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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Chairs First Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee Hearing, Urges Academies to Prioritize the Education and Training of America’s Future Military Officers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
    WASHINGTON – Yesterday, as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel,U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) led a hearing with the superintendents of the U.S. military academies. During the hearing, the superintendents outlined their plan to educate and train America’s future military officers. Sen. Tuberville emphasized the important role each service academy plays in ensuring our nation’s best and brightest men and women stay on the cutting-edge of leadership and warfighting. 
    During the hearing, Sen. Tuberville and his Republican colleagues emphasized the importance of focusing the curriculum at each institution on lethality and removing any traces of antisemitism or Critical Race Theory (CRT) from the classroom. They also asked the superintendents about the process of hiring civilian versus military instructors and possible ways to boost enrollment, including by allowing academy athletes to pursue professional sports before completing their service. This was the first time in 30 years that the service academy superintendents have testified together before the Senate.
    Last week, President Trump announced he was appointing Sen. Tuberville to the Board of Visitors for the U.S. Air Force Academy.
    Witnesses included:
    Lieutenant General Steven Gilland, Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy
    Vice Admiral Yvette Davids, Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy
    Lieutenant General Tony Bauernfeind, Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy
    Read excerpts of the transcript below or watch clips of the hearing on YouTube or Rumble.

    OPENING STATEMENT:
    “I’d like to call this Committee hearing into session. The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel meets this afternoon to conduct oversight and receive testimony on the status of the military service academies. Thank you for being here. The last time this body conducted a hearing on this topic with these witnesses, or with any witnesses from the academies, was more than 30 years ago.
    We are fortunate to have these three distinguished officers here today:
    Lieutenant General Steven Gilland is the Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy; Vice Admiral Yvette Davids is the Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy; and Lieutenant General Tony Bauernfeind […] [is the Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy.]
    As this is the first meeting of the Personnel Subcommittee in the 119th Congress, let me begin by saying that I look forward to working with you, Ranking Member Warren, thank you for being here, as we continue the bipartisan tradition of the Armed Services Committee in developing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). 
    Nothing is more bipartisan than supporting our men and women in uniform and their families. This subcommittee has a long history of prioritizing the well-being and morale of our servicemembers, and I am eager to continue that work as the new Chairman. 
    The military service academies are foundational to the successes of the military officer corps. In many ways, the service academies establish the culture of their respective service. Moreover, [the academies] occupy an important position in our society. They are perhaps the last universities in the country that focus on building character and improving the morality of their student body. The American people often perceive the academies as being emblematic of the entire U.S. military—for better or worse.
    Over the last several years, the academies have lost sight of the fundamental reason for their existence, which is to commission officers with the education required by their respective military branches. All three academies have been sued for engaging in race-based affirmative action that is now prohibited at every other university in the country. 
    We have repeatedly heard over the last several years that ‘our diversity is our strength,’ it is not. Diversity can be an awesome advantage, but our unity of effort and shared [beliefs] in our Constitution and common values are our strength.  Diversity for the sake of diversity alone weakens us.
    A professor at the Air Force Academy proudly authored a Washington Post op-ed proclaiming that she teaches Critical Race Theory to cadets. Both West Point and the Air Force Academy established ‘diversity and inclusion’ minors, which may be trendy in other university settings, but were so unpopular with cadets that when they were abruptly cancelled by President Trump, hardly anyone noticed. More importantly, any effort to teach our future leaders to judge and sort people by immutable characteristics, like race, runs counter to the Constitution and is devastating to good order and discipline. 
    Last fall, the Naval Academy appropriately cancelled a lecture after it was revealed that the speaker planned to use the opportunity to make a partisan political speech. But one must ask why was this speaker invited in the first place? 
    [The academies] must always remember [why] they were created in the first place. The American people devote tremendous resources to maintaining all of these institutions. If the [academies] are not entirely focused on building officers of character to lead our nation’s sons and daughters in combat, then what is the purpose?
    I hope our witnesses will address these criticisms but also tell us about the great things that are happening every day at the academies.
    The vast majority of the cadets, midshipman, faculty, and staff at the service academies are properly focused on the only mission that matters, which is defending our Constitution and the American people. 
    I thank the witnesses for appearing today, and I look forward to their testimony.
    Now I’ll turn the microphone over to Senator Warren.”
    […]
    ON CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT OF CIVILIAN PROFESSORS:
    TUBERVILLE: “Permanent military faculty are Senate-confirmed. Should we [Congress] have any input towards civilian professors, General? On your recommendation.”
    GILLAND: “Sir, I think that when we look at the confirmation of our permanent faculty, which is a fairly small number, I would have to, we’d make that recommendation to you as Congress. With regards to our civilian faculty, I think it just—even with their swearing to the oath—an oath to the Constitution of the United States, I would ask, I’d have to go back and ask about their civilian hiring practices because civilian-hired practices and regulations that govern that are different from our uniformed members.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Admiral?”
    DAVIDS: “Very similar, except that I would say at the Naval Academy, we have a proven formula that works, sir. And that includes these incredible civilian faculty that are charged to support everything that we do there. They’re completely in in our mission and they complement the military aspect of our faculty as well, sir. So, when I say proven, I say that 89% graduation rate at the United States Naval Academy and a great deal of that is because of the incredible coaches, mentors, faculty, and staff that we have there are all focused on that mission, sir.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. General?”
    BAUERNFEIND: “Sir, I’m very comfortable under my authorities on picking the civilian faculty for our force as we go forward, but if our elected leaders want to have a voice in that, I’m also very comfortable working with our elected leaders to detail a process that enables us to work through that process quickly.”
    ON ENCOURAGING MILITARY RECRUITS PURSUING PROFESSIONAL ATHLETIC CAREERS:
    TUBERVILLE: “I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring something up about sports, and I’d like to get each one of your thoughts about this. I’ve always felt that playing sports was invaluable to leadership development. Many of the cadets and shipmen at your institutions are athletes participating on the various academy sports teams. They represent the best of your institutions and our country. Occasionally—occasionally—some of these athletes develop to an elite level and are forced to forego living out their dreams of playing the sport they love at a professional level because of outdated—to me—outdated regulations governing their service obligations. I’d like to see this year’s NDAA reflect a serious commitment to these outstanding individuals. When appropriate, these cadets and midshipmen should graduate and commission with their classes and defer their service obligation until their professional sports-playing careers are complete. These would be commissioned officers in our armed services subject to the same rules and regulations as their peers, while at the same time providing exposure and increased visibility to the academics while they play sports at the highest level. I know that’s not protocol for what we do as we speak. But General, I’d like to get your thoughts on that with an all-volunteer military now, we are looking for possible ways to get more and more young men and women involved in our academies.”
    GILLAND: “Senator, the Army is a team contact sport. That’s how I view the Army. And those young men and women that are coming into the Army regardless of their background or upbringing better be prepared to get involved in a team contact sport [because] that’s what you all as citizens of this nation ask of us. As a result, when we think through the development of leaders of character, I’m looking for the—may not be the best player—because numbers don’t always define someone’s potential—the best player for the team. And for those individuals that have the elite capability to pursue professional sports, I absolutely support, and I think that we have to look at measures, as you outlined, from a commission perspective that would allow those individuals to go into that professional sport of whatever their talent is in, execute that, and then have them serve in the Army. And I think there are combinations of ways to do that through not only active service concurrent with their respective playing for a team. Of course, there’s different things that would have to go with that as they’re moving around and such if they’re treated, or there’s the deferral of the respective active-duty service obligations that they have. But I think that it results in multiple benefits, not only to each of our academies, but I think it benefits our services also through deliberate outreach and engagement that we would ask of those talented individuals.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Admiral?”
    DAVIDS: “Sir, when I was a midshipmen fourth class, Napoleon McCallum was my upper class. The original ‘Admiral’ David Robinson was also in my upper class. They were heroes of mine, I saw how brilliant they did in their careers to not only bring in incredible talent to the Navy, to the Naval Academy, as well to supporting our nation. There are many ways to serve, sir, and they brilliantly in that. So, I am a huge fan of it, I appreciate it. We may look at this. I think that the return on investment is incredible, and I fully support it, sir.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. General?”
    BAUERNFEIND: “Senator Tuberville, I also, as a freshman, looked up to one Chad Hennings, a monster of a football player.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Big ol’ boy. Yeah.”
    BAUERNFEIND: “Yes sir. And benefitted greatly. He also, during that time, his value was not only was he an amazing football player, but he also went out and served and flew combat operations in Desert Storm during that time, bringing both of that immediate value, you know, that recruiting value to bear the service and the professional capabilities. And I believe where the NDAA is now by giving us opportunity for three per year is a great opportunity for us to pick those truly elite athletes that can go on to that next level. As a data point, over the last five years, we’ve had 20 Air Force Academy cadets or—excuse me, 22—that have moved forward into professional sports. Thirteen met their first seasons and unfortunately did not, were not able to continue, and they came back to active duty. And nine are continuing. And over that time, that two to three is, I think, an opportunity for us to continue to go forward. I would also ask, sir, as we have this conversation for pro sports to have a fulsome conversation of the impact of the transfer portal on our military service academies, and how that is taking young men and women away from service to the nation until they’ve had an opportunity to blossom as leaders.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. Well, that’s a great point. And I look forward to visiting with all three of you about this before our NDAA is put together this June. And I know it’s a huge problem, and I can understand it’s a huge problem for you also. So again, we’ll sit down—I wanna sit down with all three of you before we get to that point in June—and hopefully, we’re gonna—we can work something out because I think it’d be a great tool for all of you for recruiting because y’all take our best and brightest and all […] of us in here, all the senators, we—and congressmen—we have an opportunity to send the best young men and women we possibly have in our states and you do a great job with them. So, I wanna thank you for coming today. This is a fact-finding mission. We haven’t done it in 30 years. We’ll do it again next year. And hopefully, we’ll make it bigger and brighter. We just want to enlighten people about what you do because leadership, discipline, teamwork is everything that goes along with what our country is about. And again, it’s so, so important. We can’t really do this enough, but thanks again for what you do, how you do it. And tell all of your cadets and midshipmen that we’re for them. And I look forward to being on the Board of Visitors at the Air Force Academy this year and visiting with you. And again, you’re our future. And we hope you use our young people at your convenience but also give them the best and brightest future they can possibly get because we’re gonna be, how we’re gonna go as a country is how they go. So, thanks again, and this has been a good hearing, and this hearing is adjourned.”
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Lee Introduce Legislation to Abolish the TSA

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
    Bill would privatize airport security under federal oversight
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Abolish TSA Act, which would dissolve the bloated and ineffective Transportation Security Administration (TSA) while allowing America’s airports to compete to provide the safest, most efficient, and least intrusive security measures, under a new Office of Aviation Security Oversight.
    “The TSA has become an inefficient, bureaucratic mess that infringes on Americans’ freedoms and wastes taxpayer money,” said Sen. Tuberville. “It’s a bloated agency that offers minimal security benefits while causing unnecessary delays and frustration for travelers. We need to focus on smarter, more effective methods to protect our country without sacrificing the liberties that make America great. The TSA should be eliminated and replaced with more targeted, streamlined, and accountable solutions.”
    “The TSA has not only intruded into the privacy and personal space of most Americans, it has also repeatedly failed tests to find weapons and explosives,” said Sen. Lee.“Our bill privatizes security functions at American airports under the eye of an Office of Aviation Security Oversight, bringing this bureaucratic behemoth to a welcome end. American families can travel safely without feeling the hands of an army of federal employees.”
    Read full text of the legislation here and the Fox News exclusive here. 
    BACKGROUND:
    The TSA is not equipped to manage the fast-evolving threats posed to aviation transportation. Over the past two decades, it has ballooned into an over-bloated, inefficient agency of 60,000 employees. Its highly bureaucratic and non-competitive nature make it slow-moving, perpetually out of date, highly resistant to innovation and modernization, and simply ineffective. In addition to widespread allegations of employee misconduct and theft, a 2015 assessment found that TSA agents missed 95% of mock explosives and banned weapons during checkpoint screenings. The 95% failure rate was repeated in 2017 at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport and repeat national tests that year were “in the ballpark” of 80% failure rates.
    Switching to privatization with appropriate but limited government oversight is the answer for modern aviation security. Over 80% of European commercial airports privatized airport security screening, and the overall performance of the U.S. airports—such as the San Francisco International Airport—participating in the TSA’s limited privatization program (Screening Partnership Program, or SPP) frequently outperformed their federalized counterparts in reducing wait times and mitigating threats. 
    Competition drives excellence, efficiency, and safety—not bureaucracy. TSA, the regulating entity in aviation security, should not be conducting the regulated activity.
    Abolish TSA Act:
    TSA is abolished three years after enactment, allowing time for privatization and the repeal or transfer of additional authorities.
    Within 90 days of enactment, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, shall submit a reorganization plan to Congress that includes:
    Creation of the Office of Aviation Security Oversight within the FAA, solely responsible for overseeing the privatization of aviation security screening.
    Rapid transfer of security activities and equipment to qualified private companies.
    Transfer of non-aviation security functions to DOT (mass transit, freight rail, pipelines, etc.).
    Proportional reductions of TSA operations and personnel to facilitate transfer of duties.
    The reorganization plan cannot include requirements for private security companies to conduct warrantless searches and seizures or extend the TSA’s existence. Congress will consider, amend, vote up or down on the reorganization plan through expedited and privileged procedure. Compliance will be monitored by the GAO and regular reports to Congress.
    MORE:
    Tuberville, Scott Urge Leadership to Support DOGE, Cut Waste When Funding Government
    ICYMI: Tuberville on X: Trump and DOGE are Making the Federal Government Efficient Again
    ICYMI: Tuberville in Newsweek: America is Back. President’s Joint Address Will Celebrate It
    Tuberville, Paul Introduce Legislation to Rein in Government, Hold Bureaucrats Accountable
    Tuberville, Scott Lead Legislation to Restore Merit-Based Hiring
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo, Risch, Cotton Introduce Bill to Keep Cellphones Out of Jails

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
    Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) introduced the Cellphone Jamming Reform Act to prevent inmates from using contraband cellphones in correctional facilities by allowing state and federal prisons to use cellphone jamming systems.
    “While in prison, criminals should not be able to communicate with the outside world and continue the criminal actions that landed them there in the first place,” said Crapo.  “We must pass this commonsense fix to cut off their ability to further their crimes behind bars and protect the citizens of our communities.”
    “Idaho has seen firsthand the grave danger contraband cellphones pose to the public, correctional officers, and inmates,” said Risch.  “The Cellphone Jamming Reform Act keeps our communities safe by allowing correctional facilities to block illicit cell signals.”
    “For far too long, contraband cellphones have been a major security threat in our prisons, allowing criminals to coordinate crimes from behind bars.  This legislation is a common-sense step to cut off their ability to threaten witnesses, organize drug trafficking, and endanger law-abiding citizens from within prison walls,” said Cotton.
    Crapo, Risch and Cotton are joined by U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi) and James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) in introducing the measure.
    The use of contraband cellphones is widespread in both federal and state prison facilities.  Inmates have used contraband cellphones to conduct illegal activities, including ordering hits on individuals outside of the prison walls, running illegal drug operations, conducting illegal business deals, facilitating sex trafficking and organizing escapes which endanger correctional employees, other inmates and members of the public.
    In March 2024, a contraband cell phone was used in Idaho to coordinate the escape of a reputed gang member.  During the escape, three Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) officers were ambushed and two were shot.  The IDOC confiscated multiple phones in the weeks prior to the incident.  A later investigation confirmed the contraband cellphone was used to plan the escape.?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen Renews Push to Overturn Citizens United Ruling, Rid American Elections of Dark Money and Excessive Corporate Campaign Spending

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Washington, DC) – On the anniversary of the bipartisan McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act becoming law in 2002, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) reintroduced a Constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision, which removed campaign finance restrictions and enabled entities to spend unlimited money to influence elections. The Shaheen-led Democracy for All Amendment would also overturn other far-reaching decisions around campaign finance that wrongfully equated money with free speech and unfairly determined that big, wealthy corporations have the same First Amendment rights as people. 

    “Extreme, misguided court rulings like Citizens United have flooded our elections with dark money and special interests that drown out the voices of our citizens,” said Shaheen. “The promise that we are a government ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’ is a core tenet of our democracy that all Americans—regardless of political affiliation—hold dear. I’m reintroducing this Constitutional amendment to overturn the disastrous Citizens United decision and return the power to the American people in our elections.”   

    The Democracy for All Amendment would empower Congress and states to set reasonable campaign finance rules and limit corporate spending. The amendment would enshrine in the Constitution the right of the American people to regulate the raising and spending of funds in public elections and curb the concentration of political influence held by the wealthiest Americans.     

    Along with Shaheen, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angus King (I-ME), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Mark Warner (D-VA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) are also cosponsors of the Democracy for All Amendment. 

    Shaheen has led the Democracy for All Amendment for years and has long supported Congressional action to protect election integrity in our country. Last year, Shaheen called on the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to clarify whether grant funds from the Help America Vote Act can be used to make local elections more accessible to voters with disabilities. In 2022, Shaheen helped introduce and pass two proposals that include legislation to reform and modernize the outdated Electoral Count Act of 1887 to ensure that the electoral votes tallied by Congress accurately reflect each state’s vote for President. In 2021, Shaheen helped reintroduce the DISCLOSE Act, legislation that would require organizations spending money in federal elections to disclose their donors and help guard against hidden foreign influence in our democracy.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Hassan, Cornyn Introduce Bill to Ensure Access to Portable Ultrasounds for Medicare Beneficiaries

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and John Cornyn (R-TX) today introduced the Portable Ultrasound Reimbursement Equity (PURE) Act, which would provide coverage of portable ultrasound transportation and set-up services for Medicare beneficiaries:

    “Granite State seniors deserve access to the health care that they need, no matter where they live,” said Sen. Hassan. “This bipartisan legislation would require Medicare to cover portable ultrasound imaging, just as Medicare already covers portable x-ray services, which will be particularly helpful for seniors living in rural communities who might otherwise need to travel long distances to get an ultrasound.”

    “Portable ultrasounds play a critical role in diagnosing potentially life-threatening conditions,” said Sen. Cornyn. “By ensuring providers can be reimbursed for the transportation and set up of these exams, our legislation would help seniors in rural areas or living with disabilities receive timelier and more effective care.”

    Companion legislation is being led in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne (TX-24) and cosponsored by Representatives Brad Schneider (IL-10), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), and Lori Trahan (MA-03).

    Background:

    Ultrasound is a preferred imaging method for diagnosing various acute and chronic diseases such as a blood clot, heart failure, or abdominal disease. However, Medicare does not reimburse portable diagnostics providers to perform ultrasound exams. The PURE Act would establish a payment in Medicare to portable ultrasound providers for transportation and set-up services, ensuring beneficiaries have access to the most medically appropriate and timely care at a lower cost than traveling to a facility, which will lead to significant savings to Medicare. This legislation would provide much-needed flexibility in care and increase access to this lifesaving technology to help meet the needs of underserved rural areas, seniors, and our most vulnerable.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Hassan Statement on the 11th Anniversary of New Hampshire Adopting Medicaid Expansion

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) released the following statement today to commemorate the 11th anniversary of New Hampshire adopting Medicaid Expansion, which she signed into law as part of a bipartisan effort she led as Governor:

    “Eleven years ago today, as Governor, I signed Medicaid Expansion into law, a bipartisan effort that helped tens of thousands of Granite Staters get affordable health care. Medicaid Expansion made our economy and workforce stronger and made our people healthier and more free. But now, President Trump and Congressional Republicans are trying to undo this progress with their outrageous plan to kick millions of people off of Medicaid in order to pay for more tax giveaways for corporate special interests and billionaires. This anniversary is as good a time as any for this Administration to reverse course and follow the bipartisan example we set in New Hampshire and work with us to protect and strengthen Medicaid rather than take health care coverage away from people.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hagerty Introduces Luke Pettit, Trump’s Nominee to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty

    Pettit has served as Hagerty’s Senior Policy Advisor for more than three years

    WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, today introduced his Senior Policy Advisor, Luke Pettit, at his nomination hearing to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions.

    *Click the photo above or here to watch*

    Partial Transcript:

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

    And again, I hope everybody that is sitting along the walls here today takes special note, because all of the staff does such a wonderful job of supporting our efforts. And today, it’s my great privilege to introduce one of my staff [members], someone who I think the world of, Luke Pettit.

    For more than three years, Luke has been an indispensable member of my staff on so many levels.

    He’s not only been a great advisor, but a wonderful friend. His service at the Federal Reserve and in the United States Senate has given him a deep understanding of financial institutions and our policies to unlock our economy’s full potential.

    We need leaders who will maximize the competitiveness of our financial system. For this task, there is no one better suited than Luke Pettit.

    Beyond his many qualifications, Luke is a leader in the truest sense. And Luke, from a very personal level, I want to thank you for the leadership that you have provided to my sons. They think this guy walks on water.

    He’s admired, not merely for what he knows, but for how he carries himself. He carries himself with humility, with selfless dedication to the mission at hand. This kind of leadership is exactly what our government needs.

    Luke will bring his exceptional commitment and capability to the role that he’s being brought before this committee for today, and I urge my colleagues to support his confirmation.

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: As Elon Musk’s DOGE Targets Social Security, Baldwin Calls on Trump Admin to Reverse Decision That Makes Accessing Benefits More Difficult

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is demanding that the Trump Administration reverse its plan that will make it harder for Americans to get their Social Security benefits. The Trump Administration plans to take away over-the-phone services and stop Americans from being able to verify their identity over the phone, creating huge barriers and chaos for seniors, people who live in rural communities, and veterans who are trying to access their benefits.

    “There is no way around it: this latest action by the Trump Administration is a direct attack on Social Security,” wrote Senator Baldwin in a letter to Social Security Administration (SSA) Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek. “Millions of older and low-income Americans, including people who live in rural communities and veterans, will have no choice but to use an online system of verification, many of whom will be unable to do so, or make arrangements to visit a shrinking number of offices with already long wait times and stretched thin workforce. I ask that you take these concerns seriously and reconsider your decision to remove this longstanding identity verification option for Social Security recipients.”   

    On March 18, the Social Security Administration announced that it will only allow for online and in-person identity proofing, removing the often-used option for individuals to verify their identity over the phone. Just eight days later, the agency updated its plan to specifically target individuals applying for Retirement, Survivors, or Auxiliary (Spouse or Child) benefits, removing these individuals’ ability to verify their identity over the phone. Based on news reports, the confusion created by SSA’s recent and rapid changes may have actually increased the risk of fraud as scammers attempt to take advantage of the uncertainty they have created. This comes at an especially frustrating time for those attempting to contact SSA because the agency has also announced its plan to significantly reduce the Social Security Administration’s workforce. Earlier this month, Senator Baldwin called on the Trump Administration to take immediate action to reverse cuts to the Social Security workforce which threaten benefits for millions of Americans.

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

    Dear Acting Commissioner Dudek,

    I write to urge you to reconsider the Social Security Administration’s plan to prevent Americans from signing up for Social Security benefits over the phone beginning April 14th. This change will create unnecessary barriers to access for millions of older and low-income Americans, including people who live in rural communities and veterans, who are trying to access their Social Security earned benefits.

    On March 18, 2025, the Social Security Administration first announced that it would only allow for online and in-person identity proofing, eliminating the option for individuals to verify their identity over the phone. Just eight days later, the agency updated its plan to specifically target individuals applying for Retirement, Survivors, or Auxiliary (Spouse or Child) benefits, removing these individuals’ ability to verify their identity over the phone. The Social Security Administration continues to make sweeping decisions without due diligence to vet its plans or consider the impacts on Social Security beneficiaries, and this latest slew of announcements is just another example of the Trump Administration putting Elon Musk’s demands before the needs of Americans.

    While SSA must ensure that it has measures in place to protect against fraud, it does not appear that SSA has conducted any kind of analysis weighing the risk of fraud in these specific cases to the additional burden this will place on Americans seeking to claim the benefits they have earned. Based on news reports, the confusion created by SSA’s recent and rapid changes may have actually increased the risk of fraud as scammers attempt to take advantage of the uncertainty they have created. Moreover, this ill-considered change comes at an especially frustrating time for those attempting to contact SSA because the agency has also announced its plan to significantly reduce the Social Security Administration’s workforce.

    In addition to mass layoffs, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is targeting Social Security offices across the country to close. From staff reductions and office closures to the recently announced changes to identity verification at the agency, the most vulnerable Americans will pay the price of poor decisions made by people like Elon Musk, who has publicly referred to Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme.”

    SSA’s administrative expenses are largely paid for by payroll taxes Americans pay into Social Security. Americans have earned their Social Security benefits through a lifetime of work and deserve timely and convenient customer service; they have literally paid for that. SSA’s administrative expenses represent less than 1 percent of benefits paid. Cutting SSA’s workforce and closing offices will not meaningfully reduce the deficit or make the government more efficient. But to be clear, making it harder for millions of Americans to file for Social Security, and delaying the processing of benefits, is simply another way of cutting benefits, and that appears to be the goal of this Administration. This attack on seniors is being done to make room in the budget for new tax breaks for big corporations and the wealthiest.

    There is no way around it: this latest action by the Trump Administration is a direct attack on Social Security. Millions of older and low-income Americans, including people who live in rural communities and veterans, will have no choice but to use an online system of verification, many of whom will be unable to do so, or make arrangements to visit a shrinking number of offices with already long wait times and stretched thin workforce. I ask that you take these concerns seriously and reconsider your decision to remove this longstanding identity verification option for Social Security recipients. 

    I look forward to your response.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Baldwin Raises Alarms on Trump Gutting Health Department and Making Americans Less Safe, Healthy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Appropriations Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee, released the following statement after the Trump Administration and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced their plans to significantly reduce the workforce at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by 25 percent – including at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institutes for Health (NIH), and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS).

    “With this move, Donald Trump and RFK, Jr. are getting rid of the very people who help ensure our food and drugs are safe, support our loved ones on Medicaid and Medicare, protect communities from infectious diseases like bird flu and measles, and find cures to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. The Trump Administration is endangering your family’s health to make more room in the budget for their billionaire tax breaks and rig the system for themselves. If Donald Trump and RFK, Jr. were interested in making Wisconsin families healthy, they’d join me in fighting to bring down the price of prescription drugs and lower health care costs – but everything they are doing shows they are not.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: Sanders Statement on Trump’s Firing of 10,000 HHS Workers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders

    WASHINGTON, March 27 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement after Elon Musk and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced they would gut the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by recklessly firing 10,000 employees who work to improve the health of American families:

    Let’s be clear: Arbitrarily firing over 10,000 workers at the Department of Health and Human Services will not make Americans healthier. It will make Americans sicker and less secure.

    At a time when the cost of health insurance and prescription drugs is soaring, these outrageous cuts will make it more difficult for seniors to receive the health care they desperately need. At a time when over 60,000 Americans die because they can’t afford to go to a doctor, these cuts will make it more difficult for 32 million Americans to get the primary care they need at community health centers all over our country. At a time when the cost of child care is out of reach for millions of American families, these cuts will make a bad situation even worse. All of us want to make the government more efficient. But you don’t do that by slashing the agency in charge of the health and well-being of tens of millions of seniors, children, working families, and the most vulnerable people in America down to less than half the size of Tesla.

    As the Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, I will do everything I can to reverse these disastrous cuts and finally make health care in America a human right for all, not a privilege.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Grills Aviation Safety Heads on Near-Misses Before Fatal DCA Collision: ‘Why Did the FAA Not Act?’

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    03.27.25
    Cantwell Grills Aviation Safety Heads on Near-Misses Before Fatal DCA Collision: ‘Why Did the FAA Not Act?’
    NTSB preliminary crash report shows that in the 3-year period leading up to January collision, commercial planes flew within 400 feet of helicopters 15,000+ times; Cantwell on CNN this morning: Turning off live location transmitting for military helicopters “was a loophole that, in my opinion, should never have been given”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, grilled Acting Federal Aviation Administrator Chris Rocheleau, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy, and Director of Army Aviation Brigadier General Matt Braman on the cause of the Jan. 29 collision between a commercial flight and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people.
    “As we seek answers, the NTSB’s preliminary report has alarming facts. First, in the three-year period leading up to the collision, commercial airplane and helicopters got within 400 feet of each other on 15,214 occasions, within 200 feet on 85 occasions. FAA’s air traffic managers approve helicopter route charts annually, so if the data raised questions about the safety of these routes, the ball clearly falls into the FAA’s court as to whether to act on this data or make changes where the helicopters can fly in DCA,” Sen. Cantwell said.
    “Acting Administrator Rocheleau, I want to know: Why did the FAA not act on 15,000 reports of dangerous proximity? How were these helicopter routes allowed to remain when alarm bells were literally going off in the towers? This lack of oversight must change.” 
    READ MORE:
    The Washington Post: Senators grill FAA chief on missed warning signs before deadly crash
    Reuters: US senators blast FAA for failing to act earlier on helicopters near airplanes
    Ahead of this morning’s hearing, Sen. Cantwell joined CNN’s Kate Bolduan to discuss the findings of the NTSB and the need for more oversight at the FAA.
    “I think we do have a lot of data at the FAA. I just don’t know that anybody is paying close attention to it. But this was a loophole that, in my opinion, should never have been given. And once the loophole was given, then people should have monitored the situation,” Sen. Cantwell said on CNN.
    That interview can be watched in full HERE.
    The Black Hawk helicopter involved in the Jan. 29 was not transmitting Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Out. ADS-B Out is a crucial safety feature that, when activated, automatically sends a beacon out from an operating flight to provide air traffic control towers a picture of an aircraft’s precise location without relying solely on radar.
    In 2010, FAA under the Obama Administration issued a rule to require all aircraft equipped with ADS-B Out to operate in “transmit mode” at all times. But in 2019, shortly before that rule went into effect, the first Trump Administration created an exemption for “sensitive operations conducted by Federal, State and local government entities in matters of national defense, homeland security, intelligence and law enforcement,” with the caveat that exemptions “will not be routinely used.” Then, in a June 2023 letter to D.C. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, the Department of Defense (DOD) stated that in the National Capital Region, “the Army Aviation Brigade at Fort Belvoir and Marine Helicopter Squadron One execute 100 percent of their missions with the ADS-B off.”
    During a Q&A portion of today’s hearing, Sen. Cantwell pressed Acting Administrator Rocheleau on the inconsistent policies around ADS-B Out usage.
    “Acting Administrator, you’re not building faith in this system of oversight of the FAA,” she said. “These poor families have lost loved ones! This is not their day job. It is your day job.”
    Earlier this month, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requesting that the DOD clarify how often and why it operates aircraft in the National Capital Region without ADS-B Out activated. Secretary Hegseth has not substantively responded. Instead, today – nearly three weeks after Sen. Cantwell sent the letter and as the hearing was nearly over – a lower-level DOD official sent a short letter acknowledging her letter.  That response said DOD “anticipates providing a response by [the] end of May 2025,” yet another two months from now and four months after the accident.
    Video of Sen. Cantwell’s opening remarks in today’s hearing is available HERE; video of her first round of Q&A is HERE; video of her second round of Q&A is HERE; and a transcript is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cramer, Kelly Introduce Bill to Cut Red Tape for State DOTs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Under current law, state departments of transportation (DOTs) submit a Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP) every four years to the Federal Highway Administration. State TAMPs are planning and budget documents, intended to ensure effective management and long-term functionality of infrastructure like roads, bridges, and the National Highway System. In addition to the TAMPs, State DOTs are required to file separate annual reports with information about the implementation of their TAMPs. These reports reiterate the state’s transportation planning from the TAMP, but require extensive labor hours and tedious review to compile and submit to federal authorities.

    U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) introduced the Transportation Asset Management Simplification Act (TAMSA) to streamline reporting requirements by eliminating the annual submissions and incorporating them into the TAMPs every four years. The bill also provides states additional time to remedy any deficiencies, to match the 90-day TAMP deficiency cure period, and allows the Secretary of Transportation to extend this period upon the request of a state.

    “Our bill reduces red tape, easing the burden on state DOTs so they can spend more time actually maintaining roads and bridges instead of filing unnecessary reports,” said Cramer. “It’s a commonsense, responsible way to get rid of bureaucracy while ensuring states remain responsible stewards of their infrastructure.”

    “States shouldn’t have to waste time on redundant federal paperwork when they could be focused on maintaining safe and reliable roads and bridges,” said Kelly. “Streamlining these requirements means more time and resources go directly into improving infrastructure that communities depend on every day, while ensuring appropriate oversight.” 

    “Thank you, Senator Cramer, for working to reduce federal red tape for State DOTs,” said Ron Henke, Director of the North Dakota Department of Transportation. “This proposed common sense change to the Asset Management reporting requirements should save NDDOT numerous hours of work every four years, without decreasing the end benefits to the citizens of North Dakota.”

    “The nation’s state departments of transportation are uniquely equipped to plan, design, construct, operate, and maintain a robust program of transportation investments,” said Jim Tymon, Executive Director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. “We very much appreciate Senator Cramer and Kelly’s efforts to streamline and modernize reporting requirements associated with transportation asset management plans. By removing this federal program burden, the bill will enable state DOTs to place even greater focus on ensuring state of good repair and reducing lifecycle costs.”

    Click here for bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Access to Apprenticeships

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)

    The American Apprenticeship Act would provide states with tuition assistance funding for apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation to expand access to apprenticeships. The American Apprenticeship Act would provide states with tuition assistance funding to support apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. Companion legislation in the House of Representatives is led by Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT).

    “Apprenticeships provide Americans with valuable on-the-job training and skills to work in high-demand fields,” said Klobuchar. “By providing additional tuition assistance for apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships, our bipartisan legislation will enable more people to access and benefit from these valuable programs.”

    “Small business owners have told me that one of the biggest challenges they face is finding qualified and trained workers to fill vacant positions,” said Collins. “Apprenticeships help address this issue by aligning employees’ skills with employers’ needs and preparing individuals for a successful future in their chosen field.  During the ongoing workforce shortage, this bipartisan bill would help fill the gap by expanding access to and lowering the cost of apprenticeships, allowing more Americans to take advantage of these programs to gain in-demand skills and obtain good-paying jobs.”

    “People are living paycheck to paycheck – they are in desperate need of a viable pathway to gain and use their skills,” said DeLauro. “The American Apprenticeship Act will help raise wages and reduce worker turnover by investing in workers, helping them gain skills to get good-paying jobs. The programs created under the legislation would allow businesses to create a pipeline of skilled workers while improving their bottom line and strengthening our global competitiveness – so workers win, business wins, and our economy grows.”

    The American Apprenticeship Act would:

    • Award competitive grants to states that have developed effective strategies to diversify, market, and scale Registered Apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs;
    • Cover costs associated with participating in Registered Apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, including tuition, fees, equipment, and other educational materials; and
    • Analyze the use of apprenticeships for in-demand occupations.

    In addition, Klobuchar and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) have introduced the Apprenticeships to College Act, which would allow workers to earn college credits for completed apprenticeships. Klobuchar and Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) have introduced the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act to help Americans save for skills training, certification, and credential programs.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: March 27th, 2025 VIDEO: ICYMI—Heinrich Joins MSNBC to Discuss Signalgate: “There Were Details in These Exchanges That Put Peoples’ Lives at Risk”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, appeared on MSNBC with Jen Psaki yesterday, where he reacted to Trump Administration intelligence officials lying under oath to his question during Tuesday’s hearing on whether intelligence officials’ Signal group chat included precise information on weapons packages, targets, or timing.

    VIDEO: Heinrich joins MSNBC to discuss senior Trump Administration officials’ reckless, dangerous, and illegal handling of highly sensitive war plans in Yemen, risking the lives of American troops.

    On the Signal chat transcript:

    Jen Psaki: Senator, I know you’ve been living this, trying to get more information, trying to ask very valid legitimate questions. But you hadn’t seen those text messages until this morning. 

    Senator Heinrich: Nope, just like everyone else.

    Psaki: What did you think when you read them? 

    Heinrich: Well, I thought, how can you come and testify in front of Congress, and not think, given everything that’s gone on, that the details would come out? When you have the Director of the CIA, when you have the DNI, just brazenly lying to Congress, how could they not think that this wasn’t going to come out at some point, or that we wouldn’t get to the bottom of it? It is deeply disappointing.

    On Trump Administration officials lying under oath to Heinrich’s question about contents of Signal chat:

    Psaki: Secretary Hegseth also lied about this. They [Directors Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe] weren’t the only people lying about it. They were sitting there under oath testifying in Congress. 

    Heinrich: Yes. 

    Psaki: It was a text chain they were on. Hard to imagine they didn’t remember those details. Did they lie to you?

    Heinrich: Yeah, they did lie to us. It’s hard to imagine for me that they didn’t all go over the text chain the night before. Or in the run up to even the morning, knowing that this was in the news already. So, it’s incredibly disappointing to see how cavalierly they misrepresented this. And obviously I hadn’t seen those parts of the text chain at that point. But I suspected, and what we would normally really be concerned about showing up outside of what we call the high side, the secure communications infrastructure that we use. Are these operational details? Because that is what can put service members at risk, and this is a case where real lives are on the line. There were intelligence details in these exchanges that may well have put peoples’ lives at risk.

    Psaki: Yeah, the General is making this point that they’re still at risk now. And this now gives the Houthis a better understanding of how these communications happen. 

    Heinrich: That’s exactly right. 

    On an expedited Inspector General investigation into the situation: 

    Psaki: Let me ask you: Senator Roger Wicker said today that the Senate Armed Services Committee is seeking an expedited IG investigation. He’s a Republican senator. We haven’t heard that from a lot of other Republican senators or any others that I’m aware of publicly at this point, but you talk to them privately. Do you think more could come out? Is there more who might call for that?

    Heinrich: I hope. I really hope more [Republican senators] do come out, because the private conversations are: People know this was wrong. People know that it was reckless. No one wants to defend this in the public. Even if you watch the Worldwide Annual Threat Assessment hearing in its totality, you didn’t hear Republicans coming to the defense of this kind of recklessness. We’ll just have to see. You know, there’s this palpable fear of saying anything critical of Team Trump. And to his credit, I think Roger Wicker did what anyone would normally do in this situation, which is just to say, “Let’s get to the bottom of it.”

    Psaki: That’s what IGs are supposed to do. Hence why it’s so problematic that a number of them were fired. Senator, thank you so much, and thank you for continuing to press on this issue. I know there’s many, many more questions out there. 

    Heinrich: We’re not done yet. 

    A recap of Tuesday’s hearing on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence can be found here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Leads Bipartisan Effort to Put Cameras in All Federal Courts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) reintroduced two pieces of bipartisan legislation to allow television cameras in federal courtrooms.

    “The judicial branch has a massive impact on our daily lives and the lives of generations to come, yet few Americans get the chance to see our nation’s courts in action,” Grassley said. “Allowing cameras access to the federal and Supreme Courts would boost transparency and help Americans grow in confidence and understanding of the judiciary.”

    The Sunshine in the Courtroom Act would grant the presiding judge in all federal courts, including the Supreme Court, the discretion to allow cameras in the courtroom, while protecting the identities of witnesses and jurors. The bill also prohibits media coverage of private conversations and includes a three-year sunset provision, requiring Congress to evaluate the impact of media access on the judiciary.

    Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, co-leads the legislation. Additional cosponsors include Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas).

    Bill text of the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act is available HERE.

    The Cameras in the Courtroom Act would specifically instruct the Supreme Court to permit television coverage of open sessions, unless a majority of the Court decides that doing so would violate due process. Open sessions are sessions where members of the public are already invited to observe court proceedings in person.

    Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) co-leads the legislation. Additional cosponsors include Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).

    Bill text of the Cameras in the Courtroom Act is available HERE.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Grassley Joins America’s Newsroom to Discuss District-Level Overreach, Previews Bill to Curb Abuse of Nationwide Injunctions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined America’s Newsroom on Fox News to preview his plans to address the bipartisan issue of nationwide injunctions.

    Video and excerpts of Grassley’s remarks follow. 

    [embedded content]

    VIDEO

    On the Growing Crisis of National Injunctions:

    “Over the last 20 years, there’s been massive abuse of these national injunctions, whether we have a Republican president or Democrat president. For the first 150 years, we never had any use of this. And then, maybe for the next 50 years, [they were] sparingly used. But it’s really jacked up.

    “You can’t have a situation where 600 plus different district court judges can make a judgment to apply something nationwide. So, [my upcoming] legislation would…try to limit [district judges’ orders] to the parties to the suit and then [make temporary restraining orders] immediately appealable, so we don’t turn district judges into policy makers.

    “They’re supposed to interpret law, not make law.”

    On Bipartisan Calls for Reform:

    “This is an opportunity where we have a real problem, not just in the Trump administration, but in the Biden administration. So, we’ve had Democrats speak out about this in the past, and Republicans speak out about it.

    “So, I would hope we would get a bipartisan agreement to a piece of legislation. And…even Justice Kagan said that this [use of nationwide injunctions] is abuse.

    “So, I don’t know how much better you can get from both sides of the aisle that we got a problem we have to deal with, and it’s really exploded since Trump has become President of the United States.”

    On Calls to Impeach Judges:

    “You can’t impeach a judge just because you disagree with their opinion, but we want to overcome some of that problem by [addressing] these cases that hang around for a long time, and they may have a national injunction after the money’s already been spent or some appeal goes on and the person has been wrong. That’s why we want to have legislation that would appeal these decisions very quickly.”

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján, Min Introduce Legislation to Hold Special Government Employees Accountable, Prevent Them From Using Position for Financial Gain

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    Special Government Employees – Like Elon Musk – Have Personal Business Interests Intertwined with Official Government Work

    Bill Would Prevent Special Government Employees From Acting in Their Own Financial Interest

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Congressman Dave Min (D-CA) introduced the Special Government Employees Transparency Act of 2025, legislation that would create transparency and accountability for special government employees (SGE). Senator Luján and Congressman Min’s bill would ensure that certain SGEs are subject to public financial disclosures and would ensure they abide by the same ethics rules as federal employees after 130 days. 

    “Accountability is critical in government, that is why special government employees should be held to ethical standards that prevent them from using their position for their own financial gain,” said Senator Luján. “This legislation would boost transparency and accountability necessary to ensure special government employees don’t abuse their power. I’m proud to partner with Congressman Min on this important legislation to make certain that special government employees, like Elon Musk, are held to the highest ethical standards and don’t use their position to line their pockets.”

    “Elon Musk and DOGE are operating without any accountability or oversight, and that is unacceptable. This legislation would increase transparency, holding Musk and his cronies responsible to the American people,” said Rep. Min. “I am grateful to work with Senator Lujan on this necessary legislation. No one is above the law, and no one should be using the federal government for their personal gain.”

    An SGE is an officer or employee in the executive branch of the federal government who is appointed to perform limited, services to the government, with or without compensation, for a period not to exceed 130 days during any period of 365 consecutive days. The Special Government Employees Transparency Act of 2025 would provide additional transparency and accountability regarding SGEs:

    1. 130-day limit: The bill would automatically convert any individual serving as an SGE to regular employee status after the individual has served 130 days in any 365-day period. 
    2. Public disclosures: The bill would require public release of the financial disclosure reports of all but the lowest-level SGEs.
    3. Public database: The bill would require the executive branch to maintain a public database of individuals serving with potentially problematic SGE designations.

    The legislation is cosponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

    The legislation is supported by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), State Democracy Defenders Action, Public Citizen, and the Campaign Legal Center.

    Full bill text is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján Statement on Trump Administration Gutting HHS by Cutting Nearly Quarter of Workforce, Abruptly Canceling Funding for New Mexico State Health Services

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    Trump Administration Guts HHS by Eliminating Nearly 25% of Workforce, Cuts Over $12 Billion in Federal Grants to Fund Infectious Disease Management and Other Critical Health Services Nationwide Amid Measles Outbreak

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, issued the following statement in response to the announcement from the Trump administration that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is illegally gutting the agency including cutting nearly a quarter of its workforce and eliminating critical subagencies. This is in addition to yesterday’s announcement that more than $12 billion in federal grants to states to support tracking infectious diseases, mental health services, addiction treatment, and other critical health issues have been abruptly canceled.

    “Amid a nationwide measles outbreak, with bird flu spreading worldwide, and as a significant number of Americans face a substance use or mental health conditions, now is not the time to fire our nation’s health workers, ravage our nation’s top health agency, and cut critical resources that support state health services.

    “The Trump administration is blindly taking an axe to the agency responsible for our nation’s public health. When our nation should be working to boost public health, the Trump administration is firing thousands of dedicated health workers who respond to disease outbreaks, oversee scientific research, and strengthen public health. Eliminating nearly a quarter of HHS will not make Americans healthier.

    “Not only is the Trump administration dismantling HHS, but they are also abruptly canceling more than $12 billion in approved federal grants for state health services nationwide, which is a direct attack on our nation’s public health. As the New Mexico Department of Health combats a measles outbreak and fights the opioid crisis, these federal funds – which Congress approved – are meant to help them track infectious diseases, get New Mexicans the substance use support services they need, and boost our state’s public health.”

    These mass firings and abrupt cuts come as a total of 378 confirmed measles cases have been reported by 18 jurisdictions: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, and Washington. In New Mexico, a total of 43 cases have been reported in Lea and Eddy Counties, and one unvaccinated individual has died.

    Senator Luján has repeatedly demanded action from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to contain the measles outbreak. Secretary Kennedy has failed to respond.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Introduces Pershing County Lands Bill to Support Economic Development, Increase Conservation

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced the Pershing County Economic Development and Conservation Act to expand protections for and improve the management of public lands in the County, and create new conservation and recreation opportunities, while ensuring the revenue from land sales stay in Pershing County. 
    This bill was drafted in collaboration with local officials and stakeholders in order to support long-term economic growth for Pershing County’s rural communities, while also prioritizing the protection and effective management of our public lands. The bill will also transfer land into trust for the Lovelock Paiute Tribe to support the expansion of their Tribal cemetery. This legislation has the support of county commissioners, ranchers, recreationists, conservationists, and private landowners.
    “As Nevada continues to grow, we need to make sure that federal lands are being used in a way that fits the needs of our growing communities,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m working to support responsible economic development while also prioritizing the conservation of public lands. This bill will help boost Pershing County’s local economy and critical industries like mining, while also protecting more than 130,000 acres of public lands. I’ll keep working to ensure that this bill passes in the new Congress and becomes law.”
    “The Pershing County Economic Development and Conservation Act is vital for the future of Pershing County and our citizens,” said Joe Crim Jr., Chairman of the Pershing County Commission. “Reconciling our checkerboard lands and protecting important Federal lands will ensure we have an ability to grow our economy in the future. We thank Senator Rosen for her support of this important legislation.”
    “Friends of Nevada Wilderness is very grateful for Senator Rosen’s support for reintroducing the Pershing County bill,” said Shaaron Netherton, Executive Director of Friends of Nevada Wilderness. “We have been active partners with stakeholders and local governments working to resolve public lands issues in Pershing County for a number of years. We are excited about the seven beautiful Wilderness areas and we are also excited for the opportunity to block up public and private lands to support appropriate development including green energy along with better conservation and management in the checkerboard area along the railroad and I-80 corridor.” 
    The Pershing County Economic Development and Conservation Act:

    Designates over 130,000 acres of public lands as wilderness.
    Resolves the checkerboard of alternating parcels of public and private land in Pershing County to allow for more effective land management, and creates new economic development and conservation opportunities.
    Allows specific mining lands to be sold to support the mining industry in Pershing County, a key economic driver in the community, and funds new conservation and restoration activities.
    Requires revenue from the land sales to stay in Pershing County to obtain, conserve, and protect environmentally sensitive areas and support outdoor recreation.
    Transfers land into trust for the Lovelock Paiute Tribe to expand their Tribal cemetery.

    Senator Rosen has been a champion for Nevada’s public lands. Earlier this year, she reintroduced the Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act to expand economic development and affordable housing opportunities in Washoe County, support local Tribal communities, increase conservation, and protect public lands and outdoor recreation. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Rosen helped pass the modernization plan for the Fallon Range Training Complex at Naval Air Station Fallon, which was signed into law at the end of 2022. This compromise included Senator Rosen’s Lander County Land Management and Conservation Act, which transferred land to Lander County to improve airports, allow greater access to water infrastructure, increase recreation and outdoor tourism opportunities, and support economic development, while also designating over 14,000 acres of new wilderness.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Leads Colleagues in Demanding Senate Hearings on Trump Administration’s Reckless Mishandling of Classified Military Operations

    US Senate News:

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

    According To New Reporting, Classified Military Operation Details Were Shared In Signal Chat By Secretary Of Defense
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) led 15 of her Senate colleagues in a letter calling on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hold hearings to investigate why members of President Trump’s national security team were recklessly and illegally 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. New reporting details the classified military plans that were discussed in the commercial, unclassified messaging app.
    In addition to Senator Rosen, this letter was signed by Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Gary Peters (D-MI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ). All of the Senators who signed are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, or the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
    “We write to you with grave concern regarding the recent revelations reported in The Atlantic about the Trump Administration’s reckless handling of classified information about U.S. military operations,” wrote the senators. “This gross mishandling of highly classified information has weakened our national security and could have put at risk American lives, particularly the men and women involved in the military strikes in Yemen.”
    “For this reason, we are calling on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to hold joint or separate hearings to investigate this matter fully and get to the bottom of why members of the National Security Council were using unclassified, internet-connected smartphones and channels to discuss highly sensitive military information, when there are known ways to tamper with unclassified devices and when it is possible that dozens of foreign intelligence agencies are targeting the unclassified smartphones used by these senior U.S. government officials,” they continued. “Our national security demands that we act with urgency to uncover the full details of this severe security breach and implement measures to prevent such recklessness in the future.”
    The full letter can be found HERE.
    Senator Rosen has expressed deep concern over this violation of security protocols that put sensitive national security information and the lives of U.S. troops at risk. She released a statement strongly criticizing this inexcusable failure that could have endangered American lives, and called for Senate hearings and disciplinary action on the matter. Senator Rosen also joined a letter to President Trump demanding answers about this use of an unclassified, unsecured group chat for highly sensitive, high-level military planning in violation of our nation’s security protocols and the law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer, Colleagues Request Removal of Burdensome Biden-Era Regulations on Broadband Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer

    Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and Chair of the Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee, joined Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick ahead of his review of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.

    In their letter, the Senators request that Secretary Lutnick improve implementation of the BEAD program, which is aimed at expanding Internet access to Americans in rural areas and other unserved communities, by removing burdensome Biden-era regulations.

    “As you may be aware, Republican senators have previously raised concerns with the Biden administration’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and its implementation of the BEAD program,” the Senators wrote. “Specifically, NTIA ignored congressional direction and acted inconsistently with its statutory authority in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), filling the program with onerous regulations that prevented the quick, efficient deployment of broadband and resulted in not a single household being connected to the internet.”

    “Under your leadership, the BEAD program can finally fulfill its long overdue mission and ensure taxpayer dollars are not spent funding extraneous, burdensome regulations,” the Senators continued. “Eliminating these obstacles will empower states to work closely with broadband providers and accelerate deployment, maximize resources, and reach truly unserved and underserved communities without any more delay caused by unnecessary government interference.”

    The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.).

    Read the full letter 

    here or below:

    Dear Secretary Lutnick:

    We write to thank you for committing to a rigorous review of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.  As you may be aware, Republican senators have previously raised concerns with the Biden administration’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and its implementation of the BEAD program.  Specifically, NTIA ignored congressional direction and acted inconsistently with its statutory authority in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), filling the program with onerous regulations that prevented the quick, efficient deployment of broadband and resulted in not a single household being connected to the internet.  Therefore, we urge you to remove the Biden-era extraneous regulations as you review the BEAD program to ensure the responsible and effective use of taxpayer dollars. 

    In particular, we encourage you to remove the BEAD program’s restrictive labor requirements that disadvantage rural communities, provisions favoring government-owned networks over private investment, and guidelines that prioritize certain technologies over others and clearly contradict congressional pursuit of tech-neutrality. 

    Furthermore, despite the IIJA’s explicit prohibition on broadband rate regulation, NTIA exceeded its statutory authority and attempted to enact rate regulations anyway.  The inclusion of climate change mandates further diverted funds and focus away from the program’s primary objective of ensuring broadband access for unserved and underserved communities.  These unnecessary bureaucratic barriers slow deployment, increase costs, and ultimately run contrary to the very purpose of the program and should also be removed.  Even the former Director of the BEAD program recently admitted that many of these woke requirements were “inserted by the prior administration for messaging/political purposes” and “never central to the mission of the program.”

    Under your leadership, the BEAD program can finally fulfill its long overdue mission and ensure taxpayer dollars are not spent funding extraneous, burdensome regulations.  Eliminating these obstacles will empower states to work closely with broadband providers and accelerate deployment, maximize resources, and reach truly unserved and underserved communities without any more delay caused by unnecessary government interference.

    Thank you for your time and attention to this important matter.  We appreciate your leadership in reviewing and addressing these concerns, and we look forward to working with you.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Warren Pushes Back on Trump Attacks on Diversity at Military Academies, Warns of National Security Risks

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    March 27, 2025

    Warren: “The Trump Administration’s ham-fisted attacks on the service academies undermine our ability to recruit and to train talented, young people who will become a critical part of our lethal fighting force.” 

    Superintendent of West Point: Clubs are part of what makes West Point “a living, breathing leadership laboratory.”

    Video of Remarks (YouTube)

    Washington, D.C. – At a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, pushed back against the Trump administration’s recent attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at military academies, including the administration’s recent executive orders leading to the dismantling of clubs at military academies. Warren said this move “does not make it easier to recruit the best and the brightest.” 

    Recent criticisms from some Republicans have claimed that military academies have lowered admissions standards due to DEI. However, the superintendents of the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the U.S. Naval Academy made clear that students are admitted based on their academic and leadership potential, maintaining high admissions standards. 

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently questioned the need for civilian professors, but the military academy leaders agreed with Senator Warren that academy students learning from both military and civilian instructors helps “students develop the skills they need to become part of a lethal fighting force.” 

    “It is one team to be able to develop these midshipmen and [military and civilian instructors] are all in on doing that, so I’m really impressed,” said Vice Admiral Yvette M. Davids, Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy. 

    All three superintendents also agreed that clubs in military academies are a significant part of students “grow[ing] as leaders by taking initiative and contributing to their communities” and Lieutenant General Gilland, Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, highlighted they are part of what makes West Point being “a living, breathing leadership laboratory.” 

    “The Trump Administration’s ham-fisted attacks on the service academies undermine our ability to recruit and to train talented, young people who will become a critical part of our lethal fighting force,” concluded Senator Warren.

    Transcript: Hearing to Conduct Oversight and Receive Testimony on the Status of the Military Service Academies
    Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel
    March 26, 2025

    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m going to pick up on where you were. The military academies are charged with training the next generation of leaders. And together, the three of you train about one out of every five of our military officers. The military spends millions of dollars, many many years to train our helicopter pilots, our combat leaders, and for a few, the Chiefs of Staff that we end up with. 

    But the Trump administration is undermining those investments by tilting at windmills named DEI. In less than three months, the administration has cancelled student engineering clubs and purged curricula based on clumsy keyword searches. The administration sends a strong signal that not everyone is welcome in our military.  

    So today, I want to dig in on how you all think about your mission to develop the leaders who will keep our military strong. 

    Lieutenant General Bauernfeind, do you consider academic and leadership potential in the admissions process so that we can develop the next generation of military officers who will take on the toughest jobs? 

    Lieutenant General Tony D. Bauernfeind, Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy: Senator Warren, yes, we do absolutely, in our admissions process, consider leadership in our admissions process and through their 47-month leadership development program.  

    Senator Warren: Lieutenant General Gilland, same answer? Yes? 

    Lieutenant General Steven Gilland, Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point: Yes, Senator Warren. 

    Senator Warren: And Admiral Davids? 

    Vice Admiral Yvette M. Davids, Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy: Yes, ma’am, considered in the admissions process. 

    Senator Warren: Good, so you all admit cadets and midshipmen based on their academic and their leadership potential. Then it’s your job to turn that potential into reality.

    So let’s talk about where students develop those skills. One place, obviously, is the classroom. That’s one of the reasons, as you have already described, that students learn from both academic experts and practitioners in the field. Military practitioners obviously have valuable experiences to share with students, but the academies also need the best teachers for physics, and cybersecurity, and electrical engineering, and much much more. The Department of Defense has recognized this, including in a 1993 report calling on the service academies to integrate more civilian faculty so that, “the faculties can act in unity but not identically–a blend of excellence.”

    Vice Admiral Davids, does learning from both military and civilian instructors help your students develop the skills they need to become part of a lethal fighting force?

    Vice Admiral Davids: Thank you, Senator. Absolutely, they learn from both our military and our civilian. It is one team to be able to develop these midshipmen and they are all in on doing that, so I’m really impressed. 

    Senator Warren: Good. General Bauernfeind? 

    Lieutenant General Bauernfeind: Yes, Senator Warren. Yes, we value our faculty as it comes forward, it brings forward – for the two aspects mentioned before – bringing forward that expertise and that operationally-relevant experience to both educate and develop future leaders.   

    Senator Warren: And General Gilland, are you in agreement with your colleagues here? 

    Lieutenant General Gilland: Yes, Senator. 

    Senator Warren: Good. Leadership is obviously about what you learn in the classroom, but it’s also what happens outside the classroom. 

    So I want to talk for just a second about engineering clubs. They certainly encourage students to learn hard skills and to support each other in that undertaking, it can be difficult, but an engineering club also gives a student an opportunity to take on leadership roles and responsibilities like being the treasurer or being the president. That’s true of other clubs too. One cadet who helped found the Vietnamese-American Cadet Association at West Point said that it helped to make him a better officer and that, “West Point was probably the first place where I had a supportive environment for my identity and who I am.”  

    So Lieutenant General Gilland, do cadets grow as leaders by taking initiative and contributing to their communities? And are clubs a significant part of that? 

    Lieutenant General Gilland: Yes, Senator. All of our clubs – and I would consider all of West Point as a living, breathing leadership laboratory. 

    Senator Warren: I like that. I like that. Vice Admiral Davids? 

    Vice Admiral Davids: I would agree completely, Senator. 

    Senator Warren: And General Bauernfeind? 

    Lieutenant General Bauernfeind: Senator Warren, I do agree as well that our clubs provide opportunities. 

    Senator Warren: So I’m concerned, because currently, the administration is rolling out executive orders that have led to dismantling clubs that have been around for decades and that have successfully supported students at the service academies. Those leadership opportunities remain available in more than 600 other colleges and universities. Banning those clubs just at our military academies does not make it easier to recruit the best and the brightest. The Trump Administration’s ham-fisted attacks on the service academies undermine our ability to recruit and to train talented, young people who will become a critical part of our lethal fighting force. I think that is bad for our cadets, and it is bad for our national security.

    Thank you for being here and we apologize for moving in and out. We’ve got votes at the same time, so this is not a comment on what anyone has to say. Just have to play a little bit of tag here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Schumer, Senators Demand Independent Watchdog Investigation into Trump Administration’s Unprecedented Attempts to Dismantle Department of Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    March 27, 2025

    The Administration’s Actions Threaten to “Severely Restrict” Department’s Ability to Support Students, Parents, and Teachers Across the Country

    “These actions likely contravene the law and will hurt students and families everywhere.” 

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a letter to Acting Department of Education Inspector General (IG) René Rocque requesting that the IG conduct an investigation of the Trump Administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education (ED). Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) also joined the letter. 

    “Decimating the Department of Education’s abilities to administer financial aid, investigate civil rights violations, conduct research on educational outcomes, and oversee the use of federal education grants threatens to have disastrous consequences for American students, teachers, and families,” wrote the lawmakers.

    Last week, the Trump Administration’s efforts to illegally dismantle the ED came to a head when President Trump signed an executive order instructing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take “all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education.” 

    A few weeks prior, ED initiated a reduction in force (RIF) impacting nearly 50 percent of the Department’s staff. McMahon boasted, “When President Trump was inaugurated, the Department’s workforce stood at 4,133 workers. After today’s actions, the Department’s workforce will total roughly 2,183.” 

    “These cuts threaten to hurt the very groups that the Department aims to serve: the roughly 1,300 layoffs disproportionately target employees who served on teams that facilitate financial aid for tens of millions of families, enforce our civil rights laws, and ensure that every student has a place to learn in our K-12 public schools,” continued the lawmakers.

    The day after President Trump signed his executive order attempting to abolish the Department of Education, the President also announced that he was “immediately” moving the handling of federal student loans to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and shifting programs for students with disabilities to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

    Congress created the Department of Education to manage critical federal functions like distributing federal funding to public schools, administering federal financial aid, and defending the federal civil rights of students from marginalized backgrounds, including students with disabilities. Only Congress can choose to abolish the Department of Education—the President cannot shut down the Department by decree. 

    The senators requested that IG Rocque conduct an independent evaluation of the Trump Administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education and examine how the efforts will undermine the federal government’s ability to support students, educators, and families across the country.

    “Given the adverse impact that the Trump Administration’s actions may have on the Education Department’s ability to administer and improve education programs around the country, an evaluation by your office would be consistent with your goal to ‘drive continuous improvement in Federal education programs,’” concluded the lawmakers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst, Smith Celebrate Women in Agriculture

    US Senate News:

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

    RED OAK, Iowa – In celebration of Women’s History Month and Iowa Agriculture Week, U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, led a bipartisan group of their colleagues, including every female Republican senator, in highlighting the vital role women play in agriculture operations across the country by designating March 27, 2025, as National Women in Agriculture Day.
    “When folks think of farmers, they often think of men, but anyone involved in the agriculture community will tell you that there are many incredible women who are stepping up, filling their parents’ boots, and carrying on our great rural traditions all across the state of Iowa,” said Senator Ernst. “I was proud to grow up as a woman in agriculture, and I’m honored to recognize the more than 1.2 million female farmers and producers in the United States that work so hard to feed and fuel our nation and our world.”
    “Agriculture is the backbone of Minnesota’s economy,” said Senator Smith. “Women have always played an essential role in this sector. I’m proud we have introduced this bipartisan resolution to designate a day during Women’s History Month and National Agriculture Week to recognize the achievements of the women who have been the key to our agricultural success.”
    The resolution is being led by Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.) in the House
    Background:
    Thanks to Ernst’s efforts, Women in Agriculture Day has been unanimously adopted by the Senate since 2022. Ernst kicked off Women’s History Month by spotlighting central Iowan cattlewomen Lauren and Leah Mosher – a dynamic sister duo who have devoted their lives to agriculture.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Blumenthal, Colleagues Demand Senate Hearings On Trump Administration’s Reckless Mishandling Of Classified Military Operations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    March 27, 2025

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, joined 14 of their Senate colleagues in signing a letter calling on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hold hearings to investigate why members of President Trump’s national security team were recklessly and illegally discussing classified military operations on unsecured devices. 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. New reporting details the classified military plans that were discussed in the commercial, unclassified messaging app.

    “We write to you with grave concern regarding the recent revelations reported in The Atlantic about the Trump Administration’s reckless handling of classified information about U.S. military operations,” the senators wrote. “This gross mishandling of highly classified information has weakened our national security and could have put at risk American lives, particularly the men and women involved in the military strikes in Yemen.”

    “For this reason, we are calling on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to hold joint or separate hearings to investigate this matter fully and get to the bottom of why members of the National Security Council were using unclassified, internet-connected smartphones and channels to discuss highly sensitive military information, when there are known ways to tamper with unclassified devices and when it is possible that dozens of foreign intelligence agencies are targeting the unclassified smartphones used by these senior U.S. government officials,” they continued. “Our national security demands that we act with urgency to uncover the full details of this severe security breach and implement measures to prevent such recklessness in the future.”

    U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) also signed the letter.

    Full text of the letter is available HERE and below.

    Dear Chairman Wicker, Chairman Cotton, and Chairman Risch:

    We write to you with grave concern regarding the recent revelations reported in The Atlantic about the Trump Administration’s reckless handling of classified information about U.S. military operations. According to the reporting and the screenshots provided in the original story and a second piece published the following day, the Vice President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Advisor, and other key national security officials discussed classified information about imminent U.S. military operations using internet-connected smartphones that were not approved for discussing classified information, via a commercial, unclassified messaging app called “Signal.” Planning military strikes using consumer-grade, internet-connected smartphones is reckless and illegal because they can be hacked by foreign governments. Additionally, due to their inexcusable carelessness, a reporter was added to this Signal chat and was provided access to incredibly sensitive information about future military operations that included planned air strikes on terrorist targets. This gross mishandling of highly classified information has weakened our national security and could have put at risk American lives, particularly the men and women involved in the military strikes in Yemen.

    It is even more outrageous that members of the Trump Administration – from the President to Cabinet officials who were part of the Signal group – have tried to downplay, mislead, and excuse this reckless and likely illegal behavior. During a recent Senate oversight hearing featuring Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Senators and the American people were left with more questions than answers following the officials’ testimony and repeated evasions.

    Since that initial hearing, and as a direct result of Administration officials’ attempts to downplay the severity of the breach and the importance of the information disclosed, additional reporting from the Atlantic has been published containing further details of what was actually discussed, which included strike planning and explicit operational details like specific timing, types of aircraft used, and sequencing of events related to the pending attack on the Houthi terrorists, any of which could have jeopardized the operation and endangered servicemembers if it had fallen into the hands of our adversaries in advance. This raises pressing questions regarding the possible spillage of classified information to an uncleared reporter and onto unclassified devices which can be hacked by foreign intelligence agencies, the irresponsibility of high-ranking Administration officials, and the increased risk this created for U.S. troops who carried out the strikes.

    For this reason, we are calling on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to hold joint or separate hearings to investigate this matter fully and get to the bottom of why members of the National Security Council were using unclassified, internet-connected smartphones and channels to discuss highly sensitive military information, when there are known ways to tamper with unclassified devices and when it is possible that dozens of foreign intelligence agencies are targeting the unclassified smartphones used by these senior U.S. government officials. The American people deserve answers, and we need to know if there are any other such chat conversations using Signal or any other messaging app or other actions being taken by Trump Administration officials that are putting our national security and military personnel at risk. We urge your committees to use the Senate’s full oversight powers to compel the following individuals, who were part of the messaging group, to speak to the Senate in both open and closed hearings: Vice President JD Vance; Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; National Security Advisor Michael Waltz; Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard; CIA Director John Ratcliffe; White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles: Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller; and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

    Our national security demands that we act with urgency to uncover the full details of this severe security breach and implement measures to prevent such recklessness in the future. We look forward to your prompt attention to this matter and stand ready to support the committees in any capacity necessary. We trust that you will give this matter the serious attention it requires.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey, Colleagues Press Energy Secretary on Firings and Suspensions in Nuclear Security Programs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Letter Text (PDF)
    Washington (March 27, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) led his colleagues Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Representative John Garamendi (CA-08) in writing today to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright about the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE’s) cancellation of two Department of Energy (DOE) lab programs that support efforts to stop nuclear proliferation, following firings from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and DOGE access to DOE information systems.
    Today’s letter follows many of these lawmakers’ letter to Secretary Wright on February 20 regarding mass firings at the NNSA. The response from Teresa M. Robbins, Acting Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator at the NNSA on February 21, failed to address concerns about the broader impact on U.S. nuclear security and nonproliferation. Since then, DOGE has continued to act with little regard for the consequences of its decisions, canceling two DOE lab programs critical to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. Any one of these blunders would be alarming; taken together, they reflect a dangerous pattern of reckless behavior at the heart of America’s nuclear security enterprise.
    Today’s letter to Secretary Wright urges DOE to restore the necessary staff and programs and ensure that nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation remain a top priority.
    In the letter, the lawmakers write, “Regarding the cancelled lab programs, according to press, DOE suspended two programs (at national labs in Brookhaven, NY and Oak Ridge, TN) that provide U.S. financial aid to inspectors at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), undermining President Trump’s own goal of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during his confirmation hearing in January that a nuclear-armed Iran ‘cannot be allowed under any circumstances.’ As a former director of the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory in New Mexico put it: ‘These are disastrous policies. They go against science and partnerships that lift a nation.’ We share these concerns and fear that the disruptions will scare away talented professionals from the field of nuclear nonproliferation and hinder the global fight against the spread of nuclear arms.”
    The lawmakers continue, “As in the case of the NNSA terminations, it is unclear whether DOE and DOGE officials understand key facts — here, the depth of the relationship between the United States and the IAEA. U.S. financial support helps the IAEA train its inspectors, who can go where U.S. government experts may not be welcome. IAEA inspectors have exposed Iran’s nuclear progress and helped prevent terrorists from acquiring nuclear material. Additionally, the assistance helps place U.S. citizens in staff positions at the IAEA. According to Laura Holgate, a former U.S. ambassador to the IAEA: ‘These programs enhance U.S. security. This is not charity. It’s in our self-interest.’ DOE and DOGE need to understand this.”
    The lawmakers request answers by April 4, 2025, to questions including:
    Why did you initially deny the NNSA’s request for a national security exemption from the mass firings at the agency?
    Please explain the discrepancies in the number of fired NNSA employees, ranging from less than 50 to 177, to more than 300, and closer to 350. How many of the terminated NNSA employees declined to return? How has this impacted mission readiness?
    Why did DOE immediately reverse 150 of its purported 177 firings?
    We understand that approximately 30% of the NNSA employees initially terminated were from the Pantex Plant in Texas, the facility responsible for safely dismantling thousands of retired nuclear weapons. What measures were taken to assess the impact of these terminations on critical national security functions at this facility?
    Why did DOE and DOGE suspend the two programs at Brookhaven and Oak Ridge national labs that provide U.S. financial assistance to inspectors at the IAEA? When these programs were suspended, did you realize that they supported nonproliferation efforts?
    On February 20, Senators Markey, Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08), wrote to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Wright about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) firing up to 350 staff members at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), jeopardizing the security of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, weakening our ability to detect and prevent threats to nuclear safety, and undermining U.S. nonproliferation commitments.
    On February 12, 2025, Senator Markey and Representative Don Beyer (VA-08) wrote to Secretary Wright regarding their concerns that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been granted access to DOE, which oversees the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the nation’s most sensitive nuclear weapons secrets.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey: RFK Jr.’s Massive Cuts at HHS Only Fuel “Make America Sick Again” Agenda

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Washington (March 27, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), top Democrat on the Primary Health and Retirement Security Subcommittee of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released the following statement in response to media reports that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is planning to cut 10,000 jobs at the department, bringing the total amount of job cuts at HHS to 20,000.   
    “Corporate greed, hospital and pharmacy closures, health provider burnout, unacceptable wait times and sky-high costs for care: America’s health care crisis is already here,” said Senator Markey. “Rather than work to tackle these problems head on, the Trump administration is cutting funding for lifesaving research into Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and cancer, has hawked measles treatment that leaves some patients more sick, plans to gut Medicaid, and is committed to making it harder for patients to get care simply based on who they are, where they come from, and how much money they make. 
    “Rather than confront the health care crisis head on, Kennedy’s actions will only leave Americans to get sicker while the rich get richer. This evisceration of workers isn’t just a restructuring—it is a catastrophe in the making that will disrupt services, violate federal law, and deny the livelihoods of workers who dedicate themselves every day to protecting public health, all to pay for take breaks for billionaires while American families pay the price of illness and death. We will not let this stand.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Questions EPA General Counsel Nominee on Need to “Follow the Law” in the Renewable Fuel Standard

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, pushed for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to follow the law and issue timely Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs). Ricketts questioned Sean Donahue, who has been nominated to be the top attorney at EPA.
    “As the general counsel, you’ll give the advice to the agency with regard to what they’re supposed to be doing to follow the law,” Ricketts said. “One of those laws, the Renewable Fuel Standard, very clearly mandates periodic rulemakings for the Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs). This is something where the last administration failed to comply with the law. In June of 2022, the Biden administration published retroactive rulemakings in 2020-2021 and 2022 that under-protected biofuel volumes by billions of gallons. The 2023 RVOs were published a year later, too late in the year for producers or the fuel markets to adjust. The 2026 RVOs were due November 2024, but won’t actually be published until December 2025. Again, the last administration failed to follow the law.”
    “What the EPA is supposed to be doing with regards to their obligations on the RVOs, getting those published in a timely matter,” Ricketts said. “What I’m asking you is you will you give the administration, the EPA, the advice that they need to follow the statutory RVOs and do it in a timely manner as the law prescribes?”
    “We will follow the law, Senator,” Donahue said. 
    Ricketts made the comments in a nominations hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The hearing considered the nominations of Brian Nesvik to be Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Jessica Kramer to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Sean Donahue to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
    Click here to watch the hearing.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy, Shaheen champion bipartisan bill to support Louisiana rural small businesses’ access to capital

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
    WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, joined Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) in reintroducing the Coordinated Support for Rural Small Businesses Act, which the Senate Small Business Committee today voted to advance to full Senate consideration.
    The bill would direct the Small Business Administration (SBA) to designate an Assistant Administrator for its Office of Rural Affairs and codify cooperation efforts between the SBA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to improve support for rural small businesses.
    “Louisiana’s small businesses provide good paying jobs to folks throughout our state and support local economic growth. I’m thankful to my colleagues for advancing this bill to improve support for job creators, and I look forward to full Senate consideration,” said Kennedy.
    “Small businesses are the backbone of rural communities but often face higher barriers to accessing federal programs and resources that would help them thrive. I’m pleased that my colleagues on the Small Business Committee cleared the way for our bipartisan bill to increase coordination between federal agencies—bringing us one step closer to delivering more support for rural small businesses across the country,” said Shaheen.
    The Coordinated Support for Rural Small Businesses Act would direct SBA and USDA to convene working groups to:
    Identify areas of partnership between the two agencies’ loan programs, including both large programs like 7(a) and smaller microloan programs. 
    Assess where SBA and USDA can coordinate in delivering resources through lenders, resource partners like Small Business Development Centers and others.
    Coordinate SBA’s Small Business Investment Company program and USDA’s Rural Business Investment Company program.
    Share best practices among the two agencies, rural economic development groups and others and evaluate how cooperatives can access SBA programs.
    Collaborate on technical assistance with procurement, exports and innovation.
    The bill text is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: On Equal Pay Day, Duckworth, Durbin Join Senate Democrats in Reintroducing the Paycheck Fairness Act to Help End Wage Discrimination, Close Gender Pay Gap

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    March 26, 2025
    [WASHINGTON, DC] – On Equal Pay Day yesterday, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) along with the entire Senate Democratic caucus in reintroducing the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation to combat pay discrimination and help close the gender pay gap by strengthening the Equal Pay Act of 1963, ending the practice of pay secrecy and strengthening available remedies to help ensure wronged employees can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable. U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) led the reintroduction of the Paycheck Fairness Act in the House.
    “Every single day, women across our nation contribute so much to the success of their families, their communities and their country—and yet, women continue to make hundreds of thousands of dollars less over the course of their lifetimes due to pay disparities,” said Senator Duckworth. “When women are held back, our economy is held back. If Donald Trump and Republicans really wanted to make America great, they’d support the Paycheck Fairness Act to help our nation finally ensure equal pay for equal work.”
    “More than fifteen years after the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was passed, women are still facing pay inequality.  And for women of color, that pay gap is even wider,” said Senator Durbin.  “I’m joining my colleagues in introducing the Paycheck Fairness Act to send a clear message – women should receive equal pay for equal work.”
    More than five decades after the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the gender wage gap still exists—and alarmingly, for the first time in 20 years, the gender pay gap widened in 2023. Across all workers in the United States, women were typically paid 75 cents for every dollar paid to a man in 2023, adding up to a $14,170 pay difference in a year. U.S. women overall lost $1.7 trillion in earnings overall in 2023, according to a recent analysis by the National Partnership for Women & Families.  
    The Paycheck Fairness Act would help:
    Require employers to prove that pay disparities exist for legitimate, job-related reasons. In doing so, it ensures that employers who try to justify paying a man more than a woman for the same job must show the disparity is not sex-based, but job-related and necessary.
    Ban retaliation against workers who discuss their wages.
    Remove obstacles in the Equal Pay Act to facilitate participation in class action lawsuits that challenge systemic pay discrimination, by allowing workers to opt-out, rather than requiring them to opt-in.
    Improve the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) and Department of Labor’s (DOL) tools for enforcing the Equal Pay Act. To help these enforcement agencies better uncover and remedy wage discrimination, the bill will require the collection of compensation data from certain employers, including federal contractors.
    Provide assistance to all businesses to help them with their equal pay practices, recognize excellence in pay practices by businesses, and empower women and girls by creating a negotiation skills training program.
    Prohibit employers from relying on and seeking the salary history of prospective employees.
    The full text of the Paycheck Fairness Act is available on the Senator’s website. 
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    MIL OSI USA News –