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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman, Cotton Work to Repeal Tax on Certain Firearm Purchases

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

    WASHINGTON––U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced the Repealing Illegal Freedom and Liberty Excises (RIFLE) Act, legislation that would remove a burdensome tax imposed on firearms regulated under the National Firearms Act.

    “Arkansas’s hunters and shooting sportsmen and women who exercise their Second Amendment rights responsibly deserve access to firearms and accessories without jumping through bureaucratic hoops. I am proud to join Sen. Cotton and our colleagues to take this outdated and burdensome hurdle off the books for the benefit of law-abiding citizens across our country,” Boozman said. 

    “Law-abiding Americans who exercise their Second Amendment rights should not be subject to unnecessary taxes and restrictions preventing them from doing so. Passed into law in 1934, the National Firearms Act needs to be amended. Our legislation will remove the red tape that places an undue financial burden on would-be gun owners,” said Cotton.

    Senators Ted Budd (R-NC), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Deb Fischer (R-NE), John Hoeven (R-ND), Jim Justice (R-WV), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Rick Scott (R-FL) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) also cosponsored the legislation.

    Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-IA-02).

    Background:

    • The 1934 National Firearms Act (NFA) regulates short-barreled shotguns and rifles, automatic firearms and suppressors. In addition to background checks and registration, NFA-regulated items have a $200 tax.
    • The $200 tax, unchanged since 1934, is equivalent to $4,741 in today’s dollars. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has acknowledged the tax was intended “to curtail, if not prohibit, transactions” of firearms.
    • From 2018 to 2023, ownership of NFA regulated items has grown by more than 230 percent as more sportsmen, shooters and firearm enthusiasts exercise their Second Amendment right.
    • The RIFLE Act does not modify the current checks and registration; it solely removes the federally mandated financial burden on law-abiding gun owners.

    The legislation is endorsed by the National Rifle Association and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tillis Co-sponsors Legislation to Stop Unconstitutional Judicial Overreach

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Thom Tillis, member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, recently co-sponsored the Judicial Relief Clarification Act of 2025 (JRCA), legislation that would limit federal court orders to parties directly before the court – ending the practice of universal injunctions and clarifying the constitutional role of the judicial branch.
    Under this legislation, parties seeking nationwide relief would be required to file a class action lawsuit. The bill would amend the Administrative Procedure Act and the Declaratory Judgment Act to limit courts’ decisions to the parties before them, and make temporary restraining orders (TROs) immediately appealable. 
    “The judiciary branch plays an important role in our nation’s political system, but it has become clear that the federal court’s use of nationwide injunctions is unsustainable,” said Senator Tillis. “This commonsense legislation will clarify the scope of judicial rulings and increase the threshold for judges to issue decisions that affect every American.” 
    Download bill text HERE and a fact sheet HERE.
    Background: 
    Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution limits courts to deciding “cases” or “controversies.” Nevertheless, it has become increasingly common for federal judges to issue sweeping “universal injunctions” that apply even to people who are not before the court. Universal injunctions defy two centuries of historic precedent. Scholars have found no clear record of such an order before 1963 – they have only become common in the last decade. In the first two months of President Trump’s second term, district court judges have issued more universal injunctions against his policies than the Biden administration experienced in four years. 
    Concern about this recent practice spans the ideological spectrum. In 2020, Justices Gorsuch and Thomas explained: “By their nature, universal injunctions tend to force judges into making rushed, high-stakes, low-information decisions.” In 2022, Justice Kagan said: “It just can’t be right that one district judge can stop a nationwide policy in its tracks and leave it stopped for the years that it takes to go through the normal process.”
    The Supreme Court can and should end this practice, but has failed to do so. However, Article III gives Congress the authority to establish, organize and regulate the jurisdiction of federal courts.  
    Congress has also enacted rules governing the review of agency actions through the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 (APA). Under Section 706 of the APA, a person or entity that claims to have been unlawfully harmed by a federal agency action may seek relief in federal court. Currently, many courts interpret the APA to allow for a single district judge to vacate agency actions for everyone, including parties that are not before the court.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven, Graham, Blumenthal Introduce Bill to Impose Tough Sanctions Against Russia

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
    04.01.25
    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven (R-North Dakota) joined Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and 49 bipartisan senators in introducing legislation to impose primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors supporting Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. These sanctions would go into effect if Russia refuses to engage in good faith negotiations for a lasting peace with Ukraine or initiates another effort, including military invasion, that undermines the sovereignty of Ukraine after peace is negotiated.
    “Our legislation sends a clear message that if Russia rejects peace or escalates its aggression, there will be serious repercussions,” said Hoeven. “The sanctions and tariffs on those supporting Russia’s actions aim to foster peace by holding all aggressors accountable.”
    Joining Senators Hoeven, Graham and Blumenthal in cosponsoring the legislation are Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island), Todd Young (R-Indiana), Angus King (I-Maine), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), John Curtis (R-Utah), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Maryland), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Peter Welch (D-Vermont), Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), Chris Coons (D-Delaware), Tim Sheehy (R-Montana), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Michael Bennet (D-Colorado), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona), John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), John Boozman (R-Arkansas), Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Adam Schiff (D-California), Jim Justice (R-West Virginia), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), Steve Daines (R-Montana) and Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Risch, Crapo, Marshall Introduce SHORT Act to Roll Back Biden-Era Anti Gun Rule

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho James E Risch
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.) introduced the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today (SHORT) Act.
    The SHORT Act ends the unconstitutional taxation, registration, and regulation of weapons under the National Firearms Act (NFA), including short-barreled rifles and shotguns.
    The Biden administration used the NFA to target American gun owners by claiming that pistols with stabilizing braces were illegal short-barreled rifles. Biden’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) used this argument to ban these firearms and force gun owners to participate in an unconstitutional firearm registry. The SHORT Act will prevent the ATF from enacting future versions of this ban and require the ATF to destroy all records relating to the registration, transfer, or manufacture of NFA weapons.
    “Democrats’ attempts to undermine the Second Amendment are unconstitutional and must be stopped,” said Risch. “The SHORT Act protects law-abiding Idaho gun owners from unlawful registry, taxation, and regulation of commonly owned firearms.”
    “Those seeking to strip away Second Amendment rights have sought every creative way possible to advance their agenda through legislation, regulation and litigation,” said Crapo. “Burdening law-abiding Americans with additional firearm restrictions is not the answer to safeguarding the public.”
    “‘Shall not be infringed’ is crystal clear – and the Biden-era abuses of the Constitutionally protected rights of gun owners across the country need to be undone,” said Marshall. “The SHORT Act takes a step toward rolling back nonsensical regulations that the National Firearms Act has placed upon gun owners. I challenge my colleagues in both chambers to pass this legislation and join me in fully restoring and protecting our God-given Second Amendment rights.”
    Risch, Crapo, and Marshall are joined by U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) in introducing the bill.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Slams Decision to Dismiss Corruption Charges Against Mayor Adams

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)

    Comes after Welch-led push to get answers about Todd Blanche’s Involvement in the DOJ’s Push to Dismiss Case
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, a U.S. District Court judge in New York dismissed the corruption case, with prejudice, against Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City, blocking future legal action against Mr. Adams. This follows Trump allies at the Department of Justice (DOJ) making an unprecedented request to dismiss the case, leading to the resignation of career senior prosecutors at the DOJ. 
    Recent reporting raises questions as to whether Todd Blanche, now Deputy Attorney General, testified truthfully about his involvement in DOJ’s decision, while under oath during his nomination hearing in February. Mr. Blanche was asked by Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) about his knowledge of plans to dismiss the case against Mayor Adams, and similar questions were asked by Sens. Coons and Booker. Senators Welch and Coons this week led Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee in requesting documents from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to determine the veracity of Mr. Blanche’s testimony before the Judiciary Committee.  
    Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released the following reaction to the dismissal of the case against Mayor Adams:

    “The unprecedented push by DOJ to dismiss the case against Mayor Adams reeks of corruption, instigated by President Trump and his enablers. This dismissal undermines the rule of law and the independent Judiciary, and is the clearest indicator yet that Trump will stop at nothing to exploit his power to advance his agenda,” said Senator Welch. 

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams was charged with one count of conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals and commit wire fraud and bribery; one count of wire fraud; two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals; and one count of soliciting and accepting a bribe.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman Joins Graham, Colleagues to Introduce Hard-Hitting Russia Sanctions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

    WASHINGTON––U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) joined Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and a bipartisan collection of more than three dozen other senators to introduce primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors supporting Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

    These sanctions would be imposed if Russia refuses to engage in good faith negotiations for a lasting peace with Ukraine or initiates another effort, including military invasion, that undermines the sovereignty of Ukraine after peace is negotiated. The legislation also imposes a 500 percent tariff on imported goods from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other products.

    “In 1994, as part of the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine gave up approximately 1,700 nuclear weapons with a promise from the U.S., Russia and United Kingdom that Ukraine’s sovereignty would be honored in the future. This failed to deter Russian aggression. In 2014 and 2015, the Minsk agreements were reached to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but again, it did nothing to deter future aggression. In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine once more, leading to deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions.

    “It is our hope that in 2025, President Trump and his team will achieve what has eluded the world in the past: ending Russian aggression against Ukraine permanently and ensuring the survivability of a free and democratic Ukraine. These sanctions against Russia are at the ready and will receive overwhelming bipartisan, bicameral support if presented to the Senate and House for a vote. 

    “We support an immediate ceasefire to secure a lasting, honorable peace,” the senators said.

    The sanctions are cosponsored by U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Katie Britt (R-AL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Todd Young (R-IN), Angus King (I-ME), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Curtis (R-UT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Peter Welch (D-VT), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jon Husted (R-OH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), John Cornyn (R-TX), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), John Hoeven (R-ND), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), James Lankford (R-OK), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Rick Scott (R-FL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jim Justice (R-WV), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Steve Daines (R-MT) and Jack Reed (D-RI).

    Click here for full text of the legislation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren Launches New Campaign to “Save Our Schools”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    April 02, 2025

    Warren Launches New Campaign to “Save Our Schools”

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) launched the Save Our Schools campaign to fight back against the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education (ED) and highlight the consequences for every student and public school in America. 

    As part of the campaign, Senator Warren will amplify the real-life impacts of cuts to ED; lead investigations to hold the Trump administration accountable, including ED Secretary Linda McMahon and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE); and bring students, teachers, parents, and unions into the fight to protect access to public education.

    “If Donald Trump and Elon Musk dismantle the Department of Education, teachers will be fired, class sizes will go up, after-school programs will be cut, and young people who need access to financial aid to be able to go to college will lose that on-ramp to a stronger future,” said Senator Warren. “Taking that away from our kids so that a handful of billionaires can be even richer is just plain ugly, and I will fight it with everything I’ve got.” 

    Save Our Schools is the latest action Senator Warren is taking as part of her longstanding leadership and work to defend public schools, students, and working families, building on her rigorous oversight of the Trump administration’s attacks on public education. 

    Senator Warren’s oversight of Donald Trump’s efforts to end public education as we know it has already led to tangible results. Senator Warren’s pointed questions led to Secretary McMahon’s first public admission that she “wholeheartedly” agreed with Trump’s plans to abolish the Department of Education. Notably, this response is now being used by Somerville Public Schools, Easthampton Public Schools, AFT Massachusetts, and AFT National in their lawsuit against Trump’s executive order to abolish ED. 

    Additionally, following Trump’s actions to cut ED’s workforce in half, another key step towards his plan to dismantle the agency, the financial aid application for millions of students applying to college went dark. Senator Warren immediately opened an investigation into these firings and urged Secretary McMahon to reinstate employees critical to the federal student aid process. The next day, the Department began to rehire Federal Student Aid workers and soon afterwards, the financial aid application came back online.

    “We’ve got to fight for an America where it’s not just the kids of billionaires who get a good education but it’s every kid in every community who gets a great education,” said Senator Warren.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tariffs Work — and President Trump’s First Term Proves It

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    For the first time in decades, the United States will see fair trade as President Donald J. Trump announces tariffs to level the playing field for American workers and businesses.
    Despite the rhetoric from politicians and the media, studies have repeatedly shown tariffs are an effective tool for achieving economic and strategic objectives — just as they did in President Trump’s first term.
    A 2024 study on the effects of President Trump’s tariffs in his first term found that they “strengthened the U.S. economy” and “led to significant reshoring” in industries like manufacturing and steel production.
    A 2023 report by the U.S. International Trade Commission — which analyzed the effects of President Trump’s Section 232 and 301 tariffs on more than $300 billion of U.S. imports — found the tariffs reduced imports from China, effectively stimulated more U.S. production of the affected goods, and had very minor effects on downstream prices.
    According to the Economic Policy Institute, the tariffs implemented by President Trump during his first term “clearly show[ed] no correlation with inflation” and had only a fleeting effect on overall prices.
    Economic Policy Institute: “Following implementation of Sec. 232 measures in 2018—and prior to the global downturn in 2020—U.S. steel output, employment, capital investment, and financial performance all improved. In particular, U.S. steel producers announced plans to invest more than $15.7 billion in new or upgraded steel facilities, creating at least 3,200 direct new jobs, many of which are now poised to come online.”

    An analysis by the Atlantic Council found that “tariffs would create new incentives for US consumers to buy US-made products.”
    Former Biden Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen affirmed last year that tariffs do not raise prices: “I don’t believe that American consumers will see any meaningful increase in the prices that they face.”
    A 2024 economic analysis found that a global tariff of 10% would grow the economy by $728 billion, create 2.8 million jobs, and increase real household incomes by 5.7%.
    President Trump’s first term steel tariffs led to thousands of jobs gains in the metal industry, along with wage increases.
    The tariffs were hailed as a “boon” for Minnesota’s iron ore industry, with state officials crediting them for bolstering the local economy.
    Steel and aluminum imports drastically decreased during President Trump’s first term, falling by nearly one-third from 2016 to 2020.
    The tariffs led to a wave in investment across the United States, with more than $10 billion committed to build new mills.

    The Hill: “The Trump tariffs keep working, to the consternation of many economists”
    S&P Global: “Global Trade At A Crossroads: Trump Tariffs Forge Better Credit Quality For U.S.-Based Steel And Aluminum Producers With A Protectionist Stance”
    IndustryWeek: “Tariffs Are Keeping US Steel Production Strong”
    “With steel imports down, America’s steelmakers have started investing at home. In addition to Nucor and US Steel, companies like Cleveland-Cliffs, Steel Dynamics, CMC, and AK Steel have invested billions of dollars in at least 16 major new projects throughout the nation. The top five US steel companies more than doubled their total annual investments between 2017 to 2019, from $1.5 billion to $4.2 billion.”

    Predictably, the media was wrong.
    PBS (2018): “Trump tariffs may imperil a delicate global economic rebound”
    “President Donald Trump’s announcement Thursday that the United States would impose heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminum — with some countries potentially exempted — suddenly raised a fear that few had anticipated: That U.S. tariffs could trigger a chain of tit-for-tat retaliation by America’s trading partners that could erupt into a full-blown trade war and possibly threaten the global economy.”

    NPR (2018): “Trump Plan To Impose Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum Raises Trade War Fears”
    “Chad Bown, an economist and trade specialist, says the tariffs will drive up the price of steel and aluminum for the multiple other industries that use the metals. Those industries actually employ more people than the steel and aluminum sectors, he says, ‘so this is a really big concern, just from an economic perspective.’”

    The New Yorker (2019): “Trump’s Trade War Could Make the Trump Recession a Reality”
    “What we do know for sure is that, the longer Donald Trump persists in his trade war, the greater the chances are of an outright slump developing.”

    Politico (2018): “Trump blasted at home and abroad for plan to impose steel, aluminum tariffs”
    “President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum reverberated across the world Thursday, spurring retaliatory threats from some of the nation’s closest allies and sending stock prices plummeting on investors’ fears of the global economic fallout.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King Cosponsors Effort to Repeal Anti-Voter Executive Order

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) joined his colleagues on legislation that would defend voting rights for all Americans. The Defending America’s Future Elections Act would repeal an Executive Order (EO) that instructs the federal government to review voter registration lists and inserts the federal government into each state’s voting process to prosecute election crimes in states the White House believes are not in compliance with federal law. If implemented, the burdensome voter documentation requirements in the executive order would likely disenfranchise millions of eligible American voters.
    In addition to repealing the executive order, the legislation prevents any federal funds from being transferred to or used by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access state voter registration lists, records concerning voter list maintenance activities, federal databases, or other public or private state records related to federal elections. This provision is important because the EO provides DOGE with subpoena power to pursue this data, which could be used to purge eligible voters from state voter rolls. Noncitizen voting is already a federal crime and incredibly rare, with an analysis of Heritage Foundation data identifying only 68 such cases out of nearly 2 billion votes cast over four decades.
    “Since its ratification in 1788, the U.S. Constitution has guided America’s system of government and has been the blueprint for freedom and democracy around the globe,” Senator King said. “The continued success of our unique experiment in self-government relies on each successive generation understanding our shared past, national values, and the framers’ careful – though imperfect – work. If we truly want a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, we must make sure the people have the tools and perspective needed to play their part. The Defending America’s Future Elections Act would ensure that the people can continue to vote for the elected officials that they believe best represent their interests. Not only is this Executive Order illegitimate, it’s also inefficient – there are laws and election boards already in place to maintain the sanctity of the vote.”
    Joining King on the legislation are Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
    Senator King has long championed increasing civic engagement and historical literacy, especially among younger Americans. As a former member of the Senate Rules Committee, he previously introduced a bipartisan bill, the Civics Secure Democracy Act, which would make a $1 billion annual investment in civics and history at K-12 and higher education institutions across the country. He also introduced bipartisan legislation to designate a National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day to encourage school districts nationwide to help high school seniors register to vote.
    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: April 2nd, 2025 Heinrich Slams Trump Plan to Sell Off Americans’ Public Lands to Pay for Tax Handouts to Billionaires

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released the following statement after E&E reported that the Trump Administration is considering selling off America’s public lands to pay for tax cuts for billionaires: 
    “For weeks, the Trump Administration has covertly laid the foundation to sell off Americans’ public lands to fund tax handouts for billionaire donors. Now, Republicans’ plans are out in the open. 
    “If they succeed, Donald Trump and Elon Musk will sell off your right to access the places you know and love: The place you first learned to fish or harvested your first elk. The campground your family goes to on long weekends. The trail you hike to clear your head. The site that was sacred to your ancestors and is now sacred to you. All of these places could be up for auction to the highest bidder if Republicans have their way.  
    “For Americans wondering what we can do to stop this: Call your members of Congress. Call the White House. Make it clear to the President himself just how unpopular these attacks on our American birthright are. Public lands belong in public hands.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Dr. Rand Paul Offers Amendment to Rein in Reckless Borrowing with Responsible Debt Limit Extension

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Rand Paul
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
    April 2nd, 2025
     Contact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343
     
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) announced he will offer an amendment to the budget resolution to strike the proposed $5 trillion debt limit increase and replace it with a $500 billion increase—providing a limited, 3-month extension that forces Congress to vote again on the debt ceiling before continuing down the road of fiscal irresponsibility.
     “Washington will borrow $2 trillion this year just to keep the lights on. Handing Congress another $5 trillion blank check ensures nothing changes. If we’re serious about cutting spending, then Congress needs to get serious about returning to fiscal responsibility,” said Dr. Paul. “My amendment gives Congress a 3-month runway to give them a chance to prove they’re willing to follow through on their commitments to reduce spending.”
     Dr. Paul’s amendment simply modifies the debt ceiling number in the budget resolution by a fraction of the proposed amount, delivering a clear signal that unchecked borrowing must come to an end.  Congressional leadership has made vague promises to pursue spending cuts, but the American people deserve more than promises—they deserve accountability. Dr. Paul’s amendment is how we start.
     The $500 billion increase represents approximately three months of deficit coverage based on current annual borrowing rates, forcing Congress to revisit the issue before authorizing another massive increase in the debt ceiling.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Markey Introduces New Legislation to Require Boeing to Include Workers on its Board of Directors

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Safety Starts at the Top Act would ensure aerospace manufacturers prioritize safety over profits

    Bill Text (PDF)

    Washington (April 2, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today introduced the Safety Starts at the Top Act, legislation that would require large aerospace manufacturers to include two labor representatives and two safety experts on their boards of directors. The legislation comes in response to concerns that Boeing has prioritized profits over safety and failed to consider the views of its workforce in critical engineering decisions.

    “For years, Boeing has prioritized financial engineering over mechanical engineering, undermining the company’s safety culture. It’s time for that to change,” said Senator Markey. “Without input from the workers on the factory floor every day, Boeing is flying blind. By requiring Boeing’s Board to include worker and safety representatives, the Safety Starts at the Top Act will ensure that Boeing listens to the professionals who know safety best.”

    “IAM 751 appreciates and supports this proposed legislation and if passed would ensure that workers voices are heard at the highest levels when decisions impacting aerospace manufacturing and safety are being discussed and implemented,” said Jon Holden, President & Directing Business Representative for the International Association of Machinists (IAM) District 751.

    “SPEEA applauds Senator Markey for introducing the Safety Starts at the Top Act and we look forward to working towards its enactment. This bill invests in our nation’s aerospace engineering and manufacturing leadership by making sure the leading aerospace firms are committed to building a safety culture, continuing to improve product quality, and reestablishing effective communication between the bridge and the engine room.  With the Safety Starts at the Top Act, business decisions at these firms will be made with input from the men and women who design and build the greatest aerospace products in the world,” said John Dimas, President of Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (SPEEA, IFPTE) Local 2001.

    Senator Markey has long called for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and companies such as Boeing to be held accountable for their actions that undermine aviation safety. Last month, Senator Markey wrote a letter to Chris Rocheleau, Acting FAA Administrator, with questions about the FAA’s recent decision to deploy three Starlink terminals from Elon Musk’s SpaceX. In January 2024, Senator Markey, along with then Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), sent a letter to Boeing’s then-CEO David Calhoun about the company’s manufacturing quality control and oversight of contractors.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At Antitrust Hearing, Welch Calls Out President Trump for Firing FTC Commissioners and Presses the Need for Right to Repair Legislation 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) called out President Trump for firing Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and discussed the importance of a fully-functioning FTC, which protects consumers from rip-offs. Senator Welch served as Ranking Member of the subcommittee while Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) held the floor with a marathon speech, which lasted more than 24 hours. 
    “I do want to address one thing that has disturbed me and it’s what happened at the FTC. [The FTC] is an organization that is about protecting against unfair competition, and we need five people on it and two have been fired. They happened to be the Democrats. There’s always been a five-person FTC—three of the majority party and two from the minority party and it shifts back and forth. I just want to express my dissatisfaction and dismay at that because that FTC does things that are absolutely helpful to protecting consumers from this abusive pricing power,” said Senator Welch in the hearing.  
    Senator Welch continued: “[The FTC] stopped a consolidation of Kroger and Albertsons, which most economists thought was going to raise food prices for those folks in Utah and those folks in Vermont. They brought an Administrative Complaint against the prescription benefit managers. And it’s such a rip-off what’s happening to everyday consumers and employers, by the way, who pay a lot of money for employer-sponsored health care, and they have no visibility, no transparency, into how much people are getting charged. It hurts small employers and big employers in your state and mine.  The FTC was on that case. They’re on another matter that is near and dear to Vermont farmers—the right to repair. How in the world is it that you can’t, if you own a tractor, repair it yourself?…The FTC was looking into that, and I think farmers in Florida, farmers in Utah, farmers if Illinois, if they can figure out how to repair it themselves, they shouldn’t have to get ripped off by not having a right to repair. I know there is some bipartisan support for that. We had an FTC that was on all three of those cases.” 
    In response to a question about right to repair legislation, Morgan Harper, a witness from the American Economic Liberties Project said: “It’s not fair – [that’s] the short of it. And even though it’s a different market area I think a lot of the principles are relevant for this discussion of Big Tech in the fact that there is litigation to address that, and the FTC is looking into it. It’s exactly like you said—one of the reasons why we have to make sure we have strong commissioners.” 
    Watch Senator Welch’s opening remarks in the hearing: 
    Watch the full hearing.
    ■■■ 
    Senator Welch’s Committee and Subcommittee Assignments for the 119th Congress include:   
    Senate Committee on Finance   
    Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry  
    Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit   
    Senate Committee on the Judiciary  
    Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution   
    Senate Committee on Rules & Administration  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: Trump, Musk, & RFK Jr. Hollow Out HHS, Threatening Americans’ Health and Wellbeing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Trump carries out mass firings across HHS and subagencies today
    ICYMI: Murray, Former Health Department Leaders, Sound Alarm on Trump and RFK Jr. Gutting HHS
    ICYMI: Murray, DeLauro, Baldwin Demand Answers on RFK Jr.’s Plans to Gut HHS
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), responded to the Trump administration’s mass firings across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its many subagencies, which are responsible for protecting Americans’ health and delivering essential health and social services. 
    “Today, two billionaires are making good on their vow to take a wrecking ball to the Department of Health and Human Services and put Americans’ health and wellbeing at serious risk–and Republicans are letting them,” said Senator Murray. “These firings make a lot of sense if you believe measles spreading like wildfire is good–or think we should be slashing cancer research. While Republicans work to pass more tax breaks for billionaires, Trump, Musk, and RFK Jr. are ripping essential health services away from the American people and decimating our country’s ability to prevent outbreaks and keep families safe. There’s no two ways about it: this is the type of carelessness that gets people killed.”
    Late last week, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to unilaterally push out 20,000 HHS employees (a ~25% reduction) and to dramatically reorganize and hollow out the Department–in clear violation of annual spending laws, including the one that Congress passed and was signed into law just weeks ago. 
    On Monday, Senator Murray led a letter to Secretary Kennedy demanding more information about the sweeping, devastating plans–noting that if this administration is truly committed to transparency, as it claims to be, and is confident its drastic plans will protect Americans’ health, it should be eager to share basic information about them. Thus far, however, the administration has provided no additional details to Congress or the public about its mass firings and reorganization.
    This morning, thousands of health officials woke up to emails notifying them that they were being fired. In addition to the mass firings, HHS says it will eliminate 5 of 10 regional offices, trim 28 divisions into 15, and consolidate and move essential functions to other agencies.
    Since taking office, Trump, Musk, and RFK Jr. have taken a sweeping array of actions to halt HHS’ essential, lifesaving work and diminish its capacity to keep families healthy. It has systematically choked off lifesaving medical research, and just last week, Trump ripped away resources communities nationwide are using to address bird flu, measles, the fentanyl epidemic, the mental health crisis, and more. 
    FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA)
    The FDA protects Americans’ health by ensuring the safety and effectiveness of medicines, biologics, and medical devices–and regulating food, cosmetics, and tobacco products. 
    The Trump administration announced last week it will cut 3,500 employees at the FDA. It has now pushed out senior leaders across the agency focused on food, drug, and medical device policy, as well as the head of the Center for Tobacco Products and the head of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Among the thousands of FDA staff fired by the Trump administration are experts who manage the review of new applications for drugs, vaccines, and medical devices–which will delay approval of new, potentially life-changing products that patients are counting on. Others reportedly pushed out include veterinary medicine experts working on bird flu preparedness and response, the top Type 1 Diabetes expert, and regulatory staff focused on negotiations on User Fee Agreements that fund some of FDA’s work–among many others. 
    “Americans depend on the FDA every time they sit down for a meal or pick up a prescription–but that’s no matter: Trump and Musk are hollowing out the agency and putting their health at risk. Let’s be crystal clear: there’s nothing strategic about firing thousands of people who inspect our food and ensure our prescriptions and babies’ formula are safe. While they work overtime to pass more tax breaks for themselves, Trump, Musk, and RFK Jr. are insisting on senseless cuts to all but destroy FDA, jeopardizing Americans’ safety and leaving patients waiting longer for lifesaving drugs to get to market,” said Senator Murray.
    CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC)
    CDC is charged with protecting the American people from health threats, including infectious diseases like measles and bird flu.
    The Trump administration announced plans to force out 2,400 employees at CDC. 
    Today, scores of CDC staff woke up to emails notifying them they are being fired. This includes mass reductions in force across most CDC centers, which will prevent the critical work CDC is responsible for from being carried out. Staff were fired en mass across CDC offices for domestic violence prevention, Smoking and Health, HIV prevention, Tuberculosis elimination, disability and health, childhood lead poisoning, asthma control, among many others. Trump has even reportedly fired the entire team focused on assistive reproductive technology like IVF–despite his wild claims to be the “fertilization president.”
    The Trump administration has also reportedly fired nearly two-thirds of the CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) staff, or nearly 900 people. The Trump administration is now, for example, apparently working to shutter the CDC NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory in Washington state, firing dozens of workers today who study how to protect workers’ health and safety on the job, particularly those in fields like mining, the maritime industry, and firefighting, where workers face elevated risks.
    “Decimating the CDC is a great way to make our communities less safe and less prepared to respond quickly and effectively when diseases–like measles and bird flu–put lives and livelihoods in danger. When the next pandemic hits and America is unprepared, it will be thanks to Donald Trump and Republicans destroying our public health infrastructure. Decimating the agency that helps prevent workplace injuries and illnesses is a slap in the face to workers across America–and will threaten the safety of firefighters, miners, construction and agricultural workers, and so many others while on the job,” said Senator Murray.
    NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)
    NIH is the nation’s premier biomedical research agency. Each year, NIH supports biomedical research that produces life-changing and, in many cases, lifesaving treatments and cures.
    The Trump administration has already pushed out top experts, scientists, and senior leadership, well over 1,100 NIH employees, and systematically choked off billions of dollars in NIH funding for new treatments and cures for devastating diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer.
    Now, it is firing even more NIH scientists and staff–including veterans and more than 1,300 additional employees as of this afternoon–decimating the agency. President Trump and RFK Jr. are pushing out senior NIH leadership, including Institute and Center Directors at the Fogarty International Center (FIC), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD).  
    “Since taking office, Trump has systematically worked to break the NIH–he’s taking patients’ hopes for new treatments and cures and throwing them right in the shredder. These sweeping firings at NIH will set back our efforts to discover medical breakthroughs that save lives by decades. And they won’t just delay research, they will halt clinical trials in their tracks and cut patients off from care,” said Senator Murray.
    CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES (CMS)
    CMS helps ensure over 100 million Americans have access to affordable, high-quality health insurance by overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Affordable Care Act marketplaces. 
    The agency has long been understaffed and under-resourced, including for essential functions like nursing home safety inspections and protecting Americans from surprise medical bills. Nonetheless, Trump and Musk are pushing even more people out–and jeopardizing Americans’ health care in doing so. Trump announced that 300 employees at CMS will be cut. 
    “The American people are looking to their leaders to make sure they can get quality, affordable health care–instead, two billionaires are gutting the very agency that helps over 100 million Americans get health care. Undercutting CMS is an attack on Americans’ health care–full stop. Firing the people who keep our systems running, who ensure long-term care facilities are safe, and prevent health care companies from ripping people off makes no sense and will hurt patients nationwide,” said Senator Murray.
    INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE (IHS)
    IHS is responsible for providing direct medical and public health services to members of federally recognized Tribes, and it is the principal federal health care provider and health advocate for Tribal communities across the country. 
    IHS is already struggling to provide quality health care to 2.8 million Americans who rely on its services, and the actions being taken by the Trump administration to freeze federal hiring, reduce office space, and reduce the HHS workforce that IHS relies on are making matters worse. Chronic understaffing continues to plague the IHS, and despite some hiring exemptions for doctors and nurses, quality health care can’t be delivered without sufficient administrative personnel at HHS and at IHS hospitals and health clinics. 
    Adding to the IHS’ staffing struggles, the Trump administration is arbitrarily canceling leases that house IHS administrative offices across all service areas and its medical supply warehouse, which stockpiles and distributes critical medical supplies to all IHS hospitals and health clinics. IHS needs more resources and staffing to fulfill its mission, not less. 
    “Trump and Musk are leaving the Indian Health Service and our Tribes in the dust–freezing hiring at an already-strapped agency, canceling leases it counts on, and now, gutting essential HHS functions that enable IHS to serve patients. They are breaking government with no idea of what they are doing and no regard for who gets hurt–all while they enrich themselves,” said Senator Murray.
    SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (SAMHSA)
    SAMHSA is charged with improving services and support available to people across the country for substance use disorder and mental health. The agency plays a leading role in tackling the fentanyl and opioid crisis, and it oversees the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. 
    The Trump administration has announced plans to eliminate SAMHSA and collapse it into a new “Administration for a Healthy America.” But it has not provided any additional details on its illegal reorganization or how it will ensure SAMHSA’s statutorily-mandated, lifesaving functions would be carried out. Today, the Trump administration made more deep cuts to SAMHSA’s staff, which will result in the agency’s staffing levels being reduced by fifty percent since January–weakening the ability of communities to respond to the mental health and substance use crises. 
    “Just as we are finally starting to make progress getting opioid overdose deaths to trend down nationally, Trump and Musk have decided to scrap the agency responsible for our national response to the epidemic. These billionaires believe our country can afford to pay for more tax breaks for them but cannot afford to keep up the fight against the opioid epidemic. These chaotic, senseless moves will undermine federal support for all the work our communities on the frontlines are doing to tackle the opioid and mental health crises–and save lives,” said Senator Murray.
    ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES (ACF)
    ACF is responsible for administering a variety of programs to help children and families thrive–including the primary federal child care grant program, Head Start, family violence prevention programs, and Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), among many others. 
    Today, the Trump administration made deep cuts to the staff responsible for carrying out these programs, threatening the services and essential oversight families count on. The administration also shuttered half of the regional offices for the Office of Head Start, which are charged with ensuring Head Start services delivered to families are high-quality, without any explanation of how it will fulfill its mission and continue serving children and families without these offices or staff. Trump also gutted the Office of Community Services, which administers the LIHEAP program to help low-income individuals and families afford to heat and cool their homes and administers the Community Services Block Grant program, which helps communities nationwide fight poverty.
    “While the child care crisis crunches families’ budgets, Trump and Musk are focused on firing the very people who help make sure there are safe, affordable child care options available to families in every part of the country,” said Senator Murray. “Decimating this agency may well mean child care and Head Start centers don’t get the funding they need to keep their doors open, and shuttering regional offices will threaten families’ access to quality and reliable Head Start services. These firings will certainly risk kids’ safety–because that’s what happens when you get rid of the people who monitor centers’ care. These billionaires are ripping the rug out from under families just as they seek to give themselves more tax breaks.”
    ADMINISTRATION FOR COMMUNITY LIVING (ACL)
    ACL provides unique and critical support to help ensure seniors and Americans with disabilities can live independently and with the same opportunities as others in their communities. ACL programs improve access to health care and long-term care supports, fund essential services like congregate and home-delivered meals and respite care, and invest in essential research and innovation to better support seniors and Americans with disabilities.
    The Trump administration announced plans to eliminate ACL in clear violation of annual appropriations law that explicitly funds ACL–and has provided no additional details on how its essential, statutorily-mandated functions will continue without interruptions that seriously hurt seniors and people with disabilities.
    Today, Trump gutted ACL, firing scores of staff and leaving the administration of these critical programs in jeopardy.
    “Trump and Musk are ripping the rug out from underneath seniors and Americans with disabilities by gutting the agency that helps them get the support they need to not only live independently, but also thrive in their communities,” said Senator Murray.
    ADMINISTRATION FOR STRATEGIC PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE (ASPR)
    ASPR leads our country’s medical and public health preparedness for, response to, and recovery from disasters and public health emergencies–coordinating planning and response for when fires erupt, pathogens like COVID or bird flu emerge, and so much more.
    The Trump administration has announced that ASPR will be consolidated into CDC, and today laid off a number of staff, including staff for the Strategic National Stockpile.
    “As bird flu rages and measles spreads across the country in an outbreak with little recent precedent, apparently Donald Trump thinks it’s a good idea to destroy the very agency tasked with leading our public health preparedness efforts. Firing this staff puts our economy and our families in serious danger,” said Senator Murray.
    HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (HRSA)
    HRSA is charged with improving access to care for vulnerable and underserved populations. The agency runs critical programs to bolster the nation’s health workforce, improve maternal and child health, support high-quality care in community health centers and Ryan White HIV/AIDS clinics, address rural health needs, modernize the nation’s organ transplant system, and more.
    The Trump administration has announced it plans to eliminate HRSA and collapse it into a new “Administration for a Healthy America” but has not provided any additional details on how this reorganization might work and how it will ensure HRSA’s statutorily-mandated functions will be carried out.
    Today, the Trump administration reportedly fired hundreds of staff who provide support to the nation’s 1,400 community health centers, which operate more than 15,000 sites serving millions of patients across the U.S. regardless of their ability to pay. Others fired include those working on HRSA’s maternal and child health programs, who oversee states’ block grants and operate the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program to support mothers, children, and families. Staff were also fired from HRSA’s health workforce programs, where they work to engage with communities nationwide to address shortages of doctors and nurses, and provide scholarships and loan repayment for those working in high-need communities.
    “It defies logic to get rid of the people who help strengthen our nation’s health workforce, support our nation’s health centers, and work to ensure children grow up healthy. These reckless firings and thoughtless reorganization will set back efforts to improve maternal care, help Americans in rural areas get basic health services, and so much more,” said Senator Murray.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Statement on Evisceration of Seattle HHS Office and Spokane NIOSH Office Amidst Mass Layoffs at HHS

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: Murray, Former Health Department Leaders Sound Alarm on Trump and RFK Jr. Gutting HHS
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the evisceration of the HHS Region 10 Office in Seattle and the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Spokane Research Laboratory.
    Today, the Trump administration began suddenly firingmost—if not all—workers at the HHS Region 10 office in Seattle—around 2oo people—as well as at the NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory—an estimated 90 employees. The future of both offices remains deeply unclear. The HHS Region 10 office is based in Seattle but covers all of Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Oregon; Region 10 also has the greatest number of federally recognized Tribes—272—of all HHS regions.
    “It is infuriating and downright reckless for the Trump administration to have fired nearly everyone at the HHS Regional office in Seattle and the CDC’s NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory—all but decimating these offices, though they are still outright refusing to answer basic questions about their evisceration of HHS and the future of these critical offices.
    “Closing the Seattle Region 10 office will mean a drastically diminished HHS presence on the ground in our communities, no one to help seniors, families, and providers with Medicare and Medicaid issues or conduct site visits in the community, little-to-no collaboration with local and regional health leaders on emerging public health issues—and so much else.
    “And the Trump administration’s mass firings of people researching how to better protect American workers’ safety on the job is a disaster waiting to happen. Those firings included nearly all of the researchers at the Spokane NIOSH Research Laboratory, who are doing critical and time-sensitive work studying how to protect workers’ health and safety on the job in dangerous fields like mining, firefighting, and the maritime industry.
    “These dangerous, thoughtless, and callous cuts will jeopardize Americans’ health and safety today, tomorrow, and years down the line—and I will not stop sounding the alarm and doing everything I possibly can to hold this lawless administration to account.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Joins Booker’s Marathon Floor Block to Condemn Trump Administration’s Attacks on the Environment, California’s Climate Action

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Padilla Joins Booker’s Marathon Floor Block to Condemn Trump Administration’s Attacks on the Environment, California’s Climate Action

    WATCH: Padilla slams Trump Administration for gutting climate progressWASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in holding the Senate floor to stand up to President Trump’s relentless attacks on the environment and attempts to roll back decades of California’s climate action. Booker broke the record for time holding the Senate floor to give voice to the millions of Americans being harmed and ignored by the Trump Administration. Padilla praised Booker for his passion and empathy while speaking on the floor to highlight the consequences of the President’s reckless actions for public health, disaster aid, and the climate crisis.
    “Senator Booker has every right to be angry because of what’s going on. I know I’m angry with so much of what’s going on, and the American people have every right to be angry with what’s going on because none of what we’re seeing come out of the Trump White House is normal. But every day, this approach of ‘flooding the zone’ with more and more extreme actions runs the risk of making people grow numb to these attacks. And we certainly can’t surrender to the feeling of just being overwhelmed by their tactics.”
    Padilla underscored the devastating impacts of climate inaction and pollution on California, emphasizing the catastrophic toll of the Los Angeles County fires and his own personal experience with toxic school bus emissions. Last month, Padilla and Booker joined federal officials for a tour and briefing on cleanup and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the devastating Eaton Fire in Altadena.
    “Growing up, I can tell you not just about the smell of diesel exhaust, which I’ll never forget, sitting on a school bus going to and from school. Or the regular days where school would be shut down early, we’d all be sent home because of the smog, toxic smog, in the air in the Greater Southern California area. These were concrete reminders of the real threat that emissions pose to our health.”
    “California also knows the dangers posed by extreme weather. We know the droughts, we know the floods, and yes, all too often, we’ve come to know wildfires — devastating wildfires, like the ones we experienced in Los Angeles County at the beginning of this year.”
    As Senator Padilla highlighted, California has long been at the forefront of fighting against pollution and climate impacts, from creating the first tailpipe emissions standards for passenger vehicles in 1966, to setting ambitious conservation goals, to establishing the first Earth Day. He criticized the Trump Administration’s attacks on California and the nation’s environmental progress, including the reversal of the endangerment finding, funding freezes of Congressionally appropriated project funds, and the roll backs of 31 critical environmental rules. He also slammed the Trump Administration for politicizing disaster aid, proposing to eliminate FEMA, implementing federal freezes on hazardous fuel removal and the hiring of seasonal firefighters, and illogically and irresponsibly opening up dams and flooding the Central Valley, claiming to “turn on the water” to fight the Los Angeles fires after they had already been contained.
    “Earlier this month, the EPA, Trump’s EPA, announced that they would be rolling back more than 30 environmental rules. By doing so, they’re not just going to make Americans less healthy; they’re also going to hurt our economy, and it’s going to clear the way for China to become the world leader in green technology. So much for America First if they continue down that road.”
    “They’re not just refusing to act or to help — they’re making matters worse for states like California and many others.”
    Padilla concluded by stressing the importance of fighting against Trump’s anti-environment agenda, asking Senator Booker how young Americans can make their voices heard.
    “So that’s what this fight is about. Our fight for the environment is about America’s health and safety. It’s about American jobs and it’s about America’s future.”
    “For the next generation of Americans, for the young people who are tuning in and wondering, well what is it that I can do? Do I have a voice? Do I have any power? What would you say to them? How can they take action?”
    Video of Senator Padilla’s remarks is available here.
    Footage of his speech can be downloaded here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Mullin Introduce Bill Strengthening Cybersecurity for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Mullin Introduce Bill Strengthening Cybersecurity for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), co-founder of the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus, and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) introduced legislation to strengthen the cybersecurity protocols for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in response to previous outages that resulted in a day-long outage for those in crisis.
    “People struggling with their mental health shouldn’t be met with disruptions or service outages when they call the 9-8-8 Lifeline. We can’t let cybersecurity vulnerabilities get in the way of providing lifesaving support,” said Senator Padilla. “Our bipartisan bill would better identify and prevent cyberattacks to protect safe and secure access to the Lifeline as soon as people need it.”
    “Increasing cybersecurity measures for the 988 Lifeline is imperative to suicide prevention,” said Senator Mullin. “Suicide is a heartbreaking tragedy, and every life lost is one too many. It is essential to keep the lifeline secure to ensure that those experiencing a mental health crisis have access to the resources and support they need when they need it most.”
    Since its launch in July of 2022, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has received 10.8 million contacts, including 1.4 million within the Veterans Crisis Line. The Lifeline’s services are critically important and must stay secure. The cyberattack on the 988 Lifeline in December of 2022 exposed vulnerabilities in the system where individuals who tried to call the suicide prevention hotline were instead greeted with a recorded message informing them of the service outage.
    Specifically, Padilla and Mullin’s 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act requires coordination between the Lifeline and the Chief Information Security Officer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to prevent cybersecurity attacks and eliminate known vulnerabilities. The suicide hotline’s network administrator would also be required to notify the government of cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents within 24 hours of discovery. Lastly, the Government Accountability Office would be required to conduct a study evaluating cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities in the 988 system.
    The 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act is supported by the following groups: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Psychiatric Association, Crisis Text Line, Inseparable, Mental Health America, Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Jed Foundation, and Vibrant Emotional Health. 
    Last year, Padilla applauded the Federal Communications Commission’s adoption of his bipartisan Local 9-8-8 Response Act of 2023, making critical improvements to the 988 Lifeline to help callers access localized, lifesaving behavioral health resources.
    Any person in crisis and in need of help can dial 9-8-8 to reach free and confidential professional support 24/7 or can visit 988lifeline.org/chat/ to start a free and confidential conversation.
    Click here to learn more about the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cramer, Graham, Blumenthal Introduce Hard-Hitting Primary and Secondary Sanctions Legislation Against Russia

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Since taking office, President Donald Trump and his administration have prioritized negotiating a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine. While Ukraine announced its willingness to support a 30-day ceasefire proposal, Russia has not. 
    U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and 50 of their colleagues, to introduce the bipartisan Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025. This bill would impose primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors backing Russia’s aggression if the country refuses to engage in good-faith negotiations for a lasting peace with Ukraine or undermines the sovereignty of Ukraine after peace is negotiated.
    The legislation also imposes a 500 percent tariff on imported goods from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products.
    “The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 will issue decisive consequences aimed at deterring Russian aggression,” said Cramer. “This bill sends a clear message: bullies have a price to pay for their actions. Vladimir Putin and Russia must face serious consequences for their destructive and unprovoked war on Ukraine.”
    Members who cosigned the legislation include U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Katie Britt (R-AL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Todd Young (R-IN), Angus King (I-ME), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Curtis (R-UT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Peter Welch (D-VT), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jon Husted (R-OH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), John Cornyn (R-TX), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), John Hoeven (R-ND), John Fetterman (D-PA), John Boozman (R-AR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), James Lankford (R-OK), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Rick Scott (R-FL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jim Justice (R-WV), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Steve Daines (R-MT) and Jack Reed (D-RI).
    Click here for bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Blasts Trump Cuts to K-12 Education Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Washington (April 1, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today following the Trump administration’s decision to cut $106 million in K-12 education funding in Massachusetts, and more than $2 billion to K-12 schools nationwide.

    “President Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have callously cut $106 million in funding to K-12 schools in Massachusetts – another salvo in their war on students and educators. To Massachusetts communities, this funding is a lifeline that helps provide students with math tutoring and dyslexia screening, update aging school buildings, and train educators to provide students with the highest quality instruction possible.

    “With these devastating cuts, the Trump administration is hurting students, educators, families, and communities in the Commonwealth and nationwide. Massachusetts is the birthplace of public education and has the best school system in the country. But we cannot continue to make necessary strides toward a school system that enables all students to succeed when the Trump administration is ripping the rug out from under states and cruelly clawing back funds that are owed to the Commonwealth.

    “As a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, I demanded that Linda McMahon promise not to cut funding for public schools. She refused. Now, Trump and McMahon are following through on their anti-student, anti-educator, anti-family agenda. They want to lock the promise of education and opportunity in an ivory tower and throw away the key.

    “I will fight these callous cuts, and I will fight any other attempts from Trump, McMahon, Musk and their lackeys to gut public education.”

    Impacted school districts in Massachusetts:

    • Springfield ($47,357,654)
    • New Bedford ($15,603,433) 
    • Fitchburg ($6,578,468)
    • Everett ($4,897,300)
    • Revere ($4,613,327)
    • Boston ($3,468,659)
    • Leominster ($1,868,215)
    • Stoughton ($1,512,470)
    • Worcester ($1,454,350)
    • Chelsea ($1,448,715)
    • Lawrence ($1,307,307)
    • Dracut ($648,702)
    • Holyoke ($395,863)
    • West Springfield ($354,868)
    • Lynn ($339,357)
    • Fairhaven ($250,802)
    • Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical ($115,465)
    • Ludlow ($83,334)
    • Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical ($21,461)
    • Mashpee ($2,481)
    • Mater Dolorosa Catholic School in Holyoke ($118,894)
    • Saint Stanislaus School in Chicopee ($172,692)

    Senator Markey is fighting back against the Trump administration’s attacks on education and standing up for students, educators, and their families. On March 20, Senator Markey slammed Trump’s Executive Order to dismantle the Department of Education. On March 11, Senator Markey delivered remarks on the Senate Floor to spotlight Trump’s plan to gut the Department. On February 27, Senator Markey introduced the No Cuts to Public Schools Act, which would prevent any cuts to federal education formula funding during the Trump administration. On February 10, Senator Markey held a press conference in Boston with Massachusetts educators and teachers’ unions on Trump’s vow to dismantle the Department, and the impact on Massachusetts students, educators, and communities.

    On February 6, 2025, Senator Markey, members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, along with the Massachusetts Teachers Association, American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, Massachusetts Association of School Committees, and Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, released a joint statement after President Trump vowed to dismantle the Department of Education.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Slams LIHEAP Firings

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Washington (April 1, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement after President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the entire federal staff of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as a part of the mass firing of 10,000 HHS workers.

    “The Trump administration’s mass firings at HHS are a direct attack on the health, safety, and dignity of American families. Eliminating the entire federal staff responsible for LIHEAP—a program that millions of households depend on to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer—isn’t reform, it’s sabotage.

    “This is what Trump governance looks like: Dismantle the programs people rely on, create chaos in essential services, and leave working families to foot the bill. In my home state of Massachusetts, where energy bills are soaring—and some natural gas bills even doubling this year alone—LIHEAP is a critical lifeline. Now, as extreme weather pushes thermostats to extremes, and the threat of Trump’s tariffs looms ever closer, which will make energy prices climb ever higher, Trump has slashed the staff there dedicated to help. And with that, the Administration is cutting off the federal government’s ability to distribute the critical remaining 10 percent of this year’s LIHEAP funds that families are depending on.

    “I’ve fought for LIHEAP for decades because energy access is a basic human right. From demanding full funding to hosting roundtables with local providers and national advocates, I’ve worked to ensure the program meets the scale of the crisis. That’s why yesterday, I reintroduced my Heating and Cooling Relief Act—to modernize LIHEAP, permanently expand access, and ensure no family is left without support because of bureaucratic dysfunction or political cruelty. These cuts make that fight as urgent as ever.

    “I will keep fighting to restore these jobs, unlock the remaining funds, and guarantee that every family—no matter their income or ZIP code—has access to safe, affordable, clean energy.”

    Despite the urgent need for relief, in 2023, only about 18 percent of income-eligible households received LIHEAP assistance, with less than 3 percent of eligible households receiving cooling assistance. Meanwhile, low-income families spend nearly three times more on energy bills than non-low-income households, and nearly one in six households are behind on their utility bills.

    Senator Markey is a champion for energy access, affordability, and reliability. On Monday, Senator Markey and Representative Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) reintroduced the Heating and Cooling Relief Act, bold legislation to significantly expand and modernize the severely underfunded LIHEAP. In March 2025, he hosted a roundtable with Massachusetts LIHEAP providers, consumer advocates, and national energy assistance organizations to discuss the urgent need to strengthen and expand LIHEAP. In July 2024, Senator Markey and several New England Senators sent a letter to the Department of Energy urging the Department to consider the disproportionate negative impacts of LNG on New England—especially on energy prices—in its underlying environmental and economic analyses for LNG export authorization decisions. In December 2023, Senator Markey led a letter urging the Federal Trade Commission to immediately intervene, investigate, and rigorously enforce consumer protection laws against certain electric supply companies. In October 2023, he celebrated the release of $130 million in LIHEAP funding for Massachusetts, helping residents afford winter heating costs. Additionally, he has pushed for greater investments in home efficiency and electrification to help low-income families reduce their energy burdens. He originally introduced the Heating and Cooling Relief Act with former Representative Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) in January 2022.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cory Booker’s Long Speech: By the Numbers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) held the Senate floor with a marathon speech that began at 7pm ET Monday evening and lasted until Tuesday night. After 25 hours and 5 minutes speaking directly to the American people, Senator Booker broke the record for longest individual floor speech ever delivered, surpassing the previous record set by Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. 
    Yesterday, Senator Booker took to the Senate floor with the intention of speaking as long as he was physically able to uplift the stories of Americans who are being harmed by the Trump Administration’s reckless actions, attempts to undermine our institutions, and disregard for the rule of law.
    Here’s a look at Booker’s speech, by the numbers:
    25 hours and 5 minutes: total length of Booker’s speech
    1164 pages of prepared material
    More than 200 stories from New Jerseyans and Americans across the country shared in the speech
    350 million-plus likes on @SenatorBooker’s TikTok livestream of the speech
    More than 28,000 voicemails of encouragement left on Senator Booker’s main office line
    300 thousand-plus: largest number of people viewing Senator Booker’s Live Stream across just his platforms at once
    To watch Senator Booker’s closing remarks, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Comments on Confirmation of Matt Whitaker for U.S. Ambassador to NATO

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)

    April 1, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after voting to confirm Matt Whitaker, President Trump’s nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO):

    “Matt Whitaker understands the importance of strengthening our alliances,” Ricketts said. “He will push our NATO allies to honor their defense spending commitments and pull their own weight. He will help make NATO more effective.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Votes to Confirm Iowan Matt Whitaker as U.S. Ambassador to NATO

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) spoke on the Senate floor ahead of a vote to confirm her friend and fellow Iowan Matt Whitaker to be the next United States Ambassador to NATO, emphasizing that he will be a champion of our national security. 
    Ernst celebrated Whitaker’s nomination and recently introduced him in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ahead of his confirmation hearing.
    Watch Senator Ernst’s full remarks here. 
    Ernst’s full remarks below:
    “Matt and I first crossed paths during the 2014 U.S. Senate primary in Iowa. What began as opponents in a race, turned into mutual respect, and ultimately, a strong friendship. 
    “Since 2014, Matt has supported me in countless ways, offering wise counsel and keen insight on the issues facing our state, nation, and our world today. 
    “While some may just brush it off as ‘Iowa nice,’ I believe this is a clear demonstration of Matt’s character. 
    “He’s willing to put differences aside, strengthen relationships, and put our country over politics. 
    “Over the last few years, during exchanges with NATO allies, a consistent theme emerged… the need for American leadership… a willingness to speak hard truths and encourage our partners to step up. 
    “Matt’s experience has prepared him for this aspect of the job. 
    “With decades of law enforcement experience and having served as Acting Attorney General, Matt has successfully collaborated across many organizations and jurisdictions.
    “He understands the evolving threats our nation and our allies face—from terrorism to cyber warfare to transnational crime.
    “His experience navigating complex security challenges will make him an asset to NATO and a force for strengthening our alliances.
    “Matt Whitaker is a principled leader with a proven track record.
    “Under President Trump’s peace-through-strength approach, I have no doubt that Matt will be an effective advocate for America’s interests and a champion of our national security.
    “I urge my colleagues to support his nomination. He is the right leader at the right time for this critical role.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy Joins Booker’s Overnight Marathon Speech On The Senate Floor

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    April 01, 2025

    WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) joined U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on the floor of the Senate starting at 7pm Monday night for Booker’s marathon speech. Booker, Murphy, and other Senate Democrats are taking the Senate floor to elevate the voices of Americans who are being harmed by the Trump administration’s actions and to lay out President Trump and Elon Musk’s attacks on democracy. Throughout the night and into today, Murphy has directed questions to Booker.
    During the fifth hour of Booker’s speech, Murphy referenced his 2016 filibuster to demand action on gun violence: “There is so much similarity between the debate that you are forcing this Senate to have tonight and the debate that we were having back in 2016 on this epidemic of gun violence. I always describe it this way: the only thing that matters, the thing that matters more than anything else in your life is protecting your loved ones from physical harm. Right? You would give anything, right? Anything. You would give your life’s savings, your house. You would perhaps give your own life in order to protect your child or your brother or sister or mother or father from physical harm. And so when you and I have sat across from the victims of gun violence, many of which live in your neighborhood and my neighborhood in Newark and Hartford, we are looking at a kind of desperation and sorrow that is unique, that is unique, that comes with not just losing a loved one to gun violence, but feeling powerless in that exercise, feeling like there was nothing you could do, and watching your elected leaders stand by and allow for this reality to continue to occur in your neighborhood, where kids are being shot down in cold blood, and your elected leaders, the adults in charge of your community, are standing idly by.”
    He continued: “That is not fundamentally different than the reality that will be visited upon millions of families if this size of a cut in Medicaid funding goes into effect because families out there who rely on Medicaid to keep alive their son or daughter who has a complicated medical disease, have no other quarter, have no other last resort besides Medicaid. And so Medicaid stands between life and death for their son or daughter. There is no other place for them to go. And so that same empty, hollow look that we have seen so many times in the eyes of a mother or father who lost a son or daughter to gun violence, that is the look that we are choosing to visit upon millions of families in this country who when faced with the loss of their only health insurance option for their disabled child, will watch their child potentially face the same fate as those young men in your neighborhood and my neighborhood. And so that’s the reason why I pose this question to you that you’re answering about the moral gravity of this moment because it is not fundamentally different than the one that brought us here in 2016.”
    Booker will continue speaking on the floor for as long as he is physically able, and Murphy will stay with him throughout.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King Pushes Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Nominee to Always Offer “Straight Advice”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    A full clip of the exchange can be downloaded here
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) pushed the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Nominee if he would resist political pressures if confirmed, and offer candid advice to the President, Vice President, National Security Council (NSC), and Congress. In the conversation with Lt. General Dan Caine, King asked if he would give a ‘straight ahead commitment’ to advise the executive with the best military advice.
    “We have discussed, almost every member of this panel has discussed the importance of giving straight advice to the President and the Secretary of Defense. These are two very strong personalities. The oval office is probably the most intimidating room in the world. I hope you will reiterate — you mentioned you owe it to them to give the best advice, but you also owe it to the country to give them the best advice. You mentioned to me when we discussed this before: you have been retired, you did not expect this job, you don’t need this job. Give me your straight ahead commitment that when the chips are down you are going to argue for your best military advice,” asked Senator King.
    “Senator, I don’t know any other way to operate as a leader. My job, if confirmed, is to always provide the best military advice to the President, the Secretary, the NSC,  and to Congress and to do so with candor every day,” replied Lt. Gen. Caine.
    Senator King then asked the nominee about his strategy and willingness to combat the increasing resurgence of terrorism across the world.
    “What I am very worried about now is resurgence of terrorism. Syria potentially could become another base for ISIS. There are thousands of ISIS fighters in jail in Syria. If they are released, that could be a major challenge. West Africa is now a major area of Al Qaeda activity. Talk to me about the terrorism threat and the fact that we can’t forget it because 19 people changed American history on September 11. It does not take many terrorists to create serious problems for this country and for people around the world,” said Senator King. 
    “Sir, I don’t know that I could say it any better than you just did. We have to keep our pressure on the terrorists who would continue—,” Lt. Gen. Caine started.
    “Could you make sure you have it in the record what he just said?” Senator King asked.
    “It is not something, unfortunately, we can ever take our eyes off of completely. The challenge that somebody who would want to do harm to us or to our interests around the world is not going to go away anytime soon,” continued Lt. Gen. Caine. 
    “One of the concerns I have, we always talk about deterrence. That is the main spring of our defense strategy. But deterrence does not work with a terrorist with a nuclear weapon. They don’t have a capitol to blow up, they don’t care about dying. The defense against that eventuality, which I think is absolutely terrifying, is intelligence. I hope you will continue to focus the forces in the Pentagon on intelligence and intervening if there is any threat of nuclear material getting into the hands of a terrorist organizations,” replied Senator King.
    A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator King is recognized as an authoritative voice on national security and foreign policy issues who has also been named a “fiscal hero” by government watchdogs for responsible spending. Senator King has previously urged the Department of Defense (DoD) to take advantage of private sector technologies or risk losing access to innovative defense technologies and encouraged the (DoD) to reevaluate its acquisition process of defense technologies.
    Senator King has been consistently sounding the alarm on President Donald Trump’s existential threat to the Constitution. He previously gave a speech on the Senate floor sharing that this administration is doing ‘exactly what the Framers [of the Constitution] most feared.” He also joined fellow Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) colleagues in writing a letter to the White House about the risks to national security by allowing unvetted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staff and representatives to access classified and sensitive government materials.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz Leads Resolution Celebrating International Transgender Day Of Visibility

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a group of 20 senators in introducing a resolution to celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility and recognize the achievements and courage of the transgender community around the world.
    “International Transgender Day of Visibility is about celebrating the transgender community around the world – their achievements, their courage, and their right to live freely and openly,” said Senator Schatz. “It’s also about raising awareness of the discrimination trans people continue to face, especially under the Trump administration. While the progress we’ve made on trans rights is under threat, we won’t stop fighting until there’s full acceptance and equality for all.”
    Schatz’s resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Senators John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).
    The resolution is supported by Advocates for Trans Equality, Advocates for Human Rights, American Federation of Teachers, AIDS United, Amnesty International USA, CA LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, CenterLink: The Community of LGBTQ Centers, Equality California, GLSEN, Human Rights Campaign, Interfaith Alliance, Just Detention International, Kentucky Youth Law Project, Inc., LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin, Maryland Communities United, Movement Advancement Project, National LGBTQI+ Bar Association, National LGBTQI+ Cancer Network, National Black Justice Coalition, North Shore Alliance of GLBTQ+ Youth, PFLAG National, People Power United, Point of Pride, Popular Connection Action Fund, Popular Democracy, Positive Women’s Network-USA, Pride at Work – Hawai‘i, Silver State Equality, Transathlete, and Trevor Project.
    A similar resolution was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Representative Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) and co-led by U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Takano (D-Calif.). 
    The full text of Schatz’s resolution is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz Statement On The Passing Of Mary Matayoshi

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the passing of educator and community leader Mary Matayoshi.
    “Hawai?i has lost a remarkable leader in Mary Matayoshi, a woman whose legacy is defined by her deep belief in the moral responsibility of service, education, and leadership. There is nobody that made a bigger impact over a longer period of time on behalf of Hawai‘i’s social safety net than her.
    “Nobody ever wanted to disappoint Mary because she moved through non-profit, governmental, political, and cultural communities with total moral clarity. She was always one of the keepers of the flame of the aloha spirit.
    “Her legacy is not just in the programs she helped build but in the communities she strengthened and the people she mentored and inspired – myself included.
    “I extend my deepest sympathy and aloha to the Matayoshi ‘ohana. May her memory be a blessing.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Speaks with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Nominee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke with Lieutenant General John D. “Razin” Caine, nominee to be general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing. Sen. Tuberville and General Caine discussed the importance of being impartial when advising the President of the United States on national security matters, as well as working with our nation’s military academies to build a higher standard of leadership and excellence for the next generation of warfighters.
    Read Sen. Tuberville’s remarks below and watch on YouTube and Rumble.

    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you, General, for being here, your service, and congratulations on your nomination. You’re nominated to be the senior military adviser to the President of the United States. What a chore. I remember a time when generals and retired senior officers would avoid political discussions.
    It was extremely uncommon for a former senior officer to even endorse a candidate for political office. Lately, that approach seems to be an exception, not the rule. You know, some of your predecessors even appear to support political positions while in uniform. Your predecessor was deeply involved in politics, which should not be part of this approach. General Caine, in your own words, how would you describe to this committee the importance of your responsibility and commitment to provide the best military advice, even when that advice might differ from what the President of the United States believes?”
    GEN. CAINE: “Well, Senator, thank you for that question. It ultimately is, the whole job, is to be the principal military adviser to the President. And pursuant to that job, provide the President with best military advice, even when the President may have different feelings about it. And that is exactly what the nation pays me to do. So, if confirmed, that is exactly what I’ll do.”
    TUBERVILLE: “General, when you take this job, what’s your number one concern?”
    GEN. CAINE: “Senator, right now, the number one concern is the passage of time. And ensuring that the joint force is ready, properly armed with the right capabilities out at the tactical edge, properly, globally integrated with the services themselves, with the other elements of the interagency, with our allies and partners, and with the private sector and ready to go tonight. And that means their families are ready. They’re ready. They’re properly trained and equipped. So, we have much to do, Senator.”
    TUBERVILLE: “We all know that the machines that we build, the guns, and the bullets that we have, everything is at the disposal of the warfighter. […] Recruiting has much improved in the last couple of months. What do you see your role as an adviser to the President in recruiting for all of our military?”
    GEN. CAINE: “Well, Senator, we don’t have much of a military without the incredible 2.8 million members of the joint force that selflessly joined the service to do something more important than themselves. And, you know, to answer your question, if confirmed, I think it’s an opportunity for me to be another voice of encouragement for those young men and women who have the capability and meet the standards to come into the service. And do something that they will forever hold so high in their past history. The chance to serve this nation is a special privilege for those of us that have come into the cloth of our nation and served, and I hope that I’ll be able to encourage others to do so.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Being the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Personnel [in the Senate Armed Services Committee], we had a hearing last week with our Academies—[Westpoint], Naval Academy and Air Force Academy. I would hope in the future, and I know your job is to inform our President and keep him advised of everything. But I think that your job too would be able to work with our academies in terms of our leadership, help build that leadership to a higher standard. To keep it to a higher standard, to build, and let our young men and women know that that’s where it all starts. If we don’t have leadership, we don’t have anything.
    And I think that’s a good point, you know, that’s passed on to the President. Obviously, the information you give to the President is going to be number one but also build and help build our military is going be a huge part, I think, of your job. What do you think?”
    GEN. CAINE: “I agree, sir.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”
    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: Cantwell Joins Booker in Marathon Floor Speech Against Trump Agenda

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    04.01.25
    Cantwell Joins Booker in Marathon Floor Speech Against Trump Agenda
    Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) is one hour away from breaking the record for the longest floor speech ever.
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, joined Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) on the Senate floor to speak out against President Trump’s budget resolution, which proposes up to an $880 billion cut from Medicaid, and DOGE’s proposals to shut down Social Security offices and lay off 7,000 workers, making it harder for Americans to access the benefits they earned and are entitled to.
    “I so appreciate?the Senator from New Jersey?trying to articulate the urgency?of this moment,” Sen. Cantwell said. “People are trying to?rearrange essential services,?contractual obligations, things?like Social Security, Medicaid,?or even Medicare by basically saying we have?this efficiency strategy — when in?reality, they’re over there with numbers just trying to carve?something out of the budget.”
    “Elon Musk called it a Ponzi?scheme.?The richest man in the world, and?the most powerful man in the?world, himself a billionaire, are?attacking the programs that millions?and millions of our citizens?rely on,” said Sen. Booker.
    Sen. Cantwell continued: “So in my state, I’m hearing from hospitals that?that means they could close, that?means essential Medicaid?services that are used even in?our jails or for fentanyl?treatment or Medicaid that is used as an Obamacare expansion for?health care, that so many – literally, red Republican?states, Republican governors, have said we want that.”
    “I keep saying over and over — America, this is not right or left. It’s right or wrong. It’s not a partisan moment. It’s an American moment. It’s a moral moment,” Sen. Booker continued. “What is it going to take for us to say ‘no’ with such a firm voice, such a chorus of conviction – thousands, hundreds of thousands of Americans — red, white and blue, every state saying, do not do this for no good reason but to give the majority of your tax cuts to billionaires like Elon Musk. It makes no sense.”
    Video of Sen. Cantwell’s exchange on the Senate floor with Sen. Booker is available HERE, audio HERE, and a full transcript is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall in Agriculture Committee Hearing: Bring Back Whole Milk to American Schools

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) participated in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry hearing today on his legislation, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. This bipartisan bill would bring back whole and reduced milk to American schools.
    Senator Marshall highlighted the health benefits of consuming whole milk and how it ties into the Make America Healthy Again movement, which focuses on transparency, increasing access to whole, nutritious foods, and improving the health outcomes of all Americans.
    Senator Marshall is an OB-GYN with over 25 years of experience practicing medicine. He is also the founder and chairman of the Make America Healthy Again Caucus.

    [embedded content]

    Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full line of questioning.
    Highlights from the hearing include: 
    On the importance of whole milk to the Make America Healthy Again movement:
    Senator Marshall: “We all came to Congress with a reason, and I sat down on my first day and had a list of 10 things I wanted to do when I got here. You know… save Medicare, save Medicaid, balance the budget, and get whole milk back in school. So, this is a great day for us to have a hearing on this, and I do appreciate the members of the Ag Committee coming here and having this discussion…”
    “I think about whole milk growing up, where my grandparents delivered milk to us two or three times a week, and it was just part of our diet… and how important whole milk is.
    “You think about the MAHA movement, the Make America Healthy Again movement, it’s about whole foods. And I think we could characterize whole milk as part of that MAHA movement as well. I think about the fat-soluble vitamins, which are so important, that we have to have some fat in our body to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K.”
    On the health benefits of whole milk:
    Senator Marshall: “I’m going to just talk a little bit more about healthy fats. And some of the good things about these healthy fats is [they help] with hormone production. So think about adolescents going through puberty, those types of things. So there’s good fats that help with that hormone production. Also, there are good studies to show that healthy fats also decrease your appetite for later that it has some satiety impact. Would you agree or expand on those thoughts?”
    Dr. Eve Stoody, Director of Nutrition Guidance and Analysis Division, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion at United States Department of Agriculture: “I am aware of that research. We haven’t addressed it directly in the dietary guidelines, but I’m aware of the research that you’re referencing. So yes.”
    Senator Marshall: “You also would agree with me that whole milk has small amounts of omega-three fatty acids, which support brain health and inflammation control as well?”
    Dr. Stoody: “Yes, the dietary guidelines actually recommend for those one to two years of age that plain whole milk be the type of dairy that is consumed because of the importance of whole milk to supporting brain development, and then after that point, the recommendation is to move towards lower fat.
    “There’s a bit of an evidence gap as to exactly when that transition to lower fat options might be most beneficial, but there’s definitely benefits of plain whole milk, particularly in young children, to supporting brain development.”
    On the decrease of milk consumption:
    Senator Marshall: “Well, association doesn’t necessarily determine the cause, but I think as we saw whole milk come off of the school lunch menus, we also saw consumption of milk come down consistently.
    “Senator Durbin makes a good point about… it has to taste good… I don’t know that I’m aware of any good studies either proving my point, but certainly it seems to me that whole milk tastes a whole lot better, and that we’ve seen milk consumption go down when whole milk was taken out of the school lunches. Would that be accurate?”
    Dr. Stoody: “I don’t have data for specifically school meals, and what has happened since, for example, 2010, 2012 when it moved towards just low fat and fat-free. But we do see that, as you mentioned at the national level, we see that milk consumption really drinking fluid milk starting to decline in the early 2000s and it has continued to decline. And I think it is very concerning, that current consumption in adolescence is about half a cup lower per day than it was, you know, two decades ago, right?”
    On osteoporosis, osteopenia due to lack of milk consumption:
    Senator Marshall: “I still want to make the point about my concern about osteoporosis and osteopenia, that bone mass density peaks around age 28, and what we’re seeing now is a generation of people reaching that age that didn’t drink milk and their bone density is down to standard deviation. Maybe it’s more than that.
    “So while today, most women start developing osteopenia. And when you reach that peak bone mass at age 28 the rest of our life, that aging process starts. It’s really hard to build bone mass beyond then. So we’re going to have women develop osteopenia, osteoporosis a decade sooner, and we’re going to see men suddenly also have osteopenia as well.”

    MIL OSI USA News –