevada for all of us. For the Levis, for our parents and grandparents, and all the kids in the future. I’m so grateful to have you all as partners and to be here today and speak to all of you. Thank you for your work.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Statement on Seafood-Related Executive Order

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    04.17.25
    Cantwell Statement on Seafood-Related Executive Order
    EDMONDS, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, released this statement regarding President Trump’s executive order related to seafood and fisheries.
    “You can’t manage and grow American fisheries when you fire the very scientists and fishery managers who are charged with supporting the more than one million jobs that rely on sustainable fisheries. This executive order comes on the heels of the leaked Trump Administration draft budget which would slash the National Marine Fisheries Service budget by 27 percent and eliminate the Habitat Conservation Program and the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, which fishermen rely on to restore salmon and other fish populations. The administration’s actions are hurting fishing families, not helping them.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell, Baldwin, Blunt Rochester Demand Answers on Lutnick’s Failure to Protect Minority Business Development Agency

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    04.17.25

    Cantwell, Baldwin, Blunt Rochester Demand Answers on Lutnick’s Failure to Protect Minority Business Development Agency

    As Trump tariffs batter U.S. economy, Lutnick RIFs entire agency that helps boost minority entrepreneurship, ignite economic opportunity & create jobs in rural, suburban & urban communities across the country

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) wrote to Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick demanding documents and full accounting of his actions to shutter the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) despite vowing not to support efforts to dismantle it. Today’s letter follows a March 24 letter from Sens. Cantwell and Blunt Rochester, warning Lutnick of the devastating impacts a reduction in force would have on small businesses and the nation’s economy.

    “Since sending that letter, our offices have received information indicating the Trump Administration sent reduction-in-force (RIF) notices to every MBDA employee—effectively shuttering an agency that Congress has authorized,” the senators wrote today.  “If true, this action would not only prevent MBDA from successfully carrying out its congressionally mandated programs and duties; it would appear to contradict the testimony you provided during your confirmation hearing.”

    During his confirmation hearing before the Commerce Committee, Lutnick said he did not support dismantling the agency which was created by President Nixon in 1969 and codified into law by Congress with bipartisan support in 2021. The MBDA is responsible for promoting the growth and global competitiveness of minority owned businesses, including by assisting these businesses with access to capital, contracts, markets and business networks through partnerships with private and public entities.  In Fiscal Year 2024 alone, the MBDA helped the country’s more than 12 million minority businesses access over $1.5 billion in capital and create or retain approximately 23,000 jobs.

    The full letter is below and here.

    Secretary Lutnick:

    In a letter sent on March 25, 2025, you were urged to honor your testimony before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation affirming you do not support efforts to dismantle the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA).[1] Since sending that letter, our offices have received information indicating the Trump Administration sent reduction-in-force (RIF) notices to every MBDA employee—effectively shuttering an agency that Congress has authorized. If true, this action would not only prevent MBDA from successfully carrying out its congressionally mandated programs and duties; it would appear to contradict the testimony you provided during your confirmation hearing. Accordingly, we demand a clear and complete explanation of your Department’s actions regarding the MBDA.

    As explained in the March 25, 2025, letter, the MBDA is a vital driver of economic growth for America’s minority-owned businesses.[2] Congress statutorily authorized the agency in a bipartisan manner in 2021 to ensure American entrepreneurs facing historical barriers to business ownership had access to key tools and resources to spur innovation, open new businesses, and create good-paying jobs. In Fiscal Year 2024 alone, the MBDA helped the country’s more than 12 million minority businesses access over $1.5 billion in capital and create or retain approximately 23,000 jobs.[3] Mindful of the MBDA’s record of success and congressional mandate, we urged you not to move forward with a RIF that would reduce MBDA’s personnel to as few as 3 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees.

    Alarmingly, information provided to our offices makes clear the RIF your Department initiated at the MBDA was even more sweeping than we had feared, leaving the agency with effectively no staff. As a result, it is unclear to whom, if anyone, MBDA Business Centers are reporting or who is currently implementing MBDA’s congressionally mandated programs and duties. Your Department appears to have dismantled the MBDA without any act of Congress—disregarding the programs and initiatives the Administration is directed by statute to implement.

    The Commerce Committee has a duty to conduct oversight of the agencies and programs under its jurisdiction to ensure they are implemented and operating as Congress intended.  Accordingly, please provide the following documents and information no later than May 1, 2025:

    • A complete description of the current staffing at MBDA, including the number of FTE employees presently working at the agency (if any), how many FTE employees are presently on administrative leave, and how many MBDA FTE employees have been sent RIF notices since January 20, 2025.
    • Copies of all RIF notices sent to MBDA FTE employees since January 20, 2025.
    • A complete description of all actions taken by the Department to comply with President Trump’s March 14, 2025, executive order, “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.”
    • A copy of the report required in the above-referenced March 14, 2025, Executive Order from MBDA to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget confirming compliance with the Executive Order and explaining which of its components or functions are statutorily required and to what extent.
    • An explanation of how the Department’s actions regarding the MBDA are consistent with the Administration’s statutory obligations under the Minority Business Development Act of 2021 (Division K of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, P.L. 117-58).
    • An explanation of how the Department’s actions regarding the MBDA during your tenure as Commerce Secretary are consistent with your testimony to the Commerce Committee on January 29, 2025, and in your responses to the corresponding questions for the record. In your response, please specifically address the testimony you provided when asked if you support dismantling the MBDA, to which you responded, “I do not.”

    Sincerely,

    [1] Hearing, “Nomination Hearing – U.S. Secretary of Commerce”, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, (Jan. 29, 2025); https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/1/full-committee-nomination-hearing_2_3.

    [2] Press Release, “Cantwell, Blunt Rochester Demand Commerce Secretary Lutnick Protect Minority Business Development Agency from Trump’s Overreach”, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, (Mar. 24, 2025); https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/3/cantwell-blunt-rochester-demand-commerce-secretary-lutnick-protect-minority-business-development-agency-from-trump-s-overreach. 

    [3] “Annual Performance Summary, Fiscal Year 2024,” Minority Business Development Agency, (accessed Mar. 24, 2025); https://www.mbda.gov/sites/default/files/2025-03/fy-2024-annual-performance-report.pdf.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Members Padilla, Morelle Continue Pressing for Answers on Trump’s Pause on Critical Election Security Work

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Ranking Members Padilla, Morelle Continue Pressing for Answers on Trump’s Pause on Critical Election Security Work

    Lawmakers demand copy of CISA’s review of its election security work after insufficient responses, blown deadlines to multiple letters regarding CISA firings and termination of election security efforts
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and U.S. Representative Joe Morelle (N.Y.-25), Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, sent another letter demanding answers from senior officials at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on the status of their election-related work, including a copy of CISA’s review of its election security work. 
    The Ranking Members sent two previous letters to CISA leadership regarding CISA’s pause on all election security-focused activities, the termination of funding for the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), and the firings of CISA employees who previously worked on election security, including misinformation and disinformation issues. The lawmakers note in their letter that the agency’s response “offered little insight into the status of election security work at CISA” and that CISA still has not fulfilled their request for a copy of the agency’s review more than a month after the deadline.
    “These staff and funding cuts raise grave concerns about the security and integrity of upcoming elections, where states and localities with limited budgets must protect their systems against foreign nation-states,” wrote the lawmakers. “Yet, during this time, we have received no additional updates or information from CISA about the status of this review.”
    CISA reportedly completed its review of all election security-related funding, products, services, and positions early last month and shared it with officials at the Department of Homeland Security. After the Department of Government Efficiency was deployed to CISA, the agency is also preparing to fire a third of its workforce — 1,300 employees — threatening vital election security efforts. Padilla and Morelle also expressed that the permanent termination without notice of federal funds for EI-ISAC will lead to assistance for state and local election officials “being systematically dismantled.”
    The lawmakers concluded by reminding CISA’s leadership of its responsibility to the congressional committees of jurisdiction. In addition to a copy of CISA’s review, Padilla and Morelle also asked for a substantive response to their two prior letters and a briefing on the findings of CISA’s assessment.
    “The Department and CISA have a responsibility to be transparent and responsive to the House and Senate Committees with jurisdiction over federal elections regarding proposed changes that threaten election integrity,” concluded the lawmakers. “To that end, we expect a comprehensive response, including the final or latest copy of CISA’s review, no later than Friday, May 2.”
    Ranking Members Padilla and Morelle have strongly opposed efforts by the Trump Administration to undermine federal agencies’ election security work. In addition to their previous letters to CISA leadership, Padilla and Morelle expressed serious concerns about the dangerous implications for elections following President Trump’s executive order purporting to bring independent regulatory agencies under total control of the White House. Padilla previously denounced the illegal firing of Federal Election Commission Chair Ellen Weintraub and led 10 Democratic Senators to demand President Trump rescind his attempt to fire Weintraub. 
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Ms. Bean and Ms. Harrington:
    We are writing for a third time seeking urgent updates on the status of election-related work at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), including for a copy of CISA’s review of its election security work.
    The agency’s March 7 response to our February 13 and March 4 letters offered little insight into the status of election security work at CISA, except for confirmation that CISA has paused all election security-focused activities pending this review and had already terminated federal funding in support of the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC). Following that March 7 response, House and Senate committee staff also made a specific document request in writing for CISA’s review of its election security activities.
    Recent reporting indicates that this review conducted by CISA of all election security related funding, products, services, and positions was completed in early March and has been shared with officials at the Department of Homeland Security.  Other reports indicate that CISA is preparing to cut nearly one-third of its workforce, or 1,300 people, following the deployment of DOGE staff to the agency— a potentially devastating blow to election security.  Funding cuts to ISACs mean that help for state and local election administrators is “being systematically dismantled.” 
    These staff and funding cuts raise grave concerns about the security and integrity of upcoming elections, where states and localities with limited budgets must protect their systems against foreign nation-states. Yet, during this time, we have received no additional updates or information from CISA about the status of this review.
    Now, more than one month after the deadline set out in our March 4 letter, we again request a copy of CISA’s review, a substantive response to both letters, and a briefing on the findings of the agency’s assessment, including a discussion of any proposed changes occurring at the agency and an explanation of the rationale behind such changes.
    The Department and CISA have a responsibility to be transparent and responsive to the House and Senate Committees with jurisdiction over federal elections regarding proposed changes that threaten election integrity. To that end, we expect a comprehensive response, including the final or latest copy of CISA’s review, no later than Friday, May 2.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sullivan Welcomes Executive Order on Enhancing American Seafood Competitiveness

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan

    04.17.25

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today praised an executive order issued by President Donald Trump to strengthen U.S. and Alaska fisheries. As the chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries, Sen. Sullivan has been working with the Trump administration and introducing legislation to address challenges facing Alaska’s fishermen, including global trading practices that disadvantage Alaska fisheries, and regulations that burden Alaska fishermen.

    “Last month in my speech to the Alaska Legislature, I issued a clarion call about the need to go on offense for our fishermen,” said Sen. Sullivan. “These great Alaskans have endured a perfect storm of challenges, which include unfair seafood trade practices by dictatorships like Russia and China, and onerous regulatory burdens from our own federal government. I have been working relentlessly with the Trump administration, including with the Commerce and Agriculture Departments, and the U.S. Trade Representative, to get relief for our fisherman. They listened. Today, President Trump gave our fishermen a major shot in the arm, ordering his administration to remove unnecessary federal red tape and develop an America First Seafood Strategy with measures to enhance the competitiveness of our seafood in global markets and hold bad actors in seafood trade accountable. I appreciate the Trump administration’s continued strong focus on advancing the interests and priorities of Alaska across a range of economic sectors, including our fishermen and coastal communities. I thank President Trump, Secretary Lutnick, and Ambassador Greer for taking decisive action on behalf of our hard-working fishermen, and fighting to ensure more Americans and our trading partners around the world are eating ‘freedom fish’ from Alaska—not ‘communist fish’ from the likes of Russia and China.”

    Below is a timeline of Sen. Sullivan’s recent efforts to advocate on behalf of the competitiveness of Alaska’s seafood industry:

    • On March 11, 2022, as a result of Sen. Sullivan’s advocacy, the Biden administration announced it would prohibit the importation of Russian seafood into the United States, in addition to banning goods from several other signature sectors of Russia’s economy.
    • On December 22, 2023, Sen. Sullivan welcomed a new Executive Order and resulting U.S. Department of the Treasury determination to revise existing guidance that allowed all Russian-origin seafood to bypass an earlier Executive Order banning its import into the United States. 
    • On January 29, 2025, Sen. Sullivan received Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’scommitment to champion the interests of Alaska’s fishermen and seafood industry.
    • On February 24, 2025, Sen. Sullivan reintroduced his Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Act to combat foreign illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by blacklisting offending vessels from U.S. ports and waters, bolstering the U.S. Coast Guard’s enforcement capabilities, and advancing international and bilateral negotiations to achieve enforceable agreements and treaties.
    • On March 13, 2025, Sen. Sullivan wrote a letter to Ambassador Jamieson Greer, the United States Trade Representative, urging him to initiate an investigation under Section 301 of theTrade Act of 1974 into Russian and Chinese seafood trade practices.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Tours WSU-Vancouver Life Sciences Building, Filling Workforce Gaps in Southwest WA

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ***PHOTOS, B-ROLL HERE***
    Vancouver, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, toured Washington State University’s Vancouver campus to see their recently-completed Life Sciences Building, which has been in the works for nearly a decade and specifically works to fill workforce gaps in Southwest Washington, particularly in medicine and nursing. During the visit, Senator Murray heard from students and educators about how the new building allows WSU-Vancouver to expand biology offerings—which were previously limited by a lack of lab space—and provide a new undergraduate degree in chemistry. The Life Sciences Building houses classrooms, lab space for biology and chemistry, and clinical health programs, including biology, chemistry, neuroscience, and nursing.  
    The opening of the Life Sciences Building also freed up space in the existing Science and Engineering Building for a new five-year partnership between the U.S. Forest Service’s Office of International Programs (USFS IP) and WSU Vancouver to combat illegal logging—where students will use state-of-the-art equipment purchased by the USFS IP to assist the Forest Service in detecting illegal timber imports and support the U.S. timber industry by ensuring legitimate trade practices. Right now, U.S. industries lose an estimated $4 billion each year as a direct result of illegal logging. Space in the Science and Engineering Building is currently being renovated for this work, and Forest Service staff will work out of these offices and labs on WSU Vancouver’s campus.  This new partnership is expected to create several new educational opportunities and research outcomes for undergraduate and graduate students and allow WSU to hire new staff. WSU is also a key partner in USFS IP’s Invasive Species Program, which funds research to manage non-native forest pests and pathogens that threaten the health of U.S. forests and grasslands.
    However, Trump and Elon Musk’s mass firings and steep cuts to critical services across the federal government are putting this work in jeopardy—Trump and Musk have already pushed out more than 3,000 U.S. Forest Service employees and their upcoming Reduction In Force (RIF) plans are likely to gut USFS IP and could put the agency’s partnerships with WSU at risk.
    “As a proud Coug, it was great getting to see firsthand how WSU is advancing life science programs for students in Vancouver and filling workforce needs for greater Southwest Washington. Thanks to these new resources and programs, more students will be equipped to become nurses, doctors, and scientists ensuring Washington state continues to lead the way on everything from medical research to preventing invasive species from threatening our forests,” said Senator Murray. “Right now, President Trump is doing everything he can to attack education across the country and abolish the Department of Education that provides really critical support for students at WSU and all over Washington state. Trump’s attacks on the Forest Service also threaten critical partnerships with WSU on everything from combating illegal logging to managing invasive species. I will continue fighting as hard as I can to protect the funding and resources our students and schools like WSU need to thrive.”  
    Last year, the Department of Education distributed over $100 million in federal financial aid and support to help students across Washington attend and complete college.
    “Senator Murray’s visit provided an opportunity to showcase the vital role federally funded research plays in advancing our mission—from driving cutting-edge discoveries that promote health, innovation and economic vitality in our region to expanding access and supporting student success,” said Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education Christine Portfors.
    A senior member and former chair of the HELP Committee, Senator Murray has championed students and families at every stage of her career—fighting to help ensure every child in America can get a high-quality public education. Among other things, Senator Murray negotiated the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), landmark legislation that she got signed into law, replacing the broken No Child Left Behind Act. As a longtime appropriator, she has successfully fought to boost funding to support students and invest in our nation’s K-12 schools, and she has secured significant increases to the Pell Grant so that it goes further for students pursuing a higher education. Senator Murray also successfully negotiated the FAFSA Simplification Act, bipartisan legislation to reform the financial aid application process, simplify the FAFSA form for students and parents, and significantly expand eligibility for federal aid.
    Earlier this month, Senator Murray led a letter to Secretary Linda McMahon demanding a reversal of a new policy the Department of Education announced recently that suddenly upended departmental policy and imposed new red tape on states, which will prevent them from accessing pandemic relief funds they are counting on to support students’ learning. Senator Murray also led a letter demanding detailed answers from the Department of Education about the mass firings and other detrimental actions which risk major reductions in support for and oversight of federal investments in our nation’s K-12 schools and institutions of higher education and threaten vital support for students with disabilities, access to Pell Grants and other financial aid, oversight of student loan servicers, scrutiny of for-profit colleges, and more. The letter follows an earlier March 6 letter Senator Murray sent alongside colleagues demanding answers about the chaotic, harmful actions taken by ED since January—which the Department has yet to respond to.
    During Secretary Linda McMahon’s confirmation hearing, Senator Murray pressed McMahon on whether she will ensure approved funding gets out to serve students as the law requires and whether she would protect students’ data from DOGE. She also asked McMahon to name a single requirement of ESSA—and McMahon couldn’t name any. Ahead of McMahon’s confirmation, Senator Murray spoke out on the Senate floor against her nomination and sounded the alarm over President Trump and Elon Musk’s plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
    A fact sheet outlining how the Department of Education supports students in Washington state is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Vancouver, Senator Murray Meets with Local Businesses, ILWU, Port of Kalama to Discuss How Trump’s Chaotic Trade War is Hurting Washington State

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: In Tacoma, Senator Murray Meets with Local Businesses, Port Commissioners to Discuss How Trump’s Chaotic Trade War is Hurting Washington State
    ICYMI: In Senate Floor Speech, Senator Murray Hammers Trump and Republicans on Chaotic, Painful Trade War and Steep Tariffs Raising Costs on Families and Small Businesses in WA
    ***PHOTOS and B-ROLL HERE***
    Vancouver, WA— Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a roundtable discussion in Vancouver highlighting how local businesses, ports, and the overall economy in Washington state is suffering from President Trump’s senseless and chaotic trade war. Senator Murray was joined for the discussion by John Rudi, CEO of Thompson Metal Fab in Vancouver; Miriam Halliday, CEO of Workforce Southwest Washington; Jared Moultrie, Vice President of the International Longshore & Warehouse Workers’ Union (ILWU) Local 4 in Vancouver; Augusto Bassanini, CEO of United Grain; and Mark Wilson, Executive Director of the Port of Kalama.
    On April 2nd, President Trump announced sweeping new tariffs on nearly every country, including a 10 percent baseline tariff on all imported goods, and country-specific so-called reciprocal tariffs. Just hours after the reciprocal tariff rates took effect last Wednesday, Trump abruptly changed his mind and put a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs. But Trump is still taxing goods from every country, across the board, at 10 percent at least, and he is escalating his trade war with China, with 145 percent tariffs on Chinese goods—which is already leading to higher prices and serious pain for families and small business across Washington state. Senator Murray has always been vocal about the need to out-compete China, but warned that waging an all-out trade war with China on a whim will cause serious economic pain for consumers and small businesses across the country.
    Even with his “pause,” Trump’s new tariff rates are still the highest in decades, and are estimated to cost American families more than $4,000 per year—the largest tax increase since 1968.
    “Trump’s tariffs are a tax—a tax that will hit hardworking Americans the most. Families will be paying higher prices, small businesses will have to lay off workers, and Washington’s ports will be gutted as trade drops. That’s a lot of jobs on the line in our ports like Kalama and Vancouver along the Columbia River,” said Senator Murray. “Congress has the power to step in and put a stop to these senseless tariffs, we can bring back certainty to protect American businesses and the economy.”
    “Businesses can’t function when they are waiting to see if Trump will change his mind again about what countries will have tariffs, and at what rate, as if this should be something decided on a whim,” Senator Murray continued. “Every morning small business owners, port longshoremen, warehouse workers, and families wake up wondering if today will be the day they have to close up shop or will lose their job. Congress needs to step up and put an end to these tariffs—but we need Republicans to join us in order to do that. I will keep shining a light on the consequences of Trump’s painful trade war will bring and amplifying the voices and concerns of people in Washington state.”
    Washington state has one of the most trade-dependent economies of any state in the country, with 40 percent of jobs tied to international commerce. Washington state is the top U.S. producer of apples, blueberries, hops, pears, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries—all of which risk losing vital export markets due to retaliatory tariffs from key trading partners including Canada. Additionally, more than 12,000 small and medium-sized companies in Washington state export goods and will struggle to absorb the impact of retaliatory tariffs.
    Canada is Washington’s largest overall trading partner, accounting for nearly $20 billion in imports and $10 billion in exports. China is the world’s second-largest economy and Washington state exported over $12 billion in goods to China last year—making China Washington state’s top export partner—and imported $11.2 billion in goods, the second-most in imports from any country aside from Canada. Trump’s tariffs during his first term were extremely costly for Washington state—for example, India imposed a 20 percent retaliatory tariff on U.S. apples, causing Washington apple shipments to India to fall by 99 percent and growers to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in exports.
    “Tariffs simply add cost to major infrastructure projects, and there are very few ways the additional cost impacts of tariffs can be reduced or mitigated,” said John Rudi, CEO of Thompson Metal Fab, a veteran-owned, Vancouver-based metal fabrication company that makes products for the gas and oil industries, and is entering new markets creating products for nuclear, high-tech, and renewable energies. “There are serious concerns about the impact of tariffs on projects that have already been contracted or bid—and an even larger concern than the direct financial impact of tariffs is the uncertainty it creates. Uncertainly only delays, and possibly freezes, major industrial projects. When work is delayed, highly-skilled workers are lost, resulting in long-term impacts to industrial capacity. And once industrial demand stabilizes and returns to normal, the surge in business can result in inflationary costs due to increased competition for workers and resources… Senator Murray has been a strong and consistent advocate for job creation and infrastructure projects in our region and we are pleased to have her visit today to discuss how businesses and the local workforce are impacted by tariffs.”
    “The continued volatility in international tariff strategies is creating significant challenges for workforce development across industries in Southwest Washington,” said Miriam Halliday, CEO of Workforce Southwest, the Local Workforce Development Board designated as the policy, planning and oversight body for the public workforce system in Clark, Cowlitz, and Wahkiakum counties. “Companies are increasingly hesitant to expand or invest in talent due to rising costs and economic uncertainty. For instance, a mid-sized IT Managed Service Provider located in Vancouver WA is facing a 15% increase in order costs, making it difficult to forecast budgets and commit to workforce growth. Similarly, a mid-sized die casting manufacturer located in Vancouver WA has paused its expansion this quarter—not due to lack of demand, but because financial institutions are withholding loans for new equipment out of recession fears. As a result, plans to hire and upskill workers have been deferred, highlighting how external economic pressures are directly stalling local and regional workforce development.”
    “Our ports face significant challenges and uncertainties in light of potential trade wars,” said Jared Moultrie, Vice President of the International Longshore & Warehouse Workers’ Union (ILWU) Local 4 in Vancouver, representing dock workers in the region. “In 2024, the Port of Vancouver supported nearly 20,000 jobs and generated $2.9 billion in regional economic benefits. United Grain Corporation, Longshoremen, Railroad workers, Tugboat crews, Truck operators, and Farmers from the American West and Midwest facilitated the movement of 5.9 million metric tons of agricultural commodities through the Port of Vancouver. The retaliatory tariffs imposed by China have the potential to significantly reduce employment opportunities for these men and women and diminish the economic benefits within our regionThe Port of Vancouver operates as a breakbulk port, and proposed tariffs would heavily impact everything we handle. Steel is projected to experience an estimated 30 percent decrease, having never recovered from the previous set of tariffs. Currently, we service two aluminum ships per month and conduct weekly aluminum loadouts onto trucks or railcars. The aluminum sector would be seriously jeopardized if tariffs were to deepen. As the number one importer of Subaru vehicles, we are already anticipating around a 20 percent decrease in cars arriving at our dock.”
    “At Local 4, our workers are concerned about job security due to the proposed tariffs. We are already contending with rising car payments, mortgage payments, and costs of goods and services. We worry about whether we will be able to afford our children’s tuition, take planned vacations, make substantial purchases, or even dine out. The trickle-down effect on regional companies, truck drivers, farmers, small businesses, and everyone in between could be devastating,” Moultrie continued. “We extend our gratitude to Senator Murray for her dedication and continued commitment to supporting the ILWU and our ports, working-class individuals, our region, our state, and the United States of America.”
    “We greatly appreciate Senator Murray’s engagement and efforts to understand how the proposed tariffs are impacting American grain exports,” said Augusto Bassanini, CEO of United Grain Corporation, which sources grain and oilseeds from more than 2,000 suppliers in the Pacific Northwest and Northern Plains. “To help the 2,000 American farmers we work with remain competitive in the global market, we need certainty to navigate a global marketplace so we can continue to create jobs, domestic economic development opportunities and feed the world.” 
    Senator Murray has been a vocal opponent of Trump’s chaotic trade war and has been lifting up the voices of people in Washington state harmed by this administration’s approach to trade. Senator Murray continues to call on Republicans to end Trump’s trade war—which Congress has the power to do—and take back Congress’ Constitutionally-granted power to impose tariffs. Earlier this month, Senator Murray brought together leaders across Washington state who highlighted how Trump’s ongoing trade war is already a devastating hit to Washington state’s economy, businesses, and our agriculture sector. Senator Murray also took to the Senate floor to lay out how Trump’s chaotic trade war is seriously threatening our economy, American businesses, families’ retirement savings, and so much else. Earlier this week, Senator Murray joined her colleagues in pressing U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer on how the Trump administration’s tariffs are affecting farmers across the country.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Visits Downtown Vancouver, Highlights Importance of Federal Investment Amid Local Concerns Over Trump Funding Freezes, Tariff Chaos

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: In Vancouver, Senator Murray Meets with Local Businesses, ILWU, Port Commissioner to Discuss How Trump’s Chaotic Trade War is Hurting Washington State
    ***PHOTOS and B-ROLL HERE***
    Vancouver, WA— Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, toured businesses in downtown Vancouver, as part of the Main Street Promise project, to see how federal investment has supported their growth and how Trump’s chaotic trade war and federal funding freezes are harming the local economy. Senator Murray was joined for the tour by Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle; Michael Walker, Executive Director of the Vancouver Downtown Association; Chris Harder, Deputy Economic Development Director for the City of Vancouver; Julie Arenz, Small Business Connector and Advocate for the City of Vancouver; Ryan Hart, Chair of Visit Vancouver and Chief External Affairs Officer for the Port of Vancouver; Kelsey Jennings, Owner of Ronald Records in downtown Vancouver; and Crystal Lary, Owner of Eryngium Papeterie in downtown Vancouver.
    During the visit, Senator Murray heard from business owners and leaders at the City of Vancouver about how federal investment in Vancouver has helped lay the groundwork for thriving small businesses and spurred other construction and renovation projects in the downtown core. The City of Vancouver has been working on a 20-year revitalization effort that Senator Murray helped kickstart by securing initial federal funding for the Waterfront Redevelopment Project in 2009. The Main Street Promise Project is one of the last phases of the revitalization effort and was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act Senator Murray played a leading role in crafting as then-Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. The major reconstruction project on Main Street broke ground in December 2024—with original planning work done in 1993 with the goal of improving the heart of Vancouver. The Main Street Promise Project will reconstruct Main Street to provide a safe, accessible, and connected transportation system to support existing small businesses along Main Street and attract more visitors to Downtown Vancouver.
    Senator Murray also heard from small business owners and local leaders about how the Trump administration’s illegal withholding of federal funding owed to communities across the country and his reckless trade war is leading to serious uncertainty for businesses, consumers, and communities across Southwest Washington. Trump is currently taxing goods from every country—including close allies like Canada—at a minimum 10 percent tariff rate across-the-board, and he has significantly escalated his trade war with China, with 145 percent tariffs on Chinese goods—meaning higher prices and serious pain for families and small businesses across the country. Even with his 90-day “pause” on reciprocal tariffs, Trump’s new tariffs are still the highest tariff rates in decades, and are estimated to cost American families more than $4,000 per year—the largest tax increase since 1968.
    “It’s wonderful to see how the federal investment I’ve fought to bring to Southwest Washington over the years has helped downtown Vancouver thrive—with so many great small businesses and new infrastructure and renovation projects that are making the heart of Vancouver a destination for shopping, eating, nightlife, and more,” said Senator Murray. “Trump is putting all the progress our communities have made at risk by illegally canceling and holding up federal funding our communities are owed, and he is putting businesses in constant turmoil with his pointless and destructive trade war. I will continue to sound the alarm on the consequences Trump’s illegal funding freezes and his ham-fisted trade war will have for American families, and I will always lift up the voices and concerns of people in Washington state.”
    “The transformation of Vancouver’s downtown into a regional and national destination is years in the making,” said Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle. “The current reconstruction of Main Street into a pedestrian-centered and vibrant commercial corridor represents downtown Vancouver’s most recent evolution. Over the past 20+ years, Senator Murray has been one of Vancouver’s biggest champions, helping to steer critical federal funds, such as American Rescue Plan Act dollars, to our community to help fund placemaking and infrastructure investments. The City of Vancouver would like to thank Senator Murray for her leadership and we are grateful for her willingness to partner on important local projects like Main Street Promise.”    
    “The Main Street Promise is a realization of a vision that’s been decades in the making. This is the third time our community has tried to bring this project to life, and now—thanks to Senator Patty Murray and the American Rescue Plan—we finally have what we need to get it done,” said Michael Walker, Executive Director of Vancouver’s Downtown Association. “This is the largest investment in Main Street in 116 years, and it’s going to reshape the heart of our downtown into a safer, more connected, and more accessible place for everyone. This project is about building a strong foundation for the future of our downtown—leaving something great for the next generation and beyond. Senator Patty Murray’s steadfast advocacy on behalf of Vancouver has helped us achieve real outcomes in the heart of our community—improving quality of life, supporting local businesses, and strengthening our downtown economy for the long term.”
    “In addition, thanks to the unique opportunity provided by ARPA dollars, we’re able to go beyond traditional infrastructure work,” Walker continued. “We have staff on the ground every day and thoughtful mitigation efforts in place—like block-by-block construction—to help minimize disruption. Businesses are staying open, sidewalks remain accessible, and we’ve built a strong network of peer support to help keep our business community resilient and thriving throughout the process. For a project of this scale, we’re doing everything we can to make sure it’s as smooth and supportive as possible.
    Washington state has one of the most trade-dependent economies of any state in the country, with 40 percent of jobs tied to international commerce. Washington state is the top U.S. producer of apples, blueberries, hops, pears, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries—all of which risk losing vital export markets due to retaliatory tariffs from key trading partners including Canada. Additionally, more than 12,000 small and medium-sized companies in Washington state export goods and will be unlikely to be able to absorb the impact of retaliatory tariffs. Canada is Washington’s largest trading partner, accounting for nearly $20 billion in imports and $10 billion in exports. China is the world’s second-largest economy and Washington state exported over $12 billion in goods to China last year—making China Washington state’s top export partner—and imported $11.2 billion in goods, the most in imports from any country aside from Canada. Trump’s tariffs during his first term were extremely costly for Washington state—for example, India imposed a 20 percent retaliatory tariff on U.S. apples, causing Washington apple shipments to India to fall by 99 percent and growers to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in exports.
    Senator Murray has been a vocal opponent of Trump’s chaotic trade war and has been lifting up the voices of people in Washington state harmed by this administration’s approach to trade and calling on Republicans to end Trump’s trade war—which Congress has the power to do—and take back Congress’ Constitutionally-granted power to impose tariffs. Earlier this month, Senator Murray brought together leaders across Washington state who highlighted how Trump’s ongoing trade war is already a devastating hit to Washington state’s economy, businesses, and our agriculture sector. Senator Murray also took to the Senate floor to lay out how Trump’s chaotic trade war is seriously threatening our economy, American businesses, families’ retirement savings, and so much else. Earlier this week, Senator Murray joined her colleagues in pressing U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on how the Trump administration’s tariffs are affecting farmers across the country.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Graham Statement On Supreme Court Hearing Birthright Citizenship Case

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Lindsey Graham

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement after the Supreme Court of the United States announced it would hear oral arguments on President Donald Trump’s efforts to restrict birthright citizenship, which is a major pull factor for illegal immigration into the United States.

    “I’m very pleased to hear that the Supreme Court will review President Trump’s executive order to end the abuses of birthright citizenship.

    “I have long believed that the 14th amendment does not require granting citizenship to the children of illegal aliens or foreign nationals here on temporary, nonimmigrant visas. To that end, last year I introduced legislation to limit birthright citizenship.

    “One of the greatest pull factors for illegal immigration is birthright citizenship. In addition, birth tourism, particularly involving China, is a large industry where people obtain tourist visas for the purpose of giving birth in the U.S. and establishing U.S. citizenship for that child. It is far past time for the United States to recognize the original, constitutional definition of birthright citizenship, as the current practice is being abused in so many ways.

    “It is my hope the Court will settle this issue once and for all, and that my legislation to stop the abuse of birthright citizenship will pass quickly.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall Releases Statement in Response to USTR Placing Service Fees on Chinese Ships

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) today released the following statement in response to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer announcing actions to restore American shipbuilding and address China’s unreasonable acts to dominate the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding industries.
    “Thanks to President Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer for putting America first by placing industry-friendly service fees on Chinese-manufactured ships that carry U.S. farm commodities,” said Senator Marshall. “China has dominated global shipping fleets for too long. This move protects American agriculture, boosts domestic shipbuilding, and strengthens our national security.”
    Background:

    According to the Office of the USTR, the United States only accounts for 0.1% of global shipbuilding while China produces more than the rest of the world combined.
    For nearly three decades, China’s targeting of the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors for dominance has marginalized America’s shipbuilding capabilities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER: UNDER GOP PLAN TO CRIPPLE MEDICAID, ROCKLAND COUNTY WOULD BE AMONG HARDEST HIT IN THE COUNTRY, RIPPING AWAY HEALTHCARE, SENIORS COULD BE KICKED OUT OF NURSING HOMES, & LAYOFFS AT LARGEST…

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer
    Last Week House Republicans Voted To Advance The Biggest Medicaid Cut In History -$880 BILLION; Senator Says It Would Be A Dagger To Heart Of Rockland County With Over 150,000 On Medicaid, One Of Highest Percentages Of Beneficiaries In The State, Including Nearly Half Its Children
    New Reports Show NY-17 Could Lose Whopping $2+ Billion Under GOP Cuts, Hammering Hospitals, Nursing Homes & Clinics – Devastating Regional Healthcare With 31,000 Workers At 15 Hospitals & 51 Nursing Homes
    Schumer: Rockland County May Be Where The Fate Of Medicaid In America Is Decided, NY Republicans Must Show Which Side They Are On
    On national Medicaid Matters Day of Action, just a week after Congressional Republicans voted for the second time to enact the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stood with Hudson Valley healthcare leaders, seniors, nurses, and concerned families at Helen Hayes Hospital to break down how the GOP plan would be a dagger to the heart of Rockland County’s healthcare system.
    Schumer detailed how the proposed $880 billion cut from Medicaid could directly impact over 150,000 in Rockland on Medicaid and millions more across the nation ripping away healthcare for seniors and kids alike, devastating Rockland’s largest employers, and forcing counties to fill a massive budget gap. The senator called on NY House Republicans to block Trump’s plan to decimate Medicaid.
    “The future of Medicaid in America may be decided right here in the Hudson Valley. If these cuts go through, Rockland County would be hit first and among the hardest in the country. It would blow a crater in the Hudson Valley’s healthcare system. Hospitals like Helen Hayes say they don’t know how they’d recover from the loss of funding. Jawonio, one of Rockland’s largest employers and a lifeline for people with disabilities, gets over 70% of their budget through Medicaid. Many fear these cuts would go so deep it would not only slash services but they could lead to devastating layoffs for the 31,000 healthcare workers in NY-17,” said Senator Schumer. “Seniors could be kicked out of nursing homes, addiction recovery centers decimated worsening the opioid crisis, and nearly 50% of children in the district who rely on Medicaid could be left without a safety net. We are in the fight of our lifetime to block the Republican plan to gut Medicaid by $880 billion. It only takes a few NY House Republicans to stop the largest Medicaid cut in history and we need NY Republicans to show us which side they are on with their actions.”
    Schumer said Medicaid is a lifeline and an $880 billion cut could force healthcare facilities to cancel services, lay off staff, rip away healthcare for thousands of seniors and kids, all while forcing counties to fill a huge budget gap resulting from these Medicaid cuts. NY-17 specifically has one of the highest percentages in the state of those covered under Medicaid at 35% and one of the highest percentages of children covered at 46%. According to NYSDOH:
    Over 156,000 children are enrolled in Medicaid in NY-17 receiving $742 million in funding. Across NY-17, 62% of children under 6 and 39% of children ages 6-18 are on Medicaid.
    Nearly 45,000 seniors in NY-17 receive $1.3 billion in Medicaid benefits.
    Over 25,000 people with disabilities in NY-17 are enrolled in Medicaid receiving $1.4 billion.
    While the full extent of Republican cuts to Medicaid is not yet known, a study by the Center for American Progress found the current proposal could lead to a whopping more than $2 billion loss for NY-17. The Senator said Rockland has long been a hub for the healthcare sector supporting 31,000 healthcare workers at 15 hospitals & 51 nursing homes, making this proposal especially dire for the region.
    The GOP’s $880 billion in cuts would inevitably shift the costs of care to states, resulting in agonizing decisions with county executives and state legislators forced to decide where to make up for the huge budget hole caused by a near insurmountable loss in federal funding. Counties like Rockland could be forced to shoulder the burden of increased costs in Medicaid, using more local dollars to provide coverage because less federal funding will be coming in. Schumer said while some Congressional Republicans claim this plan won’t cut Medicaid, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office found the GOP plan could not be reached without reducing the funding that goes to Medicaid. There is no way to protect Medicaid benefits if Republicans move ahead with these cuts.
    Schumer added, “NY Republicans are tying themselves in knots to try to justify these cuts, but the math shows you cannot move forward with this plan without hurting our seniors, families, and healthcare providers who rely on Medicaid. Trump wants these cuts for one reason: to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. They are trying to use smoke and mirrors with bogus claims of this $880 billion only stopping fraudsters but nobody, especially not in the Hudson Valley, is buying that BS.”
    Across the Hudson Valley, thousands of New Yorkers have been rallying to protect Medicaid, and earlier this month, Rockland County legislators unanimously passed a resolution urging Congress to protect Medicaid funding because of how reliant the area is on this funding.
    Helen Hayes Hospital is 34% reliant on Medicaid. The hospital, which is one of the oldest and premier rehabilitation centers in the nation, helps treat New Yorkers recovering from disabling injuries and illnesses. Jawonio, Rockland’s 5th biggest employer with over 900 staff, provides 3,500 children and adults with disability, mental health, education, and other services is 73% reliant on Medicaid and said if these cuts went through would slash healthcare services for thousands across the Hudson Valley. In total, 15 Hospitals & 51 Nursing Home facilities across NY-17 could face devastating Medicaid cuts: Westchester Medical Center received $265 million from Medicaid and has over 9,000 employees. St. John’s Riverside Hospital receives $200 million from Medicaid and has nearly 1,800 full-time employees. Blythedale Children’s Hospital receives $75 million from Medicaid and has approximately 462 full-time employees. United Hebrew Geriatric Center receives $15 million from Medicaid and has approximately 271 full-time employees. The New Jewish Home, Sarah Neuman receives $26 million from Medicaid and has approximately 374 full-time employees. Along with many others including community health centers like Refuah and Sun River.
    New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “Medicaid makes healthcare possible for the most vulnerable among us. Cuts to Medicaid hurt everyone. Make no mistake: these proposed Medicaid cuts will broaden health disparities. These cuts aren’t just numbers on a page – they’re going to hurt real people in every corner of New York.”
    “Medicaid is essential to ensuring access to rehabilitation and long-term support for people recovering from serious injuries and illnesses, and those living with disabilities,” said Yvonne Evans, Acting Chief Executive Officer of New York State Department of Health’s Helen Hayes Hospital. ”We see daily how important this coverage is for our patients and their families. Protecting Medicaid means protecting health, independence, and dignity and we thank Sen. Schumer, Gov. Hochul and Dr. McDonald for their support.”
    “Any potential cuts to Medicaid funding could have devastating effects on both the individuals who rely on it and the providers who support them. Reduced funding could lead to fewer resources…increased workloads…and the inability to provide necessary services. Medicaid is indispensable for people with disabilities,” said Randi Rios-Castro, CEO of Jawonio.
    “Everyone deserves high-quality healthcare, including affordable doctors’ appointments and low-cost prescriptions,” said Carolyn Martinez-Class, Campaign Manager for Invest in Our New York. “Taking away 7 million New Yorkers’ ability to live healthy lives, especially to pay for tax breaks for the obscenely rich, is absolutely unacceptable. We expect every New York representative to follow Senator Schumer’s lead by opposing these devastating cuts and standing up for the communities they represent.”
    “Westchester Medical Center, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, and the Behavioral Health Center are safety-net hospitals serving all patients, regardless of their ability to pay,” said David Lubarsky, MD, MBA, President and CEO of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth). “As regional referral centers, these hospitals handle over 12,000 transfers annually, providing advanced care to the critically ill. As the largest Medicaid provider in the region, serving one in three Medicaid patients, any cuts to Medicaid would restrict access for underserved Hudson Valley communities, deter preventive care, increase untreated conditions, and heighten reliance on emergency departments. This burdens patients and strains public hospitals. Sustained support is critical to meet our region’s complex healthcare needs.”
    Schumer warned that Medicaid serves as a lifeline for more than 7 million New Yorkers and is the primary payer for long-term care in the United States, including at nursing homes and for people living at home. Medicaid pays for services for 2 in 3 nursing home residents. Families will have nowhere else to turn if Medicaid is cut, and millions of people will be left trying to figure out how to access the care and services they rely on every day.
    Nearly 1 in 4 Medicaid enrollees are eligible for the program because they are ages 65 and older or have a disability. Proposals to limit federal spending on Medicaid will force states to consider dropping or limiting eligibility or coverage for seniors and people with disabilities to make up for a huge budget hole with fewer federal dollars coming to New York. Loss of Medicaid coverage poses unique challenges for seniors and people with disabilities, people who are likely to live on fixed incomes, have high health care spending, and rely on Medicaid for help with everyday life and for coverage of long-term care.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murkowski and Colleagues Urge Trump to Reinstate Collective Bargaining Rights for Federal Workers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski
    04.17.25
    Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) today urged President Donald Trump to reinstate federal workers’ collective bargaining rights after he issued an executive order to end collective bargaining at several federal agencies. The order strips more than 1,000,000 federal workers across the country of their collective bargaining rights.
    “The presence of collective bargaining rights has created a more stable and productive workforce and has allowed the federal government to better meet the needs of our constituents,” the bipartisan group of senators wrote to the president. “Further, sudden changes to labor-management relations are disruptive to the work of the federal workforce and will result in the loss of valuable federal workers with knowledge and skills critical to completing their respective agency’s missions.”
    The senators continued, “We share your goal of streamlining federal operations and enhancing government efficiency, but believe that the March 27th EO impedes, rather than advances, efforts to make the federal government more efficient. Therefore, we respectfully request that you reconsider your executive order and restore federal workers’ collective bargaining rights.”
    The full text of the letter is below and available here.
    Dear Mr. President:
    We write regarding your March 27th Executive Order titled “Exclusions from Federal Labor Management Relations Programs.”
    As you know, the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute and the Foreign Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (individually and collectively, the FSLMRS) formalized federal labor relations and provided federal workers with the power to organize labor organizations and collectively bargain with federal agencies. These statutes were created, in part, to reduce labor strife, improve agencies’ recruitment and retention efforts, and make the federal government writ large a better, more productive, and more efficient organization.
    Under the FSLMRS, the President has conditional authority to exclude certain federal agencies or subdivisions from its requirements. The use of this authority has two requirements: the President must determine that “the agency or subdivision has as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work” and that “the provisions of this chapter cannot be applied to that agency or subdivision in a manner consistent with national security requirements and considerations.”
    Broadly, unions have long been able to exist in national security agencies. For example, Department of Defense civilian federal workers have had the right to collectively bargain since 1978 with success for both the department and its workers without negative impacts on national security. In many federal agencies, collective bargaining has served to strengthen and advance the mission of the agency by providing a structured channel for communication and addressing employee concerns. The presence of collective bargaining rights has created a more stable and productive workforce and has allowed the federal government to better meet the needs of our constituents. Further, sudden changes to labor management relations are disruptive to the work of the federal workforce and will result in the loss of valuable federal workers with knowledge and skills critical to completing their respective agency’s missions.
    We share your goal of streamlining federal operations and enhancing government efficiency, but believe that the March 27th EO impedes, rather than advances, efforts to make the federal government more efficient. Therefore, we respectfully request that you reconsider your executive order and restore federal workers’ collective bargaining rights.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SEN ELIZABETH WARREN: Social Security is under attack. Gutting it is a broken promise

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    April 15, 2025

    We shouldn’t be cutting Social Security services and threatening Americans’ benefits — we should be making the program stronger

    Gutting Social Security isn’t “efficient” — it’s a broken promise. Democrats and Republicans should stand up and fight back to protect it.

    Social Security is not charity. Americans pay in, paycheck after paycheck, over a lifetime of hard work. When they get older, they get that money back to help them retire. That’s the iron-clad, take-it-to-the-bank promise that America makes to workers.

    But right now, Social Security is under attack like it has never been before. Billionaire Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said seniors won’t complain if they miss a Social Security check. Elon Musk called Social Security the “world’s biggest Ponzi scheme.” Musk then sent his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to gut the agency by indiscriminately firing workers, closing down offices, and trying to cut phone services.

    What does it mean to slash staff and services with no rhyme or reason? Two things: more mistakes in delivering checks to Americans, and fewer workers to fix those mistakes. And when people don’t get their checks, that’s a cut to the benefits they have earned.

    Mistakes are already showing up. After DOGE got its hands on Social Security, Ned, a retiree from Washington state, was marked “dead” in the Social Security system — despite being very much alive. He had $5,000 in benefits snatched right out of his bank account (paid while he was “dead”) and his monthly checks ceased. Ned spent weeks trying to fix the mistake and still hasn’t gotten paid back for two months of missing checks.
    Or take Tom and Chris from Westborough, Massachusetts, whose son has autism. For years, disability benefits through Social Security have helped pay for his care. And for years, those benefits have come through on time, without fail. But when they checked their son’s Social Security account recently, his benefits had been terminated. No explanation — just stopped. The money eventually came through, but it led to panic over how they would pay the bills.

    And while people aren’t getting their checks, there are fewer Social Security workers to help fix problems. Slashing staff and shutting down regional offices means Americans are forced to drive hours to get help with their applications or missing benefits. Once they get to an office, the lines can be out the door. They wait hours before they can get help — if they get help at all.

    Elon Musk and DOGE claim the reason they’re hacking away at people’s Social Security is to cut down on “extreme levels of fraud,” saying tens of millions of dead people over the age of 100 are getting payments. But even current Social Security Acting Administrator Leland Dudek — put in place by Donald Trump in February — contradicts that claim.
    Here’s the thing: if Elon Musk and DOGE truly want to cut waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government, there are easy ways to do it. I gave them 30 suggestions that would cut $2 trillion in government waste. Gutting the Social Security Administration so that it works worse for our seniors, veterans, and Americans with disabilities is not one of those ways.
    But don’t just take it from me. President George W. Bush’s Social Security Administration Commissioner said that if Elon Musk and DOGE wanted to make changes to increase efficiency at the agency, they could, “but we’re doing it the way that 22-year-old frat boys that have never seen the system think is a good idea, and that’s a mistake.”
    Musk himself said he’ll make mistakes, and it’s clear that coming for Social Security is a giant one. If he’s really honest enough to admit his own mistakes, why doesn’t he reverse course? Instead of recognizing that DOGE’s Social Security takeover is only hurting Americans, he’s doubling down, even encouraging President Trump to make the same false claims. President George W. Bush’s Social Security Commissioner called it “a real disservice to President Trump.” More importantly, it’s a deep disservice to the American people.
    We shouldn’t be cutting Social Security services and threatening Americans’ benefits — we should be making the program stronger. People are struggling with sky-high prices while their retirement savings are evaporating. We need a temporary increase in benefits right now to give people some relief. We should also protect the long-term security of the system by lifting the cap on the amount millionaires and billionaires pay into Social Security, which would also yield enough money to permanently expand benefits.
    Social Security shouldn’t be a partisan issue. It was first created by a nearly unanimous vote by members of Congress from both parties. Even now, as gutting the agency has become a key part of the administration’s agenda, Republicans know that DOGE’s “efficiency” mission isn’t working. They’re seeing reports of long lines at offices, long waits on the phone, and website crashes from their own constituents in places like Arizona, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. So where are they? Why are Democrats the only ones concerned about what happens with Social Security?
    Social Security isn’t something we give away out of the goodness of our hearts. It’s something Americans earned over a lifetime of hard work — an ironclad contract that they can count on. Now, Donald Trump, Musk, and DOGE are trying to skip out on that contract and calling it “efficient.” But it isn’t efficiency — it’s a broken promise to the American people, and Democrats and Republicans alike should stand up and fight back.
    Read the op-ed on Fox News here. 

    By:  Senator Elizabeth Warren
    Source: Fox News

    Previous Article

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Democratic senators press Social Security Administration on reports of ‘dangerous’ employee cuts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    April 14, 2025

    Several Democratic senators are demanding answers from the Social Security Administration following reports that the agency may make staff cuts to a significant department within the agency.

    The Social Security Administration is reportedly considering additional workforce reductions, including a potential 50% cut in the Office of the Chief Investment Officer. The department, otherwise known as OCIO, is responsible for protecting sensitive data, maintaining benefit claims processing systems, and managing the agency’s website and online portal.

    The prospective cuts come as the SSA has already had “ongoing issues” with its website, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wrote in a letter dated April 13 to Social Security Administration acting Commissioner Leland Dudek.

    “We are concerned these cuts will lead to further website and benefit disruptions, preventing tens of millions of Americans from accessing their hard-earned Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits,” the senators wrote.

    A Social Security Administration spokesperson acknowledged the agency had received the letter and will respond to the senators.

    “There has not been a reduction in workforce. Rather, to improve the delivery of services, staff are being reassigned from regional offices to front-line help – allocating finite resources where they are most needed,” White House spokesperson Elizabeth Huston said in an email to CNBC.

    “President Trump will continue to always protect Social Security and there will be no disruptions to service,” Huston said.

    The senators, however, cited disruptions for prompting them to write the letter.

    The Social Security Administration website has crashed repeatedly and suffered outages, the senators wrote. The lawmakers previously wrote a letter to the agency asking about a March 31 issue that prompted some beneficiaries to receive messages that they are “not receiving payments” and see their account histories disappear.

    In addition, the agency’s field offices are also experiencing glitches that impact their ability to serve the public, according to the senators.

    The cuts to OCIO would be “intentional – and dangerous,” the lawmakers wrote. The OCIO staff know the agency’s programming language and can keep its systems running, the senators said.

    President Donald Trump on March 27 signed an executive order ending collective bargaining for many federal workers. Because OCIO employees are represented by a union, that would affect them. The executive order makes it easier to replace existing employees with complacent personnel from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, according to the senators.

    The Social Security Administration was already at a 50-year staffing low when the Trump administration took office, the lawmakers note. Since then, the agency has announced plans to cut its force by more than 12%.

    “We ask that you immediately cease all OCIO firings and act swiftly to restore SSA system and website functionality to prevent any further disruption of Social Security beneficiaries’ access to their account information and benefits,” the senators wrote.

    The letter follows an April 10 letter sent by 21 senators, led by Sens. Gillibrand and Wyden, demanding that the Trump administration stop attacks on the agency, following plans for staffing cuts, field office closures and reduced phone services.

    Democratic senators have also launched a “war room” to work to fight the changes that are happening at the Social Security Administration. As part of that initiative, the leaders are planning to propose legislation that would provide an emergency $200 per month boost to benefits through the end of the year, according to a source familiar with the situation.

    Last week, it was reported that the Social Security Administration would no longer use press releases and “dear colleague” letters to advocacy groups and third parties to communicate with the public, and instead shift its communications exclusively to Elon Musk’s social media platform X. The report also suggested the Social Security Administration plans to reduce its regional workforce by approximately 87%.

    White House spokesperson Huston said that that report is “misleading.”

    “The Social Security Administration is actively communicating with beneficiaries and stakeholders. There has not been a reduction in workforce,” she said.

    By:  Lorie Konish
    Source: CNBC

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Celebrates Wenatchee Confluence Parkway Groundbreaking, Made Possible by Her Freight-Focused Grant Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    04.17.25
    Cantwell Celebrates Wenatchee Confluence Parkway Groundbreaking, Made Possible by Her Freight-Focused Grant Program
    Project is part of the Apple Capital Loop, which received $92M from Cantwell-led program & will help Central WA’s tree fruit growers get their products to market faster; Cantwell: “I can tell you one thing: Wenatchee is on the move”
    WENATCHEE – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined local leaders in a groundbreaking celebration for the Confluence Parkway Phase I project, the next step of the Wenatchee Valley’s 15-year effort to expand its transportation network.
    “When you’re making infrastructure investment, you should try to prioritize projects that move freight – and that is because they grow jobs, they grow the economy, they help us get products to market,” Sen. Cantwell said. “I just want to give my congratulations today to everybody that’s been working hard on this. I know that the Confluence project obviously is going to solve some of those transportation challenges by reducing that congestion – 4,000 trucks travel through the area each day, as well as 24 trains […] all of this is going to make Wenatchee a little bit better, from this transportation infrastructure investment.”
    “What a great day for the Confluence Project. What a great day for Wenatchee,” she continued. “I can tell you one thing: Wenatchee is on the move.”
    Phase I of the Confluence Parkway Project will include:
    Elimination of two highway rail grade crossings by constructing an underpass at McKittrick Street and an overpass North Miller Street
    1.25 miles of new street for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists
    Extension of McKittrick Street from North Wenatchee Ave to the waterfront
    New signalized intersection at Maple Street
    New roundabout intersection
    Direct access to parks and trails
    The Confluence Parkway project is part of the Wenatchee’s transformative Apple Capital Loop, a network of projects that make up the transportation backbone for Chelan and Douglas Counties and includes several key components that provide connectivity for freight, vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Planning for the Apple Capital Loop began 15 years ago when the City of Wenatchee and regional partners started working on a transportation solution to meet the demands of the local Wenatchee Valley, which is the economic, government, medical, and services center of the region. Overall, Apple Capital Loop project will increase the traffic capacity of the Loop by about 60,000 vehicles per day, saving freight and motorists 32 million hours over the next 20 years – that’s 4,000 fewer hours spent in traffic, every day, for the next two decades. The project will also significantly improve wildfire safety for the region by adding two new evacuation routes out of Wenatchee.
    In 2021, the project received a $92 million federal grant from the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program, $80 million of which is being used by this Phase I of the Confluence Parkway project. The reminder will be used to support future phases. The INFRA grant program was imagined, developed, and pushed through Congress by Sen. Cantwell as part of the FAST Act of 2015 and received a 78% funding increase in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, bringing the program’s total funding $8 billion. The INFRA Program provides financial support to nationally and regionally significant freight and highway projects. In 2022, Sen. Cantwell joined then-Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in Wenatchee to celebrate the $92 million INFRA grant award.
    The Wenatchee Valley is a key transportation hub for Washington state’s $2.6 billion tree fruit industry. According to the City, $1 billion worth of tree fruit travels through Wenatchee’s transportation network annually in order to reach terminals around the Puget Sound for distribution. This activity has resulted in increased congestion and delayed freight access to nearby cold storage facilities and fruit packing warehouses on North Wenatchee Avenue.
    Video of the press conference is available HERE; audio is HERE; and a transcript of Sen. Cantwell’s speech is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Capito Wishes West Virginians a Joyful Easter

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    [embedded content]

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today issued a video message ahead of Easter on Sunday, April 20. 

    Full video transcript included below:

    “Happy Easter, West Virginia!”

    “Easter is a wonderful season to cherish our faith, our family, and the many blessings surrounding us.

    “I pray that your gatherings to celebrate Easter are joyful, filled with love, and surrounded by those that mean the most to you.

    “Whether that’s in a church service, neighborhood fellowship, or something in between, don’t forget to pause, reflect, and give thanks for your blessings.

    “I also invite you to join me in praying for our beloved West Virginia, as well as our nation.

    “So again, Happy Easter!

    “I hope you have a blessed day.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Extension of Hiring Freeze

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    class=”has-text-align-center”>April 17, 2025
    MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES
    SUBJECT:       Extension of Hiring Freeze
    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby extend through July 15, 2025, the freeze on the hiring of Federal civilian employees within the executive branch, as initially directed in the Presidential Memorandum of January 20, 2025 (Hiring Freeze).  No Federal civilian position that is presently vacant may be filled, and no new position may be created, except as otherwise provided for in this memorandum or required by applicable law.  In addition, once a merit hiring plan has been adopted pursuant to Executive Order 14170 of January 20, 2025 (Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service), any hiring shall be consistent with that plan.
    Except as provided below, this freeze continues to apply to all executive departments and agencies (agencies) regardless of their sources of operational and programmatic funding.  This memorandum does not affect the deadline for the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to submit a plan for reducing the size of the Federal Government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition, as provided in Executive Order 14210 of February 11, 2025 (Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative).
    This memorandum does not apply to military personnel of the Armed Forces or to positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety, and does not apply to the Executive Office of the President or the components thereof.  Positions that fall within these categories do not require review by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).  Moreover, nothing in this memorandum shall adversely impact the provision of Social Security, Medicare, or veterans’ benefits.  In addition, the Director of OPM may continue to grant exemptions from this freeze where those exemptions are otherwise necessary.  Exemptions previously granted by OPM shall remain in effect unless withdrawn by OPM.
    Contracting outside the Federal Government to circumvent the intent of this memorandum is prohibited.
    In carrying out this memorandum, the heads of agencies shall seek efficient use of existing personnel and funds to improve public services and the delivery of those services.  Accordingly, this memorandum does not prohibit making reallocations or reassignments to meet the highest priority needs; maintain essential services; and protect national security, homeland security, and public safety. 
    This memorandum does not restrict the nomination and appointment of officials to positions requiring Presidential appointment or Senate confirmation; the appointment of officials to non-career positions in the Senior Executive Service or to Schedule A or C positions in the Excepted Service; the appointment of officials through temporary organization hiring authority pursuant to section 3161 of title 5, United States Code; or the appointment of any other non-career employees or officials if approved by the head of an agency appointed by the President.  Moreover, it does not limit the hiring of personnel where such a limit would conflict with applicable law. 
    This memorandum shall remain in effect for the Internal Revenue Service until the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Director of OMB and the Administrator of the United States DOGE Service, determines that it is in the national interest to terminate the freeze and publishes notice of such determination in the Federal Register.
    This memorandum does not abrogate any collective bargaining agreement in effect on the date of this memorandum.
                                   DONALD J. TRUMP

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    class=”has-text-align-center”>BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
    A PROCLAMATION
    The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) was established by Proclamation 8336 of January 6, 2009 (Establishment of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument), and then further expanded by Proclamation 9173 of September 25, 2014 (Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Expansion).  Under these monument proclamations, over 400,000 square miles in the Pacific Ocean were appropriated and withdrawn from all forms of entry, location, selection, sale, leasing, or other disposition under the public land laws for care and management by the Federal Government.The PRIMNM was established to protect and preserve the lands and marine environment around Wake, Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands; Johnston and Palmyra Atolls; Kingman Reef; and the historic and scientific objects therein.  These objects include fish, birds, marine mammals, coral, and the general biodiversity of the ecosystems encompassed by the PRIMNM.As part of the management of the PRIMNM, commercial fishing is currently prohibited within its boundaries.  As explained herein, following further consideration of the nature of the objects identified in Proclamations 8336 and 9173 and the protection of those objects already provided by relevant law, I find that appropriately managed commercial fishing would not put the objects of scientific and historic interest that the PRIMNM protects at risk.With respect to fish in particular, fisheries in the region are effectively managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.  Management of the PRIMNM is doing little to guard fish populations against overfishing as tunas and other pelagic species found within the boundaries of the PRIMNM are migratory in nature, and do not permanently reside within the PRIMNM.As a result of the prohibitions on commercial fishing, American fishing fleets have lost access to nearly half of the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Islands.  This has driven American fishermen to fish further offshore in international waters to compete against poorly regulated and highly subsidized foreign fleets.  This disadvantages honest United States commercial fishermen and is detrimental for United States territories like American Samoa, whose private sector economy is over 80 percent dependent on the fishing industry.Proclamations 8336 and 9173 do not list recreational fishing as a threat to local fish populations within the PRIMNM.  A host of Federal protections exist under current laws and agency management designations to protect the area’s natural resources, vulnerable marine species, and unique habitats, such as coral and seamount ecosystems.These laws include the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Endangered Species Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-712), the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee), the Refuge Recreation Act (16 U.S.C. 460k et seq.), the Marine Mammal Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.), the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (Oil Pollution Act) (33 U.S.C. 2701et seq.), and Title I of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (Ocean Dumping Act), 33 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.  For example, the Endangered Species Act generally prohibits the taking of listed fish and wildlife species, and also generally ensures that Federal actions, including fisheries management, are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any such species nor adversely modify designated critical habitats.  Numerous other statutes, including the Clean Water Act, the Oil Pollution Act, and the Ocean Dumping Act, address both land-based and ocean-based sources of pollution and help ensure that water quality conditions support the conservation values of the Pacific Remote Island ecosystems.Therefore, I find that appropriately managed commercial fishing would not put objects of scientific and historic interest within the PRIMNM at risk.After further consideration of the nature of the objects identified in Proclamations 8336 and 9173 and the protection of those objects already provided by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and other relevant laws, I find that a prohibition on commercial fishing is not, at this time, necessary for the proper care and management of the PRIMNM or the objects of historic or scientific interest therein.NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 320301 of title 54, United States Code (Antiquities Act), hereby proclaim that:(a)  All language under the section entitled “Management of the Marine National Monument” in Proclamation 9173 is deleted and replaced with the following:“Nothing in this proclamation shall change the management of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument as specified in Proclamation 8336.  The Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, shall have primary responsibility for management of the Monument Expansion pursuant to applicable legal authorities.  The Secretary of Commerce, through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, shall within the Monument Expansion have primary responsibility with respect to fishery-related activities regulated pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and any other applicable legal authorities.  The Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior shall not allow or permit any appropriation, injury, destruction, or removal of any object of the Monument Expansion except as provided for by this proclamation as modified by the Proclamation of April 17, 2025 (Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific).Between 50 to 200 nautical miles from the landward boundaries of the Monument, the Secretary of Commerce shall not prohibit commercial fishing within the boundaries of the Monument and the Monument Expansion in those areas where the Monument and Monument Expansion is coterminous with the Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States.  The implementation of any regulation of commercial fishing within the Monument and the Monument Expansion shall be done in coordination with the Secretary of Defense.  Only United States flagged vessels shall be allowed to commercially fish within the boundaries of the Monument and the Monument Expansion, except that permits may be issued to foreign flagged vessels to transship fish harvested by United States fishermen.The Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior shall take appropriate action pursuant to their respective authorities under the Antiquities Act; the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act; and such other authorities as may be available to implement this proclamation, to regulate fisheries, and to ensure proper care and management of the Monument Expansion.The United States shall continue to preserve the freedom of the seas (i.e., all of the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law and enjoyed by all nations, including the conduct of military activities, exercises, and surveys in or over the Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States), and to protect the training, readiness, and global mobility of the United States Armed Forces as United States national interests that are essential to the peace and prosperity of civilized nations.The Secretary of Defense shall continue to manage Wake Island and Johnston Atoll as specified in Proclamation 8336.”.(b)  The Secretary of Commerce, through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shall expeditiously publish new proposed rules in the Federal Register to amend or repeal all burdensome regulations that restrict commercial fishing in the PRIMNM.Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to revoke, modify, or affect any withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation, other than the one created by Proclamations 8336 and 9173.Nothing in this proclamation shall change the management of the areas designated and reserved by Proclamations 8336 and 9173, except as explicitly provided in this proclamation.If any provision of this proclamation, including its application to a particular parcel of land, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this proclamation and its application to other parcels of land shall not be affected thereby.IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand thisseventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.
                                  DONALD J. TRUMP

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    class=”has-text-align-left”>By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
    Section 1.  Background.  The United States controls one of the largest and most abundant ocean resources in the world, with over 4 million square miles of prime fishing grounds.  With this vast resource and centuries of hard work from American fishermen, our Nation has the greatest seafood in the world.
    Most American fish stocks are healthy and have viable markets.  Despite these opportunities, seafood is one of the most heavily regulated sectors in the United States.  Federal overregulation has restricted fishermen from productively harvesting American seafood including through restrictive catch limits, selling our fishing grounds to foreign offshore wind companies, inaccurate and outdated fisheries data, and delayed adoption of modern technology.
    The United States should be the world’s dominant seafood leader.  But in addition to overregulation, unfair trade practices have put our seafood markets at a competitive disadvantage.  Nearly 90 percent of seafood on our shelves is now imported, and the seafood trade deficit stands at over $20 billion.  The erosion of American seafood competitiveness at the hands of unfair foreign trade practices must end.
    Sec. 2.  Purpose.  The United States must address unfair trade practices, eliminate unsafe imports, level the unfair playing field that has benefited foreign fishing companies, promote ethical sourcing, reduce regulatory burdens, and ensure the integrity of the seafood supply chain.  Previously, I signed Executive Order 13921 of May 7, 2020 (Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth).  That successful order — which remains in effect — enhanced the competitiveness of United States seafood, streamlined regulations, supported maritime jobs and coastal economies, and improved data collection.  During the past 4 years, our fishermen were once again crushed under the pressure of unnecessary regulations and unfavorable policies.  It is vital that we now build upon our previous hard work with new, additional measures to promote domestic fishing.
    Sec. 3.  Policy.  It is the policy of the United States to promote the productive harvest of our seafood resources; unburden our commercial fishermen from costly and inefficient regulation; combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; and protect our seafood markets from the unfair trade practices of foreign nations.
    Sec. 4.  A New Era of Seafood Policy.  (a)  The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and with input from the United States fishing industry, shall immediately consider suspending, revising, or rescinding regulations that overly burden America’s commercial fishing, aquaculture, and fish processing industries at the fishery-specific level.  Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce shall identify the most heavily overregulated fisheries requiring action and take appropriate action to reduce the regulatory burden on them, in cooperation with the Regional Fishery Management Councils, interagency partners, and through public-private partnerships, as appropriate.  This process shall include the following actions:
    (i)    The Secretary of Commerce shall request that each Regional Fishery Management Council, within 180 days of the date of this order, provide the Secretary of Commerce with updates to their recommendations submitted pursuant to Executive Order 13921, to reduce burdens on domestic fishing and to increase production.  Building upon the earlier goals, identified actions should stabilize markets, improve access, enhance economic profitability, and prevent closures.  The Regional Fishery Management Councils will commit to a work plan and a schedule for implementation to ensure these actions are prioritized.
    (ii)   The Secretary of Commerce shall solicit direct public comments, including from fishing industry members, technology experts, marine scientists, and other relevant parties, for innovative ideas to improve fisheries management and science within the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.); the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); the Marine Mammal Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.); and other applicable laws.
    (iii)  The Secretary of Commerce shall pursue additional direct public engagement to ensure executive departments and agencies (agencies) are focusing core fisheries management and science functions to directly support priority needs that strengthen our Nation’s seafood supply chain.
    (b)  Upon completion of the process described in subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary of Commerce shall consider updating the Department of Commerce’s contribution to the Unified Regulatory Agenda.  The Secretary of Commerce shall resume submission of annual reports to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, and the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality pursuant to these activities as described in Executive Order 13921.
    (c)  The Secretary of Commerce shall direct the National Marine Fisheries Service to incorporate less expensive and more reliable technologies and cooperative research programs into fishery assessments conducted pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 1867.  As soon as practicable, the Secretary of Commerce shall expand exempted fishing permit programs to promote fishing opportunities nationwide.  Further, the Secretary of Commerce shall take all appropriate action to modernize data collection and analytical practices that will improve the responsiveness of fisheries management to real-time ocean conditions.
    (d)  The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall develop and implement an America First Seafood Strategy to promote production, marketing, sale, and export of United States fishery and aquaculture products and strengthen domestic processing capacity.  This program shall accelerate the Department of Agriculture’s efforts to educate American consumers about the health benefits of seafood and increase seafood purchases in nutrition programs.
    (e)  Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative, in consultation with members of the Interagency Seafood Trade Task Force, shall assess seafood competitiveness issues and jointly develop a comprehensive seafood trade strategy.  The strategy shall be based upon the Seafood Trade Strategy of November 3, 2020, that improves access to foreign markets and addresses unfair trade practices — including IUU fishing and unjustified non-tariff barriers — while ensuring a fair and competitive domestic market for United States seafood producers.
    (f)  The United States Trade Representative shall examine the relevant trade practices of major seafood-producing nations, including with regard to IUU fishing and the use of forced labor in the seafood supply chain, and consider appropriate responses, including pursuing solutions through negotiations or trade enforcement authorities, such as under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2411).
    (g)  The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and other relevant agencies, shall immediately consider revising or rescinding recent expansions of the Seafood Import Monitoring Program to unnecessary species and further improve the program to more effectively target high-risk shipments from nations that routinely violate international fishery regulations.  The Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall use cost savings to improve thorough checks at United States ports to prevent IUU seafood from entering the market.  The Secretary of Commerce shall further consider options to use improved technology to identify foreign fishery-related violations.
    (h)  Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, shall review all existing marine national monuments and provide recommendations to the President of any that should be opened to commercial fishing.  In making these recommendations, the Secretary of Commerce will consider whether the opening of the monuments to commercial fishing would be consistent with the preservation of the historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest originally identified in the proclamations establishing the marine national monuments.
    Sec. 5.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
    (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
    (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
    (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
    (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
    DONALD J. TRUMP
    THE WHITE HOUSE,
    April 17, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 250th Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    class=”has-text-align-center”>By the President of the United States of America
    A Proclamation
    Two and a half centuries ago, a small band of minutemen answered the call of freedom in the legendary Battles of Lexington and Concord, an epic tale of American strength and the first major armed conflict of the Revolutionary War.   We honor the memories, remember the sacrifices, and summon the courage of every hero of liberty who gallantly shed his blood for the cause of independence on April 19, 1775.
    After years of intensifying frictions and escalating hostility between the British Crown and the American Colonies, all avenues to peace and diplomacy had been exhausted, and it became clear to the patriots that war was inevitable.  Following the Boston Massacre, the oppressive Intolerable Acts, and the lasting grievance of taxation without representation, the colonists began organizing militias as a final recourse in defense of their right to self-government.
    The British regime’s reign of tyranny reached a breaking point when, in his fearless midnight ride from Boston, Massachusetts, Paul Revere announced the news that the Redcoats were marching to Concord, Massachusetts, to arrest Colonial leaders and seize American arms.  By the time they reached Lexington at dawn, the British encountered 77 intrepid American minutemen, led by Captain John Parker, boldly standing their ground in defense of their independence.  The surprised British fired a volley, mortally wounding eight American patriots — the very first American soldiers to lay down their lives for our emerging Nation. 
    The British ambush at Lexington became known as the “shot heard ’round the world,” prompting thousands of brave young men to leave behind their homes and livelihoods to fight for our freedom on the frontlines of the American Revolution — commencing the greatest fight for liberty in the history of the world.
    Later that morning, the Redcoats arrived at Concord to find and set fire to patriot military supplies.  At the sight of rising smoke from atop a lofty hill, the colonists believed the Redcoats were burning the town, provoking them to advance to the North Bridge.  As Captain Isaac Davis, whose company stood at the front of the column, said of his soldiers gearing up to take on the Redcoats, “I haven’t a man who is afraid to go.”
    As 400 daring militiamen descended down Punkatasset Hill toward the North Bridge, the startled British opened fire, killing 49 Americans, including Captain Davis.  “Fire, fellow soldiers, for God’s sake, fire!” shouted Major John Buttrick of the Concord militia at the sound of the discharging muskets — sending the British running back to Boston in retreat in a resounding victory for Colonial forces.  For the next 12 miles, the patriots relentlessly pursued the Redcoats, ambushing them from behind trees, walls, and other cover.  As one British soldier is said to have recalled, the Americans “fought like bears, and I would as soon storm hell as fight them again.”
    April 19, 1775, stands to this day as a seminal milestone in our Nation’s righteous crusade for liberty and independence.  On this day 250 years ago, with the fire of freedom blazing in their souls, an extraordinary army of American minutemen defeated one of the mightiest armies on the face of the earth and laid the foundation for America’s ultimate triumph over tyranny.
    Two and a half centuries later, their fortitude remains our inheritance, their resolve remains our birthright, and their unwavering loyalty to God and country remains the duty of every American patriot.  As we approach the 250th anniversary of our Nation’s independence next year, we honor the valiant men who fought in defense of their sacred right to self-government, we renew our pledge to restore our republic to all of its greatness and glory, and we commit to rebuilding a country and a culture that inspires pride in our past and faith in our future.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 19, 2025, as a day in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the beginning of the American Revolutionary War.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand thisseventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.
                                   DONALD J. TRUMP

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy announces $14.3 million in Hurricanes Laura, Ida aid for south Louisiana

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

    MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $14,287,394 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.

    “South Louisiana communities are built tough, and have worked hard to rebuild key infrastructure in the wake of devastating storms. This $14.3 million will help Louisianians cover the costs of restoring their schools, churches and medical buildings,” said Kennedy.

    The FEMA aid will fund the following:

    • $11,270,163 to the Terrebonne Parish School Board to restore damaged school contents due to Hurricane Ida damage.
    • $1,778,027 to the Society of the Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Lake Charles for repairs to the Christ the King Parish hall, office building and church in Lake Charles, La due to Hurricane Laura damage.
    • $1,239,204 to the Ochsner Clinic Foundation for repairs to the Kenner Ochsner Medical Office Building due to Hurricane Ida damage.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Coons statement on Trump’s attack on AmeriCorps

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement in response to reports that President Donald Trump has placed a majority of AmeriCorps agency staff on administrative leave. Trump had already recalled hundreds of AmeriCorps NCCC members trained to respond to emergencies from the field:

    “President Trump’s attempted destruction of AmeriCorps is alarming and will damage communities across the nation. For more than 30 years, in more than 50,000 communities, AmeriCorps members and volunteers have made our country stronger, healthier, and more resilient. AmeriCorps members are relief workers on the front lines of natural disasters, teachers improving literacy in schools, and health care workers in underserved communities. There are few better examples of government working strategically and efficiently to improve the lives of those they serve. 

    “The men and women who serve AmeriCorps as volunteers, members, and staff deserve our thanks. Instead, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are once again turning their backs on the very people who make our country great. I am working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to press the Trump Administration to reverse these unjustified cuts and restore a valued program.” 

    A 2020 non-partisan study found that for every $1 Congress appropriates to AmeriCorps and Senior Corps, the programs return more than $17 to the government and economy.

    Senator Coons is co-Chair of the Senate National Service Caucus.

    MIL OSI USA News –