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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Presses Boeing CEO Ortberg for Being Unwilling to Categorically Refuse Self-Inspection Authority from FAA Before Oversight Issues Are Fixed

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    April 02, 2025
    In her remarks, the Senator said prior efforts by FAA employees to delegate this safety authority back to Boeing is not just unacceptable, but a “total dereliction of duty”
    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)— a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Ranking Member of the CST Aviation Subcommittee—pressed Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg four times whether he would commit to neither seeking nor accepting delegation of airworthiness inspection authority—an authority that would allow the company to self-inspect its own aircraft—from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) until FAA fixed its own oversight lapses. Again and again, Mr. Ortberg dodged the question and refused to make a firm commitment. During her questioning, Duckworth highlighted how inappropriate it would be for Boeing to accept this delegation authority as the FAA continues working to implement all 16 of the Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General’s recommendations from an October report that found FAA’s oversight of Boeing production was “not effective.” Duckworth’s full questioning can be found on the Senator’s YouTube.
    “In October, the DOT Inspector General found that the FAA’s oversight of Boeing was not only not effective, but so bad that it issued 16 separate recommendations for the FAA to fix its process,” said Duckworth. “I believe strongly that FAA must not delegate inspection authority back to Boeing until—at a minimum—FAA fixes its ineffective oversight of Boeing’s production. It’s extremely disappointing that Mr. Ortberg wouldn’t rule out accepting this delegated authority while FAA’s oversight of Boeing production is still so ineffective. Mr. Ortberg is trying to restore Boeing’s reputation, and has taken important actions to do so, but I don’t see how Boeing would improve its safety credibility by accepting authority to once again self-inspect its planes for federal compliance—while the FAA’s oversight is still broken.”
    One of the most shocking findings in the DOT Inspector General’s October report was that that shortly before the Boeing door plug blowout, individuals within FAA wanted to delegate airplane airworthiness inspection authority back to Boeing without any criteria by which to assess whether Boeing could be trusted to properly carry out these inspections. This is particularly concerning because, prior to the 737 MAX crashes and production problems with the 787, the FAA allowed Boeing to self-inspect their aircraft to ensure they conformed with their FAA-approved type design. However, in the wake of the MAX crashes, it was found that Boeing had a pattern of abusing this authority and producing 737 MAX aircraft with nonfunctioning Angle of Attack Disagree alerts.
    After Mr. Ortberg refused to commit that he would not accept the delegation of such an authority when Duckworth asked a fourth time, Duckworth replied: “You have a track record of abusing self-inspecting authority and you’ve already said that you and senior Board managers would make more money if you can put more aircraft out. It is not appropriate at this time for you to accept the delegation of that authority if it is offered to you by the FAA before the FAA has met all 16 of the IG recommendations on how to fix the inspection system.”
    Duckworth has long pushed for improved federal oversight of Boeing. Last year, she urged then-FAA Administrator Whitaker to make sure the FAA requires transparency and accountability as it oversees Boeing’s Safety and Quality Plan. Duckworth also implored FAA to scrutinize Boeing’s bad behavior and use its civil enforcement authority more often, when appropriate, and also called on the agency to review Boeing’s disturbing pattern of failing to disclose critical safety information about 737 MAX planes to pilots.
    Last year, Duckworth also called on FAA to reject a petition by Boeing for a safety exemption to allow the 737 MAX 7 to be certified to fly despite having another known safety defect that has not yet been fixed. The Senator subsequently met with then-Boeing CEO David Calhoun and urged him to withdraw the company’s petition, which the company did just days later, crediting Duckworth’s reasoning for the decision.
    Duckworth last year helped author the landmark bipartisan FAA reauthorization that was signed into law to extend the FAA’s funding and authorities through Fiscal Year 2028. The reauthorization included several of her provisions to improve consumer safety, expand the aviation workforce and enhance protections for travelers with disabilities. Duckworth has noted that while it was a tremendous victory for the flying public, more needs to be done to address the recent issues that have come to light with Boeing since a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight mid-flight.
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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Miss. Delegation Urges Trump to Approve Federal Disaster Declaration for Mississippi

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker
    WASHINGTON – The Mississippi congressional delegation today shared their strong support for Governor Tate Reeves’ request for a federal disaster declaration after deadly weather struck the state on March 14-15.
    U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and U.S. Representatives Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Trent Kelly, R-Miss., Michael Guest, R-Miss., and Mike Ezell, R-Miss., sent President Trump a letter endorsing the governor’s request for an expedited major disaster declaration for the State of Mississippi, and for individual federal assistance for 14 counties. If approved, the presidential disaster declaration would unlock additional federal resources to supplement state recovery efforts. 
    “In the wake of recent extreme weather that brought severe thunderstorms and violent tornadoes to the State of Mississippi, we request your full consideration of Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves’ request for a federal disaster declaration,” the lawmakers wrote.
    The letter follows a preliminary disaster assessment, which highlights the extent of loss of life, injuries, and damage.
    “Available resources from state and local governments and volunteer organizations are inadequate to meet the state’s recovery needs. Significant federal assistance and cooperation are needed for Mississippi to rebuild,” the lawmakers wrote.
    Read the full letter below.
    Dear President Trump,
    In the wake of recent extreme weather that brought severe thunderstorms and violent tornadoes to the State of Mississippi, we request your full consideration of Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves’ request for a federal disaster declaration.
    We appreciate the efforts of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help Mississippians recover from past disasters.  As recovery efforts continue, we anticipate expeditious support from the agency in assisting state and local officials.
    From the night of March 14 through March 15, 2025, at least 20 Mississippi counties endured extreme weather conditions, including hurricane-force winds, baseball-sized hail, 18 tornadoes, and flash flooding.  A magnitude 3.0 earthquake also struck near Magee, Mississippi, during the storms.  Tragically, seven Mississippians lost their lives as a result of these storms, which caused extensive damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure.  FEMA-validated reports indicate that the storms caused at least $18.2 million in damages, including 233 destroyed homes and 208 homes with major damage.
    Governor Reeves has requested a federal disaster declaration including Individual Assistance for the following 14 counties: Carroll, Covington, Grenada, Holmes, Issaquena, Itawamba, Jasper, Jefferson Davis, Leflore, Marion, Montgomery, Pike, Smith, and Walthall.  The request also includes Public Assistance for the following 17 counties: Calhoun, Carroll, Covington, Grenada, Humphreys, Issaquena, Itawamba, Jefferson Davis, Lee, Leflore, Marion, Pike, Prentiss, Sharkey, Smith, Walthall, and Washington.
    Available resources from state and local governments and volunteer organizations are inadequate to meet the state’s recovery needs.  Significant federal assistance and cooperation are needed for Mississippi to rebuild.  Thank you for your consideration of this request.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any assistance in this effort.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Opposes Frank Bisignano, Trump’s Nominee to be Commissioner of the Social Security Administration

    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, today voted against advancing the nomination of Frank Bisignano for Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), a federal agency that provides program benefits to more than 150,000 Vermonters and 71 million Americans: 
    “I cannot support a nominee who repeatedly failed to answer how he would keep Elon Musk from meddling in our Social Security benefits. I have no faith that Frank Bisignano could stand up to the Trump Administration’s reckless attempts to close Social Security field offices, delay the disbursement of Social Security payments, and make seniors fight through bureaucratic red tape to access the benefits they have paid into. The President and Elon Musk are lawlessly trying to dismantle the programs American seniors rely on—Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare—to pay for their tax cuts for billionaires. We must protect, expand, and increase Social Security—not only for seniors today, but for future generations of Americans.” 
    In Mr. Bisignano’s confirmation hearing, Senator Welch pushed the nominee on how he would protect Social Security from the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s actions to harm Social Security. Senator Welch also pressed Bisignano on working to increase Social Security death benefits.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Slams European Nations’ Attempts to Use “Accounting Tricks” to Avoid Defense Spending: “You Can’t Shoot Climate Change At Anybody”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, slammed attempts by European nations such as Spain and Italy to reclassify climate change and economic competitiveness spending as defense spending as Europe tries to get more serious about defending itself.
    “As the EU grapples with exempting member states’ defense spending from fiscal restrictions, some appear more concerned by what they can reclassify as defense spending rather than actually spend on military readiness,” said Ricketts. “Spain, for example, has argued that defense spending should include broader civil defense costs such as climate change, while Italy has said that measures related to economic competitiveness should count. Last time I checked, you actually need hard assets like bullets to be able to shoot. You can’t shoot climate change at anybody.”
    “Now I realize defense spending isn’t just a matter of percent of GDP, it’s not the only panacea. For example, Italy hosts 30,000 military personnel and their families, as well as the Navy’s Sixth Fleet in Naples,” said Ricketts. “However, when countries which still haven’t met the 2% NATO target that was set over a decade ago, resort to accounting tricks to weaken our collective defense, it makes my position as a supporter of the Transatlantic Alliance more difficult.”
    Ricketts made the comments in a hearing of the Committee on Foreign Relations. The hearing focused on considering the nominations of Warren Stephens to be Ambassador to the Court of St. James, Tilman Fertitta to be Ambassador to the Italian Republic and the Republic of San Marino, and Thomas Barrack Jr.to be U.S. Ambassador to Turkiye.
    Click here to watch.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden Reintroduces Legislation to Improve Watershed Resilience and Health

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    June 23, 2023
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., this week reintroduced his bill to improve the resilience and health of the nation’s watersheds – the land leading into streams, rivers or lakes – as Oregon and the entire American West continue to suffer from severe drought. 
    “Watersheds play an essential role in the health and economic livelihood of local communities, supporting safe drinking water for communities, outdoor recreation and productive fisheries. All of this is at risk because of the climate crisis,” said Wyden. “More must be done to strengthen the health and resilience of our nation’s watersheds. My Watershed Results Act creates science-driven, cost-effective tools to protect the land that touches all of our nation’s waterways and provide stability for generations to come.”
    Watersheds are made up of millions of acres of rivers and streams, farms and rangeland, forests and developed towns and cities, with restoration needs often varying dramatically from acre to acre. Wyden’s Watershed Results Act – first introduced last Congress – would use the best scientific and data analysis to identify the most effective acres where watershed restoration work would generate the greatest environmental results at the best value for taxpayers. The Interior Department would coordinate to establish several watershed restoration programs across the country.
    Joe Whitworth, President and CEO of The Freshwater Trust: “The dire and worsening problems impacting our rivers and streams have a direct impact on the future of freshwater in our country. The urgency of this moment is unmistakable, and a bill like this lays the foundation for much-needed change on how those working in water work on behalf of this resource. We hope others will support it.”  
    Julie O’Shea, Executive Director of Farmer’s Conservation Alliance: “We commend Senator Wyden for his introduction of this legislation. In the midst of major ongoing drought, it is important that we have in place a broad array of tools that help to rapidly increase agricultural resilience and environmental benefits throughout the West. These pilot watershed efforts would allow us to better understand how we can all collaborate to secure resiliency for our watersheds.”
    Dan Keppen, Executive Director of Family Farm Alliance: “Farmers play a critical role in ensuring the resiliency of our watersheds. We are supportive of this legislation because it encourages collaboration among all those funding and working with and on behalf of water. Collaboration and innovation are both desperately needed if we are going to ensure that our freshwater resources can support the future of farming.”  
    Timothy Male, Executive Director of Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC): “Two of the most important ways to make national environmental programs more effective are captured in Senator Wyden’s legislation: a focus on quantified environmental outcomes, and permission for federal agencies to use pay for success contracts to buy them. The Watershed Results Act puts in place the right incentives for America’s restoration experts and scientists to do their most effective and creative work for freshwater.”
    Nick Wobbrock, Co-Founder & COO of Blue Forest Conservation: “The need for investment in watershed health to effectively respond to the impacts of climate change is non-negotiable. This bill offers an innovative model that will enable federal agencies the flexibility of leveraging private investment and conservation finance to achieve watershed resilience goals through quantified and monitored outcomes. We applaud Senator Wyden for introducing the Watershed Results Act.”
    Adam Kiel, Managing Director of Soil and Water Outcomes Fund and Executive Vice President of AgOutcomes: “The Soil and Water Outcomes Fund works with farmers and outcome beneficiaries across ten states, from Iowa to New York, to improve water quality and climate resiliency. The proposed Watershed Results Act of 2021 supports an outcome-based approach to water quality improvement and, if passed, would represent a transformative approach in how the Federal Government funds environmental outcomes by providing cost-effective delivery of conservation dollars to areas providing the highest benefit.”
    Timothy Martin, Executive Director, Irrigation Innovation Consortium: “The Irrigation Innovation Consortium conducts research and develops grounded solutions for water management. In addition to equipping stakeholders with new knowledge and tools, we address financial, practical, and technological barriers to adopting innovative practices. By merging powerful technology, a coordinated funding approach, and streamlined delivery of funds to agricultural producers, the Watershed Results Act will demonstrate a new pathway forward to achieve beneficial economic and environmental outcomes. We support this legislation, and we encourage other organizations to do the same.”
    Eric Letsinger, CEO of Quantified Ventures: “ At Quantified Ventures, we scale up investable, outcomes-based solutions for good. The WRA would help organize and streamline federal funds in a way that makes it much easier to access and use private capital to get watershed solutions to an entirely new scale. We applaud the innovation and hope others will support the bill too.”
    A one-page summary of the bill can be found here.
    Bill text can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Colleagues Demand Answers on Mass Layoffs Bringing Harm to Americans’ Health and Well-Being

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and 33 members of the Senate Democratic caucus in a letter to the Trump administration demanding answers about the tens of thousands of federal health workers that have been fired this week and the unquestionable impact on Americans’ health and well-being.
    “Your actions continue to show a reckless disregard for the health and well-being of American families, most significantly for underserved communities. You claim this ‘reduction in force’ will ‘make America healthy again.’ But firings of this scale will do the exact opposite,” wrote the Senators. “If you do not reverse course, you will do irreparable damage to our nation’s human services, health care delivery, public health, and scientific infrastructure – making Americans sicker and leaving our communities ill-prepared for future threats.”
    The letter, sent to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), comes as HHS begins to dismantle entire agencies, like those focused on the well-being of seniors and people with disabilities and research to promote health care quality, and lay off thousands of workers across the department, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the Administration for Community Living (ACL), and more.
    Among the layoffs was the entire staff of the Healthy Aging Branch of the CDC, which administers Alzheimer’s disease programs and oversees the funding for Cortez Masto’s bipartisan BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act. This bill – reauthorized by Congress last year – helps combat Alzheimer’s and supports caregivers and their families.
    Read the full letter here.
    Senator Cortez Masto has pushed multiple Departments under the Trump Administration for detailed, public information regarding the impacts of President Trump’s federal funding freeze, hiring freeze, and terminations on Nevada – including the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, and the General Services Administration.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Cotton Take Action to Allow Farmers to Protect Catfish from Predatory Birds

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) reintroduced the Cormorant Relief Act, legislation that would fully reinstate the ability of catfish farmers and other aquaculture producers to remove predatory double-crested cormorant populations. The legislation would restore U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulations to allow producers to fight the cormorants, which threaten the livelihoods of aquaculture operations in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and other states.
    “Alabama is the number two state in American catfish production, raising one-third of the world’s catfish,” said Senator Tuberville. “As a former catfish restaurant owner, I know firsthand how critical catfish are to our economy. America’s catfish farmers should be able to protect their livelihoods against these invasive birds without fear of repercussions from the federal government. It is important that we put our American catfish farmers first!”
    “Double-crested cormorants pose a significant threat to Arkansas’s fish farmers, but unnecessary regulation currently prevents them from taking additional steps to protect their ponds. Our bill would once again give fish farmers the ability to adequately defend their fish populations from the birds that are eating into their bottom line,” said Senator Cotton.
    Text of the legislation may be found here.
    This legislation is supported by the National Aquaculture Association and the Catfish Farmers of America.
    BACKGROUND:
    The double-crested cormorant is a large water bird that feeds primarily on fish, consuming approximately a pound of fish per day. The cormorant population in North America has been increasing for decades as they have no natural predators and a growing prey base. As a result, these birds cause millions of dollars in losses across the aquaculture industry each year. 
    From 1998 to 2016, an Aquaculture Depredation Order existed allowing aquaculture producers to take double-crested cormorants committing or about to commit depredation of aquaculture stocks. However, a lawsuit brought against the Fish and Wildlife Service challenged the Aquaculture Depredation Order renewal and in 2016 the order was vacated. Currently, aquaculture facilities must pursue individual depredation permits, which impose constraints on farmers and prevent them from adequately protecting their fish against this avian predator.
    MORE:
    Tuberville, Wicker Introduce Resolution Designating August as National Catfish Month
    Following Tuberville Efforts, Biden Administration Reverses Course on Disastrous Catfish Rule
    Tuberville Warns Biden Against Order Threatening Alabama Catfish Industry
    Tuberville Introduces Legislation to Support Domestic Beekeepers and Honey Producers
    Tuberville Demands Biden Administration Protect Farmers Amid Historic Inflation, Rising Input Costs
    Tuberville Honors National Agriculture Week, Continues to Stand Up for Farmers
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Celebrates President Trump’s “Liberation Day” on Senate Floor

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
    WASHINGTON – Today,U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) took to the Senate floor to celebrate President Trump’s “Liberation Day” after Senate Democrats repeatedly tried to block and impede the President’s tariffs from going into effect.
    Read excerpts from Senator Tuberville’s remarks below or watch on YouTube or Rumble.

    “The media, for some reason, is in full meltdown mode after President Trump declared today ‘Liberation Day.’ Only my Democratic colleagues and the media, globalist media would find a reason to be mad about that. I’m highly convinced that my colleagues in the woke media would rather President Trump fail than achieve a goal to help the United States of America and the taxpayers. President Trump’s views on tariffs – they aren’t complicated. He believes, as I do, that America has been ripped off by unfair trade deals for decades and simply wants a level playing field.
    We have to change directions. What we’re doing is not working. U.S. catfish and shrimp producers have faced some of the worst blows, for example. Vietnam is dumping billions – I repeat, billions – of pounds of catfish, and India is dumping billions of pounds of shrimp every year in the U.S. markets, flooding the markets and reducing the price for our quality domestic products. It’s devastating. We need to put a reciprocal tariff on these countries to protect our American producers. […]
    Now, I recognize that tariff actions may cause reciprocal tariffs from other countries. We need to take that in stride.
    In this country, we’ve had a party for 249 years. United States has put that party on. The party needs to continue, but all the other countries that have been built off the American taxpayers, such as the Middle East, such as Europe, such as China, they need to start bringing gifts to the party because the American taxpayer can’t afford it any longer. We’re $37 trillion in debt. And the only way to pay that down is to force other people to help us. The American taxpayer can’t afford it.
    As a result, American jobs have been sent overseas. […] We have to get manufacturing back in this country. […] President Trump is 100% committed folks – 100%. He’s gonna do whatever it takes to usher in a Golden Age for the American economy. And by the way, just the threat of President Trump’s tariffs has already led India, Vietnam, and Israel to proactively drop significantly and lower tariffs against the United States, before it’s really even started. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican or Democrat, we should all be united in wanting economic policies that put American farmers, producers, businesses, and manufacturers first.”
    MORE:
    Tuberville Praises President Trump for Making Tariffs Great Again
    ICYMI: Tuberville in Yellowhammer: President Trump’s tariffs are Making America Great Again
    ICYMI: Tuberville in Newsweek: America is Back. President’s Joint Address Will Celebrate It
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEW REPORT: Trump’s Mass Firings at VA Hurt WA Veterans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Murray Statement on Trump & Elon Plans to Decimate VA, Firing 80,000 Employees and Putting Veterans’ Care in Grave Danger

    ICYMI: Senator Murray, VA Researchers, Employees, Contractors in WA State Slam Trump & Elon’s Plans to Decimate VA With Further Mass Layoffs, Harm Services Veterans Rely On

    ***Report HERE***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, released a new report detailing how President Trump and Elon Musk’s reckless mass firings at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are already harming veterans’ services and health care in Washington state and across the country.

    Senator Murray has been outspoken in standing up for veterans, VA employees, and VA researchers against Trump and Elon Musk’s indiscriminate mass layoffs that will undermine critical services our nation’s veterans rely on every day. Senator Murray, a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, was among the first to raise the alarm about the layoffs of VA researchers and called on President Trump to immediately reverse the firings. She pressed VA Deputy Secretary nominee Dr. Paul Lawrence on the firings of VA researchers at the hearing on his nomination last week, held a press conference with a VA employee and veteran in Seattle who was abruptly laid off as part of the mass firings with zero justification, and put out a fact sheet on how the indiscriminate mass firings were hurting workers in Washington state, including VA researchers. In January, Murray and others called on President Trump to exempt all VA employees from the hiring freeze issued as part of his Day One Executive Orders.  

    The full report is available HERE and below:

    National View: The Department of Veterans Affairs

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs serves approximately nine million enrolled veterans every year. Washington state alone has around 232,000 veterans enrolled in the VA health care system. Its mission is to provide comprehensive care, support, and benefits to veterans of the United States military and their families. Core VA benefits and services include: health care including medical, mental health, and rehabilitation care; benefits and compensation including disability compensation, pensions, educational assistance, and housing loans; and burial and memorial services, including access to national cemeteries.

    Like the rest of the federal government, VA employs high numbers of veterans and military spouses compared to private sector employers. Veterans make up 30% of the federal workforce, and the federal government is the largest single employer of veterans in the country.

    On February 13, 2024, VA Secretary Collins terminated 1,000 VA employees, including a substantial number of veterans and military spouses, without cause.Then on February 24, Secretary Collins carried out another round of illegal terminations of VA employees. This mass firing brought the total number of fired VA employees to 2,400. Of those fired, a large proportion were themselves veterans and military spouses. On March 4, a leaked internal VA memo showed that Secretary Collins planned to terminate an estimated 83,000 employees – likely including an estimated 20,000 veterans – by the end of September of this year. This plan to reduce the VA workforce to September 2019 levels, coupled with the ongoing hiring freeze and illegal terminations of probationary employees, will be catastrophic for the agency, its workforce, and for the veterans, caregivers, and survivors it serves.

    These measures will reverse the progress made by the previous Administration, during which VA was able to deliver more care and benefits to more veterans than ever before. It would roll back the progress and massive expansion of care and benefits from the bipartisan PACT Act, the largest expansion of VA health care and benefits in decades. These mass firings also threaten to erode recent progress in lowering the veteran unemployment rate, which has been a longstanding, bipartisan priority.

    The Department of Veterans Affairs Provides Necessary Services and Has Ripple Effects Across Washington State

    Before these mass firings, the VA was already experiencing staff shortages. The recent additional staffing and funding cuts will exacerbate these shortages and negatively impact the care veterans receive.

    Former VA employees describe likely irreversible damage to the VA system, including loss of innovation and increased strain on already scarce staff time and resources. 

    • Future Zhou, a disabled Army veteran who worked as an Inventory Manager at the Puget Sound VA Medical Center in Washington state, was abruptly let go due to recent workforce cuts imposed by the Trump Administration. By eliminating inventory management positions, understaffed nurses will now be burdened with additional responsibilities as they work to provide top-notch care with already limited time. Veteran patients will need to wait longer for medication and equipment they need while they are receiving care.
      • “Unfortunately, I was not alone. Five other logistics personnel in our probationary phase were dismissed within hours of me, two mail clerks and three supply techs. The unprofessional manner in which these decisions were executed was incredibly disrespectful. I have since visited my office—because I still receive my care at the Seattle VA—and witnessed firsthand the undue stress and devastation that these indiscriminate firings have caused. Our supply team is now more than seven days behind on placing critical supply requests for medication and equipment in our hospital, and our supply techs have had to cut their night shifts, limiting deliveries to our clinics. I saw nurses going down to the warehouse to collect their own supplies in order to continue to provide quality care to our veterans. I am not confident that the hospital can remain open under these conditions.”
    • Christian Helfrich, who served twenty years with the Puget Sound VA Medical Center as a research investigator, was one of seven research employees laid off because their research terms were not renewed due to the hiring freeze.
      • “In terms of what the effect will be on veterans… it’s not having innovative care developed in the VA, like pulmonary teams using the Electronic Health Record to identify problems for veterans before they happen, preventing things like pneumonia, and it’s not doing things like having people systematically identifying problems with the new Oracle Electronic Health Record… Research is an investment in the future—and if we don’t invest in research today, we are not investing in the future of the VA. And I’ll just add, what’s going on right now isn’t a two-way door where you can tear down the VA and then see what happens, and if you don’t like it, go back to the way it was. This is a one-way door —if we tear it down now, it is going to take years or decades to build back.”
    • Raphael Garcia, a 100% disabled Army veteran and combat engineer, was abruptly fired from his role as a management analyst with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs by the current administration.
      • “I swore an oath to serve our country—first in the U.S. Army and then at the VA—only to be suddenly terminated by the very institution that promised to care for those who have served … Removing key personnel, not only delays claim processing, it erodes the institutional knowledge built over years of service, and sacrifices the care and compassion our veterans deserve.”

    All three of these VA employees provided essential services to improve the health and lives of veterans. Without these staff and the other dedicated VA employees who were unduly fired, health care access and disability claim decisions will be delayed, services will be eliminated, and overall care for veterans will be negatively impacted.

    One veteran, who is a prominent member and advocate in his local veteran service organization, confirmed that these cuts will further stress these systems that veterans rely on.

    • Joshua Schrek is an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who now lives in Renton, Washington and serves as a Judge Advocate General of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). He’s been active in the VFW for over 15 years, previously serving at the post, district, and department levels, including previously being the Department of Washington VFW state Chief of Staff. His comments represent his own views and not those of VFW.
      • “I have received information directly from an employee at the Seattle VA who expressed serious concerns. He shared that his department is responsible for overseeing 46 veteran-facing products and services, including My HealtheVet, Community Care Billing, Enrollment & Eligibility, and the Veterans Crisis Line. Out of 140 authorized positions, only 65 are filled – expected to drop to 59. He also noted that they rely on over 700 contractors, and with contract cancellations happening centrally and without local input, there’s a risk these systems could go offline with no available staff to restore them.”
      • “The situation has the potential to affect not only veterans but also the families who rely on VA support systems. If services like benefits processing, crisis response, and access to medical care are interrupted, it creates stress and instability for those trying to navigate an already complex system. One particularly alarming note shared with me was that if some systems break, they may ‘stay down indefinitely’ due to a lack of technical staff to fix them.”

    The Trump Administration is Damaging Veterans’ Access to Care for Years to Come

    Trump and Musk are putting the health care and benefits veterans have earned in grave danger. They are firing tens of thousands of people responsible for administering the services and care that over nine million veterans enrolled in VA health care across the country count on—and it’s a breach of the sacred commitment we make to our veterans to take care of them when they return home. These arbitrary mass layoffs, at the very least, are going to mean longer processing times for disability or education claims veterans are desperately waiting on and longer wait times for veterans to see a healthcare provider—to say nothing of the serious threat to patient safety or the threat of VA medical centers closing. For example, the Puget Sound VA already has 40 mental health position vacancies, 14 of which are psychology positions. Firing additional employees will only further decrease access to mental health care. The consequences will reverberate for generations—more veterans sick and unable to get their benefits, more veterans out of a job, and fewer men and women willing to sign up to serve a nation that shows it will not keep their promises to them.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: April 2nd, 2025 VIDEO: Heinrich Opening Remarks During Nomination Hearing for James Danly for Energy Deputy Secretary & Katharine MacGregor for Interior Deputy Secretary

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    WASHINGTON – During opening remarks in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee nomination hearing to consider James Danly for the U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE), and Katharine MacGregor for the U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Department of Interior (DOI), U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Committee, sought commitments from the nominees to follow the law as enacted by Congress.

    VIDEO: Heinrich Delivers Opening Remarks in Hearing to Consider James Danley for Deputy Energy Secretary and Katharine MacGregor for Deputy Interior Secretary, April 2, 2025.
    Heinrich began his remarks by sounding off on reports that Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) is considering to illegally rescind funding passed into law and cancel or renegotiate existing funding contracts with companies, some of which fund projects already under construction.
    Heinrich then stressed to the nominees the costly consequences to American families of terminating investments passed into law by Congress,
    “It is estimated that more than 50,000 energy jobs have already been lost under Trump’s watch. The Administration’s actions are also constricting the fastest-growing and most affordable power sources, just as demand from manufacturing and data center growth is surging, meaning that energy costs will soar. Electricity prices are already on track to be the highest they have been since the 1990s.”
    Heinrich continued by highlighting the harm Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE has inflicted on families, cost of living, and our public lands.
    Heinrich concluded by urging the nominees to answer how they will return their departments to a path of public service, securing American leadership and competitiveness, and responsible stewardship of our natural resources.
    Senator Heinrich’s full remarks as prepared for delivery are below.
    Thank you, Chairman Lee. And welcome Ms. MacGregor and Mr. Danly. Before we get to Commitee business, I do want to address the troubling reports that DOE is considering cancelling or renegotiating existing funding contracts with companies, some of which are under construction.
    As I wrote to Secretary Wright in a letter, and I will remind Mr. Danly and Ms. MacGregor today, the decision to rescind these awards rests with Congress, not with the President or Elon Musk.
    However, even before these so-called “kill lists” were leaked, we already started seeing the economic impact of the Administration’s reckless actions. It is estimated that more than 50,000 energy jobs have already been lost under Trump’s watch.
    The Administration’s actions are also constricting the fastest-growing and most affordable power sources, just as demand from manufacturing and data center growth is surging, meaning that energy prices will soar. Electricity prices are already on track to be the highest they have been since the 1990s. Terminating projects in the name of ‘energy dominance’ is not only ludicrous, it will lead to higher energy costs for households.
    All of this is only the newest phase in this administration’s campaign of chaos at federal agencies and actions that are raising energy costs.
    Both the Interior and Energy Departments have been subject to whiplash in just the last two months–
    –from illegally firing thousand of employees only to be required to rehire them–to announcements that agency buildings would be closed or sold, or maybe not.
    — to freezing grant funds and canceling contracts in contravention of federal law, only to see some unfrozen…while others still remain inexplicably frozen
    This has got to be the least efficient way to run a government.
    For the Department of the Interior, all of this mismanagement has real on-the-ground impacts for people and communities.
    We’ve seen closed visitors centers and overflowing trash cans at parks.
    Field offices have shorter hours, and it’s harder for people to reach front line staff when they have questions.
    Small businesses are worried about if their permits will be processed.
    Scientists are struggling to cover expenses because the federal government has backed out of contracts.
    Our public lands are the birthright of every American, but if something doesn’t change, and soon, at the agencies that care for them on our behalf, we will lose that birthright.
    I have a number of questions today for these two nominees and their plans for the Energy and Interior Departments.
    Both departments were created by statute. They were not created at the whim of any President. They do not exist at the President’s pleasure. The laws they execute, the programs they administer, the funds they spend, were enacted, created, and appropriated by law, by Congress.
    I will be looking for assurances from both nominees that they are committed to following the law, as enacted by Congress, rather than doing the bidding of Elon Musk.
    I hope to hear how they will get these departments returned back to a path of public service, and back on track to securing American leadership and competitiveness, and responsible stewardship of our natural resources.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: April 2nd, 2025 Heinrich, Murray Sound Alarm on Reports of DOGE “Hit List” of Key Energy Projects, Demand that Department of Energy Follow the Law

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    WASHINTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Vice Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, led 25 Democratic senators in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Christopher Wright demanding that he uphold his commitment to honor existing legal agreements and deliver funds passed into law by Congress.
    The letter comes on the heels of recent reports that the Department of Energy is creating a “hit list” of awards, projects, and contracts—many of which have already began construction—it is considering canceling, which would break existing agreements and  lead to job losses and reductions in the growth of new energy resources.  
    The senators detailed their serious concerns about the reports, telling Secretary Wright: “You assured us during your confirmation hearing that you believe that legal agreements should be honored (including managing the financial commitments you have inherited) and that you will follow the law.”
    The senators added: “Indiscriminately canceling program funding and executed contracts, and refusing to execute on the funding directives Congress enacted, neither honors existing agreements nor is consistent with the spending laws that have appropriated funding for specific purposes.”
    “Dissolving contracts, cancelling grants and loans, and reneging on loan guarantees without any intention to execute the laws is not only illegal, but is harmful to the public and energy consumers.  Your indiscriminate cancellations of spending will increase energy prices, make our grid less secure, and stop energy innovation,” the senators continued. “If the Department has a policy disagreement and does not want to spend money on programs Congress has funded, the lawful response is to ask Congress to rescind that funding. The decision ultimately rests with Congress, not with the President, the Department of Energy, or the Department of Government Efficiency.”
    The senators concluded the letter by demanding a detailed list and briefing that identifies which grants, loans, or loan guarantees Secretary Wright believes should be rescinded and why he thinks they should be rescinded.
    The full text of the letter can be found here and below. 
    Dear Mr. Secretary: 
    We are deeply troubled by recent news reports that the Department of Energy (Department) is creating a “hit list of clean energy projects” to “wipe out” for being inconsistent with the President’s priorities. This list reportedly includes hydrogen hubs and carbon capture, critical mineral, and battery storage projects that have already received grant and loan funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and annual appropriations bills.  
    You assured us during your confirmation hearing that you believe that legal agreements should be honored (including managing the financial commitments you have inherited) and that you will follow the law. Indiscriminately canceling program funding and executed contracts, and refusing to execute on the funding directives Congress enacted, neither honors existing agreements nor is consistent with the spending laws that have appropriated funding for specific purposes.  
    Our Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse and exclusive power to appropriate funds. Once a law is properly enacted, the Constitution requires the President to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”  The President cannot substitute his policy preferences for requirements in law, and that includes refusing to spend funds Congress requires the President to spend.  
    In this instance, where Congress has authorized and appropriated funds for programs that support clean energy projects, the Department must faithfully execute the law and expend the funds for the purposes provided.  For example, programs authorized that have received federal appropriations under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law have requirements on timing of expended funds, purposes, and contractual expectations. An internal Office of Management and Budget guidance document cannot hide the Department’s obligation to follow the enacted law. 
    Dissolving contracts, cancelling grants and loans, and reneging on loan guarantees without any intention to execute the laws is not only illegal, but is harmful to the public and energy consumers.  Your indiscriminate cancellations of spending will increase energy prices, make our grid less secure, and stop energy innovation.  If the Department has a policy disagreement and does not want to spend money on programs Congress has funded, the lawful response is to ask Congress to rescind that funding. The decision ultimately rests with Congress, not with the President, the Department of Energy, or the Department of Government Efficiency.  Please provide us a detailed list and briefing that identifies which grants, loans, or loan guarantees you believe should be rescinded and why you think they should be rescinded.
                                                                           

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Speaks Out Against Trump’s Anticipated Tariffs That Will Harm Americans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    April 02, 2025
    Durbin also announced his support for Senator Kaine’s resolution to block President Trump’s abuse of emergency powers
    WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke out against President Trump’s anticipated tariffs he is scheduled to unveil later today. In his remarks, Durbin underscored that the Trump tariffs would not lower prices, as he promised during his campaign, but instead spike prices for Americans. Durbin also announced he will be supporting Senator Tim Kaine’s (D-VA) resolution to block the President’s abuse of emergency powers.
    “Since taking office 72 days ago, the Trump Administration has created chaos on our economy. The President campaigned on lowering prices for American families, [but] unfortunately his policies and actions have done the opposite—many families are worse off today than when he was sworn in. In February, egg prices hit a record high in the United States. Just last week, the typical U.S. homeowners’ monthly mortgage payment reached an all-time high. And now, Donald Trump’s ill-conceived, foolish trade war with one of our top allies is the latest example of his continued pain for Americans’ wallets,” said Durbin.
    On February 1, the President announced that he was imposing a 10 percent tariff on energy imports from Canada, as well as a 25 percent tariff on all other goods. Unsurprisingly, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs. President Trump cited the International Economy Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) to declare an emergency at our northern border—stating that fentanyl and undocumented migration constituted a national emergency that justified the use of tariffs. IEEPA is intended for use in unusual or extraordinary emergencies related to foreign threats, such as placing sanctions on dictators. President Trump’s Executive Order declaring a so-called “emergency” at the northern border is ostensibly tied to Canada’s failure to prevent illicit drugs from being trafficked across our border, but Canada is openly willing to address this shared challenge.
    Durbin said, “Let me be clear: Preventing the trafficking of fentanyl is a bipartisan priority, but the fact remains that less than one percent of fentanyl intercepted at the U.S. border comes from Canada. And Canada has made it clear they are willing to work with us to reduce that amount. The President’s use of IEEPA to attempt to justify these tariffs is a shoddy excuse for him to ram through an unpopular agenda and bully yet another close ally of the United States. He is manufacturing a fake ‘emergency’ as a guise to enact billions of dollars in taxes on American consumers to fund massive tax cuts for his billionaire buddies. That is unacceptable.”
    Durbin pointed to the harm that will come to Illinois’ economy as a result of the Trump tariffs, as Illinois relies on Canada and Mexico to purchase the state’s goods and agricultural products. Illinois exports to Canada totaled $20.55 billion in 2023. Illinois ranks fifth among the 50 U.S. states in exports to Canada and first in imports.
    “But President Trump recently said he ‘couldn’t care less’ if car makers hike prices in response to his tariffs. He is pushing forward with his plan that economists, experts, and even the White House itself admits is going to be painful for American families… How does unnecessarily tanking our economy, alienating our allies, and taking money out of the wallets of Americans make America great again?”
    Durbin then highlighted his support for Kaine’s resolution on the Floor.
    Durbin concluded, “Right now, we should be focused on common sense ways to lower prices and fight inflation, we should be taking genuine steps to slow the flow of fentanyl across our borders, we should be working with, and not fighting against, our closest allies like Canada, and these tariffs do none of that. That is why I am supporting Senator Kaine’s resolution to block the President’s abuse of emergency powers. I know Senate Democrats will stand up for American consumers. Can a few Republican colleagues join us? Or will they continue to let Donald Trump and Elon Musk enrich billionaires at the expense of hard-working American families?”
    Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
    Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
    Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Questions Witnesses During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Nationwide Injunctions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    April 02, 2025
    Durbin questioned witnesses about the legal ramifications of President Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, his attacks on law firms
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Rule by District Judges II: Exploring Legislative Solutions to the Bipartisan Problem of Universal Injunctions.” Durbin first questioned Samuel Bray, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame Law School, about birthright citizenship. President Trump’s executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship was blocked earlier this year. 
    “One judge, a Ronald Reagan appointee, said that efforts by the Administration are blatantly unconstitutional. If you accept the normal process which you described to us, how should that case (birthright citizenship) be handled if we’ve done away with the universal application of decisions?” Durbin asked.
    Professor Bray responded that the judge blocking President Trump’s executive order is exactly how the “courts are supposed to work. The courts are going to decide the cases. In every single one, the courts will say there’s birthright citizenship under the Constitution [and] that [there] will not actually be a disagreement between the circuit courts and there won’t even need to be a decision from the Supreme Court.”
    Durbin responded, “But assume the alternative—that there is a federal judge in some state who says, ‘I think the President is right. I believe birthright citizenship is unconstitutional.’ So you have a case in controversary, and it affects only the cases filed in that [circuit]?”
    Professor Bray responded that if that scenario happens and the circuit courts are split, the case will go up to the Supreme Court. He continued, saying that “just because one branch goes beyond its constitutional bounds, doesn’t mean the judiciary should go beyond its [constitutional bounds].”
    “In light of individuals personally affected by this [birthright citizenship executive order]—pregnant women, as an example—we just have to let the process play out, is that what you suggest?” Durbin asked to both Professor Bray and Professor Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center.
    Professor Vladeck responded, “I think it’s worth underscoring the human consequences… because if it takes three years for that circuit split to get to the Supreme Court, you’re going to have three years where, in large parts of the country, children born to undocumented parents will not be citizens. Some of those children could be subjected to removal by the United States on the ground that they are not citizens.”
    Video of Durbin’s first round of questions in Committee is available here.
    Audio of Durbin’s first round of questions in Committee is available here.
    Footage of Durbin’s first round of questions in Committee is available here for TV Stations.
    Durbin then asked Jesse Panuccio, a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, about President Trump’s attacks on law firms. Over the past month, President Trump has issued executive orders attacking a number of law firms because they dared to employ attorneys who were involved in litigation or represented clients that President Trump didn’t like.
    “What is the impact of those executive orders on the targeted firms?” Durbin asked.
    Mr. Panuccio responded that Durbin would “have to ask those law firms what the impact has been,” despite working at a law firm himself.
    “What message do you think these executive orders send to the legal community more broadly?” Durbin asked.
    Despite working within the legal community, Mr. Panuccio again responded, “I think you’d have to ask the legal community more broadly.”
    “I’m asking you—you’re with a law firm and it’s not unreasonable to ask you—has it come up in conversation the last two weeks among your colleagues?” Durbin asked.
    Mr. Panuccio responded that he wasn’t invited before the Committee to testify on this topic.
    Durbin posed the same question to Professor Vladeck.
    Professor Vladeck responded that when the executive branch is openly threatening law firms that criticize the Administration, it threatens the separation of powers.
    Video of Durbin’s second round of questions in Committee is available here.
    Audio of Durbin’s second round of questions in Committee is available here.
    Footage of Durbin’s second round of questions in Committee is available here for TV Stations.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Senator Mullin Joins The Will Cain Podcast to Discuss ‘Liberation Day’

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)

    ICYMI: Senator Mullin Joins The Will Cain Podcast to Discuss ‘Liberation Day’

    Washington, D.C. –Today, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) joined Fox News’ Will Cain on The Will Cain Podcast to discuss a wide range of topics including President Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs, threats from China, Secretary Hegseth’s standards update for members of the military, and rogue district judges. Highlights below.

    Sen. Mullin’s full interview can be found here.
    On ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs:  
    “President Trump did something similar to this his first term in office, and we saw bring home wages raise for the first time in decades, at a higher rate than what we used to past inflation. We saw inflation drop 1.4%. So, we’ve been there, the President’s done that, he’s able to do it. Then we saw everything turn with the four years of Biden administration, we’ve got to reset.”
    “We’re not looking at today’s game. President Trump is a business person. He doesn’t look at the next election, he looks 10 years down the road, that’s why he’s extremely successful in business. We’re building a future for the next generation. We’re building an economy that the next generation can actually manufacture stuff.”
    “We have lost manufacturing here, which puts us at an extreme disadvantage, God forbid, if we were to go to war. We’re not making metal equipment here anymore. We’re not making machines here anymore for any machine manufacturing out there. We’re not making medical supplies here anymore. Most of our vehicles are assembled here, but the parts are not made here anymore. We couldn’t stand up the industrial war machine like we did in World War II if we went to war, because it would take decades… So that’s the national security risk.”  
    On reciprocal tariffs:
    “Japan, has 0% tariffs on American made vehicles going into Japan, but you cannot go there and buy an American vehicle, because their rules to the access of their economy through their government makes it impossible for a dealership to actually be set up that can sell American made vehicles.”
    “So, it’s not just tariffs, it’s access to the economy. If we put American made products against other countries, we will win every single time. The countries that want to do business with us, though, they need us more than we need them because they want access to the world’s strongest and greatest economy, and that’s the United States.” 
    “We have allowed people to take advantage of us and President Trump is the first president in our lifetime to actually say, “Wait, it’s time to right the wrong.” So will there be some volatility for the first few months, maybe, but long-term gain is going to be great for America.”
    On threats from China:
    “We have an infrastructure that China can’t compete with. We can move product from point A to point B faster and more efficiently than China can.”
    “China decided to start diversifying themselves with the Belt and Road Initiative to try to limit their exposure to the United States economy. We did nothing about it.”
    “[President Trump] understands what they’re doing, and he’s trying to fix that now, because there may not be another president in our lifetime that has… the guts to do it.”
    On Secretary Hegseth’s update to physical standards for members of the military:
    “I’m fortunate to have a very good friend of mine. I won’t say her name here, but she actually went through selection, and she was a world class athlete. She is very strong, very outspoken about this, and she says, if we want to serve alongside males, then there’s 100% we should have to meet the same requirements. And any true female that wants to compete on that playing ground will tell you it’s an embarrassment to actually lower the standard for me to be able to qualify for the same position.”
    “And so, I think most females that are that competitive, that are wanting to charge ahead, I think Secretary Hegseth is doing exactly what they want to do. Don’t lower the standard. Don’t insult me by lowering the standard of qualification. I want to meet the exact same qualifications as my counterpart, that’s a male, because I want to be held at that same standard.”
    On rogue district judges obstructing President Trump’s agenda:
    “First of all, I don’t think a district court judge should have the authority to put an injunction nationwide, against the president United States. I don’t think that’s what a district court was designed. They are designed to look after their own district.”
    “And if you break the law, and being a gang member is breaking the law by the way, if you break the law, you can be sent back. That’s part of immigration. If you’re here on a student visa, you can be sent back if you’re openly supporting a terrorist organization. The President of the United States has openly said they are designated as a terrorist organization.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven, Cramer: Heather Ranck To Be Reinstated As Director Of National Rural Export Center

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
    WASHINGTON – Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer today announced that Heather Ranck is being reinstated as the Director of the National Rural Export Center. The senators have worked with the new administration at the Department of Commerce to accelerate the important work of the National Rural Export Center by bringing back Ranck to the position, citing her experience and leadership in founding the center, which specializes in conducting customized market research designed to guide rural U.S. companies toward the most opportune exporting markets.
    “Heather has dedicated her career to helping support farmers, ranchers and manufacturers in North Dakota and across the country as they navigate global markets,” said Hoeven. “With 20 years of experience at the Department of Commerce, she has the experience and skillset necessary to help our producers find and expand markets for their products. Given her breadth of knowledge, it only made sense that the Department of Commerce bring her back to lead the National Rural Export Center.”
    “Heather’s reinstatement sends a strong message that President Trump values rural exporters and companies looking to sell their goods and services beyond our borders. The Rural Export Center is a critical asset in finding new market opportunities for small, medium size and large companies throughout rural America, and Heather has been the driving force in its success from the beginning. I look forward to working with Heather, Senator Hoeven and the business community we represent, in building on the center’s success and taking rural exporters to even greater economic opportunity,” said Cramer.
    “As Chairman of the North Dakota District Export Council (DEC), we are extremely pleased and appreciative that we have Heather Ranck back as Director of the National Rural Export Center. Heather is a proven leader and has served the Rural Export Center as its director in the past with great outcomes and great care for the export communities, and it is great to have her back in leadership. The ND and Northern MN District Export Councils look forward to working with her again. I want to thank Senator Hoeven and Senator Cramer for their leadership in Heathers’ reinstatement, and their insight and belief in the value of exports from North Dakota to the global market,” said Perrie Schafer, Chairman of the North Dakota District Export Council.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Under Cantwell Questioning, Boeing CEO Commits to Implementing New Safety Protocols In Next 6 Months

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    04.02.25
    Under Cantwell Questioning, Boeing CEO Commits to Implementing New Safety Protocols In Next 6 Months
    CEO Kelly Ortberg: ‘I’m absolutely committed to a mandatory Safety Management System. I appreciate your leadership there, and we’re working to get that done… by October of this year’; Cantwell has long advocated for mandatory Safety Management Systems industrywide, as opposed to voluntary compliance
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, questioned Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg on how the company is improving its safety protocols and culture and correcting defects during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
    “We’re here today, Mr. Ortberg, to see if Boeing and your new leadership are making the fundamental changes that we would like to see to return the trust,” Sen. Cantwell said in her opening remarks. “We shouldn’t forget that that success is also critical to our national security, to our economy. The company employs over 67,000 people in the State of Washington. I think the whole supply chain is well over 130,000 people, and contributes $79 billion to the American economy […] However, the company must address these manufacturing quality issues.”
    In her questioning, Sen. Cantwell focused on Boeing’s implementation of a mandatory, effective Safety Management System (SMS). An SMS is a set of policies and procedures to proactively identify and address potential operational hazards, complete with checks and redundancies to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
    Currently, Boeing adheres to a voluntary SMS that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Organization Designation Authorization Expert Review Panel found was not understood “by the average employee” – the panel issued a report last year with 27 findings of concern and 53 recommendations. FAA finally made SMS mandatory for aviation manufacturers last summer in response to requirements in the 2020 Cantwell-led Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act (ACSAA) to do so, but the FAA extended the timeline for manufacturers to have a fully implemented SMS until 2027.
    “The expert panel, I think they were very critical of the SMS structure that existed at Boeing under that voluntary structure. So how is it that this is going to change? And will you commit today to a fully functioning Safety Management System that meets the FAA standards?” Sen. Cantwell asked.
    Ortberg responded: “Senator, you’re right. We’ve been operating under a voluntary SMS for approximately the last four years, and I think the Alaska door accident was a cathartic moment for all of us to step back and look at what happened. How could this happen within the Safety Management System?
    “We had the expert panel. We also brought in outside consultants. The FAA did a comprehensive audit of our systems, and we found significant gaps in many of the processes that we use to implement our Safety Management System. Those gaps are all a part of our safety and quality plan that we’re working with the FAA to improve the overall performance.
    “I’m absolutely committed to a mandatory Safety Management System. I appreciate your leadership there, and we’re working to get that done. Actually, I’d like to have that in place by October of this year. We submitted our draft to the FAA, and we’re absolutely committed to move into a mandatory SMS.”
    Ortberg and Sen. Cantwell also discussed the need for the Pacific Northwest to develop a robust advanced aviation materials manufacturing industry – a key component of the Tech Hub designation awarded to a consortium of researchers and manufacturers based out of the Inland Northwest. Sen. Cantwell authored the Tech Hub program in the 2022 CHIPS & Science Act and secured program funding in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.
              READ MORE:
              The Seattle Times:  Spokane facility gets $48M to boost thermoplastic research for planes
              The Spokesman Review: ‘America is handing the baton to Spokane’: Commerce Department awards $48 million to launch aerospace ‘tech hub’ in Airway Heights
    Sen. Cantwell asked: “Do you see this thermoplastics as a really game changing manufacturing technology focus? Is it really what people are saying?”
    Ortberg responded: “I think thermoplastics offer a huge advantage for the future, and probably more to streamline the production of aircraft. And so I think it is an important, one of those major, important technology areas we should be investing in, and I think it’s going to find its way into many applications in the future aircraft environment.”
    Sen. Cantwell: “Do you see it as something that if we neglect that we could fall behind in as a nation, juxtaposed (to) other countries?”
    Ortberg: “I think Europe has invested probably more than we have in general in this particular area. I don’t think we’re behind in a way that we can’t recover. I do think it’s an area that we need to continue to have overall focus, not just as the Boeing Company, but in terms of new technology evolution within the country.”
    Sen. Cantwell is a stalwart champion of implementing stronger aviation manufacturing safety regulations. Yesterday, she sent a letter to Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau urging him to examine whether Boeing has satisfied the conditions needed to reauthorize the company’s Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) renewal, which is set to expire next month.
    In February, she vehemently opposed Steven Bradbury as President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The main reason for her opposition was Bradbury’s decision under the first Trump administration to halt a rule requiring plane manufacturers to adhere to a mandatory SMS – just nine days after the first of the two fatal Boeing 737 Max crashes in 2018.
    “We need a leader on safety. We need someone who is going to make it the number one priority, not modify the rule to suit the industry,” Sen. Cantwell said during Bradbury’s committee hearing.
    In August 2024, Sen. Cantwell introduced the FAA SMS Compliance Review Act. The bill directs the FAA to:
    Convene an independent review panel that will make recommendations to help the FAA implement a robust, comprehensive Safety Management System across all lines of business at the agency, which includes Aviation Safety, Air Traffic Organization, Airports, Security & Hazardous Materials Safety, and the Office of Commercial Space Transportation.
    Develop and implement effective processes for performing root cause analyses to identify opportunities for improvement in the FAA’s execution of its regulatory oversight responsibilities.
    Revise its procedures to shorten the time that manufacturers have to prepare for audits from 50 days to one week. 
    Following the Alaska Airlines flight 1282 incident in January 2024, Sen. Cantwell has held a series of aviation safety hearings, along with leading legislation and letters calling for stronger safety oversight at the FAA.
    In January 2023 and January 2024, Sen. Cantwell requested that FAA perform a special technical audit of Boeing’s production line. The FAA later said the audit found multiple instances where Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements.
    Sen. Cantwell held an April hearing to review the independent Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) Expert Review Panel’s final report, a March 2024 hearing with National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy on its investigation of the January incident and a June hearing with FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker on the agency’s oversight of aviation manufacturers.
    In May, Sen. Cantwell and Sen. Duckworth led the passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which includes new measures to improve aviation safety, such as putting more safety inspectors on factory floors, addressing the nation’s shortage of air traffic controllers, deploying new runway technology to prevent close calls, mandating new 25-hour cockpit recording systems to assist in investigations, and enhancing aircraft certification reforms.
    The FAA Reauthorization Act builds upon the Aircraft Certification, Safety and Accountability Act of 2020, spearheaded by Sen. Cantwell in the aftermath of the Boeing 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019.
    Video of Sen. Cantwell’s opening statement today is HERE; video of her first round of Q&A with Ortberg is HERE; video of her second round of Q&A with Ortberg is HERE; video of her third round of Q&A with Ortberg is HERE; and a transcript is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lankford, Harris lead fight to stop IRS from silencing pastors, churches, & nonprofits

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford
    WASHINGTON, DC — This week, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Congressman Mark Harris (R-NC) led a group of 18 lawmakers in the bicameral introduction of the Free Speech Fairness Act – legislation that would stop the IRS from silencing America’s pastors, churches, and non-profits. 
    Since 1954, the Johnson Amendment has suppressed the free speech of religious leaders, churches, and nonprofits by threatening the loss of tax-exempt status if they simply speak for or against any political candidate.
    “The First Amendment protects Americans’ right to freedom of speech and religious freedom without the threat of interference from Congress, said Senator Lankford. “The Free Speech Fairness Act is needed to ensure these original free speech protections are upheld by removing a restriction on speech that has existed since 1954. Fundamental American values must extend to everyone, including pastors, social workers, or non-profit employees and volunteers. Everyone should have their constitutional rights to assembly, free speech, freedom of religion and free press protected.”
    “People of faith should not fear exercising their First Amendment rights at the risk of the IRS coming after them, said Congressman Harris. “For too long, the Johnson Amendment has silenced pastors, churches, and non-profits from engaging on moral and political issues of our day for fear of losing their tax-exempt status. This attempt to muzzle people of faith must end – the Constitution is clear: Americans’ right to free speech shall not be infringed.”
    In 2017, President Trump signed an executive order to stop the enforcement of the Johnson Amendment while he was in office. Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise have previously led the legislation to fix this provision in the tax code. 
    Cosponsors include Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Representatives Michael Baumgartner (R-WA), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Michael Guest (R-MS), Abraham Hamadeh (R-AZ), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Mark Messmer (R-IN), Mary Miller (R-IL), Barry Moore (R-AL), Andy Ogles (R-TN), David Rouzer (R-NC), Keith Self (R-TX), Marlin Stutzman (R-IN), Tim Walberg (R-MI), and Randy Weber (R-TX).
    Advancing American Freedom, Alliance Defending Freedom, America First Policy Institute, American Values, Americans for Tax Reform, Catholic Vote, Concerned Women for America LAC, Eagle Forum, Family Policy Alliance, Family Research Council, First Liberty Institute, Focus on the Family, Home School Legal Defense Association, James Dobson Family Institute, Liberty Counsel Action, and NC Family support the legislation.
    More support for the Free Speech Fairness Act:
    Senior Counsel of the Alliance Defending Freedom, Matt Sharp, said, “Freedom of speech is for everyone, including churches and religious non-profits. The government can’t base any tax exemption on a requirement that a church or any other non-profit organization self-censor and surrender its constitutionally protected freedom. ADF commends Representative Harris and Senator Lankford for introducing the Free Speech Fairness Act to ensure that religious entities can apply biblical teachings to all areas of life without fearing an IRS investigation and fines. Anything to the contrary would be a gross violation of the First Amendment.”
    “The freedom of speech is a cherished right enshrined in our Constitution in the very same amendment as the freedom of religion – the First Amendment. It was that important to our Founding Fathers because they understood you can’t have one without the other,” said Gary L. Bauer, President of American Values. “Free speech and religious liberty are essential supports for all our freedoms, and the government has no right to limit either. It is long past time for the ill-conceived Johnson Amendment to be repealed. American Values is grateful to Rep. Mark Harris for defending our First Amendment rights. Take the muzzle off of America’s pastors and faith-based non-profit organizations – pass the Free Speech Fairness Act.” 
    “Religious and nonprofit leaders shouldn’t have to fear that the IRS will come after them if they exercise their right to free speech. The Free Speech Fairness Act will prevent the IRS from targeting Americans for exercising their First Amendment rights,” said Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform.
    “For too long, the Johnson Amendment has shackled the free speech rights of America’s religious leaders, churches, and nonprofits, silencing their voices under the threat of losing tax-exempt status,” said Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC). “We at CWALAC wholeheartedly support the Free Speech Fairness Act and commend Rep. Mark Harris and Senator James Lankford for championing this vital legislation. With President Trump back in the White House, we are eager to see this bill reach his desk, finally ending the destructive grip of the Johnson Amendment once and for all.”
    “The First Amendment guarantees every American the right to free speech and free practice of religion. It is the very bedrock of our republic; the federal government has no authority to infringe upon those rights simply because one has entered a house of worship. For decades, however, an unconstitutional provision in the U.S. Tax Code called the Johnson Amendment has silenced religious leaders from speaking openly from the pulpit. As a pastor before coming to Washington, I was personally harassed by the IRS. My church’s tax-exempt status was threatened because I dared to preach openly on political issues important to my congregation. Our Founding Fathers left us unalienable rights to be enjoyed – and defended. I’m proud to again join my colleagues in introducing the Free Speech Fairness Act to repeal the Johnson Amendment and fully restore Americans’ constitutional rights to express their beliefs,” said Jody Hice, President of Family Research Council Action.
    “The Free Speech Fairness Act is a commonsense change that will enable nonprofit organizations to exercise the right of free speech more fully,” said Jim Mason, President of the Home School Legal Defense Association.
    “The 1954 Johnson Amendment is a punitive measure that unfairly threatens the free speech rights of America’s pastors and Christian ministries. It is un-American and must be repealed. The James Dobson Family Institute thanks Rep. Mark Harris for protecting the free speech rights of America’s religious leaders and organizations, and urges quick, bipartisan passage of the Free Speech Fairness Act,” said Gary Bauer, Senior Vice President of Public Policy, James Dobson Family Institute.
    “The Johnson Amendment violates this nation’s historic respect for the independence of its houses of worship by inviting the IRS to investigate and intimidate churches for political advantage.  The Free Speech Fairness Act goes a long way to restoring this nation’s commitment to protecting our houses of worship and the religious liberty of its leaders,” said Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel and Chair of Religious Institutions Practice Group at First Liberty Institute. Read the full text of the legislation here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 04.02.2025 Sens. Cruz, Banks Introduce Legislation to Expand Education Options for Military Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced the Education Savings Accounts for Military Families Act. This legislation allows military families to opt-in to Military Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) to help fund their children’s education and expand their access to personalized, high-quality learning opportunities.
    Upon introduction, Sen. Cruz said, “School choice is the civil rights issue of the 21st century, and parents should never have to choose between serving their country and ensuring that their children have access to a quality education. This legislation will ensure that military families are empowered to choose and secure the right education for their children. I am proud to be the leading champion of school choice in the Senate, and especially for promoting options for our military families, and I urge my colleagues to advance it.”
    Sen. Banks said, “This bill supports military readiness by helping attract and retain top talent, ensuring service members don’t have to sacrifice their children’s education. Proud to partner with Senator Cruz on this commonsense bill.”
    This bill is endorsed by Heritage Action.
    Ryan Walker, Executive Vice President of Heritage Action said, “Our military service members and their families make tremendous sacrifices to preserve our safety, freedom and way of life. Military families deserve the freedom and flexibility to educate their children in alignment with their values and unique needs. They should never have to choose between serving our country and providing their children with a quality education. Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) will provide them with the flexibility in educational options to support their way of life. Heritage Action applauds Senators Cruz and Banks for leading the effort to ensure military families have the resources necessary to help their children succeed.”
    Read the bill text here.
    BACKGROUND
    Sen. Cruz previously introduced the Education Savings Accounts for Military Families Act in 2023.

    ESAs are parent-driven accounts that allow families to customize their children’s educational experiences. The legislation permits families to tailor their children’s educations to their specific needs, allotting approved applicants $6,000 to pursue alternative education options annually.

    Eligible uses of account funds include cost of attendance at a private institution, online learning programs, private tutoring, tuition and fees for college preparatory programs, and educational services and therapies, among many others.

    Unused funds would roll over from year to year, and funds left over after a student’s high school graduation can be used to finance attendance at an institution of higher education, or costs associated with an alternative professional training.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst, Williams Extend Pursuit of COVID Fraudsters After Biden Dropped the Ball

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON – After a shocking report revealed that the Biden Small Business Administration (SBA) failed to pursue nearly two million individuals suspected of stealing pandemic aid, U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and House Committee on Small Business Chair Roger Williams (R-Texas) are introducing the SBA Fraud Enforcement Extension Act.
    The bill extends the statute of limitations to 10 years for fraud surrounding the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) COVID relief programs to ensure criminals are caught and held accountable. Similar action was taken in 2022 to extend the statute of limitations surrounding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) to 10 years.
    “I will not allow criminals to run out the clock and escape justice simply because the Biden administration was asleep at the wheel,” said Ernst. “Thousands of hardworking small businesses were deprived of desperately needed relief because swindlers, gang members, and felons cashing in on COVID drained the programs. Every single con artist who stole from taxpayers will be held accountable.”
    “The SBA distributes millions of dollars to small businesses in need every year. However, where small business owners found the capital needed to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, bad actors saw the opportunity to defraud the government,” said Williams. “It is imperative that every fraudster who stole and exploited taxpayer dollars during our nation’s utmost hour of need be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. As we approach the five-year anniversary of the pandemic and its lockdowns, the statute of limitations must be extended to ensure that no fraudster gets away scot-free.”
    While criminals cashed in, thousands of small businesses in Iowa, Texas, and across the country were left out in the cold as RRF funds ran out.
    Business Insider reported that celebrities received taxpayer funds through the SVOG program for private jets, parties, luxury clothes, and multi-million dollar bonuses for themselves.
    Background:In a comprehensive 2023 report, Ernst outlined the Biden SBA’s effort to discount the full extent of fraud and cast doubt on the legitimate estimates made by expert investigators.
    Ernst’s tireless advocacy forced the Biden administration to eventually take action to recover billions in COVID aid in January 2024.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Blumenthal Join Letter To Attorney General Bondi On Appointment Of Kash Patel As ATF Acting Director

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined 14 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in a letter to U.S. Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi inquiring into what policies and procedures she will commit to implementing in her capacity as AG to ensure that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will continue to meaningfully function in its intended capacity under Kash Patel’s stewardship.

    In February, President Trump announced that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel would also serve as Acting Director of ATF, the primary federal law enforcement agency responsible for addressing gun-related crime and violence in America. However, the Senators’ letter to AG Bondi argues that Mr. Patel threatens to undo the significant gains made in recent years to ensure Americans’ safety as he lacks the relevant experience to lead ATF and has ties to the gun industry.

    “As the primary federal law enforcement agency dedicated to curbing illegal firearm use and enforcing federal firearms laws and regulations, it is critical that ATF be led by an experienced Director who has been confirmed by the Senate for this role and is dedicated to upholding the agency’s mission. For the reasons outlined below, Mr. Patel is not that person,” the senators wrote. “We therefore write to inquire into what policies and procedures you will implement to ensure that ATF will continue to meaningfully function in its intended capacity.”

    Gun violence in the United States is a public health crisis. In 2024, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory listing firearm violence—including homicide, suicide, nonfatal injuries, and unintentional injuries and deaths—as a “significant public health challenge[] that require[s] the nation’s immediate awareness and action.” Though under the Trump Administration, the Surgeon General has since removed the advisory, the report analyzed data from 2002 to 2022, finding that since 2020 the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in America has been gun violence, with rates higher than car crashes, poisoning, and cancer. In 2022 alone, 48,204 people died in the United States of gun-related injuries.

    That said, following passage of the historic Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and coordinated, nationwide efforts to curb gun violence during the Biden Administration, the United States is starting to see positive results. In 2023, provisional data indicates gun-related deaths totaled 46,728—representing a decline from 2022 by three percent or 1,476 fewer deaths. Violent crime has also declined significantly, due in part to ATF’s data collection, investigation, and enforcement efforts.

    “While the decrease in violent crime and gun-related deaths is encouraging, 2023 still had ‘the third-highest number of gun-related deaths ever recorded in the United States,’ evidencing that significant challenges to America’s gun violence crisis remain,” the senators wrote. “The Department of Justice must do everything within its power to sustain this downward trend, including ensuring ATF is empowered to carry out its mandate and keep firearms from falling into the hands of those who should not have them. Now is not the time to pull back on ATF leadership and practices that helped bring about this progress.”

    The senators’ letter went on to explain why Mr. Patel is not the right person to lead ATF.

    “As an Acting Director, Patel’s appointment has not been subject to Senate confirmation, a crucial process for vetting those nominated by the President for significant leadership roles in the Executive, including ATF Director. Disturbingly, Mr. Patel would not affirm that firearm background checks—a well-established procedure for keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals—are constitutional during his confirmation hearing for FBI Director. Notably, Mr. Patel’s appointment has been applauded by extreme gun advocacy groups seeking to rollback commonsense gun regulations,” they continued. “Mr. Patel’s appointment threatens to undo the lifesaving progress ATF has made to reduce gun violence in America.”

    The senators concluded: “Attorney General Bondi, you have served as a prosecutor for much of your career. During your Senate confirmation hearing, you testified about the importance of keeping Americans safe, prosecuting criminals and gunrunners, reducing recidivism, and enforcing existing gun laws. During one exchange, you assured the Committee: ‘I will do everything in my power to prevent illegal gunrunners in our country.’ In discussing your time as Florida Attorney General and mass shooting responses, you reiterated: ‘I am an advocate for the Second Amendment, but I will enforce the laws of the land.’”

    To better understand how AG Bondi intends to accomplish these goals, the senators asked that she promptly respond to a series of questions.

    U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also signed the letter.

    Full text of letter is available HERE and below:

    Dear Attorney General Bondi:

    We write with great concern regarding President Trump’s appointment of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel as Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  As the primary federal law enforcement agency dedicated to curbing illegal firearm use and enforcing federal firearms laws and regulations, it is critical that ATF be led by an experienced Director who has been confirmed by the Senate for this role and is dedicated to upholding the agency’s mission. For the reasons outlined below, Mr. Patel is not that person. We therefore write to inquire into what policies and procedures you will implement to ensure that ATF will continue to meaningfully function in its intended capacity.

    Gun violence in the United States is a public health crisis. In 2024, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory listing firearm violence—including homicide, suicide, nonfatal injuries, and unintentional injuries and deaths—as a “significant public health challenge[] that require[s] the nation’s immediate awareness and action.”  Analyzing data from 2002 to 2022, the Surgeon General reported that since 2020 the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in America has been gun violence, with rates higher than car crashes, poisoning, and cancer.  In 2022 alone, 48,204 people died in the United States of gun-related injuries.

    That said, following passage of the historic Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and coordinated, nationwide efforts to curb gun violence during the Biden Administration, we were starting to see positive results. In 2023, provisional data indicates gun-related deaths totaled 46,728—representing a decline from 2022 by three percent or 1,476 fewer deaths.  Violent crime has also declined significantly, due in part to ATF’s data collection, investigation, and enforcement efforts.

    For example, ATF’s crime gun intelligence tools eTrace, which “is used to trace the purchase and/or use history of firearms used in violent crimes,” and the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, which “is the only interstate automated ballistic imaging network in operation in the United States,” together “have transformed crime-solving by generating over 1.1 million investigative leads from ballistic evidence and linking suspects to major crimes within hours.”  ATF has also worked to increase DNA matches from cartridge casings and has expanded Crime Gun Intelligence Centers, which use “data-driven strategies” to foster “cross-agency collaboration.”

    ATF has also focused on eliminating firearms trafficking networks that unlawfully smuggle guns from the United States to Mexico, arming dangerous cartels which, in turn, send illicit drugs such as fentanyl into the United States.  And ATF created an Emerging Threats Center, which among other things, has focused on the proliferation of privately-made firearms, or ghost guns, and machine-gun conversion devices, or Glock switches.  These represent only some examples of ATF’s nationwide initiatives to reduce gun violence and keep Americans safe.

    While the decrease in violent crime and gun-related deaths is encouraging, 2023 still had “the third-highest number of gun-related deaths ever recorded in the United States,” evidencing that significant challenges to America’s gun violence crisis remain.  The Department of Justice must do everything within its power to sustain this downward trend, including ensuring ATF is empowered to carry out its mandate and keep firearms from falling into the hands of those who should not have them. Now is not the time to pull back on ATF leadership and practices that helped bring about this progress.

    Mr. Patel is, quite simply, not the right person to lead the ATF. As an Acting Director, Patel’s appointment has not been subject to Senate confirmation, a crucial process for vetting those nominated by the President for significant leadership roles in the Executive, including ATF Director. Disturbingly, Mr. Patel would not affirm that firearm background checks—a well-established procedure for keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals—are constitutional during his confirmation hearing for FBI Director.  Notably, Mr. Patel’s appointment has been applauded by extreme gun advocacy groups seeking to rollback commonsense gun regulations.  Last year, Mr. Patel spoke at the inaugural summit for group Gun Owners of America, a “no-compromise gun lobby” that has announced it “look[s] forward to dismantling gun control with Kash.”  Mr. Patel’s appointment threatens to undo the lifesaving progress ATF has made to reduce gun violence in America.

    Attorney General Bondi, you have served as a prosecutor for much of your career. During your Senate confirmation hearing, you testified about the importance of keeping Americans safe, prosecuting criminals and gunrunners, reducing recidivism, and enforcing existing gun laws.  During one exchange, you assured the Committee: “I will do everything in my power to prevent illegal gunrunners in our country.”  In discussing your time as Florida Attorney General and mass shooting responses, you reiterated: “I am an advocate for the Second Amendment, but I will enforce the laws of the land.”  To better understand how you intend to accomplish these goals, please promptly respond to the following questions:

    1. Recently, we have seen notable success in curtailing gun violence. While the United States experienced a spike in gun-related crimes and deaths during the pandemic, through bipartisan congressional action and the previous Administration’s efforts, that trend has begun to reverse. Given ATF’s central role in curbing violent crime, it is of paramount importance that the agency be staffed by experienced leaders, agents, and others who support ATF’s core mission, without the appearance of or actual conflict, in order to continue this downward trend. By contrast, firearm-industry personnel advocate for gun companies’ bottom lines by pushing for the repeal of commonsense gun regulations in order to sell more weapons and weapons accessories. Hiring such individuals for critical public-safety positions at ATF would endanger the agency’s core mission and Americans’ safety while prioritizing increases in private company profits.

    Will you place constraints on the hiring of firearm-industry personnel for ATF positions? If not, why?

    1. ATF must comply with all existing legal obligations. This includes exercising statutorily-required regulatory authority over the firearms industry, fully implementing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and complying with the Administrative Procedures Act if changing existing ATF regulations. However, Acting Director Patel lacks experience with ATF’s core responsibilities, including ATF’s regulatory oversight of the gun industry. Moreover, Acting Director Patel was only temporarily appointed under the Vacancies Reform Act and has not been subject to the Senate’s advice and consent process for this role. It is therefore particularly important that you exercise your authority as Attorney General to give final approval of all actions ATF takes under Acting Director Patel’s stewardship, including all policy changes.

    Will you commit to personally reviewing for approval all new or revised ATF policies and actions? If not, why?

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed & Whitehouse Support Sen. Booker’s Record Breaking Floor Speech

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
    VIDEO: Sen. Reed joins Sen. Booker on floor
    WASHINGTON, DC — For over 25 hours, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) stood on the Senate floor and delivered a marathon speech to protest the national cost-of-living and constitutional crisis caused by President Donald Trump and special government agent Elon Musk, including massive job cuts and sweeping tariffs.
    “Unnecessary hardships are being borne by Americans of all backgrounds, and institutions which are special in America, which are precious, which are unique in our country, are being recklessly — and I would say even unconstitutionally — affected, attacked and even shattered,” said Booker during the record-breaking speech, which began at 7 p.m. on Monday evening and continued through the night into Tuesday evening.  
    According to Senate rules, Booker has had to remain standing on the Senate floor and could not sit at his desk or pause for a bathroom break during his entire speech or else he would lose control of the Senate floor. 
    At one point during the speech Senator Booker held up a copy of the Constitution, stating: “Twelve hours now I’m standing, and I’m still going strong because this president is wrong, and he’s violating principles that we hold dear and principles in this document that are so clear and plain.”
    During the marathon speech, U.S. Senators were able to go to the floor to briefly ask questions while Booker retained control of the floor and had a chance to rest his voice.
    On Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Booker to ask about LIHEAP cuts, indiscriminate mass-firings of federal employees, and the gutting of agencies that provide critical support for American families and protect workers’ rights; as well as the degradation of democracy.  The Senators criticized the Trump Administration and discussed the negative impacts President Donald Trump’s policies have had so far, including the economic drag President Trump has created.
    “Our economy should be doing better right now, but President Trump’s erratic policies are creating an economic drag.  Instead of helping to lower prices for everyday Americans, he is raising them.  And he’s creating real economic hardships for families, communities, and states.  We have the opportunity, tools, and conditions to build a stronger economy that works for all Americans, but instead President Trump is leading our country in the wrong direction.  I applaud Senator Booker for using this opportunity to draw attention to the changes that are needed and I am proud to support these efforts,” said Senator Reed.
    Senator Whitehouse said: “Senator Booker has always been a relentless fighter in the pursuit of justice.  With heroic stamina, he has called the nation’s attention to the looters and polluters who President Trump is allowing to ravage our democracy at the expense of working people.”
    Prior to Senator Booker’s record-breaking speech today, the previous record for the longest Senate filibuster was held by Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina who spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Eliminate Food Deserts and Increase Access to Healthy Food

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) have introduced legislation to eliminate food deserts and expand access to affordable and nutritious food by incentivizing food providers to expand access to healthy food options in underserved communities. The Healthy Food Access for All Americans (HFAAA) Act was also introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. Emilia Sykes (OH-13) and Jennifer McLellan (VA-04).                                                                                                                    
    “Fresh and nutritious foods are a cornerstone of health and wellbeing, but too many families in Virginia and across America live in places where these foods are out of reach,” said Sen. Warner. “This legislation will help us fight food deserts by incentivizing grocery stores to come to communities that have the hardest time accessing fresh produce.”
    “Even while living in the breadbasket of our nation, food insecurity affects far too many Kansans, particularly those living in rural communities far from a grocery store,” said Sen. Moran. “This legislation, which would incentivize food providers to establish and renovate grocery stores, food banks and farmers markets in communities that traditionally lack affordable, healthy and convenient food options, would help provide those who are hungry with access to nutritious food.”
    “Many West Virginians struggle to access fresh, nutritious food to keep their families and communities well fed. I’m proud to reintroduce the Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act, which will expand access to healthy foods through food banks and local grocery stores in rural communities across West Virginia and the nation,” said Sen. Capito.
    “Access to nutritious food is essential for every family’s health and well-being, but it remains out of reach for far too many communities. This bipartisan legislation offers a key solution to eliminating food deserts in Maryland and across the country – ensuring every American can buy fresh, affordable, healthy food in their neighborhood, regardless of where they live,” said Sen. Van Hollen.
    According to recent data, an estimated 18.8 million Americans live in what the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) classifies as a “food desert.” Urban areas designated as food deserts lack a grocery store within one or more miles. Rural areas designated as food deserts lack a grocery store within ten or more miles. Studies have shown that Americans who live in communities with low-access to healthy food options are at higher risk for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
    Specifically, the Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act – which defines a grocery market as a retail sales store with at least 35 percent of its selection (or forecasted selection) dedicated to selling fresh produce, poultry, dairy, and deli items – would encourage investment in food deserts across the country that have a poverty rate of 20 percent or higher, or a median family income of less than 80 percent of the median for the state or metro area.
    It would grant tax credits or grants to food providers who service low-access communities and attain a “Special Access Food Provider” (SAFP) certification through the Treasury Department. Incentives would be awarded based on the following structure:
    New Store Construction – Companies that construct new grocery stores in a food desert will receive a one-time 15 percent tax credit after receiving certification.
    Retrofitting Existing Structures – Companies that make retrofits to an existing store’s healthy food sections can receive a one-time 10 percent tax credit after the repairs certify the store as an SAFP.
    Food Banks – Certified food banks that build new (permanent) structures in food deserts will be eligible to receive a one-time grant for 15 percent of their construction costs.
    Temporary Access Merchants – Certified temporary access merchants (i.e. mobile markets, farmers markets, and some food banks) that are 501(c)(3)s will receive grants for 10 percent of their annual operating costs.
    The Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act boasts the support of numerous organizations, including Feeding America, the National Grocers Association, and Share Our Strength.
    “Feeding America commends Senator Warner for confronting the unfortunate fact that for the 47 million Americans living with hunger, access to affordable nutritious food is significantly harder for those who live in food deserts. The Feeding America network of more than 200 food banks understands that areas without affordable, healthy food options have higher rates of food insecurity. Rural communities in particular lack access to adequate transportation to the nearest grocery store or food pantry. Feeding America supports the Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act as a critical step to give nonprofits and retailers support to increase food access in underserved areas,” said Vince Hall, Chief Government Relations Officer at Feeding America.
    “The National Grocers Association applauds Senator Warner and Representatives McClellan and Sykes for their leadership on this important legislation focused on eliminating the challenges confronting grocers seeking to expand access to nutritious food in underserved rural and urban areas alike. Independent grocers are the backbone of the communities they serve and have a long-standing tradition of leading efforts to provide improved food options for those most in need. Enhanced access to healthy food bolsters both the physical well-being and economic vitality of local communities everywhere, and we look forward to working with Congress to pass this important bipartisan legislation,” said Stephanie Johnson, Vice President, Government Relations, National Grocers Association.
    “To end childhood hunger in America, we must ensure that low-income families have access to healthy, affordable food options no matter their zip code or circumstances. Ending food deserts will help more families put food on the table and help children get the nutrition they need to grow up healthy and strong. Share Our Strength supports The Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act and thanks Sens. Warner, Capito, Van Hollen, and Moran for their leadership on this issue,” said Jason Gromley, Senior Director of Share Our Strength.
    Bill text for the Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act can be found here. A summary of the bill can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Announces He Will Vote to Uphold Trump Executive Order to Stop Fentanyl, Human Trafficking

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today released a statement ahead of a vote on a Democrat resolution led by U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) to repeal President Trump’s executive order to halt fentanyl and human trafficking across our northern border, including placing tariffs on Canadian goods.
    “President Trump uses tariffs to stop the flow of fentanyl and illegal immigrants across both our northern and southern borders. President Trump is right to do that,” said Dr. Cassidy. “I stand with President Trump.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Grassley Talks Tariffs and Universal Injunctions on Fox News

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today joined America Reports on Fox News to discuss his Judicial Relief Clarification Act and reciprocal tariffs.
    Video and excerpts of Grassley’s remarks follow.
    [embedded content]
    VIDEO
    On Universal Injunctions:
    “[My bill] would limit the injunction that a judge could do to his district and to the parties before the court, as opposed to a national injunction that would apply it to the other 92 districts around the United States. This would keep judges from being policy makers… Our legislation would also go on to another step, if it’s necessary, to speed up the process of appeals.”
    On Tariffs:
    “We have a political leader that was elected by a big margin, both electoral and popular. He’s carrying out a promise he made in the election to bring manufacturing to the United States, and increasing tariffs is part of it.
    “I hope the end result of the tariffs is, that by putting on reciprocal tariffs, it brings other countries to bring their tariffs down. I think if we had less tariffs throughout the world, we’d have a stronger – not only U.S. economy, but we’d have a stronger world economy.”
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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Daily Caller Highlights Grassley’s Oversight of Wasteful DEI Spending at DOJ

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    EXCLUSIVE: GOP Sens Seek Answers For Taxpayers Who Picked Up Tab For Biden’s DEI InitiativesAdam PackMarch 31, 2025
    Senate Judiciary Republicans are seeking accountability for taxpayers who footed the bill for the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives under former President Joe Biden.
    Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and GOP Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz of Texas and Ashley Moody of Florida wrote to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Thursday to ask the nonpartisan watchdog to perform an audit of the DOJ’s DEI practices under the Biden-Harris administration. The senators asked that GAO investigate how much time and money were spent executing the Biden administration’s executive orders cementing DEI initiatives across the federal government, according to the letter obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
    “The Biden-Harris EO [Executive Order] was a divisive bureaucratic burden on the Executive Branch,” the GOP senators wrote to GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro. “The taxpayer deserves to know how much time and money the Biden-Harris DOJ spent on these efforts.”
    “Specifically, the taxpayer has a right to know how many DOJ employees were hired to work on DEIA [Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility] programs or initiatives and how much money the DOJ spent on these functions, including salaries, fringe benefits, rent for office space, and supplies for employees,” the senators said.
    Senate Republicans’ request for an audit of the Biden administration’s DEI initiatives comes as President Donald Trump’s administration has moved to roll back Biden’s DEI practices, which Trump has referred to as “illegal and immoral discrimination.”
    “[N]early every Federal agency and entity [under Biden] submitted ‘Equity Action Plans’ to detail the ways that they have furthered DEIs [sic] infiltration of the Federal Government,” Trump wrote in his executive order banning government DEI initiatives on Jan. 20. “The public release of these plans demonstrated immense public waste and shameful discrimination. That ends today. Americans deserve a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect, and to expending precious taxpayer resources only on making America great.”
    The Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans are specifically requesting that the GAO probe the Biden administration’s EO 14035 titled, “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce,” issued in June 2021.
    “As the Nation’s largest employer, the Federal Government must be a model for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, where all employees are treated with dignity and respect,” Biden wrote.
    The EO led to the creation of new DEI offices in the federal government and new federal spending on DEI initiatives. The GOP senators cited a Parents Defending Education analysis that found that the Biden-Harris DOJ alone spent more than $100 million on promoting DEI initiatives in K-12 school districts.
    The EO also required federal agencies to create individual “strategic plans” to advance DEI priorities. “GAO should review the time and money the DOJ dedicated to these efforts,” the senators wrote.
    Attorney General Pam Bondi has worked to undo the Biden DOJ’s DEI practices and carry out Trump’s EO prohibiting certain DEI practices in the private sector and in educational bodies that receive federal funds.
    The DOJ announced an investigation into four California universities Friday for allegedly using DEI practices in their admission policies.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Bombshell Report Confirms Grassley Oversight of Biden-Harris Admin’s Failure to Protect Migrant Children

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) confirmed Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) numerous concerns about abuse in the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) unaccompanied alien children (UAC) program. Under the Biden-Harris administration, more than 500,000 children crossed the Southern border and entered the UAC program, while cartel trafficking activity surged.
    Grassley repeatedly warned that the Biden-Harris UAC program’s inadequate safeguards, lax vetting procedures and limited inter-agency communication allowed children to be lost or released to dangerous adult sponsors. DHS OIG’s report validated all of Grassley’s findings. Notably, the report exposed how DHS was prevented from receiving key HHS information to follow up on potential criminal sponsors. Grassley broke through this inter-agency firewall last year by submitting a law enforcement referral to DHS containing HHS information provided to Grassley by legally protected whistleblowers. DHS’s Homeland Security Investigations followed up on 102 investigative targets Grassley identified.  
    “My oversight revealed the Biden-Harris administration prioritized speed and optics over the safety and security of hundreds-of-thousands of migrant children. DHS OIG’s report echoes my longstanding concerns and further fuels the fire of my investigative and legislative work. I’ll continue fighting to ensure abuse like this never happens again,” Grassley said. 
    The DHS OIG report found that: 
    HHS and DHS lost track of hundreds of thousands of migrant children.
    HHS failed to provide DHS complete sponsor addresses for over 31,000 unaccompanied migrant children. Without sponsor addresses, law enforcement is unable to keep track of migrant children.
    DHS law enforcement officers additionally estimated that addresses collected by HHS were incorrect 80 percent of the time.

    DHS officers failed to enroll over 233,000 migrant children who crossed the border since January 2021 in immigration proceedings, increasing their risk of trafficking and exploitation.
    Of those enrolled, more than 43,000 children failed to appear.

    HHS failed to provide updated sponsor information to DHS when sponsors changed addresses, further hindering DHS’s ability to find children.  

    HHS placed migrant children with potentially dangerous sponsors.
    In Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024, HHS released more than 24,100 migrant children to unrelated sponsors or distant relatives. Law enforcement officers note these children are at the highest risk for trafficking.
    HHS frequently placed migrant children in rundown apartment complexes and dilapidated motels with barred windows, appliances stacked on patios and apartments with no doors or kitchens.
    Local police noted many of these properties were located in areas with high violent crime rates, daily shootings and gang activity.

    Multiple DHS offices confirmed HHS released children to incomplete or commercial addresses, and ICE officials at one field office noted the Biden HHS released 34 children to two addresses that didn’t exist.

    The Biden-Harris administration limited HHS employees’ communication with law enforcement.
    HHS failed to provide DHS law enforcement officers with accurate or timely information regarding the status and safety of migrant children.
    A 2021 Biden-Harris inter-agency agreement restricted HHS from sharing sponsors’ biometric information with law enforcement officers.
    DHS law enforcement noted this restrictive agreement prevents law enforcement from having input regarding children’s sponsors.

    DHS law enforcement officers stated they were open to sharing information with HHS, but HHS did not share information with them. One officer noted, “Getting information from HHS is like pulling teeth.”
    According to these officers, the Biden-Harris HHS feared that sharing sponsor information could lead to law enforcement actions against sponsors, especially those with criminal history or lacking legal immigration status.

    The vast majority of migrant children discussed in the report date to the Biden-Harris administration, according to a related DHS OIG report released in August.
    Read the full DHS OIG report HERE.
    Grassley discussed the report in a speech on the Senate floor. 
    Background:Grassley has led efforts to protect unaccompanied migrant children from exploitation and abuse for more than a decade. See an overview of his work below:
    03.11.2025 | Grassley Reignites Oversight of HHS’s Unaccompanied Migrant Children Program
    01.14.2025 | Grassley, Blackburn Introduce Legislation to Halt Child Trafficking at the Border 
    10.18.2024 | Biden-Harris HHS Can’t Account to Congress for Status of Thousands of Unaccompanied Minors
    10.16.2024 | ICYMI: Grassley Recognized for Work to Combat Sex-Trafficking Crisis: ‘The Only Person in a Position of Power Who Cares’
    09.23.2024 | Grassley Leads Bicameral Colleagues in Calling Out Abuses in the Biden-Harris Unaccompanied Migrant Children Program
    09.18.2024 | Democrats Block Grassley Effort to Protect Unaccompanied Migrant Children from Sexual Harm
    09.17.2024 | Grassley: Not One More Child Should Have to Suffer Abuse Because of Biden-Harris Policies
    09.04.2024 | Grassley Puts HHS Vetting, Information-Sharing under Microscope amid Biden-Harris Admin’s Neglect to Protect Migrant Children
    07.11.2024 | RECORDS: HHS Sent Unaccompanied Minors to Sponsors with MS-13 Ties, Potential Trafficking Rings
    07.09.2024 | Grassley Highlights Exploitation and Abuse of Migrant Children During Senate Roundtable
    07.09.2024 | Grassley Delivers Opening Remarks At Roundtable On Abuse Of Unaccompanied Migrant Children
    07.08.2024 | ICYMI: WSJ Reveals Alarming ‘Dilemma’ At The Heart Of Biden’s Unaccompanied Minors Program
    06.12.2024 | Grassley Discusses Effort To End Biden Admin’s Abuse Of Unaccompanied Minors Program
    06.05.2024 | Grassley Moves To Overturn Biden Admin Rule Enabling Abuse Of Unaccompanied Migrant Children
    04.30.2024 | Grassley Scrutinizes HHS’s Improper Care Of Unaccompanied Migrant Children
    03.14.2024 | Grassley Goes Head-To-Head With HHS Secretary On Immigration And Rural Health Care
    01.24.2024 | Grassley Alerts DHS, FBI To Evidence Of Human Trafficking; Calls For Immediate Action To Locate & Rescue Migrant Children
    12.04.2023 | Grassley And Senate Republicans Demand Changes To Biden Admin Rule Endangering Safety And Wellbeing Of Unaccompanied Alien Children
    10.28.2021 | Grassley, Wyden Release Investigation On Misconduct And Abuse At Federally-Funded Facilities Caring For Unaccompanied Migrant Children
    05.09.2019 | Grassley, Wyden Demand Answers On Misconduct And Abuse At Federally-Funded Facilities Caring For Unaccompanied Migrant Children
    03.14.2016 | Feds Skip Child Abuse Checks For Some Sponsors Of Child Immigrants As Surge Continues
    02.23.2016 | The Unaccompanied Children Crisis: Does the Administration Have a Plan to Stop the Border Surge and Adequately Monitor the Children
    02.22.2016 | Feds Fall Short In Care, Tracking Of Unaccompanied Children
    02.19.2016 | Grassley, Cornyn Continue To Press Administration On Vetting Of Sponsors For Unaccompanied Minors
    11.24.2015 | Obama Administration Allegedly Releasing Unaccompanied Minors Into Criminals’ Custody
    10.10.2014 | Grassley, Hatch, Coburn Press For GAO Study On The Office Of Refugee Resettlement Efforts With Unaccompanied Minors
    08.22.2014 | Grassley: Unanswered Questions Plague HHS Response To Unaccompanied Minors
    07.17.2014 | Grassley Presses For Answers On Housing For Unaccompanied Minors Crossing Southern Border
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Statement in Support of Iowan Matt Whitaker

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    Statement for the Congressional Record by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
    “Nomination of Matt Whitaker to be U.S. Permanent Representative on the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization”
    Wednesday, April 2, 2025
    The Senate [voted yesterday] to confirm my good friend and fellow Iowan, Matt Whitaker, to be the U.S. Ambassador to NATO.
    I want to take a few minutes to express my support for his nomination…
    Matt is someone who’s well known back home in Iowa, and he’s earned the respect of many here in Washington, too. 
    He has a long record of service to our country, from his time as Acting Attorney General in the first Trump administration to his work as Chief of Staff at the Department of Justice. 
    He’s traveled around the world meeting with leaders on important issues, including dealing with the fentanyl crisis and talking with Chinese officials.
    During the George W. Bush administration, Matt served our home state as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District from 2004 to 2009, where he worked hard to keep our communities safe. 
    In Iowa, he’s known not just for his work, but for his deep pride in his home state. 
    He never lets you forget that he’s a proud graduate of the University of Iowa, where he earned his undergraduate degree, MBA and law degree. 
    In fact, he even played football for the Hawkeyes, which speaks to his work ethic and commitment to teamwork.
    Matt carries that same commitment and drive in every role he takes on. 
    Whether it’s on the football field, as a U.S. Attorney, or in his leadership in national law enforcement. 
    This dedication is exactly what he’ll bring to his work with NATO. 
    I’m proud to support a true friend and fellow Iowan who has always shown the highest standards of service to our country.
    I ask my colleagues to support Matt Whitaker’s confirmation. 
    He’ll serve with the same passion and energy that he brings to his love of Iowa football, and I have no doubt that he will represent the United States on the world stage with the same level of commitment.
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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Grassley Joins Tony Perkins to Discuss His Bill to Eliminate Universal Injunctions and End Unconstitutional Judicial Overreach

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined Washington Watch with Tony Perkins to discuss his legislation to end universal injunctions and ensure district judges are limited to deciding cases and controversies, instead of dictating national policy.
    Today, Grassley held a committee hearing on the bipartisan problem of universal injunctions and the need for legislative solutions, like Grassley’s Judicial Relief Clarification Act of 2025 (JRCA).
    [embedded content]
    DOWNLOAD VIDEO
    On Universal Injunctions:
    “When you have a national injunction in a California district, that means that that judge is making his decision nationwide to stop the president from doing what he thinks he should do as a result of his election … In the final analysis, this judge, one out of 600 or 700, is a policy maker, instead of being a judge interpreting law.
    “So, my legislation would stop district judges from dictating national policy. It would limit judges to deciding cases and controversies, and the words ‘cases and controversies’ come directly from the Constitution, limiting what judges can do. 
    “So, starting over again, it limits judges to deciding cases and controversies and the parties directly before them … and to make sure that this sticks, we would strengthen and speed up the appeals process if either party wanted to take it higher up.”
    On Bipartisan Support:
    “So far, this bill has been introduced just by roughly 21 Republicans. It should get Democratic support, because we had an effort made in the Biden administration by at least [240] Democrat Members of Congress…saying the same thing I’m saying… So, we should get bipartisan support. But I’ll bet you we won’t, because the Democrats are using this tool very effectively.”
    On Supreme Court Action:
    “The Supreme Court writes Rules of Civil Procedure, and there’s a process for them to put a stop to this by amending the Rules of Civil Procedure … but we can’t wait to see whether the Supreme Court will do something. So, let’s say, in 240 years, the Supreme Court has never done anything on this. Maybe they won’t. So, that’s why Congress can act.”
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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Industry Support Grows Ahead of Vote on Kaine, Klobuchar & Warner’s Bill to Undo Trump’s Canada Tariffs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following an endorsement from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement welcoming broad support for their bipartisan legislation to undo President Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, which amount to a 25 percent tax on goods imported from one of America’s top trading partners and closest allies. The legislation will be voted on today.

    “We welcome the strong support we continue to receive from both organized labor and businesses, including from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for our legislation to undo Trump’s new sales tax on Canadian goods,” said the senators. “The outpouring of endorsements for our effort highlights that these new taxes are bad for America’s businesses that need stability to thrive and for hardworking families who want prices to go down, not up. We are giving every Senator an opportunity today to put their constituents’ pocketbooks first by challenging a nonsensical trade war with one of America’s closest trading partners and allies.”

    “Tariffs are taxes—paid by Americans—and they will quickly increase prices at a time when many are struggling with the cost of living. These import taxes are also harming U.S. manufactures and drawing retaliatory duties, worsening their impact on our economy… It is appropriate for Congress to exercise its authority under IEEPA and pass SJ Res 37, which would terminate the national emergency and the imposition of tariffs under Executive Order 14193,” wrote Neil L. Bradley, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer, and Head of Strategic Advocacy, in the Chamber’s endorsement letter, which is available here.

    In addition to the Chamber, the senators’ bill is supported by the AFL-CIO, the United Steelworkers (USW), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), National Retail Federation (NRF), the North America’s Building Trades Unions, the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA), the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Foreign Policy for America (FP4A), the National Taxpayers Union, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, and Advancing American Freedom. Here’s what they’re saying:

    North America’s Building Trades Unions President Sean McGarvey: “The United States and Canada share far more than just a border—we share a deep, enduring economic and workforce partnership that has strengthened both our nations for generations… That partnership is enshrined in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a comprehensive trade agreement that President Trump himself negotiated and enacted that already governs our economic relations in this hemisphere… By circumventing this agreement and imposing unilateral tariffs on Canada, the Administration is harmfully undermining a key foreign ally while also carelessly shooting holes in the credibility of its own signature economic policy.”

    The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) Executive Director for Legislative and Political Affairs Stanley E. Kolbe, Jr.: “On behalf of our membership, SMACNA would like to voice its strong support for S.J. Res. 37… Tariff penalties aimed at Canada for non-trade objectives have already caused harsh and unnecessary economic pain for US workers and harm to our nation’s construction and related metal fabricating as well as HVAC equipment manufacturing businesses. In fact, it will punish businesses, labor and economies on both sides of the border, and in direct contravention of the provisions featured in the existing USMCA.”

    The National Retail Federation (NRF) Executive Vice President for Government Relations David French: “While we strongly agree with the need to secure our borders, we do not believe using trade tools such as tariffs for non-trade purposes is the right approach to achieve this goal, especially without closest trading partner… U.S. retailers depend on Canada for a wide range of consumer goods under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which Congress overwhelmingly approved. Canada represents a significant market for U.S. retailers that not only have operations in Canada but also rely on a robust cross-border consumer market, with Canadian consumers hopping in U.S. retail stores on a daily basis. These operations are all now being significantly disrupted because of the tariffs applied to Canada under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Canada’s retaliation against those tariffs.”

    The U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran: “…We write to express our strong support for S.J. Res. 37, the joint resolution to terminate the national emergency declared on February 1, 2025, that launched a trade war with Canada and thus to terminate the tariffs on Canadian imports implemented as part of that unfounded emergency… This declaration has triggered a damaging and unnecessary trade conflict with Canada—our closest ally, largest trading partner, and critical collaborator in addressing economic and public safety challenges across North America… These actions are raising prices for consumers, disrupting key industries such as construction and manufacturing, and threatening jobs in communities large and small. They also risk increasing already high housing costs, as tariffs on Canadian lumber, steel, aluminum, and other critical building materials will make housing construction and infrastructure development significantly more expensive.”

    AFL-CIO Director of Government Affairs Jody Calemine: “On behalf of the AFL-CIO, I urge you to support S.J. Res. 37, a resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine to terminate the national emergency that was declared to justify tariffs on imports from Canada under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)… However, imposing large, across the board tariffs on Canada aimed at non-trade objectives will only cause unnecessary economic pain for workers and businesses on both sides of the border.”

    International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) International President Brian Bryant: “On behalf of the 600,000 active and retired members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), I write today in strong support of S.J. Res. 37… These new tariffs on Canada, one of our closest allies and largest trading partners, are unjust and will have lasting negative impacts on American and Canadian workers… The Trump administration’s erratic approach to tariffs is wreaking havoc on workers and businesses in the United States and Canada. Punishing one of our nation’s closest trading partners based on a false pretense is wrong and the action needs to be reversed.”

    International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) President Matthew S. Biggs and Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson: “As the Executive Officers of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), representing 90,000 workers in the private, public, and federal sectors across North America, we are writing in support of S.J. Res. 37… Canada is America’s closest ally and number one trading partner. Our trading relationship uplifts American and Canadian working families alike. Imposing reckless tariffs on Canadian imports will harm both the U.S. and Canadian economies and do even greater harm to working families on both sides of the border. Congress must step in now to block this reckless and destructive policy.”

    National Taxpayers Union: “Canada is an important supplier of goods that strengthen U.S. security, including crude oil, natural gas, steel, and aluminum. Tariffs that restrict our access to these supplies and increase their cost will weaken our industrial base and undermine our ability to sustain our defense in the event of a national emergency.”

    Taxpayers Protection Alliance President David Williams: “TPA enthusiastically supports Sens. Tim Kaine and Rand Paul’s CRA to overturn President Trump’s February 1, 2025, national emergency declaration. This use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) is fraught with issues. The ensuing trade war will inevitably raise costs for consumers. Placing a 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico will harm consumers and the vast majority of American businesses.”

    United Steelworkers (USW) International President David McCall: “On behalf of the 850,000 active members of the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (USW), I urge you to support S.J. Res. 37, a resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine to terminate the national emergency that was declared to impose duties on imports from Canada, under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)… These new tariffs are misdirected, unsubstantiated by facts, and harmful to the very workers we represent.”

    Advancing American Freedom (AAF) President Tim Chapman: “Tariffs are a tax on American families and businesses. The first Trump administration cut an excellent deal with Canada with USMCA. The president should not abandon this agreement and lacks the authority to unilaterally do so.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: From the Senate Floor, Senator Collins Opposes Emergency Tariffs on Canadian Goods

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Click HERE to watch and HERE to download video of her full remarks

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins delivered remarks on the Senate floor in support of a resolution authored by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would end the emergency declaration that President Trump signed in February to implement tariffs on Canada for not doing enough to halt the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.

    Below is the transcript of her remarks:

    “Mr. President, I rise today in support of the resolution introduced by my colleague from Virginia, Senator Kaine, to overturn the emergency declaration for the northern border that is being used to impose tariffs on goods imported from Canada.

    “Mr. President, the Maine economy is integrated with Canada, our most important trading partner. From home heating oil, gasoline, jet fuel, and other refined petroleum products, to Maine’s paper mills, forest products businesses, agricultural producers, and lobstermen, the tariffs on Canada would be detrimental to many Maine families and our local economies.

    “Mr. President, of course I share the President’s goal of stemming the tide of dangerous fentanyl that flows into the United States. I commend him for taking far stronger actions to halt this dangerous and deadly flow than did the previous administration. I do not, however, agree with his invoking the powers of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs on Canadian goods and products. The fact is, the vast majority of fentanyl in America comes from the southern border. In fiscal year 2024, less than 1% of fentanyl seizures occurred at our northern border, and our Canadian neighbors are working collaboratively and cooperatively with our government to stop that trafficking.

    “Mr. President, one of the best examples of the intertwined relationship between Maine’s economy and Canada can be seen at the Twin Rivers paper mill in Madawaska, Maine, way in the north, on the Canadian border. Twin Rivers produces lightweight specialty paper for packaging materials, for our nation’s newspapers and our retailers’ catalogs, for food and environmentally safe papers used in restaurants, and for a wide variety of other paper goods that are used all over the country. The raw pulp for this paper mill in Maine is piped across the St. John River, from Edmundston, New Brunswick, to Madawaska, Maine. There literally is a pipeline through which the pulp travels between these two sister mills. A tariff placed on this pulp would jeopardize the financial well-being of this vital paper mill, which employs more than 500 people in rural northern Maine. There is not another big employer in that area that could possibly compensate for the loss of those 510 direct jobs. And that doesn’t include the indirect jobs: the truck drivers, the restaurant owners who would be harmed by the closure or reduction in the operation of this vitally important mill. The tariff would not only devastate Twin Rivers, but also harm hundreds of Maine families.

    “Another example of our integration with Canada is in energy. 95% of the heating oil that is used by most Mainers to heat their homes comes from refineries in Canada. Irving Oil, a Canadian-based company, has 150 gas stations in Maine and supplies two-thirds of the state’s gas, diesel, and heating oil. This includes Mr. President, 100% of the jet fuel that is used by the Air National Guard Base in Bangor. Maine consumers, Maine businesses, and the U.S. Department of Defense, our own Department of Defense, would bear the cost of that Canadian energy tariff.

    “Mr. President, Canadian tariffs would also harm many Maine farmers, lobstermen, and fishermen. According to the Maine Potato Board, 90% of the potash, which is the fertilizer used for growing potatoes, is imported from Canada. Fertilizer accounts for 11% of total input costs to grow our great Maine potatoes. Tariffs on imports like fertilizer will only hurt Maine potato growers. And Mr. President, I grew up in Aroostook County. I know these potato growers. I picked potatoes as a school child when I was growing up.

    “Just recently, a farmer from Mars Hill, Maine, told me that just the threat of tariffs is causing a price increase on seed and equipment. This farmer supplies potatoes to a Canadian company with facilities on both sides of the border. The different facilities have specialized equipment to process potatoes for different uses, hash browns in one plant, curly fries in another. A tariff on potatoes as they cross back and forth between Maine and Canada would cause terrible harm to this and other growers

    “Other products are processed back and forth across the border as well. For example, many Maine blueberries are processed in Prince Edward Island. Maine also sends between $200 million and $400 million worth of lobster to Canada each year for processing. There are 240 lobster processing plants in Canada, but only 15 in the United States. I share the President’s goal of getting more of that manufacturing done in the State of Maine, done in the United States, but the fact is that if we impose these tariffs on Canadian processing, it’s going to be our Maine lobstermen who will bear the cost; it’s going to be consumers who bear the cost.

    “I would like to make mention of another industry that would be affected as well, and that is the aquaculture industry. In Washington County, in far-eastern Maine, Cooke Aquaculture is one of the largest employers, with more than 200 direct jobs throughout the state. While they have a processing plant in Machias, Maine, the first step of their salmon processing occurs in Canada before reentering the United States for finishing. At a time when the Maine aquaculture industry is growing, these tariffs on Canada would jeopardize current jobs and also block future ones.

    “Mr. President, close relationships between and among families on both sides of the border are very common in the State of Maine. It is typical of communities, ranging from Calais in the east, Fort Kent in the north, and Jackman in the West. You see it all across the northern, eastern, and western parts of our state, because our communities are so integrated. It is not surprising to me that I had a conversation with members of the tourism industry in Maine just this morning, who told me that they’re seeing cancelations by Canadian tourists, who have come for years to vacation in Maine. Old Orchard Beach, for example, is known for the number of Canadian tourists.

    “We don’t want to discourage these Canadian tourists who are so vital to Maine’s economy from vacationing in Maine because they are so angry at what has happened. Maine families benefit from more than $900 billion in goods and services that are exchanged between our two countries every year. It is crucial that we remain a dependable and vibrant global trading partner, particularly with Canada.

    “Now, I want to distinguish that I think there is a strong case to be made for tariffs on Mexico, on our adversary, China, but I don’t see the case for Canada. There are areas where Canada does need to do better, and the dairy industry is one. And I hope that we will see that result. And let me conclude my remarks by reaffirming my support for ensuring that the Department of Homeland Security has every tool at its disposal to stem the flow of fentanyl into our nation. But unlike Mexico and China, Canada is not complicit in this crisis, and we should continue working with our Canadian allies to secure the northern border, not unfairly penalize them. Our consumers, our manufacturers, our lobstermen, our blueberry growers, our potato farmers will pay the price.

    “Mr. President, the price hikes that will happen for Maine families, every time they go to the grocery store, they fill their gas tank, they fill their heating oil tank, if these tariffs go into effect, will be so harmful. And as price hikes always do, they will hurt those the most who can afford them the least. Therefore, I will support this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to do so likewise.”

    MIL OSI USA News –