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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Expand Access to High Quality Meat and Poultry Products

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, joined Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) in reintroducing the New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act.

    The bipartisan legislation would allow meat and poultry products inspected by state Meat and Poultry Inspection (MPI) programs to be sold across state lines. Currently, meat and poultry products inspected by state programs are limited to markets within the state, even though inspection at a state facility meets or exceeds federal inspection standards. Over half of all states – 29, in total – have their own inspection programs.

    “Iowa produces some of the best meat and poultry in the world. High-quality Iowa products that have already passed a rigorous inspection process shouldn’t require additional inspection to sell across state lines. Our commonsense legislation would remove this regulatory overreach and provide consumers with more options at the meat counter,” Grassley said.

    Additional cosponsors include Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sens. Angus King (I-Maine), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.).  

    Find bill text HERE.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz Statement On Pete Marocco’s Departure From State Department

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, released the following statement on reports that Pete Marocco, who oversaw the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has left the U.S. Department of State.

    “Pete Marocco’s tenure brought chaos to USAID, reckless and unlawful policy to the State Department, and dismantled long-standing U.S. foreign policy. His actions deprived millions of people around the world of life-saving aid and jeopardized U.S. credibility with our partners. But with his exit, serious questions still remain about the influence he leaves behind and whether or not Secretary Rubio plans to take actions that advance the mission and credibility of the United States. I have seen information that suggests the Administration intends to make permanent the deep cuts to foreign assistance, including to life-saving programs, and will drastically reduce State Department staffing, among other actions that undermine our interests.

    “I want to hear from Secretary Rubio directly. The public deserves an answer to the following very simple question: Does he intend to save foreign aid or does he intend to kill it? What’s happening is stark and millions will die. He should lead a process of reform, and I’m ready to work on a bipartisan basis to make it happen, but first we have to hear a public commitment from him to save this thing.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PHOTOS: Capito Tours Recovery Efforts in Welch

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    WELCH, W.Va. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) traveled to Welch, W.Va. where she made several stops in the area focused on ongoing flood recovery and infrastructure upgrades.

    During the visit to Welch, Senator Capito met with Welch Mayor Harold McBride to discuss a number of topics, including a bridge infrastructure project. Next, Senator Capito traveled to the McDowell County 911 Center and Sheriff’s Office to discuss damage caused by the recent storms and ongoing recovery efforts. The visit concluded at the Welch Armory where Senator Capito met with local officials and agencies where they discussed recovery efforts that are already underway, as well as the community’s infrastructure needs.

    “The recent flooding in southern West Virginia was devastating, and it continues to impact the way businesses and the local economy function today,” Senator Capito said. “I am grateful to Mayor McBride and other local leaders in Welch for the opportunity to tour recovery efforts and discuss with them directly the needs they have. While we’ve made progress in rebuilding efforts, we still have more work to do, and I am committed to doing what I can to help in this effort.”

    BACKGROUND:

    Following the storms, Senator Capito led the West Virginia Delegation in sending a letter to the Trump administration in support of the state’s request for a major disaster declaration. Full text of the letter can be found here.

    On February 26, President Trump approved Individual Assistance (IA) in McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, and Wyoming counties. The IA Program provides funds to individuals experiencing significant damage to homes or property. The deadline to apply for these funds is April 28.

    On March 19, President Trump approved Public Assistance (PA) in Greenbrier, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Summers, Wayne, and Wyoming counties. On April 1, the president’s Major Disaster Declaration was amended to include PA for Boone and Raleigh counties, as well as IA for Raleigh County. The PA provides supplemental grants to state and local governments and certain private non-profits to cover their costs for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and infrastructure restoration. The deadline to apply for these funds for Greenbrier, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Summers, Wayne, and Wyoming counties is April 18, while the deadline for Raleigh and Boone counties is May 1.

    Photos from today’s visit are below:

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) meets with local leaders in Welch, W.Va. on Monday, April 14, 2025.

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) tours recovery efforts with Mayor Harold McBride in Welch, W.Va. on Monday, April 14, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn Calls on DOJ to Investigate EPIC City Following Accusations of Religious Discrimination, Sharia Law

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    AUSTIN – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to open an investigation into the East Plano Islamic Center’s (EPIC) planned Muslim community, EPIC Ranches City, in Josephine, Texas, which is under state investigation by Governor Abbott and has been accused of risking religious discrimination of Christians, Jews, and other non-Muslim minorities:

    “A master-planned ‘community of thousands of Muslims’ could violate the constitutional rights of Jewish and Christian Texans, by preventing them from living in this new community and discriminating against them within the community. I further encourage the Department to investigate whether Christians, Jews, and other non-Muslim minorities would receive equal protection under the law in this new community. Religious discrimination, whether explicit or implicit, is unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Religious freedom is a cornerstone of our nation’s values, and I am concerned this community potentially undermines this vital protection,” wrote Sen. Cornyn.

    “The East Plano Islamic Center and the for-profit corporation it created to plan this city recently announced a development called ‘EPIC Ranches City’ in Josephine, Texas. The City would be a ‘thriving ecosystem’ of thousands of homes centered around a mosque and a private Islamic school. The 402-acre community will also include commercial developments, a community college, and sports facilities. The Center is designed as an exclusive religious settlement where Islamic principles govern not only daily life and education, but commerce,” he continued.

    “Religious-based discrimination is a constitutional violation as well as a federal rights violation. Appropriate steps should be taken to ensure that this community does not run afoul of these obligations. It may also be appropriate for an investigation to explore whether the proponents of the proposed development are abiding by existing federal and state prohibitions on the enforcement of sharia law,” he concluded.

    The full text of the letter is available here and below.

    April 11, 2025

    The Honorable Harmeet Dhillon

    Assistant Attorney General

    Civil Rights Division

    United States Department of Justice

    950 Pennsylvania Avenue

    Washington, DC 20530

    Dear Assistant Attorney General Dhillon,

    I write to recommend the Department of Justice open a civil rights investigation into whether a potential planned community in Texas would violate federal law. Specifically, I am concerned that a master-planned “community of thousands of Muslims” could violate the constitutional rights of Jewish and Christian Texans, by preventing them from living in this new community and discriminating against them within the community. I further encourage the Department to investigate whether Christians, Jews, and other non-Muslim minorities would receive equal protection under the law in this new community. Religious discrimination, whether explicit or implicit, is unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Religious freedom is a cornerstone of our nation’s values, and I am concerned this community potentially undermines this vital protection.

    The East Plano Islamic Center and the for-profit corporation it created to plan this city recently announced a development called “EPIC Ranches City” in Josephine, Texas. The City would be a “thriving ecosystem” of thousands of homes centered around a mosque and a private Islamic school. The 402-acre community will also include commercial developments, a community college, and sports facilities. The Center is designed as an exclusive religious settlement where Islamic principles govern not only daily life and education, but commerce.

    I want to particularly call attention to the language the Center’s corporation, Community Capital Partners, has used to advertise this development. Community Capital Partners has made clear the homes would be for sale to noncitizens from other countries, and that sales would be restricted to those who “contribute to the overall makeup of [the] community.” After questions from the Dallas Morning News, the developer changed this language to hide their clear intentions, but they still admit the underlying goal, saying that the community would “conduct thorough individualized assessments of prospective buyers to ensure they align with [their] goals.” These stealth edits, only in response to questions, create an impression of potential discrimination. I am concerned that the Center, through its for-profit affiliated entity, is attempting to create an enclave that will discriminate on the basis of religion, and, further, is hiding this intent from the public. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 explicitly prohibits discrimination in housing sales, rentals, and financing based on race, religion, or national origin. The primary goal of this landmark legislation was to combat housing segregation and ensure equal access to housing opportunities. The developer’s description is a reason for caution and indicates the Center’s practices may be in violation of federal law.

    Governor Abbott has opened several investigations at the state level. These include an inquiry into the funeral home operating without the required license, a review of whether investors have been fully informed, and an examination of potential violations of consumer protection laws related to the development. Governor Abbott further announced that the Texas State Securities Board is investigating the Center “for potential failures to comply with applicable state and federal securities requirements, including protections against fraud.” Finally, I note that the Governor, in coordination with the Texas Workforce Commission has opened an investigation under the Texas Fair Housing Act. This law, like the federal Fair Housing Act, prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of religion and explicitly bans any advertising that expresses a preference, limitation, or discrimination based on religion. I encourage the Department to coordinate with Texas-based officials in their important efforts to confirm that this community will not violate the law. 

    In conclusion, I recommend the Department investigate the community’s impact on the rights of Jewish and Christian Texans. I also encourage the Department to take steps ensure that Christians, Jews, and other non-Muslim minorities will receive equal protection under the laws in this development. Religious-based discrimination is a constitutional violation as well as a federal rights violation. Appropriate steps should be taken to ensure that this community does not run afoul of these obligations. It may also be appropriate for an investigation to explore whether the proponents of the proposed development are abiding by existing federal and state prohibitions on the enforcement of sharia law. 

    Sincerely,

    Senator John Cornyn

    U.S. Senator

    Cc: The Honorable Pam Bondi, Attorney General

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Names Small Business of the Week, Mike Molstead Motors

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    Published: April 14, 2025

    Throughout this Congress, Chair Ernst plans to recognize a small business in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.

    RED OAK, Iowa – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, today announced her Small Business of the Week: Mike Molstead Motors of Floyd County. Throughout the 119th Congress, Chair Ernst plans to recognize a small business in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.
    “Mike Molstead built a successful family-owned and operated business by keeping his community in the driver’s seat,” said Chair Ernst. “Today, under the leadership of Mike’s four sons, Molstead Motors continues to fuel folks in north Iowa one vehicle at a time by focusing on personalized financing, real-time market pricing, and top-tier auto repair and detail servicing. As Mike continues his 25-year battle with lung cancer, my thoughts and prayers are with him and the entire Molstead family.”
    In 1982, while attending the University of Northern Iowa and playing football, Mike Molstead began selling cars at a local dealership in Cedar Falls. He worked his way up to general sales manager before deciding to start his own dealership. In 1995, Mike opened Mike Molstead Motors in Charles City. Over the years, the business has expanded from selling primarily General Motors vehicles to a full-service dealership that sells, services, and details Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, GMC, and Ford vehicles across two locations. Today, Mike and his four boys, Josh, Jordan, Jackson, and Jared, along with many other family members, work together to run the company. This month, Mike Molstead Motors will celebrate its 30th anniversary.
    Stay tuned as Chair Ernst recognizes more Iowa small businesses across the state with her Small Business of the Week award.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 04.14.2025 Sen. Cruz Resolution Rescinding Biden-Harris Appliance Regulation Passes Senate, Proceeds to President Trump

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) issued a statement after the Senate passed his Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to rescind an appliance regulation on water heaters, which was imposed by the Biden-Harris administration in December 2024, and which if left in place would have increased costs and limited the consumer choice of everyday Texans and Americans across the country.
    Sen. Cruz said, “The Biden-Harris administration knew they were increasing costs on Americans and they didn’t care. Their rule would have forced Americans to either pay hundreds of dollars more for efficient water heaters or purchase less efficient models. I applaud Congress for passing my resolution rescinding this rule, and when the President signs it in the coming days it will restore fairness, consumer choice, and affordability to the American people.”
    This bill is endorsed by National Federation of Independent Business and the American Public Gas Association.
    Adam Temple, NFIB Senior Vice President for Advocacy said, “Small businesses believe that consumers and business owners should have the freedom to decide which product works best for their specific needs, no matter what fuel source the product uses. Unfortunately, DOE finalized a rule that would set new arbitrary energy efficiency standards for natural gas-fired water heaters that would effectively ban more affordable appliance options for consumers and small businesses, such as tankless water heaters. As small businesses continue to list inflation as a significant problem, regulations restricting or banning common household appliances will only increase costs for small businesses.”
    Dave Schryver, President and CEO for the American Public Gas Association said, “The American Public Gas Association (APGA) commends Senator Cruz and colleagues for taking decisive action to challenge a deeply flawed rulemaking dating back to the Biden Administration, which imposes new minimum efficiency standards for Gas Instantaneous Water Heaters. This rule would have effectively eliminated an entire class of affordable, reliable, and efficient appliances from the market, driving unnecessary and costly fuel switching. APGA believes that Americans should have the freedom to choose the appliances that best meet their household needs and budgets.” 
    BACKGROUND
    Industry experts estimate that the Biden-Harris rule would have added $450-$665 to the cost of each affected water heater, and that beyond the initial increased cost, forty percent of Americans directly affected by the rule would have also seen a net cost increase over the life of the appliance. Sen. Cruz introduced this CRA to repeal the rule in January.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Collins, King, Bipartisan Group Introduce Bill to Expand Telehealth Access

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Angus King, and a bipartisan group of 58 senators introduced legislation to expand telehealth access in Maine and across the country. The Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act would permanently expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities permanent, improve health outcomes, and make it easier for patients to connect with their doctors. Current flexibilities are set to expire on September 30 unless Congress approves the extension.
    “One fifth of the U.S. population resides in rural or medically underserved communities where access to virtual care is vital, allowing patients to receive necessary care from the comfort and safety of their homes,” said Senator Collins. “This bipartisan legislation will permanently remove barriers to telehealth and ensure that more Americans can efficiently and safely connect with their health care providers.”
    “As one of the most rural states in the nation, Maine people already face many challenges when accessing affordable, quality healthcare,” said Senator King. “The bipartisan CONNECT for Health Act would ensure that telehealth – which so many rural Maine people rely on – remains available for the foreseeable future. I am happy to work with all of my colleagues on common sense legislation that keeps Maine people living healthier lives.”
    Specifically, the CONNECT for Health Act would:
    Permanently remove all geographic restrictions on telehealth services and expand originating sites to the location of the patient, including homes;
    Permanently allow health centers and rural health clinics to provide telehealth services;
    Allow more eligible health care professionals to utilize telehealth services;
    Remove unnecessary in-person visit requirement for telemental health services;
    Allow for the waiver of telehealth restrictions during public health emergencies; and
    Require more published data to learn more about how telehealth is being used, impacts of quality of care, and how it can be improved to support patients and health care providers.
    The CONNECT for Health Act was first introduced in 2016 and is considered the most comprehensive legislation on telehealth in Congress. Since 2016, several provisions of the bill have been enacted into law or adopted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including provisions to remove restrictions on telehealth services for mental health, stroke care, and home dialysis.
    The bill has the support of more than 150 organizations including the American Medical Association, AARP, American Hospital Association, National Association of Community Health Centers, National Association of Rural Health Clinics, and American Telemedicine Association.
    In addition to Senators Collins and King, the bill was introduced by Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Mark Warner (D-VA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Peter Welch (D-VT), John Barrasso (R-WY), Alex Padilla (D-CA), John Thune (R-SD), Tina Smith (D-MN), James Lankford (R-OK), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), John Fetterman (D-PA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jim Justice (R-WV), Chris Coons (D-DE), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Todd Young (R-IN), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Gary Peters (D-MI), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Steve Daines (R-MT), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and John Boozman (R-AR).
    The full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sanders, Welch, Balint Statement on Trump Detaining Mohsen Mahdawi

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    BURLINGTON, Vt. – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Rep. Becca Balint (Vt.-AL) today released the following statement on the illegal detention of Mohsen Mahdawi by the Trump Administration:
    “Earlier today, Mohsen Mahdawi of White River Junction, Vermont, walked into an immigration office for what was supposed to be the final step in his citizenship process. Instead, he was arrested and removed in handcuffs by plainclothes, armed, individuals with their faces covered. These individuals refused to provide any information as to where he was being taken or what would happen to him. This is immoral, inhumane, and illegal. Mr. Mahdawi, a legal resident of the United States, must be afforded due process under the law and immediately released from detention.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Merkley, Wyden, Hoyle Push VA to Build Roseburg Veterans’ Home

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    April 14, 2025
    Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, alongside U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04), are calling on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to prioritize funding for the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA) proposed Roseburg Veterans’ Home project.
    Currently, ODVA operates two high-quality, award-winning Oregon Veterans’ Homes: the Oregon Veterans’ Home in The Dalles, a 151-bed skilled nursing facility, and the Edward C. Allworth Veterans’ Home in Lebanon, a 154-bed assisted living facility. These facilities provide skilled and long-term nursing, memory, and rehabilitative care to veterans, their spouses, and Gold Star parents, allowing veterans to live in a culture of community with fellow veterans and those with shared military experiences. The lawmakers are urging VA Secretary Collins to support the Roseburg Veterans’ Home project to expand this model of small home care to more veterans in the state.
    “Since 2011, ODVA has worked closely with the VA to develop this critical project to serve veterans in southern Oregon — and the time to build the Roseburg Veterans’ Home is now,” the lawmakers said.
    Roseburg has a sizable veteran population, with current estimates suggesting that Douglas County is home to over 10,000 veterans, many of whom served in the Vietnam War era or earlier. A new facility in the community would provide an affordable, high-quality, long-term care option for the estimated 68,000 veterans across the VA Southern Oregon Healthcare System service area which includes Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, and Lake counties in Oregon as well as Siskiyou and Del Norte counties in California.
    The Oregon lawmakers have long supported the Roseburg State Veterans’ Home project, which remains in the preliminary stages of preconstruction. Currently, the project has secured the required 35 percent funding commitment from the State of Oregon to qualify for federal funding from the VA. With Oregon doing its part to make the long-awaited project a reality, Merkley, Wyden, and Hoyle are urging the VA to do the same. They are calling for Secretary Collins to commit the remaining 65 percent in federal funds in FY25. Additionally, they are encouraging the VA to prioritize the transfer of the more than 13 acres identified for this project on the Roseburg VA Medical Center campus to the ODVA.
    “Veterans have served our country with tremendous courage and sacrifice. We owe them the highest standard of care and services our nation has to offer,” the lawmakers said.
    Full text of the letter can be found HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Oregon Delegation Urges Fishery Disaster Declaration

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    April 14, 2025
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led his Democratic colleagues in the Oregon delegation—Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—in urging the U.S. Department of Commerce to declare a federal fishery resource disaster for the 2024 Oregon troll salmon fishery.
    “This declaration is critical to provide economic relief to Oregon’s fisheries and coastal communities in addition to protecting the sustainability of wild salmon populations,” said the lawmakers.
    In 2024, Oregon’s troll salmon fishery struggled amid worsening effects of climate change, increased drought, shifting ocean conditions, and other impacts leading to poor salmon returns. Facing these significant challenges, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) estimates that 2024 Chinook salmon population levels were below forecasts, with 2025 Chinook salmon populations likely “not high enough to allow for target summer Chinook fisheries.”
    The impact salmon loss has on Oregon’s economy cannot be understated, as the state’s?commercial?fishing industry generates more than $640 million in economic activity each year, equivalent to 9,200 jobs.
    “Despite best efforts from our local fishermen and state and local partners, the economic consequences of this crisis threaten both salmon fishermen and the broader economy of Oregon’s coastal communities which rely on the fishery,” continued the lawmakers.
    As the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC) undergoes the process to finalize its 2025 salmon season management recommendations, the Oregon delegation is pushing for U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to quickly grant Governor Tina Kotek’s request for a federal fishery disaster under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The action is critical to access federal funding needed to ease the economic uncertainty for Oregon’s commercial troll salmon fishery, while recognizing the immense role salmon hold in the cultural heritage of Pacific Northwest Tribes, recreation, and as a treasured natural resource across the state.
    The Oregon delegation has been essential in securing past federal fishery disaster declarations in the state through a series of actions, which led to the Commerce Department sending Oregon?a total of $7,050,722 for the fishery disaster declared for 2018, 2019, and 2020?Oregon?Chinook salmon?ocean commercial?fisheries. The lawmakers will keep pushing for federal support for this critical industry while local, state, and federal partners continue work on long-term solutions.
    “We urge you to direct your attention to Governor Kotek’s request for a fishery resource disaster declaration. We look forward to your timely response, and our offices stand ready to work with you to recover and sustain Oregon’s commercial fisheries,” the Oregon delegation closed.
    Full text of the letter can be found HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Expand Child Care Relief to Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    To alleviate childcare costs for working families, Murray, Smith, Shaheen, Warnock, and Wyden introduce Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act to permanently expand child care tax credits
    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), and Senate Democratic colleagues to introduce the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act, legislation to help more working families cover a greater share of the high cost of child care.
    The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act would permanently expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC). This bill would help ease the burden of high childcare costs on working families by increasing the maximum tax credit to $4,000 per child, allowing families to receive up to $8,000 in tax credits to offset up to $16,000 in expenses. It would also make the credit refundable to ensure low-income working families can benefit. The credit would also be indexed to inflation to retain its value over time.
    “Instead of addressing the growing child care crisis, Trump is indiscriminately firing the very workers who help child care and Head Start centers keep their doors open—making child care more expensive and harder to get for working parents,” said Senator Murray. “While Trump raises families costs by nearly $4000 a year and pushes child care even farther out of reach, my Democratic colleagues and I are continuing to fight to lower families’ costs in every possible way, and I am proud to reintroduce the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act as one additional way to help get families some additional relief to afford the child care they need.”
    “I constantly hear from families in Minnesota who are struggling with the high cost of childcare. For some, it rivals mortgages and is even higher than tuition at the University of Minnesota. Families need real relief and this bill will lower costs and put more money back into the pockets of parents,” said Senator Smith. “When childcare works, everything else does, too—families thrive, the economy grows, and our communities get stronger. That’s why I’m committed to fighting to lower costs and improve access to childcare.”
    “No matter where I go in New Hampshire, families tell me about how much they struggle to access affordable child care,” said Senator Shaheen. “The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit is a proven and effective tool for bringing quality, affordable child care within reach for more families. Expanding this credit to keep up with the rising cost of child care is the right thing to do for workers, families and our nation’s economy.”
    “American families have to deal with hefty expenses when raising a child or caring for a loved one. That’s why the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act is so crucial, especially right now,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “It will help parents and caregivers afford caretaking costs in a time when margins are tight for many families across the country. Tax cuts should go to hardworking Americans, not the wealthiest people in the nation.”
    “The cost of raising a family in this country is already way too high, and it’s getting even more expensive as Trump’s global tariffs jack up the cost of food, cars and products families use every day,” said SenatorWyden. “This proposal is a commonsense, pro-family policy aimed at helping parents and people caring for loved ones, and it’s striking that this kind of bill is nowhere to be found in the Republican tax agenda that costs a staggering $7 trillion. Trump and Republicans are locked in on giving trillions in new handouts to corporations and the wealthy and sticking everybody else with the bill, but pro-family proposals like this one prove that there’s a better way forward.”
    The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act would:
    Increase the maximum credit amount to $4,000 per child, allowing families to receive up to $8,000 in tax credits to offset up to $16,000 in expenses;
    Automatically adjust it to keep pace with inflation;
    Save money by phasing out the credit for families making more than $400,000; and
    Ensure low-income families can benefit from the tax credit by making it refundable.
    Senator Murray has led the fight to tackle the child care crisis in Congress. She was instrumental in ensuring Congress took action when the COVID pandemic forced the child care sector to the brink of collapse. She authored the stabilization provisions in the American Rescue Plan alongside Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and helped secure a historic $24 billion in stabilization funds and an additional $15 billion for CCDBG in the legislation. One third of child care providers who received a stabilization grant said their child care program would have closed permanently without the grants. She introduced legislation and pushed to extend the stabilization grants—and has continued to push to deliver supplemental funding to address the child care crisis, particularly given the tight fiscal constraints the Fiscal Responsibility Act has imposed on annual appropriations. Critically, Senator Murray has introduced and continues working to build the support needed to pass her Child Care for Working Families Act, comprehensive legislation to tackle the child care crisis and ensure families across America can find and afford the high-quality child care they need.
    In addition to Senators Murray, Smith, Shaheen, Warnock, and Wyden, the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act is cosponsored by Senators John Fetterman (D-PA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Angus King (I-ME), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
    The bill is also endorsed by the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, Child Care Aware of America, Save the Children, First Focus Campaign for Children, First Five Years Fund, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Moms Rising, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Zero to Three, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC).
    Read more about the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Statement on Trump Budget Proposal to Fully Eliminate Head Start

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    New reporting shows the Trump administration is considering proposing to eliminate Head Start altogether—a key goal of Project 2025
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), responded to new reporting that President Trump is considering proposing to zero out funding for Head Start in his forthcoming budget request—a goal proposed in Project 2025, which would cut off essential services and early childhood educational opportunities for hundreds of thousands of families nationwide.
    “While families feel the crunch with a worsening child care crisis and much higher daily costs thanks to Trump’s tariffs, President Trump wants to eliminate Head Start and kick hundreds of thousands of kids out of the classroom, fire teachers, and make child care and early learning more expensive and less safe.
    “This administration believes we cannot afford to help families get preschool or help kids get basic health services, but we can afford trillions of dollars more in tax breaks for billionaires. It’s offensive and just plain wrong, and let me be clear: Democrats won’t let a proposal like this go anywhere in Congress. But that doesn’t mean Head Start and so many other programs aren’t under grave threat—because Trump has proven he’ll ignore our laws and do whatever he can to break these programs on his own. Trump has already tried illegally blocking funding for Head Start earlier this year, and programs across the country continued having problems accessing their funding long after his administration promised everything was fine. He has already fired the very people who keep Head Start running with no plan in place to ensure hundreds of thousands of families will keep getting the care they count on, so it’s on every one of us to keep speaking out and opposing this administration’s anti-family, pro-billionaire agenda.”
    Head Start currently serves over 750,000 kids nationwide, and the program has served nearly 40 million children and their families nationwide since its inception in 1965. There are over 17,000 Head Start centers nationwide that help kids and families thrive, and these centers are particularly important in serving rural communities with fewer options for care.
    Since taking office, President Trump has gutted the offices that keep Head Start centers and child care programs across the country running. In late February, the Trump administration fired scores of staff at the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Head Start and Office of Child Care. Earlier this month, Trump continued to hollow out HHS, including by shuttering half of the regional offices at the Office of Head Start, which are responsible for ensuring high-quality Head Start services are available to families nationwide. The Trump administration has failed to articulate how it will ensure that uninterrupted services are available to families and that appropriate oversight will be carried out despite gutting the very offices charged with these responsibilities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo, Risch and Cassidy Introduce Bill to Protect Energy Permitting Process from Frivolous Lawsuits

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo

    WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) introduced the Revising and Enhancing Project Authorizations Impacted by Review (REPAIR) Act that would protect the permitting process for U.S. energy, manufacturing and critical infrastructure projects from frivolous litigation.
    “Off-shore energy projects face stiff headwinds in America,” said Crapo.  “As we move toward greater American energy independence, the REPAIR Act would reduce the threat of frivolous lawsuits during the permitting and review process for new projects that can tie up proposals for years.  Advancing this bill is an important step in furthering President Trump’s domestic energy agenda.”
    “Critical domestic energy, natural resource and manufacturing projects have been blocked by activist litigation for far too long, forcing the U.S. to rely on countries like China for resources available in our own backyard,” said Risch.  “The REPAIR Act would close judicial loopholes and eliminate years of unnecessary litigation that have hindered our ability to harness our own natural resources.”
    “Green activist groups have a pattern.  They manipulate the legal system to keep infrastructure and energy projects in legal purgatory,” said Cassidy.  “Let’s end this and get the project moving again.  It’s the only way to unleash American energy!”
    The REPAIR Act would make many vital changes to the judicial review of an approved permit by ensuring all laws related to permitting have the same review process, scope of adjudication, rules for standing and statute of limitations.  The bill would remove the ability to file a suit based on the National Environmental Policy Act, instead focusing lawsuits on the statute for which the permit was issued.  In the case of a judicial remand or other court action, the REPAIR Act would establish a mediation process that allows the project developer and the permit-issuing agency to directly address the challenge and enable the project to move forward.  Additionally, the bill would increase transparency in ongoing court challenges to permits to highlight the unnecessary delays caused by the judicial process.
    The legislation is supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Petroleum Institute, ClearPath, the National Mining Association and Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Leads Massachusetts Delegation in Demanding Answers on Staff Cuts to Home Energy Program for Vulnerable Households

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Letter Text (PDF)

    Massachusetts has received more than 181,000 requests for heating assistance so far this fiscal year

    Washington (April 14, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, led all members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation—Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representatives Richard Neal (MA-01), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Ayanna Presley (MA-07), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), and Bill Keating (MA-09)—in writing to Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on the sudden termination of the federal staff responsible for administering the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and the impacts to Massachusetts families who depend on the program to stay safe, healthy, and housed.

    Massachusetts has received more than 181,000 requests for heating assistance so far this fiscal year, with more than 110,000 households already served through March 31. First-time applicants have also surged: more than 27,000 Massachusetts households applied for LIHEAP for the first time this fiscal year, 8 percent more than last year at this point. More than 58 percent of households served so far include at least one elderly member, more than 33 percent include individuals with disabilities, more than 6,500 include a veteran or active-duty military member, and more than 11,500 include young children under age five. Critically, Massachusetts is still waiting on HHS to release the remaining estimated 10 percent of FY2025 LIHEAP funds.

    In the letter the lawmakers write, “Over the past decade, Massachusetts energy prices have risen two to three times more than the national average. This winter alone, rate increases in Massachusetts hit families hard, with some energy bills doubling over the heating season. In Boston, residents face some of the highest heating costs among cities nationwide. This means that many Massachusetts families are struggling to pay their utility bills.”

    The lawmakers continue, “Although LIHEAP is structured as a block grant administered primarily by states, federal staff provide essential technical assistance—from calculating the complicated allocation formula and distributing block grant funds, to guiding new state LIHEAP directors, reviewing and approving state plans, and monitoring state program implementation. This is not red tape, it is essential governance. Despite serving more than 5 million households nationwide, the entire federal LIHEAP team consisted of only 25 staff—an example of efficient, high-impact federal support.”

    The lawmakers request answers by May 1, 2025, to questions that include:

    • How does HHS plan to preserve the continuity of LIHEAP operations nationwide?
    • How does HHS plan to ensure that states such as Massachusetts can timely access the remaining FY2025 LIHEAP funds appropriated by Congress?
    • With the termination of the LIHEAP staff, who within HHS is now responsible for the program’s operation?
    • Does HHS intend to restore the terminated positions or provide an equivalent staffing structure before the 2025–2026 heating season begins?
    • What measures will HHS implement to ensure communications with state program administrators on vendor enrollment, rule changes, and reporting compliance?
    • Has HHS consulted — formally or informally — with state LIHEAP administrators or community action agencies about these staff terminations, either before or after they occurred?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Budd Leads Bipartisan, Bicameral Letter to Secure Funding for Western North Carolina

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ted Budd (R-North Carolina)
    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) led a bipartisan, bicameral letter requesting the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to approve North Carolina’s Action Plan for $1.4 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding. The letter outlines how this funding is critical to helping the state provide housing, infrastructure, and economic revitalization to Western North Carolina following the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. 
    “Last September, Hurricane Helene brought historic rainfall and strong winds to Western North Carolina, causing catastrophic flooding and landslides. The storm destroyed thousands of homes and damaged tens of thousands more, resulting in $12.7 billion in residential losses. Millions of North Carolinians lost access to essential services, and the region’s economy suffered a devastating hit, threatening livelihoods and the long-term stability of many of the state’s once-thriving communities.
    “On March 26, 2025, Governor Josh Stein submitted North Carolina’s proposed Action Plan for $1.4 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding to address housing, infrastructure, and economic needs in Western North Carolina. The plan was submitted only 181 days after Hurricane Helene made landfall, making this submission the fastest from any state in the past decade following a major hurricane.
    “We appreciate HUD’s focus on this urgent matter and urge expedited consideration of North Carolina’s Action Plan. We stand ready to collaborate with you and your team at HUD to maximize the positive impact of this vital grant funding,” the legislators stated.
    Senator Budd was joined by Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Representatives Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.-11), Richard Hudson (R-N.C.-9), Deborah K. Ross (D-N.C.-2), Donald G. Davis (D-N.C.-1), David Rouzer (R-N.C.-7), Brad Knott (R-N.C.-13), Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.-4), Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.-10), Tim Moore (R-N.C.-14), and Alma Adams (D-N.C.-12).
    Read the full letter text HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján Introduces Resolution to Highlight National Public Health Week Amid Drastic Cuts to Public Health Agencies

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
    Washington D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced a resolution highlighting National Public Health Week, celebrated this year from April 7th – April 13th. This resolution is meant to raise awareness about the importance of public health amid the firing of nearly 25% of the workforce at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the elimination of critical subagencies at HHS that keep Americans healthy by the Trump administration.
    Senator Luján’s resolution also outlines issues facing the U.S. including pandemic preparedness, access to behavioral health services, addressing the maternal mortality crisis, improving child welfare, addressing health disparities among racial and ethnic groups, and recognizing the impact of climate change on health.
    “Amid a nationwide measles outbreak, with bird flu spreading worldwide, and as a significant number of Americans face substance use or mental health conditions, public health must be a top priority,” said Senator Luján. “National Public Health Week provides the opportunity to raise awareness about the current attacks on public health by the Trump administration and address longstanding disparities that have harmed countless New Mexicans and Americans across the country. As we recognize this year’s theme, It Starts Here, let us be clear that public health matters to every single American. These attacks we’re seeing right now won’t make us healthier. We must all work together to build healthier communities and I am committed to standing up to any attacks that jeopardize our public health.”
    “Recognizing the contributions of public health workers and the need for a well-resourced public health infrastructure is something that we prioritize and celebrate every year during National Public Health Week. Now more than ever, we must protect and strengthen the agencies, programs and workers that keep our communities healthy and defend against attempts to dismantle the public health system our nation relies on,” said Georges C. Benjamin, M.D. Executive Director of American Public Health Association. “We thank Senator Luján for introducing this resolution recognizing National Public Health Week and the important role public health plays in keeping our nation healthy and safe. Committed public health champions like the Senator are essential to our goal of optimal, equitable health and well-being for all.”
    This resolution is endorsed by the American Public Health Association (APHA).
    As the Measles outbreak continues to spread across the country and impact our public health, Senator Luján has repeatedly demanded action from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to contain the measles outbreak. Secretary Kennedy has failed to respond.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Colleagues Condemn Trump’s Illegal and Unprecedented Invocation of Alien Enemies Act, Demand Answers About Deportees

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Colleagues Condemn Trump’s Illegal and Unprecedented Invocation of Alien Enemies Act, Demand Answers About Deportees

    Lawmakers to Trump: “The government should not be able to falsely accuse individuals in the United States, including U.S. citizens, of gang membership and send them to foreign prisons without any judicial review or remedy”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined 14 lawmakers in condemning President Trump’s unlawful invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The letter to President Trump follows the Supreme Court’s recent decision to only allow him to continue rapid deportations under the statute if individuals are given due process, including notice and an opportunity to challenge the deportation. Last week, Padilla, Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-08), and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07) issued a joint statement condemning the Court’s decision to lift a hold on removals under the Alien Enemies Act.
    “We write regarding your unlawful invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, resulting in noncitizens being deported without any due process, not to mention violating the requirement that the statute be invoked only in response to an act of war, predatory incursion, or invasion by a foreign government,” wrote the lawmakers. “Our immigration laws can already hold gang members accountable and provide for their deportation. The government should not be able to falsely accuse individuals in the United States, including U.S. citizens, of gang membership and send them to foreign prisons without any judicial review or remedy.”
    “By claiming a foreign ‘invasion’ or ‘incursion,’ you are clearly attempting to suspend due process for noncitizens and speed up your mass deportation campaign,” continued the lawmakers. “Circumventing immigration law, and its requirement of verifiable evidence, will result in people with no gang affiliation being incorrectly targeted and deported.”
    In 1798, President John Adams signed the “Alien and Sedition Acts” which was comprised of four bills: The Naturalization Act; the Alien Friends Act; the Sedition Act; and the Alien Enemies Act (AEA). Today, the AEA is the only one that remains in effect. The AEA is a wartime authority that allows the president to target foreign nationals of a hostile nation or government to be “apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed” with limited due process during wartime. The United States is not at war today, and the Constitution outlines that only Congress has the power to declare war.
    The AEA has only been invoked three times in American history: the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II. In their letter, the lawmakers make clear that Tren de Aragua — a Venezuelan gang — does not qualify as an arm of the Venezuelan government.
    The lawmakers further emphasized that the Trump Administration’s choice to deport individuals to El Salvador will likely subject people to human rights abuses as El Salvador’s prisons are notorious for their inhumane conditions, including denial of medical care, lack of food, and outright torture. More than 260 people have died in these Salvadoran prisons in just the past two and a half years, with some individuals facing significant physical abuse.
    In their letter, the lawmakers also demand that the Trump Administration provide regular updates about the people who have already been deported, as well as information about them including their names, nationalities, and ages. They also asked about what evidence was used to determine whether an individual was a member of Tren de Aragua.
    “Invoking the Alien Enemies Act does not make Americans safer,” concluded the lawmakers. “It endangers all of us, by removing due process protections and ignoring the plain text of the statute. We urge you to abandon this decision.”
    U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.-05) led the letter. In addition to Senator Padilla, the letter was also signed by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), as well as Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-AL), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.-14), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), and Greg Casar (D-Texas-35).
    Senator Padilla is a leading voice in Congress opposing President Trump’s anti-immigrant actions and rhetoric, including his attempted invocation of the Alien Enemies Act. Padilla issued a joint statement with Senators Durbin, Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) slamming President Trump for his attempted invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to deport noncitizens without due process. He is also a cosponsor of the Neighbors Not Enemies Act, legislation that would repeal the antiquated Alien Enemies Act. Earlier this year, Padilla joined other Democratic immigration leaders in challenging the constitutional basis of President Trump’s sham “invasion” proclamation, which the President believes allows his Administration to circumvent federal immigration law and due process.
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear President Trump:
    We write regarding your unlawful invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, resulting in noncitizens being deported without any due process, not to mention violating the requirement that the statute be invoked only in response to an act of war, predatory incursion, or invasion by a foreign government. Our immigration laws can already hold gang members accountable and provide for their deportation. The government should not be able to falsely accuse individuals in the United States, including U.S. citizens, of gang membership and send them to foreign prisons without any judicial review or remedy. The Supreme Court, when confronted with the manner in which you conducted the removals, unanimously rejected the implementation and its corresponding lack of notice and opportunity to challenge individuals’ removals. Moreover, deporting these individuals to Salvadorian prisons will also subject them to inhumane conditions, further exacerbating the legal issues in invoking the Alien Enemies Act.
    The Alien Enemies Act was passed as part of the infamous Alien and Sedition Acts, and it was used during World War II to detain tens of thousands of innocent Japanese, German, and Italian individuals based on nothing but their ethnicity. This wartime use of the Alien Enemies Act served as a precursor to Executive Order 9066, resulting in the incarceration of 111,000 Japanese Americans. Those who were caught up in that xenophobic panic, as well as organizations like the Japanese American National Museum, have condemned your recent invocation of the act.
    We reiterate that the plain language of the law limits the president’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to two enumerated situations: times of declared war, and times of invasion or “predatory incursion” by a foreign nation or government. The Act has only been invoked three times in American history: the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II. A Venezuelan gang does not qualify as an arm of the Venezuelan government.
    By claiming a foreign “invasion” or “incursion,” you are clearly attempting to suspend due process for noncitizens and speed up your mass deportation campaign. Circumventing immigration law, and its requirement of verifiable evidence, will result in people with no gang affiliation being incorrectly targeted and deported. Multiple individuals who were subjected to the Alien Enemies Act had ongoing cases arguing that they were not members of Tren de Aragua. An attorney for one individual says that her client was mislabeled as a member of the gang due to a tattoo supporting the Spanish soccer team Real Madrid and for flashing the popular hand symbol for “rock and roll.” Another individual is a tattoo artist. A third individual was a make-up artist who was seeking asylum due to his sexual orientation.
    Aside from these foregoing concerns, your choice of deportation sites will likely subject people to human rights abuses. El Salvador’s prisons are notorious for their inhumane conditions, including denial of medical care, lack of food, and outright torture. Over 260 people have died in those prisons in the last two and a half years, including some with signs of serious physical abuse. An Amnesty International UK report accused the Salvadorian authorities of a “systematic policy of torture towards all those detained.” The specific prison that will house the deported individuals, the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT), has been described as a place “to dispose of people without formally applying the death penalty.” According to a Times reporter who watched the individuals be transferred to CECOT, the “intake began with slaps.” When detainees fell due to how quickly they were being moved, they were kicked, slapped, and shoved. One person asked for his mom and cried. He was slapped again. We should not subject individuals to mistreatment and more, much less individuals who have had no due process and have not been found guilty of any crimes.
    At this point, we request that you provide us with information and regular updates on the following:
    1. The names, nationalities, and ages of the people sent to El Salvador to be imprisoned in CECOT, including the number of individuals under the age of 18;
    2. What evidence was used to determine that each individual was a member of Tren de Aragua;
    3. The overall estimated costs and sources of funding associated with detaining and deporting these individuals; and
    4. The procedures for individuals to challenge your administration’s determination that they are a member of Tren de Aragua, either here in the United States or in El Salvador, including how much time you provide to individuals to mount a legal challenge.
    In closing, invoking the Alien Enemies Act does not make Americans safer. It endangers all of us, by removing due process protections and ignoring the plain text of the statute. We urge you to abandon this decision.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch, Colleagues Press U.S. Trade Representative on Impacts of Destructive Trump Tariffs on Farmers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch, a member of the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee, joined Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and 17 of their colleagues in expressing great concern about the impact of the Administration’s reckless tariff agenda on our nation’s farmers. In their letter, the Senators pressed U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer for information on how the Administration’s tariff taxes will impact farmers across the nation. 
    “Farmers not only have billions of dollars in commodities from last year waiting to be sold, but also have started spring planting and rely on stable markets for their planning. These farmers have made planting decisions and purchased key inputs such as seeds and fertilizer, selected crop insurance coverage, and even began marketing their expected production,” wrote the Senators. “Long before the President’s across-the-board tariff announcement, millions of acres of fall-planted crops like winter wheat were already in the ground, and farmers already have enough uncertainty without tariffs adding more volatility.” 
    The Senators continued: “We continue to hear from farmers and businesses across the agricultural supply chain who are bearing the brunt of the negative impacts of the global tariffs announced by President Trump on April 2, 2025, and earlier tariffs on Canada and Mexico. These actions and the resulting retaliation have injected further uncertainty into the farm economy and continue to rattle commodity markets.” 
    “As farm organizations and economists have been warning for months, key trading partners will continue to retaliate against U.S. agricultural products as a result of President Trump’s tariffs,” wrote the Senators. “A prolonged trade war now with key trading partners will just further exacerbate those trade shifts. This market share that farmers are losing is the result of more than $15 billion in investments by both taxpayers and the farmers themselves through trade promotion programs over the last 50 years…We have serious concerns about the haphazard approach taken by the Administration to tariffs that cause unnecessary uncertainty and harm for U.S. farmers and their markets.” 
    In their letter, the Senators requested answers to the following questions: 
    Did USTR perform any analysis on the impact of the across-the-board tariff policy on farmers prior to implementation? If so, please share that analysis with us. 
    What do you expect to be the short- and long-term impacts of tariffs on farmers? 
    There have been conflicting reports as to whether tariffs are being used as leverage in trade negotiations or as a long-term structural shift in trade policy. 
    Can you provide clarity on the goals of the Administration’s trade policy? 
    If tariffs are being used as leverage in trade negotiations, what are your top agriculture priorities and markets?  What countries are you prioritizing in negotiations, and what is the basis for determining those countries? 
    President Trump indicated that U.S. farmers need to get ready to supply the domestic market instead of the international markets. 
    Has USTR or have other agencies done analysis to show how production and consumption of crops would need to shift, or what domestic processing would be necessary to accomplish this goal?  For example, there is very limited domestic cotton spinning, weaving or apparel manufacturing. 
    Significant parts of the agricultural trade imbalance are related to imports of specialty crops, many of which are either grown in tropical regions or imported during the off-season. U.S. farmers will not be able to produce these commodities in the same volume or season. Will consumers need to shift from fresh produce in the off season or be forced to pay a higher price due to the tariffs on these products? 
    Prior to the announcement of the across-the-board tariffs and per-country rates, the USDA announced plans for trade missions to several countries including some with tariffs as high as 46%. 
    Did USTR consult with USDA on the trade missions or setting tariffs based on targets for opening markets? 
    Along with Senators Welch and Klobuchar, the letter was signed by Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.). 
    Read and download the full letter here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Wyden, Gillibrand Press Social Security Commissioner on Benefit Portal Malfunctions, Planned Firings of SSA Tech Workers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    April 14, 2025
    Lawmakers send letter amidst widespread website outages, benefit disruptions
    “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.”
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. – Senate Banking Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Senate Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Senate Special Committee on Aging Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), wrote to Acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek with concerns about ongoing issues with the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) website and reported plans to worsen the situation by firing up to 50 percent of employees from the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). 
    OCIO is responsible for maintaining the agency’s benefit claims processing systems, managing SSA.gov and SSA’s online benefits portal, and protecting Social Security recipients’ sensitive information. In February, the agency announced plans to reduce its workforce by over 12 percent. Hundreds more staff firings will happen at OCIO, which has been directed to cut half of its staff. These cuts are expected to worsen the ongoing issues with SSA’s website and online portals.
    On March 27, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order stripping federal employees—including those at OCIO—of their bargaining rights, which would make it easier for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to fire OCIO staff and replace them with employees “more amenable to doing what (DOGE) want(s) to do.” 
    “(T)hese actions are dangerous for SSA—OCIO employees are the ones who know SSA’s programming language and…administration and oversight of the agency’s anti-fraud software, which DOGE has been tampering with,” wrote the lawmakers. 
    The senators emphasized that these firings will exacerbate the agency’s ongoing website issues, including recipients being incorrectly labeled as “not receiving payments” and losing access to their account histories. Senator Warren, along with Senators Wyden (D-Ore.) and Kelly (D-Ariz.), sent a letter to Dudek on April 7, 2025, demanding an explanation for their constituents’ reports of these disruptions, but the agency has not responded.
    “It is unsurprising that weeks after you allowed DOGE to invade SSA, improperly access SSA data, and announce closures of Social Security offices, our constituents began having problems accessing their benefits…We are concerned that these recurring issues will impact the benefits of our constituents—many of whom rely on Social Security to pay rent or put food on the table,” wrote the lawmakers. 
    The cuts to the agency also expose SSA to system vulnerabilities, risking Americans’ data to hackers and foreign agents seeking to obtain private information. In addition to the dozens of senior SSA officials with centuries’ worth of experience who have resigned or retired, SSA’s entire cybersecurity leadership was also part of the exodus.
    “Leaving Americans’ most sensitive information unguarded places immeasurable financial and economic harm on our most vulnerable…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…benefits,” concluded the lawmakers. 
    The senators asked Dudek to provide clarity on the impact of cuts to OCIO, DOGE’s role in the firings, and the Acting Commissioner’s plan to ensure technical knowledge of internal systems are not lost during work force reductions. 
    The letter is the latest oversight push from Senate Democrats’ Social Security War Room, a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Stansbury, Democratic Leaders Introduce Bill to Rein in Musk, Special Government Employees (SGEs)

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    April 14, 2025
    Bill would expand existing ethics rules to apply to SGEs, strengthen conflict of interest rules, increase transparency
    Bill Text (PDF) | Bill Summary (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) introduced the SGE Ethics Enforcement & Reform (SEER) Act, a bill to strengthen transparency and ethics requirements for Special Government Employees (SGEs). The bill would rein in Elon Musk by restricting certain SGEs from officially communicating with agencies and offices that regulate or contract with large companies owned by the SGE.
    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), along with Senators Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), joined in cosponsoring the bill.
    Representatives Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) cosponsored the House version of the bill. 
    “Unelected billionaire Elon Musk should not be acting as co-president of the United States and making $8 million a day from government contracts while he’s at it. My new bill would crack down on conflicts of interest and create stronger ethics rules for Elon Musk and all Special Government Employees. Government should work for the American people, not billionaires lining their own pockets,” said Senator Warren.
    “For months Elon Musk has dismantled federal agencies, fired thousands of federal workers, data-mined American data, and set himself up to make billions of dollars in federal contracts—all while acting as a Special Government Employee.  Never again can we allow such blatant abuses of power to happen,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.). “That is why I am proud to introduce the SEER Act with Senator Elizabeth Warren to ensure the Trump Administration and people like Elon Musk cannot take advantage of the system and that there are strict rules and legal consequences in place to hold them accountable.”
    Special Government Employees (SGEs) are temporary federal employees with a limit of 130 work days per year. Unlike regular employees, SGEs typically maintain jobs outside of the government and can be paid by an outside entity for the time they spend working for the federal government. SGEs are also not required to publicly disclose their financial interest, unless they are classified above the GS-15 level and serve for longer than 60 days. 
    Elon Musk and various members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are designated as SGEs, allowing them to be paid by private companies while they work to dismantle federal agencies. Musk specifically is an SGE at the White House and does not have to recuse himself from matters impacting his own multi-billion-dollar companies as long as his work does not meet the relatively narrow definition of a “particular matter” (as defined by Office of Government Ethics regulations).
    This new bill would bar Musk from communicating with the Space Force and other agencies that interface with his companies, including the CFPB and the NLRB, which have reviewed and investigated complaints about Tesla. The bill would also block Musk from participating in portions of projects that he has a financial interest in, and would require him to file a public financial disclosure form.
    Generally, the SEER Act includes reforms to: 
    Expand existing ethics rules to apply to SGEs: This bill makes SGEs subject to most standard ethics rules starting on their 61st day in government, and rules on outside compensation after their 130th day.
    Strengthen conflict-of-interest rules for SGEs:
    Prohibits any SGE who owns or leads a billion-dollar company, or a company with large federal contracts or monopolistic market power, from communicating, in their official capacity, with agencies that contract with, regulate, or conduct enforcement actions against their company; 
    Requires SGEs to resolve a broader range of conflicts of interest raised by government work that would directly and predictably affect their non-government employers; and 
    Requires OGE to agree before issuing a conflict-of-interest waiver to an SGE. 
    Hold SGE chairs and vice chairs of advisory committees to a tougher standard for receiving a conflict-of-interest waiver. 

    Increase transparency surrounding SGE classification and SGE financial interests: 
    Allow public access to the financial disclosures of SGEs without requiring the public to request disclosure; 
    Allow public access to conflict-of-interest waivers; and 
    Requires the Office of Personnel Management to maintain a public database of SGEs, including the number of days served as an SGE and the reason for their classification as an SGE instead of a regular employee. 

    “The Trump Administration’s use of this special designation to install people with potential conflicts in high-level government jobs with no accountability may have begun with Elon Musk – but it goes way beyond Musk. The public now has no way to know whether special government employees who don’t file public financial disclosure reports or are empowered to oversee themselves are putting the people’s interests ahead of their own,” said Jon Golinger, Democracy Advocate at Public Citizen. “Public Citizen strongly supports the SEER Act to close these loopholes and ensure that anti-corruption rules apply to special government employees, strengthen conflict-of-interest barriers to prevent financial self-dealing or misuse of insider information, and shine sunlight with financial disclosure so the public knows who has been given the power and privilege of doing the people’s business.” 
    “Special Government Employees (SGEs) may be able to hold jobs outside of government, but they should not be allowed to operate outside of the bounds of ethics or transparency rules” said Debra Perlin, Vice President for Policy at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). “Senator Warren’s SGE Ethics Enforcement and Reform Act would require SGEs to abide by ethics rules similar to those in place for other federal employees and ensure transparency around who is classified as an SGE and what their conflicts of interest may be. This will help ensure that the work of Special Government Employees serves the American people, and not personal financial interests.”
    This bill is endorsed by Public Citizen, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Project On Government Oversight (POGO), State Democracy Defenders, Campaign Legal Center, American Federation Of Government Employees (AFGE), and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Leads Letter to Commerce Secretary Lutnick Calling for Imminent Reform to Biden AI Diffusion Rule

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Friday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) led a group of colleagues in sending a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick regarding the Biden administration’s AI Diffusion Rule (AIDR). The letter calls on the Trump administration to withdraw Biden’s bad rule and propose an alternative that is effective in preventing Communist China from capturing the world market in a leading technology. The letter states:
    “We applaud President Trump’s commitment to ensuring American dominance in the tech sector. Today, we are in an enviable position: American companies dominate in crucial areas that will define tomorrow’s economy including semiconductor design, compute infrastructure, and artificial intelligence (AI). This leadership position has been hard fought. Maintaining and growing our tech lead requires diligently advancing an American-led, global ecosystem around the world.”
    “With the compliance deadline of May 15, 2025, rapidly approaching, immediate action is necessary to prevent irreversible damage to American innovation and competitiveness,” the letter continues. “Every day this rule remains in place, American companies face mounting uncertainty, stalled investments, and the risk of losing critical global partnerships that cannot be easily regained. Therefore, we urge you to withdraw this rule and propose an alternative that is effective in preventing Communist China from capturing the world market in a leading technology without compromising American advantages.”
    The letter was also signed by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Ted Budd (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).
    Read the full letter here or below:
    Dear Secretary Lutnick:
    We applaud President Trump’s commitment to ensuring American dominance in the tech sector. Today, we are in an enviable position: American companies dominate in crucial areas that will define tomorrow’s economy including semiconductor design, compute infrastructure, and artificial intelligence (AI). This leadership position has been hard fought. Maintaining and growing our tech lead requires diligently advancing an American-led, global ecosystem around the world.
    Concerningly, President Biden’s recently issued Artificial Intelligence Diffusion Rule
    (AIDR) threatens to undermine this leadership and advancement. Among other things, the rule categorizes countries into three tiers, imposing complex restrictions on the purchase of U.S. technology. Only Tier 1 countries—limited to just 18 nations—would have access to American technology. Even these 18 would only have access if they comply with a burdensome and ever-evolving set of federal regulations. The vast majority of nations fall into Tier 2. These countries face arbitrary purchase limits and a cumbersome licensing process to acquire U.S. computing technologies. Strikingly, key allies and partners like Israel have been inexplicably excluded from the top tier and placed into Tier 2. Tier 3 countries, including Communist China, are already rightly restricted.
    While the AIDR claims to provide secure ecosystems for the responsible diffusion of AI, this rushed midnight rule’s impact and overly broad scope will result in consequences that divorce it from its intent. Fundamentally, the rule places burdensome constraints on U.S. companies that would be difficult to comply with and even harder for the Federal government to enforce. Buyers, particularly in Tier 2 countries that are constrained from purchasing U.S. technology, would be incentivized to turn to Communist China’s unregulated, cheap substitutes. Additionally, technology companies in Tier 2 countries could be motivated to create their own AI technology stack that is outside our export control regime. Neither outcome furthers our nation’s long-term economic and national security goals.
    With the compliance deadline of May 15, 2025, rapidly approaching, immediate action is necessary to prevent irreversible damage to American innovation and competitiveness. Every day this rule remains in place, American companies face mounting uncertainty, stalled investments, and the risk of losing critical global partnerships that cannot be easily regained. Therefore, we urge you to withdraw this rule and propose an alternative that is effective in preventing Communist China from capturing the world market in a leading technology without compromising American advantages.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lankford, Steube Protect Charities from Government Overreach

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford

    OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Congressman Greg Steube (R-FL) introduced the Safeguarding Charity Act to protect the independence of our nation’s tax-exempt organizations. It safeguards churches, nonprofits, and private schools from a perilous line of litigation in federal courts that could subject them to burdensome federal regulations.

    “Tax-exempt organizations should not live in fear of federal control every day because courts want to redefine the meaning of tax-exempt status. Tax-exempt status is not the same as receiving federal funding, and it should not be used as political leverage against the nonprofits in Oklahoma and across the nation,” said Lankford. “We should be focused on enabling the work of these organizations—not burdening them with unnecessary and costly federal requirements.”

    “Radical judges do not have the authority to twist federal law and force religious institutions to choose between their convictions and compliance,” said Steube. “The Safeguarding Charity Act reaffirms that tax-exempt status does not mean an organization is receiving federal financial assistance. This bill is about protecting churches, religious schools, and charities from federal overreach. I’m grateful to Senator Lankford for his leadership on this important effort in the Senate.”

    “Charities and other nonprofits provide invaluable services to their communities,” said Greg Baylor, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Counsel. “In part to recognize their critical work, nonprofits are tax-exempt so that they can devote scarce resources to serving those in need. Until recently, no one really thought that their tax-exempt status was the sort of “federal financial assistance” that triggered the application of several burdensome federal statutes and regulations. But some courts have embraced this unfounded view, and Congress needs to set things straight. Let’s be clear: a nonprofit’s tax-exempt status should not be considered government funding and thus should not trigger multiple burdensome federal laws under which charities and other nonprofits could lose their tax-exempt status. ADF commends Sen. Lankford and Rep. Steube for introducing the Safeguarding Charity Act to protect nonprofits from these financially crushing burdens so that nonprofits can continue to serve their communities free from unfair and unexpected government overreach.” 

    “ACSI commends Senator Lankford and Congressman Steube for their leadership in introducing the Safeguarding Charity Act,” said P. George Tryfiates, VP for Public Policy and Legal Affairs at the Association of Christian Schools International. “This legislation is critical to set the record straight: an organization’s nonprofit status is not the receipt of federal financial assistance. It never has been. It is not now. Politically motivated lawsuits based on this false premise must stop, or else all nonprofits will be at risk. We urge every member of Congress to support the Safeguarding Charity Act.” 

    “Agudath Israel of America is pleased to support the ‘Safeguarding Charity Act (SCA),’ introduced by Senator James Lankford and Representative Greg Steube,” said Rabbi Abba Cohen, VP for Government Affairs of Agudath Israel of America. “This legislation is vitally important to nonprofits across the country, including synagogues, religious schools and charities within the Jewish community.  It will enshrine into law that which has generally been understood that ‘tax-exempt status’ does not constitute ‘federal financial assistance.’” 

    Background

    The legislation is also supported by Philanthropy Roundtable, Seventh-day Adventist Church, ERLC,  American Association of Christian Schools, Association for Biblical Higher Education, Family Research Council, Citygate Network, Christian Employers Alliance, and National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

    Lankford first introduced the legislation with Congressman Steube in 2024.

    In 2023, Lankford also introduced the Charitable Act to incentivize giving to America’s nonprofits. The bill would expand and extend the expired non-itemized deduction for charitable giving that would ensure Americans who donate to charities, houses of worship, religious organizations, and other nonprofits of their choice are able to deduct that donation from their federal taxes at a higher level than the previous $300 deduction.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Leads Bicameral Letter to USDA, HHS, EPA: MAHA Commission Stance on Crop Protection Tools Would Hurt America’s Food System

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Deb Fischer (R-NE), with Congressmen Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04) and Mark Alford (R-MO-04), led a bicameral group of colleagues in sending a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin. In the letter, the members call for the use of sound science and risk-based analysis as the MAHA Commission finalizes its work, particularly on crop protection tools and food-grade ingredients. The letter states:

    “We write to express our strong appreciation for your leadership and interest in working with each of you to ensure America has the healthiest people in the world. In recent decades, chronic illness rates have risen. This warrants our careful scrutiny to support better health outcomes. It is essential that policies supported by sound science and risk-based analyses are used to accomplish this goal.”

    “We have concerns that environmentalists are advancing harmful health, economic, or food security policies under the guise of human health,” the letter continues. “Despite insinuations to the contrary, regular testing by FDA and USDA finds that more than 99% of all pesticide residues meet extremely conservative limits established by EPA according to the best available science.”

    In addition to Ricketts and Fischer, other signatories include Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jim Justice (R-WV), Jim Risch (R-ID), Todd Young (R-IN), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Mike Rounds (R-SD).

    The letter was also signed by members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Mike Flood (R-NE-01), Don Bacon (R-NE-02), Adrian Smith (R-NE-03), Michael Baumgartner (R-WA-05), Jack Bergman (R-MI-01), Mike Bost (R-IL-12), James Comer (R-KY-01), Troy Downing (R-MT-02), Jake Ellzey (R-TX-06), Gabe Evans (R-CO-08), Mike Ezell (R-MS-04), Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04), Mark Alford (R-MO-04), Vince Fong (R-CA-20), Michael Guest (R-MS-03), Dusty Johnson (R-SD-AL), David Kustoff (R-TN-08), Darin LaHood (R-IL-16), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01), Frank Lucas (R-OK-03), Tracy Mann (R-KS-01), Mark Messmer (R-IN-08), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-01), Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04), Mike Rogers (R-AL-03), Derek Schmidt (R-KS-02), Austin Scott (R-GA-08), Jefferson Shreve (R-IN-06), Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24), David Valadao (R-CA-22), and Ann Wagner (R-MO-02).

    Read the full letter here or below:

    Dear Secretary Kennedy, Secretary Rollins, and Administrator Zeldin:

    We write to express our strong appreciation for your leadership and interest in working with each of you to ensure America has the healthiest people in the world. In recent decades, chronic illness rates have risen. This warrants our careful scrutiny and to support better health outcomes. It is essential that policies supported by sound science and risk-based analyses are used to accomplish this goal.

    We also urge you to safeguard the work of the Make America Healthy Again Commission (Commission) from activist groups promoting misguided and sometimes even malicious policies masquerading as health solutions. The influence of these groups in the Commission would result in shoddy science; a less abundant, less affordable food supply; greater reliance on foreign adversaries for our food; diminished U.S. agricultural production and manufacturing; and, ultimately, poorer health outcomes.

    President Trump recently stated environmental activists were holding the economic prosperity of our country hostage. We now have concerns that they are seeking to influence the work of the Commission to advance their agenda. For decades activist groups have tried to ban safe, well-regulated agricultural inputs by any means necessary. Without these products, yields and quality are negatively impacted by otherwise avoidable insects, fungus, weeds, and other pest pressures. This drives up food prices for American consumers and forces reliance of food imports.

    The same groups have seized upon the Commission’s work as an opportunity to misrepresent the science on common food and feed categories or ingredients, such as plant-based oils. These inputs are subject to a robust, risk-based regulatory system which focuses on protecting human health. Unfounded accusations harm the U.S. farmers who grow our food, upend food and feed supply chains, and significantly increase grocery food prices – all without public health benefit.

    We have concerns that environmentalists are advancing harmful health, economic, or food security policies under the guise of human health. Despite insinuations to the contrary, regular testing by FDA and USDA finds that more than 99% of all pesticide residues meet extremely conservative limits established by EPA according to the best available science.

    We applaud the Commission’s desire to improve the health and well-being of Americans. We implore you to ensure policy decisions are grounded in sound science and risk-based analyses. With unity, we can protect American agricultural producers from environmental activists’ attacks on proven-safe inputs critical to their profitability and long-term viability while promoting positive health outcomes.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Delivers for Iowans in First 100 Days of Senate Republican Majority

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) released the following statement to celebrate 100 days of leadership from Senate Republicans.
    “During these first 100 days under Republican leadership, I’ve been hard at work delivering on the mandate Iowans and the American people gave us in November,” said Senator Ernst.“I’ve continued to lead the fight against Washington’s waste, fraud, and abuse; worked with President Trump to make Sarah’s Law the law of the land and bring closure to the Root family; helped cut red tape and reverse the era of big government under Biden; and secured real results for our farmers, small businesses, and rural communities. Republicans have accomplished a lot in just 100 days, but this is just the beginning. There is much more work to do, and I look forward to delivering more results for Iowans in every corner of our state.”  
    Background:
    Iowans elected Senator Ernst with a mandate to cut Washington’s pork and make ‘em squeal, and she has leveraged her ten years of “Squeal Awards” as the blueprint for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), including her $2 trillion proposal and telework report. As founder and chair of the Senate DOGE Caucus, she continues working to cut trillions, save Iowans’ hard-earned taxpayer dollars, and make government work for the people by making it more efficient.
    On January 31, 2016, an illegal immigrant was driving drunk when he struck and killed 21-year-old Sarah Root. Before her family could even lay her to rest, a loophole in the law allowed her killer to be released and escape the consequences of his crimes. Since the tragedy, Senator Ernst has worked tirelessly to pass Sarah’s Law to bring closure to the Root family and ensure this never happens again. This year, she shepherded the legislation through the Senate and the House, and President Trump made this legislation the law of the land. Ernst played a critical role in attaining closure for the Root family when their daughter’s killer was delivered into U.S. custodyto face justice.
    Ernst has been working in tandem with the Trump administration to deliver results forfarmers, small business owners, and rural communities. Already, Ernst has joined Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to announce a revision to the definition of the “waters of the United States” and cut red tape for landowners. She alsohosted Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins in Iowa where they announced continued support for the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program – an initiative Ernst has championed since its inception.
    As Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Ernst is refocusing the Small Business Administration on its core mission of serving Main Street,cracking down on fraudsters who went unchecked under the Biden administration, andmaking Trump’s tax cuts permanent.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF CONGRESSMAN JOHN LAFALCE

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer
    New York, N.Y. – U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer released the following statement on the passing of Congressman John LaFalce:
    “Congressman LaFalce was as Buffalo as they come. He had one of the biggest brains and the biggest heart. John was a legislative giant and a dear friend going back to our time serving together in the House. He would see a problem, whether in his beloved city of Buffalo or across the country, and dedicate every fiber of his being to making sure it was solved. His dedication to public service and passion for helping others knew no bounds. He loved Buffalo and always defended Western New York. He was a good and loyal friend, and I will deeply miss him. My prayers are with his loved ones and Western NY as they mourn this tremendous loss.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Murray, Rep. Brown Lead Members in Letter Urging Secretary Chavez-DeRemer to Abandon Plans to Dismantle OFCCP Amid Reports DOL Plans to Slash Staff By 90 Percent, Shutter Local Offices

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    40 Members call on Trump admin to reverse course on plans to dismantle agency charged with combating illegal employment discrimination ahead of April 14th “fork in the road” deadline

    OFCCP recovered $22.5 million for 12,756 affected workers in FY24 alone

    ICYMI: Senator Murray Presses Deputy Labor Secretary Nominee on Trump Dismantling OFCCP And Enabling Illegal Discrimination

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and U.S. Representative Shontel Brown (D, OH-11) led 38 of their Senate and House colleagues in sending a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer expressing concerns over reports of the Department’s plans to slash the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ (OFCCP) capacity by 90 percent and close over 50 local offices. Last Friday, Secretary Chavez-DeRemer sent an email to OFCCP employees saying they have until Monday, April 14th, to take the “fork in the road” deferred resignation offer or be fired.

    For decades, OFCCP has investigated complaints from workers and reviewed federal contractors’ employment practices—safeguarding federal contract workers from various forms of discrimination, recovering back pay, negotiating job opportunities, and more. In Fiscal Year 2024, OFCCP recovered $22.5 million for 12,756 affected workers and negotiated 407 job opportunities for workers.

    In January, President Trump signed Executive Order 14173, which revoked Executive Order 11246—signed in 1965—which gave the Department of Labor the authority to investigate and remedy prohibited employment discrimination on the basis of race, religion, and national origin by federal contractors, the agency remains responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination laws and equal employment requirements for workers with disabilities and veterans. Federal contract workers make up more than 20 percent of the entire U.S. labor force, making OFCCP a powerful force to prevent and remedy discrimination across the country.

    “Drastic cuts to staff and shuttered offices in our communities would leave workers vulnerable to discrimination. While Executive Order 11246 was revoked, the agency remains responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination laws and equal employment requirements for workers with disabilities and veterans. As of mid-February, the agency had 317 investigators. These investigators remain responsible for investigating thousands of contractor establishments that employ millions of workers. The estimated 36 million federal workers dispersed across the United States make investigators in regional and district offices critical for effective enforcement,” the 40 Members wrote in their letter to Secretary Chavez-DeRemer.

    “The Department cannot abdicate its responsibility to workers. We urge you to abandon plans to dismantle OFCCP and reaffirm the Department’s commitment to protecting equal employment opportunities for federal contract workers,” the Members concluded.

    Joining Senator Murray and Representative Brown in sending the letter were U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Ed Markey (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) as well as U.S. Representatives Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Donald Beyer (VA-08), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), André Carson (IN-07), Judy Chu (CA-28), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Danny Davis (IL-07), Cleo Fields (LA-04), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Summer Lee (PA-12), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Dina Titus (NV-01), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12).

    The letter was endorsed by the American Association of University Women, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and the National Partnership for Women and Families.

    Senator Murray has loudly spoken out against the Trump administration’s plans to shutter OFCCP, slamming Trump’s Executive Order 14173 in a statement and pressing Keith Sonderling, President Trump’s then-nominee for Deputy Labor Secretary, about the consequences of the administration’s efforts to shutter OFCCP at his confirmation hearing. Throughout her career, Senator Murray has championed workers’ rights and fought to combat employment discrimination, including as the top Democrat on the Senate labor committee from 2015-2022—among other things, Senator Murray fought back against a proposed DOL rule by the Trump administration that would allow federal contractors and subcontractors to justify discrimination against women, LGBTQ+ people, and members of certain religious groups on ideological grounds. Senator Murray first introduced the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act—comprehensive labor legislation to protect workers’ right to stand together and bargain for fairer wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces—in the 116th Congress, and also leads the Bringing an End to Harassment by Enhancing Accountability and Rejecting Discrimination (BE HEARD) in the Workplace Act, comprehensive legislation to prevent workplace harassment, strengthen and expand key protections for workers, and support workers in seeking accountability and justice.

    The text of the Members’ letter is available below and a PDF is HERE.

    Dear Secretary Chavez-DeRemer:

    We are deeply concerned by recent reports that the U.S. Department of Labor (The Department) plans to slash capacity at the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ (OFCCP) by 90 percent and shut down its more than 50 local offices.  Federal contract workers make up more than 20 percent of our nation’s workers and are spread across the country, making OFCCP a powerful force to prevent and remedy discrimination. We urge you to abandon these plans and instead uphold the Department’s responsibility to protect equal employment opportunities for federal contract workers.

    For decades, OFCCP has worked effectively to prevent and address unlawful discrimination by investigating individual complaints from workers and by proactively reviewing federal contractors’ employment practices. This unique power to proactively review whether employers were complying with the law allowed OFCCP to identify discrimination that might have otherwise gone unreported or undiscovered. Federal contract workers have benefited from OFCCP’s efforts to recover back pay, salary adjustments, and retroactive seniority on their behalf. In FY 2024, OFCCP recovered $22.5 million for 12,756 affected workers and negotiated 407 job opportunities for workers. 

    Drastic cuts to staff and shuttered offices in our communities would leave workers vulnerable to discrimination. While Executive Order 11246 was revoked, the agency remains responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination laws and equal employment requirements for workers with disabilities and veterans. As of mid-February, the agency had 317 investigators.  These investigators remain responsible for investigating thousands of contractor establishments that employ millions of workers.  The estimated 36 million federal workers dispersed across the United States make investigators in regional and district offices critical for effective enforcement.

    Workers deserve to be treated fairly in all aspects of employment and cannot afford to miss out on pay, a promotion or the chance to be considered for a good paying job because of discrimination. Workers cannot afford to lose their anti-discrimination enforcers.

    The Department cannot abdicate its responsibility to workers. We urge you to abandon plans to dismantle OFCCP and reaffirm the Department’s commitment to protecting equal employment opportunities for federal contract workers.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Clarification of Exceptions Under Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, as Amended

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE
    THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
    THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
    THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
    THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
    THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR ECONOMIC POLICY
    THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS
    THE SENIOR COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT FOR TRADE AND MANUFACTURING
    THE CHAIR OF THE UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION 
    SUBJECT:       Clarification of Exceptions Under Executive
    Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, as Amended 
    In Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025 (Regulating Imports With a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices that Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits), I declared a national emergency arising from conditions reflected in large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficits, and imposed additional ad valorem duties that I deemed necessary and appropriate to deal with that unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States, to the national security and economy of the United States.
    In Executive Order 14257, I stated that certain goods are not subject to the ad valorem rates of duty under that order.  One of those excepted products is “semiconductors.”  The subsequent orders issued in connection with Executive Order 14257 — i.e.,  Executive Order 14259 of April 8, 2025 (Amendment to Reciprocal Tariffs and Updated Duties as Applied to Low-Value Imports from the People’s Republic of China), and the Executive Order of April 9, 2025 (Modifying Reciprocal Tariff Rates to Reflect Trading Partner Retaliation and Alignment), (Subsequent Orders) — incorporate the exceptions in Executive Order 14257, including for “semiconductors.”
    That term’s meaning includes the products classified in the following headings and subheadings of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS):
    ·       8471
    ·       847330
    ·       8486
    ·       85171300
    ·       85176200
    ·       85235100
    ·       8524
    ·       85285200
    ·       85411000
    ·       85412100
    ·       85412900
    ·       85413000
    ·       85414910
    ·       85414970
    ·       85414980
    ·       85414995
    ·       85415100
    ·       85415900
    ·       85419000
    ·       8542
    To the extent that the HTSUS does not currently fully reflect the products listed above as excepted from the ad valorem duties imposed under Executive Order 14257 and the Subsequent Orders, the HTSUS shall be modified by inserting in numerical order the headings and subheadings listed above into subdivision (v)(iii) of U.S. note 2 to subchapter III of chapter 99, effective as of 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 5, 2025.  Any duties that were collected at or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 5, 2025, pursuant to Executive Order 14257 and the Subsequent Orders, on imports that are excepted under Executive Order 14257 and the Subsequent Orders because they are “semiconductors,” as explained in this memorandum, shall be refunded in accordance with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s standard procedures for such refunds.
    As explained in Executive Order 14257 and the Subsequent Orders, the Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the Senior Counselor to the President for Trade and Manufacturing, and the Chair of the United States International Trade Commission, are authorized to employ all powers granted to the President by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) as may be necessary to implement Executive Order 14257 and the Subsequent Orders.  Measures taken to implement Executive Order 14257 and the Subsequent Orders shall be done in accordance with this memorandum.
                                  DONALD J. TRUMP

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Cornyn Factchecks Democrat Hysteria Over Deporting Criminals

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    WASHINGTON – Today on the floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) fact-checked the media and liberal Democrats’ hysteria over the Trump administration’s efforts to secure the homeland by reversing the Biden administration’s reckless border policies and deporting criminal migrants here illegally. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.

    “There’s been a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth in the mainstream media about President Trump’s commonsense immigration enforcement agenda.” 

    “This isn’t rocket science. This isn’t partisan warfare.”

    “In order to keep the American people safe, we need to keep criminals and gangs off our streets, and that’s exactly what the Trump administration is doing.”

    “Of these arrests that have been made under Secretary Noem, nearly half of them have been convicted criminals… one third of them have pending criminal charges.”

    “I can’t imagine anyone would be anything except relieved that the Trump administration has prioritized removing these gang members from our country.”

    “Refusing to arrest and lock up criminals who never should have been in the country in the first place will go down in history as one of the biggest mistakes the Biden administration and Democrats have ever made.”

    “The Trump administration by contrast… is part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: On Water Treaty, Cornyn Praises President Trump, Endorses ‘Maximum Pain’ for Mexico

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) today released the following statement commending President Donald Trump for pressuring Mexico to deliver the water it owes to South Texas after years of continued delays under the Biden-Harris administration and endorsed the use of all diplomatic and economic options to force Mexico to supply timely and consistent water deliveries to Texas pursuant to the 1944 Water Treaty:

    “South Texas farmers and ranchers have been snubbed by Mexico for years and denied the water they’re rightfully owed, but no more.”

    “I commend President Trump for his show of force and commitment to taking back the water Mexico has essentially stolen from our agriculture community after four years of the Biden administration standing idly by as Texas farmers and ranchers struggled and Mexico took advantage of our country.”

    “I will continue working with the President and Secretaries Rubio and Rollins on this effort to inflict maximum pain and force Mexico to make good on their end of the bargain. President Trump and I will fight for what Texas farmers and ranchers need to put food on the table for millions of Americans.”

    Background:

    Under the Treaty Relating to the Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande, Mexico is obligated to deliver an average of 350,000-acre feet of water annually over a five-year cycle as its contribution to the Rio Grande’s water supply. However, Mexico has consistently delayed fulfilling its water obligation until the end of the five-year cycle, which hinders South Texas farmers’ ability to plan for and grow crops as well as ranchers’ ability to provide water to livestock. The current cycle ends in October and so far, Mexico has paid less than 500,000 acre-feet of water—about a quarter of what it owes, according to IBWC data.

    Sen. Cornyn has led the charge in Congress to boost Texas’ water supply and ensure Mexico fulfills its treaty obligations to provide annual deliveries of water to South Texas farmers and ranchers. He partnered with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to successfully secure more than $280 million in emergency assistance for Rio Grande Valley farmers and producers affected by the water shortage and led a request earlier this year to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking for renewed efforts to push Mexico to comply with the 1944 Water Treaty while also securing Secretary Rubio’s commitment to hold Mexico accountable for delays.

    Last year, Sens. Cornyn and Cruz raised alarms after a Rio Grande sugarcane mill closed due to acute water shortages, cosponsored a resolution supporting diplomacy, and sent a letter to then-U.S. Secretary of State Blinken urging the Department to engage on Mexico’s violation of the intent of the treaty. Senator Cornyn also led a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on State and Foreign Operations urging them to withhold designated funds from Mexico until they enter into an agreement with the U.S. to balance the deficit of the water deliveries, which the House Appropriations Committee included in their funding bill.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn, Cruz Resolution Honoring Texan George Foreman Passes Senate

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    WASHINGTON – The Senate resolution introduced by U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) honoring the life and legacy of Houston native and professional boxer George Foreman, who passed away on March 21, 2025, passed the Senate unanimously. Text is below, and you can view the full resolution here.

    “Whereas George Foreman was born on January 10, 1949, in Marshall, Texas;

    Whereas George Foreman was raised in Houston, Texas;

    Whereas George Foreman earned his general education degree and gained vocational skills through the Lyndon B. Johnson Job Corps;

    Whereas George Foreman began his boxing career in 1966 after meeting Doc Broaddus, a boxing instructor, who worked for Job Corps;

    Whereas George Foreman won his first amateur fight on January 26, 1967, in the Parks Diamond Bell Tournament;

    Whereas George Foreman won the National Boxing Championship heavyweight title in Toledo, Ohio, in 1968;

    Whereas George Foreman won a gold medal in boxing in the heavyweight division during the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games

    Whereas George Foreman began his professional boxing career in 1969;

    Whereas George Foreman won 37 consecutive fights, of which 35 were by knockout;

    Whereas, on January 22, 1973, George Foreman won the World Heavyweight Championship title by defeating Joe Frazier;

    Whereas George Foreman maintained the title of World Heavyweight Champion until October 30, 1974, in a fierce matchup, known as the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, with Muhammad Ali;

    Whereas George Foreman stepped back from his boxing career to become an ordained minister in 1978 and served the congregation at Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, which he founded in 1980, in Houston, Texas;

    Whereas, in 1984, George Foreman opened the George Foreman Youth and Community Center in Houston, Texas, to provide opportunities to youth across Harris County;

    Whereas George Foreman announced his return to boxing in 1987 and won his first fight back against Steve Zouski;

    Whereas George Foreman earned the title of World Heavyweight Champion again on November 5, 1994, against Michael Moorer, breaking multiple records, including the oldest fighter to win a world heavyweight championship, the most time between world heavyweight championships, and the largest age gap between competitors in a heavyweight boxing championship fight;

    Whereas George Foreman fought for the final time in 1997 against Shannon Briggs;

    Whereas George Foreman had a final career record of 76 to 5;

    Whereas George Foreman became a successful businessman, most notably with the George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine, of which more than 100,000,000 units have been sold globally;

    Whereas George Foreman was recognized by the American Legion in 2013 with the James V. Day ‘Good Guy’ Award for his patriotism and service to his community;

    Whereas George Foreman remained a beloved public figure and boxing legend until his death;

    Whereas George Foreman died in Houston, Texas, on March 21, 2025;

    Whereas George Foreman was preceded in death by his daughter, Freeda; and

    Whereas George Foreman is survived by his wife of 40 years, Mary Joan, and 11 of his children and their families: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the Senate—

    (1) honors the life and legacy of George Foreman for—

    (A) his accomplishments as a boxing legend;

    (B) the example he provides to future generations of community leaders; and

    (C) his dedication to Houston and his support of vulnerable youth in the community; and

    (2) respectfully requests the Secretary of the Senate—

    (A) communicate this resolution to the House of Representatives; and

    (B) transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of George Foreman.”

    MIL OSI USA News –