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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy, Cassidy introduce resolution honoring life and achievements of former Sen. J. Bennett Johnston

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

    WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) in introducing a resolution honoring the life and achievements of former Sen. J. Bennett Johnston, who represented Louisiana in the U.S. Senate from 1972 to 1997.

    “Senator J. Bennett Johnston was a Louisiana champion and a champion for Louisiana. He played big but spoke softly. Composure was his superpower. Bennett loved Louisiana, loved America, and loved his family. He was a great senator. Louisiana weeps. Becky and I send our condolences to the Johnston family and our everlasting thanks to Bennett,” said Kennedy.  

    “J. Bennett Johnston was a North Louisiana guy who fought for the whole state. He wasn’t the kind of senator who went to Washington just to vote ‘no.’ He voted ‘yes’ when it meant more energy jobs, more investment, and a better future for Louisiana. You can go around the entire state and see the impact he had—he made life better for Louisianans in real, tangible ways,” said Cassidy.

    Background:

    • J. Bennett Johnston was born in Shreveport, La. in 1932 and served in both the Louisiana House and Senate before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972.
    • Johnston chaired the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee from 1987 to 1995 and played a critical role in shaping U.S. energy policy by working to expand Louisiana offshore energy production, strengthen our state’s flood and hurricane protection and preserve our wetlands. 
    • Johnston passed away on March 25, 2025, at the age of 92.

    The full text of the resolution is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven, Daines Praise Trump Admin Review of Biden’s Anti-Energy Policies, Backs Small Energy Producers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    04.01.25

    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.) joined Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and 8 Republican colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary Doug Burgum at the U.S. Department of the Interior urging the reversal of Biden-era regulations that dramatically increase the bonding requirements for oil and gas wells on federal lands.

    “We write to express our support of your review of former President Biden’s burdensome regulatory actions that will reduce American energy independence and raise costs for American families and small businesses. In Secretarial Order 3418 you direct your Assistant Secretaries to review the Bureau of Land Management’s April 2024 final rule “Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process,” (89 Fed. Reg. 30916) that dramatically increases costs on small oil and gas producers. Specifically, we request that you review and roll back the provisions in the rule that dramatically increase the bonding requirements for oil and gas wells on federal lands.

    “…While we strongly support proper stewardship of our public lands and the need to ensure that adequate bonding is in place to clean up abandoned wells, we must also ensure that bonding requirements are set at a reasonable and achievable rate for all oil and gas producers. Unfortunately, the current bonding rule will drive producers out of business and raise costs for American families. Energy development on federal lands is critical to strengthening America’s energy security, powering our economy, and supporting state and local conservation efforts.  We strongly urge you to revisit and reverse the bonding requirements in this rule, including reinstatement of reasonable state and nationwide bonding requirements, to ensure America’s long-term energy dominance and the prosperity of our communities,” the senators wrote in the letter.  

    Joining Senators Hoeven and Daines in sending the letter are Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah), James Lankford (R-Okla.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

    Full text of the letter can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Secures Commitment from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Nominee to Ensure Legally-Required Oversight and Accountability on Military Decisions in Wake of SignalGate

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    April 01, 2025

    In her remarks, the Senator said: “The lives of servicemembers and the future of our national security depends on expert, qualified leaders who understand their decisions have real life-or-death consequences”

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC)—secured a commitment from President Trump’s nominee to serve as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Lieutenant General Dan Caine, to ensure legally-required oversight and accountability of military decisions in light of SignalGate demonstrating Trump Administration officials’ deeply troubling pattern of using unclassified and unaccountable backchannels that jeopardize the safety of our servicemembers. A day after the White House declared SignalGate “case closed” and that no one on the Signal chain would lose their jobs for breaching our national security, Duckworth outlined how this Administration has been corruptly mishandling our nation’s secrets. Duckworth’s full remarks can be found on YouTube.

    “The Trump Administration has shown they are more interested in keeping secrets from the American people than protecting national security secrets for the American people,” said Duckworth. “The need for secrecy to enable mission success does not mean skirting accountability to the American people. It is unacceptable that Elon Musk received invitations for briefings on China, that senior Trump officials use disappearing Signal chats to make sensitive decisions and that Secretary Hegseth brought family members into classified meetings with allies and partners. Lieutenant General Caine needs to break this cycle and provide the legally required transparency to Congress and the American people over decisions related to the use of force—and I plan to hold him accountable to ensure he keeps his word that he will.”

    Duckworth has slammed the Trump Administration for purging qualified, top military leadership including then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles C.Q. Brown. Since he was first nominated, Duckworth has made it clear that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is unqualified to lead our men and women in uniform. During Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, Duckworth demonstrated some of the areas where he lacks the experience or knowledge that any serious Defense Secretary nominee should have, grilling him on basic questions that he failed to answer. She asked him if he ever led an audit, and he would not confirm. She asked him to describe at least one of the main international security agreements a Secretary of Defense is responsible for leading, and he could not name any. She asked him to name at least one nation that is a part of ASEAN, an organization with several member states who have mutual defense treaties, alliances or enhanced defense cooperation agreements with the US, but none of the three countries he named are part of the organization.

    After The Atlantic reported that Hegseth sent classified war plans in a Signal group chat with other Trump Administration officials, putting the lives of our men and women in uniform at greater risk and undermining the effectiveness of the mission, Duckworth released a statement demanding his resignation and calling him a “f*cking liar.”

    Last week, Duckworth joined fellow SASC member Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and 14 other Senate colleagues in calling on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), SASC and SFRC to hold hearings to investigate why members of President Trump’s national security team were recklessly discussing classified military operations on unsecured devices. In the letter, the Senators also criticized the incompetence and carelessness of how these Trump officials mishandled the situation and inadvertently added a journalist to the group chat. Additionally, Duckworth joined Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and 12 of her colleagues in demanding answers from President Trump about what disciplinary action will be taken in response to SignalGate and emphasized that the Administration is in direct violation of the Presidential Records Act.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Jacobs Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Help Cover IVF Costs for Servicemembers and Military Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    April 01, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC)—and U.S. Representative Sara Jacobs (D-CA-51) introduced the IVF for Military Families Act, bicameral legislation that would require TRICARE coverage of fertility services, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), for servicemembers and their families. The bill introduction comes after Congressional Republicans—in secret negotiations behind closed doors—betrayed military families by striking a Duckworth-Jacobs amendment that would have required such coverage from the final FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last year, even though it had passed in the House and through committee in the Senate. The lawmakers’ bicameral legislation would help ensure military families can get the same level of IVF coverage that’s accessible to Members of Congress and federal employees. In addition to Duckworth and Jacobs, the legislation is co-led by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA-02).

    “After all the tremendous sacrifices they make, our brave women and men in uniform should never have to make the impossible and unjust choice between serving their country or facing financial ruin just to start a family,” said Senator Duckworth. “It was extremely disappointing that our IVF provision—which would have simply ensured that our servicemembers and their families have access to the same level of IVF coverage as Members of Congress—was removed from the final defense bill behind closed doors last year, even after so many of my Republican colleagues continue to loudly and publicly claim to support IVF. President Trump pledged to voters on the campaign trail that he would go even further by making IVF free if elected and has repeated the bold-faced lie that he is governing on the principle of ‘Promises made, promises kept.’ Republicans can now help him partially fulfill his broken IVF promise by joining our commonsense legislation that would make sure those who answer the call to serve have access to the care they need to build their family.”

    “Our military families have sacrificed so much for our safety and security–they shouldn’t also sacrifice their dream to build a family,” said Congresswoman Jacobs. “But for too many service members, the lack of TRICARE coverage of IVF has left them with only a few choices: beat the odds and prove that their infertility is directly related to their service, pay tens of thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for a chance at a family, forgo having children, or leave the military. This is wrong. That’s why I’m proud to introduce the IVF for Military Families Act with Senator Duckworth to give them every opportunity to build their families. To my colleagues: We now have access to this level of health care coverage, and we shouldn’t deny that same standard to those who wear our country’s uniform. And to President Trump: calling yourself the father of IVF is meaningless–take some action and support our bill.”

    “Servicemembers who risk their lives to protect our families deserve all the support they need to grow theirs,” said Senator Murray. “Federal employees have access to comprehensive infertility treatment, including IVF – and TRICARE should cover those same services for our servicemembers, full stop. Struggling with infertility is painful enough without having to worry about the cost of treatment. I’ve worked for over a decade to expand access to IVF and other fertility treatment for veterans and servicemembers who need it, and am proud to be joining Senator Duckworth to introduce the IVF for Military Families Act to continue fighting to ensure our servicemembers never have to sacrifice their ability to start a family.”

    “One in four military families experience infertility. Congress should take the long-overdue step of overturning outdated limitations on IVF to give service members access to the reproductive health care they deserve,” said Congressman Larsen. “Women and men in uniform should not have to choose between serving their country and starting a family.”

    The IVF for Military Families Act would help create parity between Members of Congress and active duty servicemembers and their dependents by requiring TRICARE to cover infertility diagnosis and treatment, including IVF. The bicameral bill would also direct the Secretary of Defense to create a program on fertility-related care coordination to address the unique needs of military families. President Trump promised that if elected he would make IVF free for Americans, saying: “We are going to be, under the Trump Administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment,” and “We’re going to be mandating that the insurance company pay.”

    More than 10 percent of active-duty respondents said family-building challenges are a main reason why they’d leave the military, according to the Blue Star Families 2021 survey. The survey also reported that 23 percent of active-duty military and 27 percent of military spouses reported experiencing infertility, compared with just 12 percent infertility rate amongst the general population. Despite higher rates of infertility within the military, the vast majority of servicemembers and their partners who need help to conceive and have children must pay up to tens of thousands of dollars out-of-pocket to access needed care, including IVF. This lack of TRICARE coverage makes it harder for members of the military to build their families, and it negatively impacts mental health, recruitment and retention of top talent.

    The IVF for Military Families Act is endorsed by: RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), National Military Families Association (NMFA) and Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).

    “The majority of Americans–85%–support access to IVF, one of the most effective medical treatments for those struggling to build their family,” said Barbara Collura, President/CEO, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. “Yet so many people are shut out of accessing this care, including the brave Americans who serve in the military. They assume they will have the best medical care possible, yet we make it so hard for them to start or grow their family while serving our country. This injustice can be fixed by passing the IVF for Military Families Act, a bill that simply provides parity to the comprehensive IVF coverage that Members of Congress and their staff have now. There is no need to wait–let’s get this passed.” 

    “The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) is proud to support the IVF for Military Families Act. With higher rates of infertility impacting the military due the dangers of the job and the unique family building challenges our men and women in uniform face, it is a no brainer that TRICARE should cover fertility treatments like IVF,” said Sean Tipton ASRM Chief Advocacy & Policy Officer. “For decades, ASRM has championed increasing access to fertility treatment for all Americans, including federal employees. This is why we thank Senators Duckworth and Murray and Congresswoman Jacobs and Congressman Larsen for their leadership on legislation to ensure that military families have no less than the same fertility benefits available to Members of Congress. This should be a bipartisan issue, and we are hopeful the administration will look closely at this bill as it considers way to expand access and reduce out of pocket costs for IVF.”

    Duckworth has been leading the charge to protect IVF for the millions of Americans who rely on it nationwide. Last Congress, Duckworth and Murray introduced the Right to IVF Act in the Senate—a sweeping legislative package that would both establish a nationwide right to IVF and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) as well as lower the costs of IVF treatment for middle-class families. Despite many of Republicans publicly claiming to support IVF, nearly every Senate Republican voted against the bill in June and again in September last year. The September vote was the third time Republicans blocked Duckworth-led legislation that would protect IVF nationwide last year.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Blumenthal, Kelly, Hirono Call Out White House for Refusing to Hold Trump’s SignalGate Leakers Accountable for Putting American Servicemembers’ Lives at Risk

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    April 01, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) and U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—along with SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) called out the White House for declaring SignalGate—the most devastating and significant national security breach in years—“case-closed” without holding any senior Administration officials responsible for leaking classified information through an unclassified communications channel, putting the lives of our servicemembers at greater risk. In her remarks, Duckworth called on Republicans to join her in demanding congressional hearings and an independent investigation to look into the Trump officials on the Signal chat—urging her colleagues on the other side of the aisle to remember that they serve the people of this country, not Donald Trump’s ego. Full video of the presser is available on Twitter/X, Facebook and Senator Duckworth’s YouTube.

    “It is outrageous that Donald Trump is trying to sweep SignalGate under the rug—declaring this egregious national security breach ‘case closed’ with absolutely no repercussions for anyone involved—after Pete Hegseth and others in the Administration put our troops—and our national security—at even greater risk,” said Senator Duckworth. “If Republicans actually care about our troops like they proclaim, they must do the bare minimum and join me in demanding an independent investigation as well as hearings looking into every official who was on that Signal chat—and Trump must fire Hegseth immediately for leaking classified information. With each second Hegseth remains Secretary of Defense, his incompetence emboldens our adversaries, weakens our national security and makes Americans less safe.”

    “The Trump Administration’s reckless Signal chat security breach is appalling and chillingly dangerous to our military men and women,” said Senator Blumenthal. “This shocking and dangerous failure to maintain operational security at the highest levels of leadership demands accountability. While the White House is turning a blind eye to the Trump Cabinet’s carelessness with classified information—claiming it’s “case closed”—many questions remain and the American people deserve answers. Our Republican colleagues need to step up and face up to this breakdown in security that put our pilots at unacceptable higher risk. Until then, I will continue to call for a comprehensive criminal investigation into how this security breach occurred and demand that Secretary Hegseth and Waltz resign.”

    “As someone who has planned and executed strikes off an aircraft carrier, I know there is no more sensitive information than the time on target for aircraft conducting a military strike over hostile territory,” said Senator Kelly. “The lack of accountability from those in this chat—and from the White House—isn’t just reprehensible, it’s dangerous. The American people deserve answers, and our servicemembers deserve leadership that protects them, not politics that puts them in harm’s way.” 

    “The Signal chat security breach reaffirms what we have known all along—that Trump’s national security officials are fundamentally unfit to serve,” said Senator Hirono. “Sharing attack plans, timing, and targets on devices that may well be compromised by adversaries endangered the lives of our servicemembers. Despite jeopardizing our national security, no one involved in this debacle has offered any assurance that this will not happen again or taken accountability for their actions. That is unacceptable. Democrats will continue working to understand exactly how this grave security breach happened and hold those responsible for this fiasco accountable.”

    Since he was first nominated, Duckworth has made it clear that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is unqualified to lead our men and women in uniform. During Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, Duckworth demonstrated some of the areas where he lacks the experience or knowledge that any serious Defense Secretary nominee should have, grilling him on basic questions that he failed to answer. She asked him if he ever led an audit, and he would not confirm. She asked him to describe at least one of the main international security agreements a Secretary of Defense is responsible for leading, and he could not name any. She asked him to name at least one nation that is a part of ASEAN, an organization with several member states that have mutual defense treaties, alliances or enhanced defense cooperation agreements with the US, but none of the three countries he named are part of the organization.

    After The Atlantic reported that Hegseth sent classified war plans in a Signal group chat with other Trump Administration officials, putting the lives of our men and women in uniform at greater risk and undermining the effectiveness of the mission, Duckworth released a statement demanding his resignation and calling him a “f*cking liar.”

    Last week, Duckworth joined fellow SASC member Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and 14 other Senate colleagues in calling on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), SASC and SFRC to hold hearings to investigate why members of President Trump’s national security team were recklessly discussing classified military operations on unsecured devices. In the letter, the Senators also criticized the incompetence and carelessness of how these Trump officials mishandled the situation and inadvertently added a journalist to the group chat. Additionally, Duckworth joined Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and 12 of her colleagues in demanding answers from President Trump about what disciplinary action will be taken in response to SignalGate and emphasized that the Administration is in direct violation of the Presidential Records Act.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Risch, Merkley Introduce Bill to Remove Roadblocks for Youth Corps Public Lands Projects

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho James E Risch

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced legislation to reduce federal cost-sharing requirements for public lands projects performed by qualified youth or conservation corps from 25% to 10%.

    “Current cost-sharing requirements prevent youth conservation corps from carrying out important public lands projects,” said Risch. “My bill reduces this barrier to better allow our youth corps to enhance our public lands while instilling life skills and job training to the future workforce.”

    “As more work falls on the Youth Corps due to cuts at federal agencies, it has never been more important to support its critical work to enhance our public lands,” said Merkley. “The Corps’ conservation and wildfire resiliency efforts have built a pipeline for talented young people to develop skills that can grow into careers. Congress must take immediate action to pass this bipartisan bill that ensures our Youth Corps can expand opportunities for the next generation of leaders as stewards and protectors of our public lands.”

    Risch and Merkley are joined by U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Cartherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) in introducing the legislation.

    “This important adjustment to the Public Lands Corps Act will allow many more young Americans participate in service while protecting our communities from wildfire, improving our outdoor recreation facilities, and keeping our lands and waters healthy for generations. Conservation Corps help prepare thousands of young people each year for careers in resource management, forestry, and wildfire. We are grateful for Senator Risch’s leadership in this effort,” said Jeff Parker, CEO of Idaho Conservation Corps.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley to Introduce Legislation to Restore Fort Leonard Wood Housing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Tuesday, April 01, 2025

    Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced that he will introduce legislation to fully fund the replacement of all aging military family housing at Fort Leonard Wood. The bill comes after Hawley has already secured $113.5 million in federal funding for Fort Leonard Wood through FY2023 and FY2024 appropriations. Construction on new family housing at the base will begin this year.
     
    “We have fought long and hard for the soldiers and families at Fort Leonard Wood because they deserve adequate living conditions in return for all they sacrifice to serve their country,” said Senator Hawley. “We’ve already secured more than $100 million in federal funding to revamp Fort Leonard Wood, and I am hopeful that with the help of the President, we can get this done this year.”            

    The legislation would: 

    1. Require the Secretary of the Army to conduct a military construction project or military construction projects to replace 1,142 houses at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
    2. Authorize $700 million for the Secretary of the Army to complete this project.

    Senator Hawley has long been an advocate for new housing at Fort Leonard Wood. To date, he has secured $113.5 million in federal funding for new housing for Missouri’s men and women in uniform through FY2023 and FY2024 appropriations.

    Read the bill text here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Leads Missouri Delegation in Doubling Down on USPS Audit Request

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) led members of the Missouri Congressional delegation—including Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Ann Wagner (Mo.), Robert Onder (Mo.), Jason Smith (Mo.), Sam Graves (Mo.), and Eric Burlison (Mo.) — in sending a letter to USPS Inspector General Tammy Hull requesting an audit of the St. Louis region mail network. This letter follows up on a request the Senator made for an audit of the region nearly a year ago, but the USPS Office of Inspector General chose not to focus on the St. Louis region and instead sent workers to the Kansas City region.

    “Reliable mail service is essential, and these ongoing failures are unacceptable,”said Senator Hawley. “Given the continued problems in the St. Louis area, we urge you once again to conduct a targeted audit of postal facilities and distribution centers in St. Louis County, St. Charles County, and the City of St. Louis. Identifying and addressing the root causes of these service failures is critical to restoring trust in USPS operations in the region.”

    Senator Hawley has been a consistent champion of rural mail delivery and repeatedly excoriated USPS leadership for proposals that would further disenfranchise Americans living outside cities.  

    Read the full letter here or below. 

    The Honorable Tammy Whitcomb Hull Inspector General
    United States Postal Service
    1735 N. Lynn Street 
    Arlington, Virginia, 22209-2020 

    Dear Inspector General Hull,

    We are writing once again to raise concerns about ongoing mail delivery issues affecting the St. Louis region. In April 2024, Senator Hawley’s office formally requested an audit of post offices and distribution centers in St. Louis County, St. Charles County, and the City of St. Louis. In response, your office indicated that it would proceed with a previously scheduled audit of the broader Kansas-Missouri Postal District. However, that effort did not specifically address the challenges faced by residents in the St. Louis area. Since that time, mail service in the region has not improved.

    Residents in the St. Louis area continue to face significant mail delivery disruptions. Many experience persistent delays, while some go extended periods without receiving any mail at all. Concerns continue to grow over packages that end up being shuffled between St. Louis area post offices for weeks on end or payments arriving late due to the Postal Service’s ongoing issues. One individual shared that they have received mail a total of ten times so far in 2025; this is simply unacceptable. Others have struggled to access critical prescription medications and Social Security checks, creating unnecessary hardships.

    Reliable mail service is essential, and these ongoing failures are unacceptable. Given the continued problems in the St. Louis area, we urge you once again to conduct a targeted audit of postal facilities and distribution centers in St. Louis County, St. Charles County, and the City of St. Louis. Identifying and addressing the root causes of these service failures is critical to restoring trust in USPS operations in the region.

    We request that your office provide a response by April 15, 2025, outlining any plans to assess and improve mail delivery in the St. Louis area, along with a timeline for completing this much-needed audit.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. 

    Sincerely,

    Josh Hawley
    United States Senator

    Eric Schmitt
    United States Senator

    Ann Wagner
    Member of Congress             

    Robert Onder
    Member of Congress             

    Jason Smith
    Member of Congress 

    Sam Graves
    Member of Congress

    Eric Burlison
    Member of Congress

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin Pushes Trump Administration to Deliver Dairy Farmers Fair Share of Bipartisan Disaster Relief

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin called on the Trump Administration to provide immediate relief for dairy farmers in Wisconsin. Congressionally approved funding must be released to help farmers deal with extreme weather that is driving up costs and jeopardizing small- and medium-sized operations across the state. Late last year, Republicans and Democrats in Congress passed the American Relief Act, a measure that extended the 2018 Farm Bill and provided $31 billion in aid for farmers, including $21 billion in disaster funding. Senator Baldwin called on the Trump Administration to expedite getting those funds to Wisconsin Dairy farmers and producers who have been impacted by extreme weather – including drought and flooding – which has impacted livestock and driven up the cost of feed among other challenges.

    “Over the past few years, Wisconsin has lost one to two dairy farms a day to bankruptcy, and family farmers have done everything in their power to keep their livestock healthy, feed their families, and maintain farm operations,” wrote Senator Baldwin in a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brook Rollins. “However, it is not getting any easier for the industry due to mounting financial stress from severe weather, market instability, and increased input costs. The disaster aid funding included in the American Relief Act is an opportunity for your agency to make good on the bipartisan promise to provide much needed relief. Dairy farmers and producers in Wisconsin deserve a fair share of the disaster assistance to help mitigate the devastating losses they have incurred these last two years.”

    In her letter, Senator Baldwin demanded USDA make this disaster relief available quickly to farmers in a way that recognizes the challenges and diverse needs of the dairy industry. This includes the unique impacts of severe weather and milk loss on the whole industry, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach, including delivering aid to organic and conventional dairy farmers, as well as processors. Senator Baldwin also called on the Trump Administration to consider the financial impact of feed availability as a result of severe weather and the subsequent loss of dairy production when administering disaster relief.

    “The dairy industry is the backbone of Wisconsin’s rural communities and our economy. Wisconsin’s dairy farmers provide vital nutrition and food security for families and children across the nation,” concluded Senator Baldwin. “It is imperative that they receive the assistance that Congress directed in the American Relief Act to weather these difficult times, in a manner that is both timely and meets the needs of diverse industry partners.”

    A full version of this letter is available here and below.

    Dear Secretary Rollins:

    I am writing to bring your attention to the need for disaster relief for dairy farmers, particularly those in Wisconsin. The unprecedented weather conditions over the past few years have severely impacted Wisconsin farmers and producers at no fault of their own. I am requesting that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) administer the remaining disaster aid Congress provided in the bipartisan American Relief Act expeditiously and in a manner that meets the diverse needs of the dairy industry.

    Wisconsin, America’s Dairyland, has faced increasingly severe weather in the past two years. In 2023, unprecedented flooding, unseasonably cold temperatures, and irregular precipitation caused extensive damage to dairy farms, impacting both on-farm infrastructure and feed quality for herds. These conditions, compounded by high input costs and market instability, placed extreme financial pressure on Wisconsin dairy farmers. The following year brought another round of extreme weather, including severe drought and flooding conditions. Fields were saturated for extended periods of time during the growing season, damaging crops or making it impossible to plant. Wisconsin leads the nation in silage production, and the lost growing season created additional costs in supplemental feed for herds.

    Over the past few years, Wisconsin has lost one to two dairy farms a day to bankruptcy, and family farmers have done everything in their power to keep their livestock healthy, feed their families, and maintain farm operations. However, it is not getting any easier for the industry due to mounting financial stress from severe weather, market instability, and increased input costs. The disaster aid funding included in the American Relief Act is an opportunity for your agency to make good on the bipartisan promise to provide much needed relief. Dairy farmers and producers in Wisconsin deserve a fair share of the disaster assistance to help mitigate the devastating losses they have incurred these last two years.

    Therefore, I urge USDA to ensure that the disaster aid made available through the American Relief Act is allocated expeditiously and in a way that recognizes the challenges of this diverse industry.  The agency should consider the unique impacts of severe weather and milk loss on the whole industry, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach. Any final package should include aid for organic and conventional dairy farmers, as well as processors. Moreover, I ask that the agency take into consideration the financial impact of feed availability as a result of severe weather and the subsequent loss of dairy production.

    The dairy industry is the backbone of Wisconsin’s rural communities and our economy. Wisconsin’s dairy farmers provide vital nutrition and food security for families and children across the nation. It is imperative that they receive the assistance that Congress directed in the American Relief Act to weather these difficult times, in a manner that is both timely and meets the needs of diverse industry partners. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin Introduces Legislation to Lower Drug Costs and Hold Big Pharma Accountable for Price Hikes

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined her colleagues Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in introducing the Lower Drug Costs for Families Act to make prescription drugs more affordable, hold Big Pharma accountable, and reduce the national deficit by billions of dollars. The bill would do so by punishing drug companies for raising prescription drug prices in the commercial market faster than the rate of inflation, including those on private health insurance and employer-sponsored health plans. The legislation builds on the Baldwin-backed Inflation Reduction Act’s work to lower health costs for seniors with Medicare by protecting Wisconsinites from outrageous increases in prescription drug prices.

    “Everywhere I go in Wisconsin, I hear from families who need relief from the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs. Too often big corporations can jack up drug prices on a whim, leaving Wisconsinites stuck between paying through the nose or forgoing their medication while big pharmaceutical companies get richer,” said Senator Baldwin. “This legislation will build on our work to lower costs for Wisconsin families and protect all Americans from big drug companies’ outrageous price hikes.”

    Under current law, drug companies only have to pay back money if they raise their prices faster than inflation on drugs covered by Medicare. The Lower Drug Costs for Families Act would expand this successful program by:

    1. Counting the number of drugs sold to people with private insurance when calculating penalties owed to Medicare for drug price hikes, effectively ensuring that Big Pharma faces consequences for overcharging more than 180 million Americans and
    2. Extending Medicare solvency by returning collected fines directly to the Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund.

    This legislation has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers, Patients for Affordable Drugs Now, and the United Mine Workers of America.

    Full text of the legislation is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin, Courtney Introduce Legislation to Protect Health Care Workers from Workplace Violence

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT-02) introduced legislation to protect health care workers from workplace violence. The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Worker Act would ensure that health care and social service workplaces implement proven techniques and are prepared to respond in the tragic event of a violent incident. Health care and social service workers were victims of 76 percent of all nonfatal injuries from workplace violence in 2020.

    “Nurses, doctors, and anyone who is working to give our families health care deserve to work in a place that they are safe and free from violence, but in recent years we’ve seen workplace violence skyrocket,” said Senator Baldwin. “We rely on our health care workers every day to protect our communities, and in turn, we need to protect them from senseless acts of violence. That’s why I am introducing legislation to give our health care professionals long-overdue basic protections, helping address our healthcare workforce shortage and keeping our frontline heroes safe.”

    “No worker—especially those we rely on for care—should be injured or killed on the job. Unfortunately, this workforce endures more violence than any other workforce in America. Tragically, a dedicated nurse from eastern Connecticut was murdered on the job in 2023 during a solo home-health visit to an extremely high risk patient with a criminal history of violence. Joyce’s preventable death was a reminder of the urgent need for Congress to buck up and act,” said Representative Courtney.  “Our legislation would put proven tactics into practice in hospitals and health care settings across the country to prevent violence before it happens. I’m grateful for the bipartisan coalition— backed by the support of the workers directly affected by this violence—who has worked tirelessly to move this legislation forward year after year.” 

    The Workplace Violence Prevention in Healthcare and Social Services Act directs the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue a standard requiring health care and social service employers to write and implement a workplace violence prevention plan to prevent and protect employees from violent incidents.

    While workplace violence trends were increasing before the pandemic, recent research suggests the problem has worsened considerably, contributing to staffing shortages. Nearly half of nurses surveyed in 2023 reported an increase in workplace violence.

    In the Senate, the legislation is cosponsored by Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA) Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Chris Coons (D-DE).

    The legislation is supported by AFL-CIO, AFSCME, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Federation of Teachers, American Nephrology Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, American Physical Therapy Association, American Public Health Association, Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses, Emergency Nurses Association, IMPACT in Healthcare, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union), Maryland Chapter of American College of Emergency Physicians, National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, National Association of Social Workers, National Nurses United, PhilaPOSH, Public Citizen, and the United Steelworkers.

    “No nurse should have to fear for their safety while caring for patients. Yet, workplace violence remains a persistent and escalating crisis in health care, putting both providers and patients at risk,” says Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, President of the American Nurses Association. “We know that health care and social service workers are five times as likely to suffer a workplace violence injury than workers overall, and one in four nurses report being physically assaulted. The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act is a necessary and urgent step toward ensuring that all health care professionals have the safeguards they need. We urge Congress to act now to pass this critical legislation and protect those who dedicate their lives to caring for others.” 

    “Violence at work is something emergency department nurses are all too familiar with, and that shouldn’t be the case. For that reason, meaningful solutions that mitigate and reduce workplace violence in health care are long overdue,” said Emergency Nurses Association President Ryan Oglesby, PhD, MHA, RN, CEN, CFRN, NEA-BC. “The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act has been an ENA Legislative priority for years. Thank you to Sen. Baldwin and Rep. Courtney for their continued efforts to bring this legislation forward to help improve workplace violence prevention plans that keep the safety of health care staff and patients at the forefront.”

    “I want to thank Congressman Joe Courtney and Senator Baldwin for leading this very important piece of legislation intended to improve the safety and well-being of those tasked with our health and well-being,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “IAM Healthcare represents thousands of healthcare professionals across the nation. Worker safety equals patient safety, and the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Services Workers Act is a step in the right direction for ensuring these heroes are protected as healthcare corporations fail to implement effective violence prevention measures.”

    “Nurses need federal lawmakers to take swift action to protect us and our patients from preventable violence,” said Nancy Hagans, RN and president of National Nurses United. “For years, employers have refused to work with us to implement workplace violence prevention plans and to address the staffing crisis that creates the conditions for workplace violence. Congress can support frontline health care workers by requiring employers to invest in proven measures to prevent violence in our workplaces. We applaud Rep. Courtney and Sen. Baldwin for reintroducing this critical legislation that will save so many lives. Studies have shown that the most effective way to reduce health care violence is to have a plan in place before violence occurs. Nurses across the country urge Congress to use its power to save lives and swiftly pass the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act.”

    “Public Citizen congratulates Representative Joe Courtney and Senator Tammy Baldwin on the reintroduction of the ‘Workplace Violence Prevention for Healthcare and Social Service Workers Act,’ said Juley Fulcher, Worker Health and Safety Advocate, Public Citizen. “The committed work of our physical and mental healthcare workers is invaluable to the wellbeing of our families and communities. Healthcare workers throughout the United States, often working long hours for limited pay, bear the brunt of understandable patient and family frustrations with a health care system that increasingly limits access to affordable health care. No worker should ever face violence at the workplace, especially not those laboring to care for our bodies and minds.”

    “Workplace violence is a preventable scourge that impacts millions of frontline health care workers and their patients every day. Our nurses, health techs, social service workers and other professionals deserve much better than their current reality. They take care of us when we need them—and devote their careers to looking after the aging, the sick and the injured—yet they’re still, after all these years, fighting for basic, enforceable safety standards,” said American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. “That’s why the AFT launched our Code Red campaign to tackle violence, secure safe patient limits and improve the quality of care patients receive; and it’s why this bill is so crucial. I thank Rep. Joe Courtney and Sen. Tammy Baldwin for introducing this bill and urge its quick passage.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray Joins Senator Booker on Senate Floor to Slam Trump for Firing VA Workers, Cutting Benefits for Veterans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ***VIDEO HERE***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair, and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, took to the Senate floor to join Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) as he holds the Senate floor in a marathon speech that has lasted 20 hours and counting. Murray spoke on the Senate floor with Booker about supporting our nation’s veterans as the Trump administration has made clear in recent weeks that they intend to pursue massive layoffs that will severely undercut the Department of Veterans Affairs and risk veterans’ benefits and care.

    Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered on the Senate floor today, are below and HERE:

    “Will the Senator yield for a question?

    “Well, I thank the Senator from New Jersey. Thank you for your kind words. And I would just say the country is so grateful for what you are doing right now because so many people are so frightened, worried, scared, and angry about what is happening to the basic values of this country that so many people have just thought would be there.

    “That their kids would be able to go to school and get an education and not have to worry that the Department of Education was going to be gone, and there wasn’t a watchdog anymore, somebody to help them.

    “Or that the research at NIH was going to be dismantled – perhaps they had a family member who was in the middle of some kind of scientific experiment that is now being dismantled.

    “What happens to their hope?

    “I hear from people on so many topics, seniors who are waiting on hold for hours and then getting hung up on because there’s nobody to answer the phone anymore.

    “These are basic values that we have as a country, that we care for other human beings, and we’re there as a country for them.

    “And you are showing that fight today and inspiring so many people, and I will ask you a question in a minute, but I want to personally thank you for what you are doing today, it is so important. You are the voice of so many people today and I so appreciate it.

    “Now I want to change the dynamic a little bit. I wanted to come today, you have talked about the impact on so many areas in our country, but I wanted to come and ask about something really personal to me, and that is the impact on our veterans today.

    “The Senator may not know this, but when I came to the Senate many years ago, I asked to be on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. I was the first woman ever to ask to be on the Veterans’ Committee.

    “And the reason for me was very personal, as you may know my dad was a World War II veteran and my family relied on his VA care when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

    “But I also, when I was in college during the Vietnam War, many of my friends and colleagues were on the streets demonstrating and you know my heart was out to them. But I was thinking about those men and women, my age, who were going over to Vietnam and coming back injured in many different ways.

    “So I actually did my college internship, I asked to be at the Seattle VA. And I went to the Seattle VA during the Vietnam War and served on what was the psychiatric ward at the time, and I sat and worked with young men and women who were my age, in college age, who had been sent there and came back with severe mental health impacts. Now, today we call that PTSD, but at the time we didn’t know it. And I was looking at these men and women who volunteered to go over, or sometimes their number came up at the time, and came home and were going to be impacted the rest of their lives.

    “And I learned firsthand what it means when somebody says, ‘I will go for my country to fight for all of you, so that you have that America that you’ve been talking about here for you when you get home.’

    “And our promise to each and every one of them was, if you serve your country in the military, we will take care of you when you get home. That is a promise I hold near and dear to my heart, which is why I asked to be on the Veterans’ Committee when I first came here, first woman ever.

    “And I will tell you I’ve seen the impact time and time again. I go home and I hold town halls when I was newly here, and there’d be a lot of veterans who’d come and talk to me and tell me what’s going on, what needed to be fixed.

    “But always at that time, I will share with my colleagues, women never said anything. There were a few always in the back of the room, and it wasn’t until the regular meeting was over and they’d come up quietly to me and say, ‘I need to tell you what’s happening to women veterans. I need to share with you sexual assault. I need to share with you that there’s not the facilities. I go to VA and it’s a men’s only kind of place, there’s no OBGYNs, there’s nobody to do mammographies, and I often don’t feel comfortable sitting in that waiting room, with a whole lot of people, after I have had the experiences that I’ve had, and there’s no place for women to go.’

    “So, we’ve worked really hard to make sure VA works for women. We’ve worked really hard to make sure VA addresses the issues of today.

    “The PACT Act that we worked so hard to make sure that men and women who were victims of toxic exposure overseas got the services they need.

    “I could speak for two hours here about all the things we’ve done.

    “But then I see what this administration is doing to those men and women who we asked as a country to serve overseas or here at home, in service of all of us and the promises we’ve made them. And I think, what are they doing? They’re undermining the very value that all of us have given to Americans who serve above and beyond.

    “So, when I hear of 2,000 layoffs a few weeks ago. I go, wow, where’s that coming from? Well, I know, because I’m getting the phone calls, like I’m sure you are, from a VA researcher who has been taken off the job, fired, unexplained, told he wasn’t doing a good enough job, somehow. Doing research on basic things like prosthetics, or doing basic research on PTSD, or doing basic research on the kinds of things that our men and women who serve overseas are subjected to and need to come home and have the specialized service and resources that they need. Or I hear from veterans who can’t get the services that they’ve then asked for.

    “So now, when we are hearing this administration is about to cut 80,000, you didn’t hear me wrong, 80,000 more people from VA, a vast majority themselves are veterans.

    “I wanted to ask the Senator, how does that hit you? How do you feel about that?

    “Will the Senator yield for an additional question?

    “The Senator is right, and so many veterans are afraid right now.

    “And I had a veteran tell me that he was one of those people that got the letter, ‘you haven’t performed well.’ He worked for the National Park Service, actually, and he said, ‘I’ve been saving lives. I’ve been cleaning trails. I’ve been making sure that the National Parks are safe for all of you.’

    “And then he said to me, ‘I’m a veteran. I served in the war, and I served my country there because I wanted to serve my country and my fellow Americans, and I came home and worked for the National Park Service to do the same. And now as a veteran my country is not there for me.’

    “And I would just say to my colleague and to everyone who’s listening, do these men and women that we make a promise to, that we say we will be there for you when you come home. That does not mean slamming a door in your face. It doesn’t mean that you have to wait for hours to get the services that you earned. It doesn’t mean that you will be mistreated.

    “It means that we will honor you, and I would thank the Senator for his response, and just say to him again, do you think we’re treating men and women in this country, us great Americans, by the actions that are being taken by this administration?”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At Senate Hearing, Senator Murray Highlights Devastating Cuts to VA Workforce, and Presses Nominees on Willingness to Comply with the Law

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

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

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

    *** VIDEO of Senator Murray’s Remarks and Questioning HERE***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, at a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing to consider pending nominations, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, questioned Lieutenant Colonel James Baehr, nominee to be the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and Captain Richard Topping, nominee to be Chief Financial Officer at VA. Senator Murray pressed the nominees on the Trump administration’s plans to fire over 80,000 VA employees, and how those cuts will harm veterans’ earned benefits and services. Senator Murray also underscored her concern with how this administration is picking and choosing which laws to follow instead of reviewing compliance with every law Congress passed to ensure care for veterans.

    Senator Murray began by emphasizing the sacred oath we make to our veterans, that we will take care of them when they return home, and questioning Mr. Baehr on the impact of mass firing tens of thousands of employees at VA. “I, and many of us, are very concerned about Trump’s plan now to fire over 80,000 VA employees and how that would seriously disrupt veterans being able to access not just their obviously, education benefits, but their disability benefits, their home loan benefits, all that they’ve earned.”

    “Do you support those widespread cuts to VA’s workforce?,” Murray asked Mr. Baehr.

    Mr. Baehr dodged the question, saying: “I’m not at the VA and have no role in any of those choices or decisions. As an individual who uses VA myself, of course I want to ensure we have the best services and benefits—I also as a veteran want to see the VA improve and I think this entire committee does as well. So, I would review the law, and I would advise the Secretary on following a legal path and pursuing his vision for putting the veteran at the center of all that we do, if confirmed.”

    Senator Murray followed up, “Do you think that firing 80,000 people will make it more or less difficult for veterans to get access?”

    “I have not looked at the situation myself,” Mr. Baher replied, dodging again. “And I don’t know—I have just read the public reporting on it. I understand there is some exempt positions. The Secretary said that he is focused on care for veterans and making sure veterans don’t lose care or benefits. So, I don’t know where those opportunities for efficiency, or not, exist in this system. My role, if confirmed, would be to ensure that everything we do is lawful and compliant with Title V, Title 38, and other rules and regulations.”

    Senator Murray continued, asking Mr. Topping and Mr. Baehr on the ability of DOGE and the Trump administration to pick and choose which laws to follow: “I would just remind all of us that this is a people organization and if we fire 80,000 people, it’s going to be really challenging and difficult—if not impossible—for our veterans to get the care and benefits that they’ve earned… This Committee has worked to pass a lot of really important pieces of legislation that require vital changes at the VA. That includes the Caregivers Program that passed when I was chair of the Committee, as well as the Deborah Sampson Act and of course the PACT Act, which just passed recently. During Secretary Collins’ nomination hearing, he testified that he agreed with providing vital health care and benefits to veterans, and that we have to get it right.”

    “However, I just have to say—I have really serious concerns that this administration now is picking and choosing which laws to follow, which means not living up to the promises we have made our veterans and really ignoring the intent of Congress. For example, we know that VA is doing a review to determine whether it is fully compliant with the MISSION Act, but not reviewing compliance with any other piece of legislation. Mr. Topping let me just start with you, is the PACT Act less important that the MISSION Act?”

    Mr. Topping responded, “Senator, I think all the legislation passed by this Congress is important.”

    “Should VA pick and choose which laws to follow?” Senator Murray pressed.

    Mr. Topping replied, “Senator, I think like any organization with limited resources, time, and capabilities, there is always a prioritization, none is more or less important. But I think what the Secretary said he’s doing is—he’s focused on maximizing efficiency, redeploying those resources so they’re front-facing and essential of veterans, and ensuring that the veteran remains at the center of everything that we do. I am not there, I am not exactly sure how the prioritization works, but I understand what the Secretary has articulated his goals to be.”

    Senator Murray turned the same question to Mr. Baehr, to which he replied: “I believe that the VA should follow all the laws, and if confirmed I would advise the Secretary on how he can fulfill his role in the best course of action with all the laws and regulations that are passed by Congress.”

    “I just have a few seconds left and I just want to ask you, Mr. Baehr, do you think it’s legal for DOGE to have access to veterans’ personal information?” Senator Murray followed up.  

    Mr. Baehr responded, “Senator, again, I am not at VA, and I am not familiar with what is going on. I’m just operating with what I have read in the public news. And there are… significant protections for veterans’ information. All three veterans before you, our information is in VA, so we are certainly sympathetic. I don’t want anyone looking at my podiatry records or other…”

    “Personal, financial, health, all of that,” Senator Murray interjected. “So, if the Department is given directives by DOGE, or by the White House, that you believe are illegal, will you follow those directives?”

    “I will always pursue the Constitution and follow the laws. I don’t believe I will be given illegal directives, but I will always follow the law,” Mr. Baehr replied.

    Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee—as the daughter of a World War II veteran, supporting veterans and their families has always been an important priority for her. Senator Murray has been a leading voice in the Seante speaking out forcefully against President Trump and Elon Musk’s mass firing of VA employees and VA researchers across the country and Elon Musk and DOGE’s infiltration of the VA, including accessing veterans’ sensitive personal information. In recent weeks, Senator Murray and her colleagues sent letters to VA Secretary Doug Collins demanding that the VA swiftly reverse moves to cut VA researchers, as well as multiple letters pressing Secretary Collins to sever Elon Musk and DOGE’s access to any VA or other government system with information about veterans, and protect veterans, their families, and VA staff from unprecedented access to sensitive information. Senator Murray grilled Trump’s nominee for VA Deputy Secretary, Dr. Paul Lawrence, on the mass firings of VA employees and VA researchers, and voted against Doug Collins’s nomination to be VA Secretary in early February, sounding the alarm over reports of DOGE at the VA and making clear that the Trump administration’s lawlessness was putting our national security and our veterans at risk.

    A fact sheet outlining how Trump and Musk are endangering Veterans’ care is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Meets With Argonne National Lab Director As Trump Administration Threatens Future Of Scientific Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    April 01, 2025
    The Trump Administration has pushed for cuts to the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, jeopardizing the research conducted at Argonne National Lab
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Dr. Paul Kearns, Director of Argonne National Laboratory to discuss the future of scientific research as the Trump Administration takes aim at federal research institutions.  During their meeting, Durbin and Dr. Kearns spoke about the disastrous impact of the Trump Administration’s funding cuts and freezes to scientific research.
    Durbin and Dr. Kearns also discussed Illinois’ position as a leader in quantum computing research.  In February, Durbin introduced his bipartisan DOE Quantum Leadership Act, which would authorize more than $2.5 billion over the next five years for quantum research at the Department of Energy.
    “Illinois is home to premier research institutions, including Argonne National Lab.  But the Trump Administration fails to understand just how critical our scientists and researchers are in pushing our country forward,” said Durbin.  “It was a pleasure to speak with Dr. Kearns, Director of Argonne National Lab, today.  I reiterated my commitment to defending federal funding to research institutions, especially our national labs, as they lead us to the future of quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and the other technologies of tomorrow.”
    Photos of the meeting are available here.
    Durbin has been a strong supporter of pushing quantum research forward.  Last July, he visited MxD in Chicago to discuss integrating quantum technology into manufacturing processes.  He also joined Illinois leaders to announce the new partnership between the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Illinois – Quantum Proving Ground – to promote quantum computing research, development, and manufacturing in the state.  In June 2024, Durbin met with Dr. Stefanie Tompkins, Director of   DARPA, to discuss Illinois’ role in R&D in the defense industry.  In February, he met with IBM to discuss the National Quantum Algorithms Center, which IBM plans to build in Chicago.
    Last summer, Durbin joined Illinois leaders in celebrating the newly-announced location of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park’s (IQMP) location at USX on the South Side of Chicago and the announcement of the quantum campus’ first anchor tenant, PsiQuantum. Illinois plans to invest $500 million into the new quantum campus to attract Fortune 500 companies and startups in quantum computing.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Rounds Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Retain International Graduates With Advanced STEM Degrees

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    April 01, 2025

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) today introduced bipartisan legislation that would streamline the path for advanced Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) international graduates who studied at our nation’s universities to remain in the United States. Last year, nearly half of U.S. graduate students in key fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor-related programs were born abroad. U.S. Senator Angus King (I-VT) is a cosponsor of the Keep STEM Talent Act.

    “Maintaining a strong STEM workforce strengthens our economy, creates jobs, and enhances our ability to compete on the world stage,” Durbin said. “By denying international students with advanced STEM degrees the opportunity to continue their work in America, we are losing their talents to countries overseas and won’t see the positive impacts of their American education. I thank Senator Rounds for joining me in this commonsense and bipartisan effort.”

    “Legal, highly skilled STEM immigration is crucial for our nation and has opened doors for talented immigrants like Albert Einstein to come to America,” said Rounds. “Particularly with the advancements of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, we must keep talent in the United States and stay ahead of our near peer competitors such as China and Russia. This bill enhances national security by imposing new, stringent vetting requirements, while also making certain talent stays serving the United States, not our adversaries.”

    Specifically, the Keep STEM Talent Act:

    • Addresses Green Card Backlogs: This legislation would exempt advanced STEM graduates who are educated at U.S. universities and have a job offer in the United States, along with their spouse and children, from numerical limitations for employment based green cards. 
    • Protects U.S. Workers: This legislation would protect American STEM workers by requiring that employers sponsoring foreign STEM graduates under this bill recruit U.S. workers first and agree to pay workers hired above-average wages.   
    • Permits Dual Intent: Currently, a student visa holder cannot apply for a green card while in student status. This legislation would allow advanced STEM degree students at U.S. universities to have a dual intent, meaning that they will not lose their student visa status if they are sponsored by an employer for a green card.
    • Imposes Rigorous Vetting: This legislation requires advanced degree students in STEM fields to apply for a visa or status before starting their advanced degree program, requiring them to undergo rigorous vetting and address any national security or counterintelligence concerns prior to being approved for student status.

    Endorsers of the Keep STEM Talent Act include: the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers USA; American Mathematical Society; American Physical Society; the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO; American Federation of Teachers; SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics; Association of American Universities; Information Technology Industry Council; American Council on Education; International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers; Society of Women Engineers; NAFSA: Association of International Educators; Optica; American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey Joins Resolution Celebrating International Transgender Day of Visibility

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Washington (March 31, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) joined Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and a group of 19 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.

    “Trans Day of Visibility is a call to recommit to the fight for trans and nonbinary people’s right to exist. In the face of a systemic campaign to dehumanize, silence, and suppress trans and nonbinary people, I will continue fighting not just for a future free from discrimination and harassment but for joy, equity, and opportunity. Trans rights are human rights,” said Senator Markey.

    The resolution is cosponsored by Senators John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), 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 the resolution is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sens. Markey, Cruz Secure 60 Cosponsors for Bipartisan Legislation to Protect AM Radio

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Washington (April 1, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today celebrated their AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act securing a filibuster-proof 60 cosponsors in the Senate. This bipartisan and bicameral legislation would direct federal regulators to require automakers to include AM broadcast radio in their new vehicles at no additional charge.

    “With the addition of a 60th cosponsor, our AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act hit a key milestone, demonstrating the broad, bipartisan support for this commonsense bill. From emergency response to sports, entertainment, and news, AM radio is a lifeline for tens of millions of Americans. We are proud to fight for this legislation and ensure that AM radio can continue to play an important role in our constituents’ lives.”

    Senate cosponsors of the AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act include Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), John Hoeven (R-N.D.),  Jim Justice (R-W.V.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Dave McCormick (R-Penn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

    In May 2023, Senators Markey and Cruz led their colleagues in introducing the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act and reintroduced the legislation in January 2025. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act passed through the Senate Commerce Committee in February 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Leaders of the House, Senate VA Committee & VA Appropriations Request Cost Estimate for VA Electronic Health Record

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas – Jerry Moran

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs – led a bipartisan, bicameral group of leaders from the Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs and Appropriations Committees in requesting the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) submit an updated schedule and cost estimate to Congress for the Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program.

    Sen. Moran was joined by Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman and Ranking Member – Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) – House and Senate Appropriations Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee leadership – Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).

    VA recently announced an accelerated deployment schedule of the EHRM program that includes nine additional VA medical centers in 2026 as part of its effort to restart the stalled modernization program. The members’ request follows a Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommendation to produce an updated cost estimate for EHRM before moving forward with the accelerated deployment schedule.

    “The need for a cost estimate is further underscored by practical necessity,” wrote the members. “Without a reliable cost estimate, VA risks budget overruns, schedule delays, and diminished congressional trust. Compliance with these laws, directives, and GAO recommendations is a critical step to ensuring EHRM’s success and accountability.”

    In 2019, the program was initially estimated to cost $16.1 billion over a decade. An independent cost estimate conducted by the Institute for Defense Analysis in October 2021 estimated the project to cost up to $50 billion. After lifting a pause that was put in place on the program in April 2023, VA has not yet provided Congress with an updated cost estimate for EHRM as anticipated by a framework of federal laws and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directives governing major acquisition programs.

    The full letter can be found HERE and below.

    Dear Secretary Collins,

    I write to follow up on the recent news regarding the accelerated fielding plan for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program and request an updated schedule and cost estimate for EHRM by September 30, 2025, before fielding resumes.

    VA is legally and administratively required to provide a cost estimate for EHRM due to a framework of federal laws and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directives governing major acquisition programs. The Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-106) requires that executive agencies, including VA, adhere to OMB processes to evaluate the risks and results of all major capital investments for information systems, to include the projected and actual costs, benefits, and risks associated with the investments. OMB Circular A-11 explicitly requires life cycle cost estimates for major systems like EHRM to support planning, budgeting, oversight, and transparency. Additional OMB directives, such as Circular A-130 and Memorandum M-15-14 under the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (P.L. 113-291), reinforce that major IT programs must have validated cost estimates to secure budget approval and Chief Information Officer oversight. The Federal Acquisition Regulation operationalizes these mandates by requiring cost analysis for acquisition planning. These requirements ensure that the VA can manage taxpayer funds responsibly and that EHRM is aligned with its mission to improve veteran health care.

    The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has repeatedly recommended that VA develop and update cost estimates for EHRM before proceeding further, highlighting deficiencies in the Department’s financial planning related to this program. In a March 2025 GAO report entitled, Electronic Health Records: VA Making Incremental Improvements in New System but Needs Updated Cost Estimate and Schedule, GAO explicitly recommended that VA “update the EHRM’s modernization life cycle cost estimate to reflect the pause and subsequent changes,” citing a 20-month deployment halt that rendered prior estimates obsolete. Additionally, numerous VA Inspector General reports have implicitly criticized the lack of dependable cost data for EHRM, urging better oversight that presupposes updated estimates. These recommendations collectively emphasize that, without a current cost estimate, VA cannot justify – and Congress cannot have confidence in – continued EHRM investment or viability.

    The need for a cost estimate is further underscored by practical necessity. Without a reliable cost estimate, VA risks budget overruns, schedule delays, and diminished congressional trust. Compliance with these laws, directives, and GAO recommendations is a critical step to ensuring EHRM’s success and accountability.

    To that end, please provide a detailed schedule and a cost estimate for EHRM before September 30th, 2025. GAO’s Cost Estimating Guide provides a best-practice benchmark. This request aligns with persistent calls for transparency and accountability, ensuring that Congress can fully assess EHRM’s financial and operational readiness to safeguard veterans’ and taxpayers’ interests before further rollouts begin.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Nominee Testifies Before Senate Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
    ***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** 
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) held a hearing today to consider the nomination of Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the 22nd Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 
    Lt. Gen. Caine has played a key role in overseeing classified military programs. He served as Director of Special Programs in the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Special Access Program Central Office, where he advised the Secretary of Defense on highly sensitive projects. Lt. Gen. Caine also served as Associate Director for Military Affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency, acting as the principal military advisor to the agency.
    If confirmed, Lt. Gen. Caine would serve as the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces.  
    “Thank you, Lieutenant General, for your service and your willingness to step back into the gap,” said U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND). “While I agree the dismissal of your predecessor was unfortunate, it’s behind us, and I cannot think of a better person to replace General Brown than you. […] I look forward to supporting you strongly.”
    [embedded content]
    Cramer said Lt. Gen. Caine’s opening statement mentioned many things members of SASC commonly hear from witnesses, particularly his remarks in support of SASC Chairman Roger Wicker’s (R-MS) defense acquisition reform legislation. However, Cramer explained, people’s opinions often change once the status quo is disrupted by the very thing they claim to support. Cramer acknowledged Lt. Gen. Caine’s unconventional background creates an opportunity for him to be a disruptor.
    “We’re dealing with the situation right now with perhaps the most disruptive innovator becoming the first director of the most disruptive innovative agency, the Space Development Agency,” said Cramer. “He has been on leave for three months during a witch hunt. This began on the last day of the last administration. All the while, satellites don’t go up. All the while, China goes at the speed of China.” 
    Cramer said he believes there is a cultural challenge in the Pentagon, and there’s work to be done by Congress and the administration. He asked Lt. Gen. Caine to elaborate on how he can truly make a difference to protect the innovators and disruptors in the defense ecosystem.
    “You’re hitting on an area that is a point of passion for me,” responded Lt. Gen. Caine. “We have to stop admiring the problem, and we have to start executing. I do think your point about culture is where it all starts. I think we have to take an ownership and an entrepreneurial mindset to all of these reforms that are in front of us, and we can’t do this alone. We have to do it with you here in the Congress in order to actually make these changes.”
    “I’m encouraged by the leaders who are coming into the department, who have deep, substantive business background that are not known as people who admire problems,” continued Lt. Gen. Caine. “And so, if confirmed, I look forward to working with the various leaders in order to actually move the ball, and of course, working with the Congress to execute these things without continuing to admire these challenges in front of us.”
    Cramer said almost every Combatant Commander he speaks with tells him they do not have access to enough intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, and the “Air Force specifically has been on a mission to eliminate ISR as one of its key missions.” Cramer asked Lt. Gen. Caine to expound on ISR and where he sees it advancing.
    “ISR and the ability to have indications and warnings to make decisions for commanders who hold risk is a key and essential part of our overall ability to execute the missions that we must do,” said Lt. Gen. Caine.
    “And I think the Air Force should keep it as a mission,” concluded Cramer.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: Senator Mullin Addresses Concerns Related to Military Readiness and the Withdrawal from Afghanistan

    US Senate News:

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

    RELEASE: Senator Mullin Addresses Concerns Related to Military Readiness and the Withdrawal from Afghanistan

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) addressed concerns related to military readiness and the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan with Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine (Retired), President Trump’s nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Highlights of the Senator’s remarks from Lt. Gen. Caine’s Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing are available below.

    Sen. Mullin’s full remarks can be found here.
    On Lt. Gen. Dan Caine’s (Retired) return to service:
    “Your retirement didn’t last too long and the idea that you’re willing to jump back and serve just speaks volume to the true inner spirit that you have. And I want to thank for doing that. You have made a tremendous amount of sacrifice already. And you know eyes wide open what this job is going to entail. You have some real challenges ahead of you.”
    On the current state of the defense industry:
    “I know you’re familiar with the so-called Last Supper in 1994 to where we basically encouraged our defense industry to consolidate. I’m a firm believer in looking back and looking at things, where they went wrong, because since then, our defense industry really hasn’t been able to deliver on time and on budget, on some of the most critical needs we have. We’ve seen from our planes in the air, to our ships in the shipyards, to the equipment… is constantly behind what we’re needing.”
    On the need for more advanced technology in the military:
    “Today when we ask for technology that’s being used against us, or that our adversaries have already achieved, when we ask our defense industry to deliver, it’s five to seven years. If we’re lucky, it’s three, and yet it’s never on time… I feel like that this is one of the biggest threats that we have. We have a technology need today, and it’s being delivered five years from now. We are five years behind… I do feel like this is the biggest threat to our military today.” 
    On the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan:
    “It’s deeply personal to me, and I know it is to you, and anyone else that’s had the privilege of serving the nation in Afghanistan. But because of our disastrous withdrawal, I feel like there’s a hesitation in our military and our military families to actually step forward and make that sacrifice again. I think there’s a lot of doubt that the United States is able to stand behind what our first mission is, and then to be able to bring pride to those that sacrificed.”
    “With that [Afghanistan withdrawal], brings a morale issue to those that are still serving, those with sometimes the most experience in there. And I feel like we may be having a drain in knowledge of those that have sacrificed so much.” 
    Additional photos from today’s hearing can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 16 Hours Into Long Speech, Booker Discusses Trump Administration’s Failure to Address National Housing Crisis

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during his long speech, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) delivered floor remarks detailing the state of the housing affordability crisis in the United States and the Trump administration’s complete failure to address rising rent and home prices facing everyday Americans in communities across the country.

    Booker took to the Senate floor beginning at 7pm ET last night with the intention of speaking as long as he is 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.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: 18 Hours into Long Speech, Booker Highlights Harm to Farmers Brought On By Trump, Musk Policies

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – 18 hours into his long Senate floor speech, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) highlighted the chaos and uncertainty President Trump and Elon Musk are creating in rural America. Senator Booker detailed the destabilizing, devastating effects of Trump’s failure to honor existing USDA contracts and his cutting of programs that provided locally grown, nutritious food to schools and food banks. Senator Booker is also using his speech to uplift the stories of farmers who have been hurt by these policies.

    Booker took to the Senate floor beginning at 7pm ET last night with the intention of speaking as long as he is 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.

    WATCH HERE

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 17 Hours Into Long Speech, Booker Outlines Threat Trump Administration Poses to Environmental Policy, Energy Prices, Clean Energy Jobs, and Climate Action

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during his long speech, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) spoke on the Senate floor about the existential threat President Trump and his administration pose to crucial efforts to address environmental pollution and climate change, including rolling back regulations that ensure Americans have access to clean air and clean water, reversing policies that would lower energy costs for Americans, cancelling projects that would create good-paying jobs for working families, and ceding U.S. leadership in the global effort to tackle the climate crisis.

    Booker took to the Senate floor beginning at 7pm ET last night with the intention of speaking as long as he is 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.

    WATCH HERE

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 04.01.2025 Sen. Cruz Files Amicus Brief in Support of Overturning Obama-Era DHS Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action and Federal Rights, filed an amicus brief in the case Save Jobs USA v. Department of Homeland Security.
    Sen. Cruz filed the amicus brief in support of a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari, seeking Supreme Court review of an Obama-era program that granted work permits to the spouses of certain foreign nationals. The programs were implemented by the Obama and Biden administrations, and allowed career bureaucrats to circumvent Congress’s authority to define who can enter the United States on nonimmigrant visas, how long they can stay, and whether they can lawfully work while here.
    About the amicus brief, Sen. Cruz said, “For far too long, career agency bureaucrats have sought to bypass Congress’s authority to prescribe laws regarding visas. We hope the Supreme Court will grant review in this case, end immigration visa abuse, and clarify the legal process to obtain lawful immigration status in the United States.”
    Joining Sen. Cruz in filing this amicus brief were Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), and Mike Lee (R-Utah).
    Read the text for the amicus brief here.
    BACKGROUND
    In 2023, Sen. Cruz filed an amicus brief requesting the Supreme Court to review a similar case, Washington Alliance of Technology Workers v Department of Homeland Security.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Wicker Leads SASC Hearing on Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Nomination

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today chaired a hearing examining the nomination of Lieutenant General (ret.) John D. Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

    In his opening statement, Chairman Wicker underscored the tremendous responsibility that Lt. Gen. Caine would have if confirmed as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. As the Chinese Communist Party continues an expansive military buildup and the other three members of the Axis of Aggressors – Russia, Iran, and North Korea – continue to band together in opposition to the United States, Chairman Wicker noted that Lt. Gen. Caine will work to give strong and decisive military advice to President Trump.

    Chairman Wicker also praised Caine’s diverse background as a former intelligence community liaison, defense technology innovator, as well as his experience both in the active-duty and national guard components of the Air Force. This track record would serve him exceptionally well as the President’s principal military advisor in a complex threat environment, Chairman Wicker argued.

    As for the proper role of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs within the national defense decision-making complex ecosystem, Chairman Wicker noted that he had utmost confidence in Caine’s ability to remain nonpartisan and retain the trust of President Trump.

    Read Senator Wicker’s hearing opening statement as delivered below.

    This morning, the committee meets to consider the nomination of retired Lieutenant General Dan Caine for the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

     

    General Caine has a tremendous responsibility before him. I believe President Trump has made an excellent choice in selecting him to meet the challenges, so I thank General Caine for his willingness to serve our country, especially in this hour of need.

     

    We live in the most dangerous national security moment since World War II. An Axis of Aggressors, led by the Chinese Communist Party and Vladimir Putin’s Russia, means us harm. This axis does not want this century to be an American-led century or a freedom-led century. Our adversaries have started two wars against Ukraine and Israel. They threaten to open a third front against Taiwan.

     

    We must restore peace, and we can do that only through strength. Since his nomination was announced, some people have written that General Caine is unqualified. They point out that he has not served as a combatant commander, as a service chief, or as a vice chairman – roles which are contemplated in 10 USC 152.

     

    I would suggest these same people read or reread the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986. Those who read that law and then read General Caine’s resume will see that the architects of that legislation would conclude that their reforms were successful.

     

    The driving force behind Goldwater-Nichols was to inspire and, in some cases, require jointness. So, let’s talk about jointness with regard to Lieutenant General Caine. They believe that when our military services work together, those services are greater than the sum of their parts. General Caine agrees, and his record reflects that.

     

    He began his career as an Air Force fighter pilot in 1992. By the time he was done, General Caine had operated in every domain, and he had developed relationships with every service. That would not have been true 40 years ago. General Caine flew and commanded aircraft, but he’s also worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, having helped in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in the midst of a bird flu outbreak. At the White House, General Caine wrote early homeland security strategies. He deployed and commanded repeatedly to Iraq and Syria, serving within various special operations forces units. He ran our most secretive programs for all military services. General Caine worked extensively as the CIA’s senior military officer, again collaborating with every military service and combatant command.

     

    It’s difficult to imagine a better joint and interagency background for a nominee of this position. Our threat environment is complex, and General Caine understands how the services can work together to meet today’s dangers. We have much work to do, as this committee knows. We need to grow our defense budget. We need to reform the Pentagon’s processes drastically.

     

    If confirmed, General Kaine would play a significant role in providing military advice to the Secretary of Defense and the President of the United States on both of those topics. In particular, the Chairman plays a significant role in the requirements process. I hope he will make a priority to modernize this critical aspect.

     

    The statutory role of the chairman may be limited, but the position is explicitly the voice of the combatant commanders. That voice matters because the commanders are largely absent from our requirements and budgeting processes.

     

    The Chairman can and should also be an advocate for a more agile planning process – one that considers the problems. And I’m going to use two big words here: the problems of simultaneity and protracted warfare – I guess that’s three big words and two big terms. These are technical terms for fairly straightforward facts. First, that our adversaries are likely to act against us in a coordinated fashion – simultaneity.  And secondly, that once that war breaks out it tends to take on a life of its own – protracted warfare.

     

    Lastly, a Chairman is responsible to deliver a serious, honest Chairman’s risk assessment to this committee as soon as possible. I look forward to General Caine’s thoughts on each of these points.

     

    Based on my conversations with the nominee, and based on his actions in uniform, I’m confident that General Caine will give President Trump his best military advice. He will do so without bias, as he’s required to do. He would not consider whether the president may like or dislike that advice that’s exactly what a United States president deserves.

     

    I’m convinced that General Caine sees this role as absolutely nonpartisan. We can argue politics up here on this dais, but I expect General Caine to stay out of it, no matter the subject.

     

    I thank the nominee for his service and for appearing today, and I turn now to my friend and colleague Ranking Member Reed for his opening remarks.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of Dr. Oz’s Confirmation, Senators Urge Crackdown on Private Medicare Insurers that Scam Patients, Price Gouge Taxpayers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    April 01, 2025

    Senators call for ending contracts, limiting enrollment for Medicare Advantage insurers that defraud seniors and taxpayers

    “The most effective step the Administration can take in cutting waste, fraud, and abuse in federal health care programs is by reining in the wasteful practices of corporate health insurers in the MA program.” 

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a group of Senate Democrats in writing to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Stephanie Carlton, Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), urging them to crackdown on abuses by private insurers in Medicare Advantage (MA) that overcharge taxpayers, raise costs for patients, and create barriers to access care. 

    Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) joined in signing the letter. 

    While the MA program was founded on the premise that private insurers could administer Medicare more cost-efficiently than the federal government, the program has failed to deliver savings in any year since its inception. In fact, in 2024 alone, private insurers in the program overcharged taxpayers by $83 billion relative to Traditional Medicare, while overpayments to private insurers in MA are expected to total $1.2 trillion dollars over the next decade.

    Despite these massive taxpayer overpayments, private insurers in MA routinely slow down and deny medically necessary care for patients that otherwise would be approved under Traditional Medicare. MA patients are also more likely to be given inadequate care due to profit-padding insurance tactics, including early hospital discharges and shorter lengths of stay in care settings like nursing homes. 

    “At a time when Americans are paying nearly $26,000 per family in premiums per year, while the largest US insurer made $23 billion in annual profits, reining in profiteering could not be more important,” wrote the senators. 

    Ahead of CMS finalizing the 2026 Medicare Advantage Rate Notice (2026 Rate Notice), which sets payment rates for insurers in the program, the senators asked CMS to make four key reforms to the Medicare Advantage rules:  

    1. Eliminate waste and abuse from overpayments: CMS should finalize and adopt new rules for how risk adjustment is calculated, which will limit insurers’ misuse of diagnosis codes and save taxpayers $3.4 billion. Additionally, CMS should take the necessary enforcement actions, including restricting future enrollment in plans that engage in fraud and terminating MA plan contracts, to ensure MA organizations report and return overpayments in a timely manner.
    2. Strengthen enforcement against MA insurers that illegally deny care: CMS should conduct strong oversight and enforcement when reviewing and approving MA benefits to ensure they adequately cover patients and do not subject enrollees to inappropriate and unnecessary barriers to care, like incorrect prior authorization determinations. About 50 million prior authorization requests were required by MA insurers in 2023, most commonly for higher cost, urgent services such as chemotherapy, inpatient hospital stays, and skilled nursing facility stays. 
    3. Address additional barriers to care: CMS should develop new regulations to crack down on MA insurer’s use of artificial intelligence programs, which have been used to incorrectly deny life-saving care and dangerously discharge patients early. The senators also pressed CMS to hold MA insurers accountable for using “ghost” networks to restrict care for seniors and people with disabilities. 
    4. Enact reforms to reduce disparities in care: The lawmakers urged lawmakers to take steps to improve disparities in care across race, ethnicity, and ability.

    “These actions are crucial to improve health outcomes and ensure Medicare’s sustainability for future generations,” concluded the senators.

    Senator Warren is a leading voice on reining in abuses in Medicare Advantage and protecting patients:

    • In March 2025, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren pressed Dr. Oz on taxpayer fraud committed by private, for-profit insurers in the Medicare Advantage program. Dr. Oz agreed with Senator Warren that cracking down on private health insurers in Medicare Advantage will “improve the health care of the American people.”
    • In March 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump’s nominee for Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), pressing him on his serious conflicts of interest. Dr. Oz has long been tied to Medicare Advantage insurers, which would benefit if he successfully privatizes Medicare, and which have paid him to encourage his show’s viewers to enroll in private Medicare plans. 
    • In January 2025, in a Fox News Digital op-ed, Senator Elizabeth Warren outlined her recommendations for cutting government waste to make government more efficient and save taxpayers money, including by rooting out corruption by Medicare Advantage insurers. 
    • In January 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren sent Elon Musk, Chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a letter detailing over 30 proposals that would cut at least $2 trillion of wasteful government spending over the next decade, including by curbing abuse by Medicare Advantage insurers that overcharge taxpayers.
    • In December, 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) urged the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to finalize rules to curb overpayments to private insurers in Medicare Advantage.
    • In December 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren led a group of Congressional Democrats in a letter to Dr. Mehmet Oz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, raising stark concerns about his advocacy to eliminate Traditional Medicare and his deep financial ties to the private health insurers that would benefit from that move.
    • In June 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Federal Trade Commission, calling out high health care costs due to vertically-integrated insurers, private equity companies, and pharmaceutical companies that are driving health care consolidation. The letter came in response to the three agencies’ March 2024 cross-government inquiry into the impacts of corporate greed in health care, and highlights examples of abusive and anticompetitive behavior by companies in the health care industry.
    • In May 2024, at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Warren called out private insurers in Medicare Advantage for accelerating the rural hospital crisis.
    • In March 2024, Senators Warren and Brown led their colleagues in a letter to HHS and CMS that urged the agencies to protect seniors by holding insurance companies accountable for abuses in Medicare Advantage.
    • In January 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) sent a letter to CMS, urging the agency to take administrative action to curb billions in overpayments to MA insurers.
    • In December 2023, Senators Warren, Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to the CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, raising concerns about shortfalls in CMS’s data collection and reporting practices for MA plans, and urging CMS to close data gaps to strengthen oversight of MA plans and improve care for Medicare beneficiaries. 
    • In November 2023, Senators Warren, Cortez Masto, Cassidy, and Blackburn introduced bipartisan legislation to improve transparency of MA plans and ensure these plans are best serving the health care needs of America’s seniors. The Encounter Data Enhancement Act would require Medicare Advantage plans to report important information about how much they are actually paying for patient services and how much patients are responsible for paying out-of-pocket. 
    • In November 2023, at a Senate Finance Committee markup of the Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act, Senator Warren highlighted the need to do more to prioritize hearing health for seniors and strengthen transparency in Medicare Advantage, and secured commitments from Senate Finance Committee leadership to prioritize these proposals in future packages. 
    • In October 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren called out giant MA insurers for using deceptive marketing tactics to lure seniors into the wrong plans and drown out competition from smaller insurers that may offer better coverage. Senator Warren called on CMS to act within the fullest extent of its authority to crack down on MA insurers that game the system to overcharge the government and to ensure insurers publish accurate data on patient care and out-of-pocket costs. 
    • In May 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren highlighted the prevalence of ghost networks in Medicare Advantage plans and called for stronger oversight of the program.
    • In March 2023, Senator Warren sounded the alarm on a new analysis by policy experts showing that all Medicare beneficiaries – including those enrolled in Traditional Medicare – are paying higher premiums due to overpayments in MA. She sent a letter to CMS and called on the agency to finalize its proposed rule to ensure payments to MA plans accurately reflect the cost of care. 
    • In March 2023, U.S. Senators Warren and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) sent letters to the top seven MA insurers – Humana, Centene, UnitedHealthcare, CVS/Aetna, Molina, Elevance Health, and Cigna – regarding their questionable claims that CMS’s 2024 proposed Medicare Advantage payment rules would hurt beneficiaries.
    • In March 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren defended CMS’s proposed adjustments to the Calendar Year 2024 MA payment rates, pushing back against giant insurance companies and their lobbyists who are peddling misinformation to protect their billions in profits and scare beneficiaries into opposing the rule. 
    • In April 2022, Senator Warren and Representatives Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) led their colleagues in sending a letter to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure highlighting concerns about overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans that line the pockets of big insurance companies.
    • In February 2022, chairing a hearing of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, Senator Warren delivered remarks about strengthening Medicare and cracking down on pharmaceutical and insurance companies’ corporate greed to pay for expanded coverage.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At Hearing, Warren Secures Ethics Commitment from Joint Chiefs of Staff Nominee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    April 01, 2025

    Lieutenant General Caine tells Senator Warren he has “no intent” to work for major defense contractors or companies impacted by his official actions. 

    Video of Exchange (YouTube)

    Washington, D.C. – At a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) secured an ethics commitment from Lieutenant General John D. Caine, President Trump’s nominee to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

    On February 21, President Trump fired General Charles “C.Q.” Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and named Lieutenant General as his choice to be the new chairman. When asked if he would work for any major defense contractors or companies that are affected by his official actions after he resigns, Lieutenant General Caine stated, “I’ve got no intent to do so.”

    Senator Warren previously secured a commitment from General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., President Biden’s nominee to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that he would agree not to become a defense industry lobbyist or receive compensation from a defense contractor for four years.

    In February, Defense Secretary Hegseth fired the top legal advisors for the military services and indicated their replacements would be of a lower rank. Lieutenant General Caine said that he agreed that military commanders need legal advisors with both enough expertise and a high enough rank that they will be listened to during this process. 

    Transcript: Hearing to examine the nomination of Lieutenant General John D. Caine (Retired), to be general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense
    Senate Armed Services Committee
    April 1, 2025

    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and congratulations. 

    So, if confirmed, you would serve as the principal military advisor to the President and swear an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. President Trump once described your predecessor, General C.Q. Brown, as “an outstanding leader,” and it’s true. C.Q. Brown served for 40 years in seven assignments across four combatant commands. The president’s removal of the only Black officer and removal of the only female officer from the Joint Chiefs of Staff has sent a chilling message about who is and who is not welcome in our military. 

    This worries me deeply about the future of our military and the defense of our nation. I am also concerned that President Trump wants to turn the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs into just another political position. Last year, President Trump claimed that you once said you would kill for him, and then you slapped a MAGA hat on. I know that others have disputed that story, but it raises questions about whether you were selected because Donald Trump thinks that you would be loyal to him rather than to the Constitution of the United States. Secretary Hegseth has now removed the top legal advisors for military services and recommended replacements at a lower rank. 

    So, Lieutenant General Caine, if confirmed, your job will be to present your best military advice. Do you agree that in order to be able to comply with the law and make sure that your advice complies with the law, military commanders need legal advisors with both enough expertise and a high enough rank that they will be listened to during this process?

    Lieutenant General John D. Caine: I do, Senator. I know I’ve always had great legal advice regardless of what rank they were, but I do agree.

    Senator Warren: So, you think that they need—you need—people who have good advice. But do you think it helps in making sure that others—I’m glad that you listen to good advice no matter where it comes from—but that others are more willing to listen if the people offering legal advice have high enough rank to carry some weight in the room when those decisions are taking place?

    Lieutenant General Caine: I do, senator, although I’ve, as I mentioned, I’ve sincerely had great legal advice from 05 to 07, and I think it’s the human, the officer, and their professionalism and intellect versus what rank they have. I do appreciate the efforts to ask the question about what rank they should be but would defer to the Secretary on what rank he would want them to be.

    Senator Warren: I have to say that that gives me some real concern, because the whole point of elevating the rank was the concern that not enough people were listening to good legal advice. And while I appreciate that you say you listen, we need people to listen who are making decisions up and down the line. 

    I understand, Lieutenant General Caine, that the circumstances of your nomination are beyond your control, but they also place a significant burden on you to show leadership, to restore public confidence in the military and to show that you work for the American people. 

    I’ve long been concerned by senior Pentagon leaders who trade on their time in public service to cash out afterwards to work for defense contractors. And that is why, during his confirmation hearing, General Brown agreed that he would not become a lobbyist or join the board of a defense contractor after he resigned. 

    Lieutenant General Caine, are you willing to demonstrate that you’re taking this job to serve the American people and commit that after you leave this job, you will not work for any major defense contractors or companies that are affected by your official actions?

    Lieutenant General Caine: Senator for myself, I’ve got no intent to do so. 

    Senator Warren: Okay, so you can commit to that? 

    Lieutenant General Caine: Yes, Senator, it’s not my intent. 

    Senator Warren: President Trump’s removal of highly qualified and talented military leaders is a permanent stain on this nation’s history, as well as a blow to our ability to recruit the force that we need to compete with China. If confirmed, you will have an important responsibility to show the American people that you will defend our nation with integrity, that you will follow the law, and that you will lead our men and women in uniform with integrity. Thank you.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Democratic Senators to Bondi: Appoint Special Counsel to Investigate Signal Chat National Security Breach

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Democratic Senators to Bondi: Appoint Special Counsel to Investigate Signal Chat National Security Breach

    Senators to Attorney General: “These shockingly reckless breaches of security protocols for safeguarding sensitive and classified information clearly warrant an investigation into whether any of the government officials involved violated federal laws”

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined 30 Senate Democrats in urging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to appoint a Special Counsel to investigate whether government officials violated federal criminal laws in connection with a reported security breach involving the commercial messaging app Signal. On March 24, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief reported that President Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Waltz had inadvertently included him in a group Signal chat with several high-ranking national security officials. The group reportedly shared and discussed highly sensitive, classified, or controlled information via the unsecure Signal group chat.

    “In addition to the reckless inclusion of a journalist in the chat, we are deeply concerned about this serious breach in the proper handling of such information and deliberations,” wrote the Senators. “Appointment of a Special Counsel is appropriate where the Department may have a conflict of interest or extraordinary circumstances are present, a criminal investigation is warranted, and it is in the public interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel to investigate the matter. Such circumstances are clearly present here.”

    The Signal group chat, started by Mr. Waltz, included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, and at least 18 other government officials. The group reportedly discussed not only the foreign policy implications of military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, but also real-time operational details, including the timing of planned attacks, types of military aircraft and munitions to be used, and strike outcomes. An unprecedented security breach of this magnitude, involving some of the highest-ranking officials in the federal government, constitutes the type of extraordinary circumstance the Special Counsel regulations were designed to address.

    “These officials conducted a highly sensitive discussion, including of clearly classified or controlled information, over the commercial messaging app Signal, including in some instances on personal devices and while traveling in foreign countries, rather than using the secure U.S. government channels and facilities that are designed and required for the sharing of such information. Despite subsequent claims to the contrary by you, President Trump, and several of the officials involved, including in testimony before Congress, some of the information they shared and discussed over Signal would almost certainly be considered classified or, at a minimum, controlled, prior to and in the immediate aftermath of an impending strike,” continued the Senators.

    The Senators warned that the use of Signal for such communications may violate federal law. For example, grossly negligent handling national of national defense information can violate the Espionage Act. Additionally, the Federal Records Act requires preservation of certain government communications, and the destruction of such records may constitute a separate criminal offense. Statements made by the officials involved — in testimony before the House and Senate Intelligence Committees — raise further concerns about possible violations of laws prohibiting false statements, perjury, inducement to perjury, and conspiracy to commit these offenses.

    “During your confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, you assured the American people that everyone will be held to ‘an equal, fair system of justice’ if you were confirmed as Attorney General, and that ‘no one is above the law.’ As the individuals most seriously implicated in this incident include senior officials at the highest levels, including several of your fellow cabinet members, appointment of a Special Counsel is necessary to ensure that the investigation and any ensuing prosecutions are fair, impartial, and independent and that no official, regardless of seniority or political affiliation, is above the law. The people of this country deserve the assurance that this matter will be taken seriously and addressed swiftly. To do so, we urge you to appoint a Special Counsel immediately,” concluded the Senators.

    The letter was led by U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). In addition to Senator Padilla, Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) also signed the letter.

    Senator Padilla has been outspoken about the Trump Administration’s dangerous mishandling of sensitive and classified information. Last week, he called on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to resign, citing his staggering incompetence and lack of judgment, carelessly exposing troops to greater danger.

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Attorney General Bondi:

    On March 24, The Atlantic’s editor in chief reported that President Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Waltz had included him in a group message chain with several high-ranking national security officials where highly sensitive, classified, or controlled information was shared and discussed over Signal—an unsecure commercial messaging app. In addition to the reckless inclusion of a journalist in the chat, we are deeply concerned about this serious breach in the proper handling of such information and deliberations. Given the extraordinary circumstances of this shocking incident and the significant public interests at stake, it is imperative that you immediately appoint a Special Counsel to thoroughly and impartially investigate whether any of the government officials involved violated federal criminal law.

    Appointment of a Special Counsel is appropriate where the Department may have a conflict of interest or extraordinary circumstances are present, a criminal investigation is warranted, and it is in the public interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel to investigate the matter. Such circumstances are clearly present here.

    The Signal chat group started by Mr. Waltz included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, among at least 18 other high-ranking government officials. In addition to discussing the sensitive foreign policy implications of military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, these officials proceeded to discuss key operational information regarding the precise timing of the planned attacks, the types of military aircraft and munitions to be used, and the targets and results of the strikes as they occurred. An unprecedented security breach of this magnitude involving top senior government officials presents the kind of extraordinary circumstances clearly contemplated by the Special Counsel regulations.

    These officials conducted a highly sensitive discussion, including of clearly classified or controlled information, over the commercial messaging app Signal, including in some instances on personal devices and while traveling in foreign countries, rather than using the secure U.S. government channels and facilities that are designed and required for the sharing of such information. Despite subsequent claims to the contrary by you, President Trump, and several of the officials involved, including in testimony before Congress, some of the information they shared and discussed over Signal would almost certainly be considered classified or, at a minimum, controlled, prior to and in the immediate aftermath of an impending strike.

    These shockingly reckless breaches of security protocols for safeguarding sensitive and classified information clearly warrant an investigation into whether any of the government officials involved violated federal laws pertaining to the proper safeguarding and preservation of such information. For example, gross negligence in handling national defense information may violate the Espionage Act. Importantly, other laws, including the Federal Records Act, require the preservation of certain government records. Signal allows users to schedule messages for deletion after certain time periods and Mr. Waltz appears to have set the chat messages to delete initially after one week and then later in the chat changed the setting to delete messages after four weeks. Destruction of government records or property may constitute a violation of various criminal statutes. Subsequent statements to Congress and testimony before the House and Senate Intelligence Committees by several of the officials involved raise additional concerns about potential violations of federal criminal laws that prohibit making false statements to Congress, committing perjury in testimony to Congress, inducing another person to commit perjury, or conspiring to commit any of the foregoing actions.

    Even prior to his first Administration, President Trump campaigned for the need to prosecute and “lock up” individuals who allegedly “bypass government security” or “sent and received classified information on an insecure server.” Further, as an avowedly loyal and zealous advocate for the President, you echoed these same sentiments prior to your confirmation. Given the extraordinary nature of this security breach by senior Trump Administration officials, the likelihood that these actions needlessly endangered American lives and our nation’s security, the importance of putting our nation’s security before partisan political interests, and the range of federal criminal laws that may have been violated, it is imperative that the Department of Justice conduct a thorough investigation to assess the extent of the damage and determine whether any criminal charges are warranted against any of the government officials involved.

    During your confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, you assured the American people that everyone will be held to “an equal, fair system of justice” if you were confirmed as Attorney General, and that “no one is above the law.” As the individuals most seriously implicated in this incident include senior officials at the highest levels, including several of your fellow cabinet members, appointment of a Special Counsel is necessary to ensure that the investigation and any ensuing prosecutions are fair, impartial, and independent and that no official, regardless of seniority or political affiliation, is above the law. The people of this country deserve the assurance that this matter will be taken seriously and addressed swiftly. To do so, we urge you to appoint a Special Counsel immediately.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: April 1st, 2025 N.M. Delegation to Host Virtual Military Service Academy Nominations Event on April 17

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    Nominations application is live starting April 11th – October 4th, 2025
    WASHINGTON — At 6 p.m. MT on Thursday, April 17, the offices of U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representatives Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) will bring together representatives from the U.S. Military Service Academies for a virtual Q&A session.
    The conversation is an opportunity for high school students and recent graduates to ask questions about the nomination process and attending U.S. Military Service Academies. The New Mexico Congressional Delegation will be accepting online applications for nominations to enter an academy in Fall 2025.
    Members of Congress may nominate candidates for appointment to four of the five U.S. service academies: U.S. Military Academy (USMA), West Point, N.Y.; the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), Annapolis, Md.; the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado Springs, Colo.; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Kings Point, N.Y. Each member of Congress is allotted a limited number of nominations that they submit to each academy.
    The application process opens on April 11, 2025. Interested applicants should visit members’ websites for information on how to apply. The deadline to apply for a nomination for each of the congressional offices is October 4, 2025.
    WHAT: Military Service Academy Nominations Virtual Q&A
    WHEN: Thursday, April 17, 2025, at 6 p.m. MT
    WHO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich’s staff will be joined by:
    U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján’s staff, U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández’s staff, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez’s staff, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury’s staff, and U.S. Military Service Academies Representatives.
    WHERE: Register here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Hampshire Congressional Delegation Slams Trump Administration Funding Freeze on Life-Saving Reproductive Health Care Services

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan
    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), alongside U.S. Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), released the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s freeze on federal funding for life-saving reproductive health care services provided by Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE):
    “The Trump administration’s move to freeze federal funding that helps Planned Parenthood of Northern New England deliver basic and often life-saving reproductive health care will be nothing short of disastrous for the communities we represent. Every day, PPNNE provides thousands of Granite Staters with affordable preventative reproductive health care services. By targeting essential care like cancer screenings and family planning services, the administration is sending a clear message: women’s health doesn’t matter to them.”
    Senator Shaheen and the New Hampshire delegation have been unrelenting advocates for women’s reproductive rights. Just last year, the delegation joined PPNNE in Concord to highlight the impact abortion bans and efforts to limit access to medication abortion have had in New Hampshire since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Senators Shaheen and Hassan have also been leaders in the fight to protect Title X family planning centers in New Hampshire. The delegation has pushed for Title X funding, and following obstruction from Republicans on New Hampshire’s Executive Council, the delegation helped secure critical Title X funding for PPNNE.

    MIL OSI USA News –