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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven Votes for Protect Women and Girls’ Sports Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    03.03.25

    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after voting for the Protect Women and Girls’ Sports Act, legislation that would permanently reinstate the intent of Title IX and ensure that women only, participate in women’s sports at federally funded educational institutions:

    “I voted for the Protect Women and Girls’ Sports Act to provide a level-playing field and ensure girls and women aren’t forced to compete against biological men.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King, Cruz Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Modernize Ocean Mapping for Fishing and Boating Navigation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), and Ted Cruz (R-TX) have introduced bipartisan legislation to modernize mapping information on public oceans in an effort to improve public safety and provide navigation guidance through a user-friendly smartphone app. The bipartisan Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans (MAPOceans) Act would require the federal government to standardize and digitize information about ocean recreation and navigation. This would create a one-stop shop that would help to ensure sportsmen and women can recreate in a safe and responsible manner.

    “Maine’s Atlantic coastline is an incredible natural treasure and one that attracts outdoor enthusiasts from around the country. If you want to enjoy the water, there should be an app for that purpose,” said Senator King, Chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus. “The bipartisan MAPOceans Act would combine all the available information about ocean recreation and navigation into a one-stop resource containing information about ocean recreation and navigation that you can hold in the palm of your hand. From deep-sea anglers to sailors and lobstermen, this legislation ensures that every person seeking adventure in Maine has the opportunity to do so safely and responsibly.”

    “Many Texans and Americans enjoy recreational fishing and boating, but it can be difficult to find reliable information about access to waterways and restricted areas,” said Senator Cruz. “I am proud to lead the effort to ensure anglers, boaters, and other users have easy access to accurate information on fishery area closures, so they can focus on appreciating what America’s beautiful waterways have to offer instead of wading through confusing agency websites.”

    Senator King is among the Senate’s leading voices for conservation of our nation’s outdoor treasures. In 2022, his bipartisan MAPLand bill to modernize park and public land mapping was signed into law. He also helped lead the passage the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) into law; the legislation includes the Restore Our Parks Act — a bill led by Senator King — and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Permanent Funding Act. The historic legislative package continues Senator King’s career-long focus on conservation efforts, dating back to his work prior to running for elected office through his years as Governor and his service in the Senate. Over the course of his time in the Blaine House, Governor King was responsible for conserving more land across Maine than all Governors before him combined. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Colleagues Blast Trump and Musk’s Plans to Gut Social Security Administration, Threaten Americans’ Social Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Murray: “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are taking a wrecking ball to the Social Security Administration and putting your Social Security benefits at risk.”

    Murray: “When you make it impossible for people to meet or talk to anyone about their Social Security benefits, that’s a benefits cut. Maybe making it impossible to talk to a real person is a good business model in Silicon Valley, but it’s not how our government should treat taxpayers.”

    ICYMI: Co-President Elon Musk on Friday: “Social Security is the Biggest Ponzi Scheme of All Time

    ICYMI: FACT SHEET: Trump and Musk’s Plot to Make It Harder for Americans to Get Their Social Security Benefits

    ***VIDEO HERE***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations, joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in blasting President Trump and Elon Musk’s plans to gut the Social Security Administration (SSA) and make it harder for Americans who’ve paid into Social Security their whole lives to get the benefits they have earned.

    The Trump administration’s plans to gut the Social Security Administration come as Elon Musk calls Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”

    Last Thursday, the Social Security Administration announced it will “soon implement agency-wide organizational restructuring that will include significant workforce reductions.” Reports indicate SSA may eliminate up to 50% of its workforce in what the agency calls “massive reorganizations,” which agencies were directed to draw up plans for in a recent Executive Order. SSA has now offered all employees incentives to leave the agency, and Trump’s acting SSA commissioner has boasted of firing employees. 90% of SSA staff work across the country outside of the agency’s headquarters. SSA staff who are not providing direct service support perform critical work that keeps the agency and Social Security system operational, including supporting SSA’s IT infrastructure.

    SSA staff ensure 73 million Americans get their Social Security benefits each month–which is more beneficiaries than ever before. They do so even though SSA’s 57,000 staff level is already at the lowest level in 50 years. Customer service at SSA has long suffered from historically low staffing levels and inadequate discretionary funding, which Democrats have pushed to increase each year while congressional Republicans push to cut non-defense funding. 

    Meanwhile, Elon Musk and DOGE are eager to close SSA field offices across the country that Americans count on. DOGE’s “Wall of Receipts” lists dozens of SSA field offices they have or will terminate leases for. In 2023, SSA field offices had nearly 120,000 Americans visit per day.

    Senator Murray’s full remarks, as delivered, are below:

    “We’re here today because Donald Trump and Elon Musk are taking a wrecking ball to the Social Security Administration and putting your Social Security benefits at risk. 

    “People need help getting Social Security at some of the most vulnerable points in their lives—whether that’s the death of a spouse, the onset of a disability, or the loss of income that comes with retirement.

    “And despite what Elon Musk says—Social Security is not a Ponzi Scheme.

    “Social Security is a promise that the American people should be able to count on after paying into it their entire lives.

    “And part of that promise means being able to get on the phone with an actual human being without having to wait on hold for an hour, being able to visit an office in-person to get help with your benefit without having to jump through hoops or drive hundreds of miles.

    “But Trump and Elon are decimating the Social Security Administration, and without adequate staff at the agency, there will be people who can’t get their benefits—period. 

    “The American people should realize the Social Security Administration is already at its lowest level of staffing in fifty years!

    “That’s why fewer than 40% of people who call to talk to a Social Security agent can get through to talk to someone.

    “That’s why it takes on average 240 days to process a disability claim.

    “That’s why, last year, an estimated thirty thousand Americans died while waiting on a decision for their disability benefits.

    “Yet Trump and Elon are loudly declaring they want to significantly reduce staff further.

    “They told SSA to draw up plans to cut staff by 50% and their hand-picked Acting Commissioner is proudly declaring he wants to cut at least 7,000 Social Security Administration workers.

    “And Trump and Elon are now pushing all Social Security Administration employees out of the door.

    “They’re threatening all employees with future firings and forced reassignments while offering financial incentives to leave—that’s an  ‘offer’ that went to everyone at the agency.

    “I want to make sure everyone understands a few things: ninety percent of SSA staff work across the country outside of the agency’s headquarters at over 1,200 field offices to help people in every part of this country.

    “Staff who are not providing direct service support perform critical work that keeps the agency and Social Security system operational—including supporting the agency’s IT infrastructure.

    “Elon and DOGE are positively gleeful in touting these staffing reductions—and they are working to close as many Social Security offices as they can get away with.

    “DOGE has proudly listed 45 Social Security offices on their ‘Wall of Receipts’ as leases they have terminated.

    “When you make it impossible for people to meet or talk to anyone about their Social Security benefits—that’s a benefits cut.

    “Maybe making it impossible to talk to a real person is a good business model in Silicon Valley, but it’s not how our government should treat taxpayers.

    “Year after year, Democrats fight to boost funding for the Social Security Administration so they can hire more staff and modernize their systems. 

    “Elon Musk almost certainly doesn’t care, but for the friends and neighbors I grew up with—Social Security is the most important reason they could retire with some basic dignity.

    “Before he called Social Security a ‘Ponzi scheme,’ it was just last month that Elon called the American people who rely on federal programs like Social Security ‘parasites.’

    “Well maybe Elon could use a little refresher on American history. For decades, our federal tax code has said: if you have a higher income, you are going to chip in more. The radical thing is that right now, Social Security actually works in the opposite way.

    “If you make around $160,000 a year—you are paying the same amount into Social Security each year as a billionaire like Elon Musk.

    “Someone can make over 12 thousand times your salary—and yet their Social Security tax rate is a fraction of a fraction of what your rate is.

    “Think about that: billionaires like Elon are putting just a half a cent of every hundred thousand dollars they make into Social Security.

    “So, someone is leeching off the American taxpayer for sure but it’s not hard-working Americans who need Social Security to help them retire—it’s billionaires like Elon Musk, someone who is right now smugly breaking government agencies he knows nothing about, all to enrich himself with more tax cuts.

    “This is not a left or right issue—Americans of all political affiliations rely on Social Security. This is about whose side you’re on.

    “Democrats are with the workers, middle-class families, seniors—and that’s why we are telling Elon to get his hands off Social Security.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Speaks Out Against Republicans’ So-Called “Protection Of Women And Girls In Sports Act”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    March 03, 2025

    The bill could potentially subject women and girls to physical inspection by an adult if someone from an opposing team accused them of being transgender

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor against the so-called Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act—a Republican bill that would revoke federal funding from schools with athletic programs that allow trans girls to participate on sports teams for women or girls. The bill—which lacks a clear enforcement mechanism—could subject women and girls to physical inspection by an adult if someone from an opposing team accused them of being transgender. It infringes on the privacy of girls and women and is a dangerous use of the powers of government to target student athletes of all ages.

    Durbin said, “Put yourself in the shoes of these families for just a moment.  Imagine being the parent of a trans kid and telling your child they are not allowed to play on the same sports team as their friends at school because a politician said they couldn’t.”

    During his remarks, Durbin spoke about Harleigh Walker, a transgender teenage girl from Alabama, who, at 16 years old, spoke with an unwavering voice in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee about what it is like to be one of the children who are affected by these laws targeting transgender kids. Her home state of Alabama had enacted a law threatening her ability to access the care she needs to be happy and healthy. Harleigh told the Senate Judiciary Committee, “I want all of you to look at me, here and now, and hear my words. I am a very happy 16-year-old. I have wonderful friends who accept me for who I am. I’m active in my school’s debate team and other extracurricular[s]. I’m just trying to be a teenager in America. Same as any other teen, but I keep having to jump through hoops that other people my age don’t have to. I’m here in front of this Committee instead of enjoying summer vacation, just to try and ensure that my right to exist isn’t taken away.”

    “It’s that personal, it’s that important, and [because of Republicans,] we’re going to vote to give someone unspecified the right to physically inspect a girl or a young woman if the other opposing team accuses them of being transgender. My goodness,” Durbin concluded.

    During his remarks, Durbin recalled a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing where he asked NCAA President Charlie Baker how many transgender collegiate athletes there are. Mr. Baker responded that there are less than 10 transgender athletes out of more than 500,000 total NCAA athletes.

    Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

    Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

    Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin: We Need To Stand Behind NATO And Ukraine, Hitching Our Star To Vladimir Putin Is A Fool’s Errand

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    March 03, 2025

    On Illinois’ Pulaski Day, Durbin condemns President Trump’s shameful outburst toward Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday

    WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, slammed President Trump and Vice President Vance’s tense and embarrassing meeting in the Oval Office on Friday with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. Durbin began his remarks by reflecting on Casimir Pulaski Day—a local holiday observed in Illinois on the first Monday of March in memory of Casimir Pulaski, a Revolutionary War cavalry officer born in Poland. This morning in Chicago, Durbin attended an event honoring Pulaski Day with the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda. He also attended a large rally in support of Ukraine yesterday. During his speech, Durbin also highlighted the critical relationship between Poland and the United States and how strengthening the NATO alliance is more important now than ever in light of Russian President Putin and Trump’s actions.

    “As I said today, it was a Pulaski moment. The United States and Poland stand together again for the future of both their nations. I believe in NATO, and I don’t know what we’ll do without it, but now we have to consider that. This new President [Trump] just a few weeks into his presidency is threatening the very future and existence of NATO. If we walk away from it, if the United States disengages from NATO, the question is whether or not Europe can stand on its own feet. I think they will eventually, but in the meantime, countries like Poland, the Baltic nations, and many others are vulnerable to Putin’s aggression,” Durbin said.

    “I am saddened, shocked, stunned at what happened in the Oval Office last week with President Zelenskyy. To have that display on live television breaks my heart. To think that… we would humiliate our ally in Ukraine and at the same time talk about the greatness of Vladimir Putin—I just find it disgusting,” Durbin continued.  

    Three years after Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, approximately 46,000 Ukrainians have died defending their country. Durbin detailed how President Trump has spewed outrageous comments when talking about Ukraine. Trump has claimed Ukraine started the war with Russia and attacked the legitimacy of Zelenskyy—who was democratically elected in a free and fair election. Trump called Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections.” Both comments are similar to propaganda lies said by Putin. 

    “What in the world is he [President Trump] talking about? These people have been fighting to the death, millions have been displaced, and they have been standing up for the values we cherish in this country. To walk away from them and subject their leader to what we saw last Friday in the Oval Office is disgusting. [It’s] humiliating and below the dignity of the United States,” Durbin said.

    “I stand behind Ukraine because I believe those people are fighting for the very values that we treasure. And they stood by the United States and they said ‘thank you’ many, many times to me and to others. We need to stand behind NATO and Ukraine and stand for the values that are important. Hitching our star to Vladimir Putin is a fool’s errand. It’s a disaster waiting to happen. I hope to goodness we don’t reach that point,” Durbin concluded.  

    Last week, Durbin introduced the Protecting our Guests During Hostilities in Ukraine Act, legislation that would provide temporary guest status to Ukrainians and their immediate family members who are already in the United States through the “Uniting for Ukraine” parole process. The bill allows Ukrainians to stay and work in the U.S. until the Secretary of State determines that hostilities in Ukraine have ceased and it is safe for them to return. U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) are cosponsors of the legislation. Bill text can be found here.  

    Durbin also joined U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and others in leading a simple resolution last week that expresses continued solidarity with the people of Ukraine and condolences for the loss of thousands of lives to Russian aggression; rejects Russia’s attempts to militarily seize sovereign Ukrainian territory; reaffirms U.S. support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine; and states unequivocally that Ukraine must be at the table for negotiations on its future.

    Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

    Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

    Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Markey and Cassidy Reintroduce Children and Teen’s Online Privacy Protection Legislation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Bill Text (PDF)
    Washington (March 4, 2025) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) today reintroduced the bipartisan Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), which would update online data privacy rules for the 21st century and ensure children and teenagers are protected online. Senator Markey first introduced this legislation to update his original COPPA law in 2011 as a member of the House of Representatives and has introduced the bipartisan legislation in every Congress since.
    “We need strong modern legislation that keeps pace with the ever-evolving digital landscape and creates a safer online environment by addressing the youth mental health crisis and protecting the personal information of our kids,” said Senator Markey. “Congress must finally pass my Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act to extend these protections to teenagers, block targeted advertising to kids and teens, and give parents of young people an eraser button to protect them from predatory data collection practices.”
    “Every kid has an iPad or smartphone. They’re going to use the internet. Parents should be confident they can do it safely,” said Dr. Cassidy. “COPPA 2.0 is the tool that will give parents the peace of mind they need and keep their children’s personal information secure.”
    The legislation is also cosponsored by Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Shelly-Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Angus King (I-Maine), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).
    Specifically, the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act would:
    Ban targeted advertising to children and teens;
    Create an “Eraser Button” by requiring companies to permit users to delete personal information collected from a child or teen;
    Establish data minimization rules to prohibit the excessive collection of children and teens’ data;
    Revise COPPA’s “actual knowledge” standard to close the loophole that allows platforms to ignore kids and teens on their site; and
    Build on COPPA by prohibiting internet companies from collecting personal information from users who are 13 to 16 years old without their consent.
    The legislation is endorsed by AASA – the School Superintendents Association, ACCESS Lab – Washington University in St. Louis, Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work, American Federation of Teachers, American Psychological Association, Association of Educational Service Agencies, Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition, Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders, Center for Change, Center for Digital Democracy, Center for Humane Technology, Centerstone, CHILD USA, Children’s Justice Fund, Common Sense Media, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Watchdog, Defending the Early Years, Design It For Us, Early Childhood Work Group, Screen Time Action Network, Eating Disorder Foundation, Eating Disorders Coalition, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Fairplay, Farrington Specialty Centers, Foolproof, IFEDD – The International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians, Inseparable, International Society for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses, Issue One, Lines for Life, Marsh Law Firm PPLC, Mentari, MO Eating Disorders Council, Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association, Inc. (MEDA), National Association for Pupil Transportation, National Association of School Nurses, National Federation of Families, National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), National Rural Education Association, Network for Public Education, P.E.A.C.E (Peace Educators Allied for Children Everywhere), Parents Who Fight, Phone Free Schools Movement, Public Interest Privacy Center (PIPC), Postpartum Support International, Prosperity Eating Disorders and Wellness, Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN), Public Citizen, PEDC, REGO Payment Architectures, Sandy Hook Promise, Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders, Student Data Privacy Project, University of Connecticut Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health, Western Youth Services, Yellowstone Human Trafficking Task Force, and Young People’s Alliance.
    “The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, reintroduced by Senators Markey and Cassidy and other Senate co-sponsors, is more urgent than ever. Children’s surveillance has only intensified across social media, gaming, and virtual spaces, where companies harvest data to track, profile, and manipulate young users. COPPA 2.0 will ban targeted ads to those under 16, curbing the exploitation, manipulation, and discrimination of children for profit. By extending protections to teens and requiring a simple ‘eraser button’ to delete personal data, this legislation takes a critical step in restoring privacy rights in an increasingly invasive digital world,” said Katharina Kopp, Deputy Director of the Center for Digital Democracy.
    “Common Sense Media believes Congress must update the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act to strengthen safeguards for young children and extend vital protections to teenagers. Common Sense applauds Senators Markey and Cassidy for their unwavering commitment to this critical cause. With strong bi-partisan support having carried this legislation through the Senate last year, we are optimistic about securing passage in both chambers this year – America’s families deserve no less. This bill would take decisive action by prohibiting targeted advertising to young users, requiring platforms to acknowledge and protect children on their sites, and prevent companies from exploiting youth vulnerabilities for profit. This time has come for Congress to finally pass this essential legislation,” said James P. Steyer, Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media. 
    “The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act is an essential step toward addressing youth mental health and online safety. By expanding critical privacy protections to teens for the first time, banning targeted advertising, and closing loopholes that allow platforms to ignore the presence of underage users, COPPA 2.0 will disrupt the business model that capitalizes on our kids’ attention at the expense of their physical and mental wellbeing. Last year, the Senate demonstrated the importance of this landmark legislation by passing it in a historic 91-3 vote. We applaud Senators Markey and Cassidy for reintroducing it so that Congress can finish the job and pass privacy protections for all youth in the 119th Congress,” said Haley Hinkle, Policy Counsel at Fairplay.
    “National PTA is committed to making sure that safeguards are in place to ensure the safety and well-being of children and youth online,” said Yvonne Johnson, President of the National Parent Teacher Association, the nation’s oldest and largest child advocacy association. “That’s why we’ve strongly advocated for COPPA 2.0, which would provide a long-overdue and desperately needed update of federal law to better protect the personal information of children online and ban targeted advertising toward children and teens. Our association applauds Senators Markey and Cassidy for reintroducing this critical legislation.”  
    “Design It For Us strongly supports Senators Markey and Cassidy reintroducing COPPA 2.0 to better protect the privacy of young people online. As a coalition of young advocates, we are all too familiar with Big Tech’s toxic business model that collects massive amounts of data on young people and uses it to target them with ads and content. Young people deserve the critical protections COPPA 2.0 has to offer, including privacy tools and an eraser button to delete personal information,” said Zamaan Qureshi, Co-Chair of Design It For Us.
    “Social media companies generate astronomical profits off our nation’s young people by turning platforms into a playground for advertisers. They are literally selling access to our children with targeted ads designed to prey on kids’ vulnerabilities. A child as young as 13 struggling with an eating disorder will be targeted with a constant stream of deceptive ads for the next miracle diet pill. In what other setting would we ever allow that? Parents across the country are calling for common-sense age restrictions on targeted ads on social media. COPPA 2.0 is a much-needed answer to their call,” said Dr. S. Bryn Austin, Board Member at Eating Disorders Coalition and Director of the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders.
    “The Public Interest Privacy Center (PIPC) is proud to support the re-introduction of COPPA 2.0. COPPA 2.0 increases the age of individuals entitled to foundational privacy protections online from children under 13 to teens under 17. In today’s digital world, prioritizing the privacy and safety of children and teens online should no longer be optional. COPPA 2.0 will help to make this a reality,” said Amelia Vance, President of Public Interest Privacy Center.
    “AASA is proud to support the re-introduction of COPPA 2.0. This legislation is more important than ever, as it will fill the gap left by the Federal Trade Commission declining to codify long-standing guidance allowing schools to consent to edtech in their recent update to the COPPA Rule. COPPA 2.0 finds the right balance between increasing protections for children and teen privacy online while still allowing schools to provide appropriate, technology-enhanced educational opportunities for all students,” said Dr. David R. Schuler, Executive Director of AASA, The School Superintendents Association.
    “Public school educators and parents want kids to learn and thrive in safe, engaging and welcoming schools. However, Big Tech’s dismal failure to erect basic safeguards around its predatory social media products has resulted in a growing plague of loneliness, anxiety and depression. We must pass commonsense regulations and laws to protect children from these dangers, just as we did with lead paint and seatbelts, and as Congress almost did last year before Meta’s last minute opposition lobbying. Sen. Ed Markey’s bill, COPPA 2.0, would protect our kids by modernizing and strengthening privacy laws to reflect the online world they live in now. And it would stop Big Tech’s invasive data practices that track and traumatize kids for profit,” said Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
    “For too long, Big Tech has evaded accountability by exploiting young users with manipulative design features and harvesting their data to fuel addictive algorithms. As long as these companies profit from hooking children and exploiting their sensitive data, they will continue to prioritize profits at-all-cost over democracy. The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act 2.0 shifts this paradigm by introducing critical protections, including data minimization requirements, a ban on targeted advertising to children and teens, and the closure of loopholes that allow platforms to ignore young users on their sites. Congress now has a crucial opportunity to stand with millions of Americans — parents, young people, and advocates — demanding common-sense safeguards for kids online,” said Alix Fraser, Vice President of Technology Reform at Issue One.
    “In the absence of a strong federal comprehensive privacy law, it’s critical that we at least protect the most vulnerable people online — kids and teens. Senator Markey and Cassidy’s Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) does this by placing critical limits on the amount of data that can be collected from young users online to what is necessary for the product or service requested by the child or teen. EPIC is proud to support COPPA 2.0,” said Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).
    “The Young People’s Alliance supports Senator Markey and Senator Cassidy as they reintroduce COPPA 2.0, a critical step in curbing Big Tech’s exploitative revenue model. Data privacy cuts predatory platforms off at the source, limiting their ability to track, manipulate, and profit off kids. This, alongside banning targeted ads and allowing minors to delete their data will give young people more control over their online experiences, which we are extremely grateful to see,” said Ava Smithing, Advocacy Director at the Young People’s Alliance.
    “The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) is an important piece of legislation to protect young people from harmful and exploitative advertising online. We strongly support this bipartisan bill and applaud the legislators who are working to see that it passes. Kids are not just tiny adults – their young minds are incredibly vulnerable to the content they’re exposed to on social media. This can lead to terrible and tragic outcomes like violence, self-harm, and suicide. As trusted adults, we must do all we can to protect our youth from these kinds of dangerous marketing practices and online materials,” said Mark Barden, Co-Founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund and father of Daniel, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.
    In December 2024, Senator Markey blasted the decision not to include COPPA 2.0 in the continuing resolution to fund the government through March 14, 2025. In September 2024, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed COPPA 2.0 by a voice vote. In July 2024, the U.S. Senate passed the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, which included COPPA 2.0, by a 91-3 vote. In July 2023, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee unanimously passed COPPA 2.0.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pi Day, the Texas Way

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
    Every March, many Texans take the chance to celebrate Pi—both the mathematical constant celebrated on March 14th and, more importantly, the beloved dessert. For food lovers across the country, it’s a perfect excuse to head to their favorite cafe and enjoy a slice of pie. Whether it’s blueberry, apple, or pecan, there is nothing more tempting than a fresh, right-out-of-the-oven pie—and in Texas, we’re all in on the fun!
    Since 1929, the Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls has earned an esteemed reputation for serving up smiles and their world-famous pies, which have been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure and Southern Living.  What you might not know is that the cafe’s name comes from the vintage cotton bonnet hat, not the state flower. Even so, one thing is for sure: After dining at this fine establishment myself, I can tell you there’s nothing that beats Pie Happy Hour and a slice of lemon meringue pie!

    Another Texas favorite, Royers Cafe, sits in the tiny town of Round Top, where around a hundred Texans reside. The cafe has certainly earned its title of “Big Taste. Tiny Town.” Along with these two popular spots, there are plenty of other hidden gems scattered throughout the state, like Oxbow Bakery in Old Town Palestine, named one of Texas Highways’ “Best Places for Pie in Texas,” and Love Creek Orchards in Medina, which earned a spot on Texas Monthly’s list of “Best 40 Small Town Cafes in Texas.”
    Texas is no stranger to serving up a good slice of pie!
    Now, I’ve talked before about the importance of pecans to the Lone Star State, but let’s dig a little deeper into how this nut became central to Texas’ most iconic dessert. The pecan is not only responsible for Texas’ state tree—it also holds the honor of being the official state pie. But how did this delicious dessert come to be?
    Historians believe that Native Americans have likely been using pecans for centuries, but the first recorded recipes didn’t appear until the late 19th century. By the 1870s, these recipes began to appear in Texas cookbooks, though pie wasn’t yet a focus. It wasn’t until the 1920s, with the rise of Karo Syrup’s commercial success, that the pecan pie became a staple in Texas kitchens. And with pecans being an inexpensive ingredient at the time, the pie became an easy, affordable, and go-to treat for many Texans.  
    As its popularity grew, pecan pie was frequently advertised in local newspapers. In 1926, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times ran an ad promoting homemade pecan pies for just ten cents at a local “five-and-dime” store. The Comanche Chief reported on August 8, 1913, that “any family in Texas can purchase a bushel of pecans from some pecan grower in the fall and… make many… delicious dishes.” In 1921, the San Saba Pecan Company offered to send customers a recipe for Mrs. Bell’s famous pecan pie, claiming it was “the best pie your hubby or sweetheart ever ate.”
    It’s clear that the pecan pie holds a special place in the heart—and stomach—of many Texans. So don’t forget to treat yourself to a slice of something sweet this Pi Day because in Texas, it’s not just a pie, it’s a tradition.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn Votes to Confirm Linda McMahon for Education Secretary

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after former Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon was confirmed as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education:
    “Linda McMahon and I collaborated closely during the pandemic to support Texas’ small businesses, and I know in this new capacity she will work with President Trump to ensure every student in Texas and across the country has access to a quality education free of radical woke policies. I was glad to support her confirmation and look forward to working with her.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEW VIDEO: Sh*t That Ain’t True? President Trump’s Vow to Lower Prices “On Day One”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ahead of President Donald Trump’s Joint Address to Congress tonight, Senate Democrats are launching a new social media video push highlighting President Trump’s broken promise to lower prices.
    In August 2024 and numerous times on the campaign trail, President Trump promised to “immediately bring prices down, starting on day one” of his presidency. Instead, prices are up and American families are facing more rapidly rising costs: January’s Consumer Price Index report showed inflation accelerating to 3 percent on an annualized basis. Costs of everything are going up — food, fuel, housing, and other essentials. Egg prices have skyrocketed, if they’re even available. 
    “Every day, Americans are feeling the consequences of Trump’s empty promises to lower costs, because they feel the consequences of his inaction every day. Families know all too well that the prices of essentials like gas, groceries, and housing are going up, not down, and the problem is getting worse, not better,” said Senator Cory Booker, Chair of the Senate Democrats’ Strategic Communications Committee, which organized the action on social media. 
    “Donald Trump promised to ‘immediately bring prices down, starting on day one’ of his presidency. But he’s failed to do so, and has also failed to take meaningful action. Instead, he pardoned January 6th rioters, has let Elon Musk take a chainsaw to essential government programs and threaten Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and more, and is now working with Republicans in Congress to pave the way for tax cuts for billionaires. Trump is set to address Congress tonight, but Americans want actions that bring them relief, not more empty words.”
    This morning, dozens of Senate Democrats simultaneously posted a video fact-checking Trump’s broken promise to lower prices “on day one” across their social media platforms. The video begins with footage of Trump at a press conference last year promising to “immediately bring prices down, starting on day one” of his presidency — a promise he echoed numerous times leading up to the November election. The video then cuts to Democratic Senators setting the record straight. 
    One example of the video can be viewed at the link below; followed by a transcript. 
    LINK TO BOOKER VIDEO
    TRANSCRIPT OF BOOKER VIDEO:
    Donald Trump: When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One.
    Sen. Cory Booker: Shit that ain’t true, that’s what you just saw.
    Since Day One of Donald Trump’s presidency, prices are up, not down. 
    Inflation is getting worse, not better. 
    Prices of groceries, gas, housing, rent, eggs– they’re all getting more expensive.
    Meanwhile, Donald Trump has done nothing to lower costs for you.
    Instead, he’s done things like pardon violent criminals who beat police officers on January 6th.
    He’s letting Elon Musk take a chainsaw to vital government programs for Americans and giving him access to Americans’ most sensitive data– social security numbers, tax returns, health care records and more. 
    In the most ham-handed fashion, he’s fired thousands of essential government workers. People literally who are working to make government more efficient and more accountable.
    He’s frozen federal funding for vital programs, like cancer research, veteran services, education programs, payments to family farmers, and so much more.
    Why?
    Because Trump and Musk are cutting critical services for you in order to make room for more tax cuts for billionaires like them, while still leaving you to deal with rising costs, a housing crisis, and healthcare that’s getting more expensive and not less.
    The Republican plan is simple: you lose, and billionaires win.
    And that’s the truth.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEW STUDY: Nearly $80 Trillion Redistributed from the Bottom 90% to the Top 1% Since 1975

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
    WASHINGTON, March 4 – As Republicans prepare legislation to provide more tax breaks to billionaires with massive cuts to programs working families need, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today highlighted a new report from the nonpartisan RAND Corporation, which found that nearly $80 trillion in wealth in the United States has been redistributed from the bottom 90 percent of Americans to the top 1% over the past 50 years.
    “Over and over again, my Republican colleagues have expressed their deep concern about the redistribution of wealth in America, and they are right,” said Sanders. “The problem is that it has gone in precisely the wrong direction. Since 1975, nearly $80 trillion in wealth has been redistributed from the bottom 90% of Americans to the top 1%. The massive income and wealth inequality in America today is not only morally unjust, it is profoundly damaging to our democracy. Given this reality, we cannot provide another $1.1 trillion tax break to the top 1% by making massive cuts to healthcare, housing, education and nutrition assistance as President Trump and Republicans in Congress want to do. We must do the exact opposite.” 
    Here are the key highlights from the RAND Corporation report:
    Since 1975, $79 trillion in wealth has been redistributed from the bottom 90% to the top 1% in the United States. This represents the cumulative cost of lost wages to workers below the 90th percentile due to rising inequality from 1975 through 2023. Average real income in the top 1% grewby 321.6 percent from 1975 through 2018, nearly three times the 118 percent growth of real per capita GDP over the same period.
    In 2023 alone, $3.9 trillion in wealth has been redistributed from the bottom 90% to the top 1%. This represents the difference between what the bottom 90% of workers earned in 2023 compared to what they would have earned had income distributions remained at the more equitable 1975 levels.
    $3.9 trillion would be enough to give every full-time worker in the bottom 90% a raise of $32,000 a year raise. For perspective, $3.9 trillion is equivalent to 14% of the entire US economy.
    Working Americans have seen their share of taxable income steadily fall for 50 years. In 1975, the bottom 90% of workers received 67% all taxable income. By 2019, their share had fallen below 47% — a three point drop since just 2015.
    Median household income would be double what it is today if income inequality had remained the same as it was in 1975.
    Read the full report here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Statement on Confirmation of Linda McMahon to be U.S. Secretary of Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)

    March 3, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), issued the following statement after voting to confirm Linda McMahon as U.S. Secretary of Education:
    “The best way to improve educational outcomes is by empowering states and local school districts. Linda McMahon understands that. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education. She spent 16 years serving Sacred Heart University as a trustee. Her record of service will be an asset to the Department of Education.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján: Trump’s Trade War Will Increase Costs for New Mexicans, Have Devastating Consequences for American Industries and Jobs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
    WSJ: “Economists say American importers and businesses will likely pass along the cost of tariffs to consumers, meaning individuals are likely to see higher prices at grocery stores and car dealerships.”
    POLITICO: “The agriculture industry will take a major hit from the new 25 percent duties on Mexico and Canada that went into effect at midnight.”
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, issued the following statement on President Trump imposing sweeping tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China:
    “President Trump’s reckless Trade War will lead to higher prices for New Mexicans on groceries, energy, cars, electronics, and more. Instead of strengthening our economy, he’s putting American jobs and businesses at risk while pushing the Tax Scam 2.0 for the wealthy and gutting essential programs. These tariffs could cost American families up to $2,000 a year in higher prices.
    “We’ve seen this before. During his first term, President Trump’s tariffs cost the agriculture industry billions of dollars. Now, our farmers and ranchers are once again paying the price. Despite President Trump’s claims, it’s American families and businesses who will bear the brunt of these tariffs.
    “President Trump is doing nothing to lower costs for hardworking Americans.”  
    Fact sheets on New Mexico trade with Canada, Mexico, and China are available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Lee Introduce Bipartisan Guarding Readiness Resources Act to Strengthen National Guard Units

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    March 03, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC)—and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced bipartisan legislation that would strengthen National Guard units in Illinois and across America by helping to ensure our servicemembers have access to the funds needed for maintenance and readiness activities that keep us all safe. Specifically, the bipartisan Guarding Readiness Resources Act would provide a critical exemption from the Miscellaneous Receipts Act for State Active Duty (SAD) reimbursement payments, ensuring that these funds are directed back to the National Guard units that incurred the expenses and ultimately bolster readiness and operational efficiency.

    “The men and women of the National Guard are committed to the motto of ‘always ready, always there’—which is why it’s important our Guardsmen have the resources they need to stay mission-ready,” said Senator Duckworth. “Our bipartisan Guarding Readiness Resources Act would better ensure the Guard has access to the funds needed for the maintenance and readiness activities that help them keep our country safe.”

    “The National Guard is essential to our national defense and emergency response system,” said Senator Lee. “Our legislation eliminates unnecessary hurdles, ensuring that the funds used by states to reimburse the National Guard go directly to maintaining and preparing our equipment for future missions.”

    Along with Duckworth and Lee, the bipartisan legislation is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), James Risch (R-ID), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jim Justice (R-WV), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS).

    The Guarding Readiness Resources Act would address a longstanding challenge for the National Guard. While federal law allows the use of federal assets for state-directed missions, reimbursements for those expenses have been diverted to the U.S. Treasury instead of the appropriate Guard units, creating significant funding gaps. The legislation is endorsed by the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS) and the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS).

    “Our National Guard members serve side by side with their active-duty counterparts, answering the call at home and abroad,” said CMSgt. Josh J. Baker, Vice President of EANGUS. “Yet, they continue to face inequities in pay, health care, and benefits that undermine their service and sacrifice. This legislation is a significant step toward correcting these imbalances and ensuring our Guardsmen are properly equipped, trained, and supported—whether they are responding to domestic emergencies or deploying overseas. EANGUS stands ready to work alongside Senator Lee and other congressional leaders to advance this bill. Our members, the backbone of the National Guard, deserve nothing less than full recognition and fair treatment for their dedication to our nation.”

    “The National Guard continuously responds to the dynamic domestic challenges this nation faces,” said retired Maj Gen. Francis M. McGinn, President of NGAUS. “Immediate response often requires significant unforeseen state expenditures. While the law allows for federal reimbursement, it is executed in such a way that states never see those much-needed funds.  This creates substantial budget gaps that threaten the readiness of the force. The Guarding Readiness Resources Act corrects this oversight and ensures the National Guard has the necessary resources to effectively fulfill their mission. We are grateful for the work of Senators Lee and Duckworth and ask for full congressional support for inclusion in the FY26 NDAA.”

    By adding a Miscellaneous Receipts exemption to section 710 of title 32, Congress would help ensure that: 

    • The U.S. Property and Fiscal Officer (USPFO) can direct reimbursement money back to National Guard units.
    • National Guard units can have available funding for maintenance, repair and replacement costs of federal equipment when needed.
    • National Guard equipment, property and training funds remain ready for National Guard federal missions.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper Hosts Amelia Huffman, Veteran, Fired Forest Service Worker as Guest to Trump’s Joint Address to Congress

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Hickenlooper – Colorado
    Huffman, a U.S. Navy veteran, was illegally terminated by the Trump Administration from her role at the United States Forest Service
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper announced that Amelia Huffman will join him as his guest at President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress tonight, Tuesday, March 4th.
    “Amelia has dedicated her life to serving our country, both as a naval officer and a public servant,” said Hickenlooper. “The administration illegally fired her and other hardworking Forest Service employees without any plan and put Colorado at risk right as we head into peak wildfire season.”
    “Transitioning from military service to civilian life can be challenging. These jobs in the public lands sector provide an opportunity for veterans to stay connected to their sense of purpose and duty. We’re able to continue serving, not just in an abstract way, but in a tangible, real-world manner by conserving the land we once fought to protect,” said Huffman.
    Huffman began her military service as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy in May 2020. She subsequently served as the Combat Gunnery Division Officer aboard the USS Mason and transitioned to Beachmaster Unit Two, later acting as a Weapons Officer.
    In 2024, Huffman and her wife moved to Fort Collins, where she took a role with the United States Forest Service (USFS) at the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland. Her job was on the front lines, directly connecting the public to Colorado public lands. Whether it was answering phone calls about camping reservations, providing information about trail conditions, or offering guidance during wildfire events, she played a key role in ensuring the public received the support and information they needed.
    Last month, the Trump administration abruptly fired Huffman and over 3,400 USFS employees who were responsible for wildfire mitigation, range and timber management, habitat conservation, and outdoor recreation management. Hickenlooper, along with members of the Colorado Democratic delegation, sent a letter to the Trump administration to demand answers and call for reinstatement of the fired USFS employees.
    Hickenlooper also highlighted the threats that USFS firings will have on Colorado on Twitter/X: “USFS staff in Colorado work around the clock to manage our forests and help prevent wildfires. They know our landscapes and rural communities inside and out. The USFS was already stretched thin before this. Firing 3,400 public servants without providing justification or a plan to Congress is misguided. It will cost us more money in the long run and leave Colorado at a higher risk.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McConnell in Washington Post: We Cannot Defeat Tomorrow’s Enemies With Yesterday’s Budgets

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) submitted the following op-ed to The Washington Post, printed in today’s edition, on the dangers of a clean, full-year Continuing Resolution (CR) at the Fiscal Year 2024 level:
    Every time Congress faces a government funding deadline, Washington reminds itself — eventually — that shutdowns are worth avoiding. This is a familiar, and all-too-frequent, conversation.
    What’s not familiar is the prospect of going an entire year without passing new appropriations — and the new programs and capabilities they comprise — for the national defense. Never in recent history has Washington forced the U.S. military to spend a full year applying yesterday’s budget to tomorrow’s challenges.
    Today, we’re closer than ever to making ignoble history on this front. And we owe it to our men and women in uniform, and to taxpayers, to be honest about the consequences.
    Consumer goods aren’t the only things that have grown more expensive in recent years. In times of high inflation, governance without updated appropriations means diminished Pentagon buying power. Forcing the U.S. military to equip itself for next year’s threats at this year’s prices with last year’s dollars is a recipe for disaster.
    Even as fresh eyes comb the Pentagon for new efficiencies and cost-savings, effective military acquisitions continue to require multiyear runways. A truly clean, full-year, continuing resolution at the level set for FY2024 would mean no new starts on critical programs the military needs to adapt to a rapidly changing battlefield, such as directed-energy drone and missile defenses. No new starts this year means fewer new capabilities in warfighters’ hands two, five and 10 years from now.
    To be clear, we’re not approaching this cliff — we’re careening over it. The fiscal year is almost half over. By March 14, the failure to pass full-year defense appropriations last fall will have cost taxpayers $17 billion in defense buying power. In other words, contending with current inflation and new requirements with old funding levels has already meant an effective shortfall of $103 million per day.
    Consigning the rest of the fiscal year to this austere reality would only compound the damage.
    Extending the 2024 budget through the end of FY2025 would mean the Defense Department would lack the funds to make payroll for 2 million service members — especially after accounting for the additional 10 percent junior enlisted pay raise authorized last year. Making up this shortfall will almost certainly involve siphoning funds the services have budgeted for other critical missions and capabilities.
    Spending the entire year under the FY2024 funding level will mean no money or authorization for 168 new programs — many of which are required to outcompete China in space and cyberspace. In the race to project power and deter aggression across the Indo-Pacific, it would put U.S. forces and our regional allies even further behind.
    Specifically, it would mean stopping the ongoing construction and refueling of up to 26 Navy warships. It would delay three new destroyers, up to 10 new Virginia-class submarines and four new Columbia-class submarines (which sustain a critical leg of the nuclear triad).
    The costs of deterring war pale in comparison to the costs of fighting one. If Congress is unwilling to make deterrent investments today, then discussion about the urgency of looming threats — particularly the “pacing threat” of China — carries little weight.
    Last year, on a bipartisan basis, Senate appropriators recommended we pass funding that would have exceeded President Joe Biden’s meager defense budget request by nearly $20 billion. That recommendation fell on deaf ears with the Senate’s Democratic majority. Now, we face the prospect of a clean continuing resolution that would spend roughly $8 billion less than Biden’s request.
    No senator or member of Congress can claim ignorance of the ways that outdated funds harm national security. Senior officials at the White House and Pentagon, for their part, are not absolved from their obligation to ensure full-year appropriations for the military. This administration took office with a mandate to restore peace through strength.
    Surely, no American who is concerned about threats abroad thinks that cutting billions from the military is the way to face them.
    Tying one hand behind our backs is no one’s idea of restoring the warrior ethos. It is alarming that we don’t hear anything from the Pentagon’s senior-most civilian leaders about the need to raise the defense budget’s topline — or the looming, self-inflicted harm to readiness and lethality that would come from failing to pass new, full-year defense appropriations for the first time in memory.
    China certainly isn’t hamstrung by these kinds of challenges. And U.S. allies, including those with far more expansive social welfare systems, continue to make tough choices to make their militaries even more capable. In fact, the rate at which European NATO allies are increasing defense spending far outpaces our own. Since 2022, they have committed more than $185 billion to buying U.S.-made weapons and defense systems.
    Meeting that demand, while modernizing U.S. forces at the same time, requires robust full-year appropriations. We cannot rebuild our military without bigger topline investments in defense.
    Mitch McConnell, a Republican, represents Kentucky in the U.S. Senate.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Joins Colleagues in Pressing for Timely Disaster Assistance for All Farmers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, joined Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and 13 of their Democratic colleagues in pressing the Trump Administration for assurances that assistance for economic challenges in 2024 and natural disasters in 2023 and 2024 will be honored for all farmers—including row crop and specialty crop farmers—and distributed as quickly as possible. The Senators emphasized the need for farmers to receive this aid as they make decisions for spring planting season. 
    In the letter to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, the Senators wrote: “Farmers are making decisions right now about fertilizer usage and their crop mix and are working with their bankers to figure out if they can secure the financing they need to continue farming this year. Without the timely delivery of economic and disaster assistance, farmers face the prospect of reducing plantings or liquidating assets to remain in business as they head into another potentially difficult growing season.” 
    In 2023, major weather disasters caused over $21 billion in crop losses, with extreme weather causing $69 million in Vermont’s food and agricultural sector. In Vermont, floods in July 2023 and July 2024 impacted nearly 31,000 acres of farmland across the state and resulted in at least $50 million in agricultural losses and damages. As a result of a growing gap in disaster aid relief funding, many Vermont farmers are increasingly operating in the red or losing their livelihoods altogether. In the absence of immediate federal assistance, damage caused by past natural disasters will continue to impact Vermont farmers’ future growing seasons.  
    In addition to Senators Welch and Klobuchar, the letter was signed by Sens. Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). 
    Read the full letter here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Presidential Message on Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, 2025

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    During National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the First Lady and I offer our heartfelt prayers to every American battling the horrific disease of colorectal cancer, as well as their families, friends, and loved ones.  In honor of those we have lost to this colorectal cancer, my Administration is strongly committed to ending our Nation’s chronic disease epidemic and making America healthy again.
    Every year, 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with—and 50,000 die from—colorectal cancer making it the leading cause of cancer death among Americans aged 18 to 49.  Citizens with inflammatory bowel disease or a personal or family history of the disease face a heightened risk and should talk to their doctor about new advancements in cancer screening.  Regular screening is recommended beginning at age 45 as it has been shown that early detection of cancer may result in more effective treatment.
    Cancer is a devastating disease, but there is reason for hope.  Since 1975, medical advancements have saved an estimated 940,000 Americans from colorectal cancer thanks to the incredible efforts of our exceptional American doctors and researchers.  By improving prevention and screening processes we have given our people more precious moments with those they hold dear. 
    The United States is at the forefront of medical technology—and recently, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first blood test for people at average risk for colon cancer.  This advancement is another tool in the toolbox, including the colonoscopy and stool DNA tests—giving citizens the ability to choose the option that works best for them in consultation with their doctor.
    My Administration commits to lowering cancer rates and conquering chronic illness, which will create a Nation and a world free of cancer.  We solemnly stand beside those who have lost their loved ones to this dreadful disease—and we pray that God provides courage and strength to those still fighting it, and to all those who are touched by its effects.  As my Administration continues to push the boundaries of medical innovation, we pledge to build a brighter, healthier future for all Americans.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Open Borders, Pro EV Mandate Politician to Respond to Joint Address

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Elissa Slotkin will respond to President Donald J. Trump’s Joint Address to Congress tonight. Senator Slotkin stands opposed to President Trump’s agenda to lower costs, bring back manufacturing, and secure our borders.
    Slotkin voted against overturning Biden’s tailpipe emissions rule, a rule that would force automakers to sell more electric vehicles, killing auto manufacturing jobs. President Trump stood up for American consumers and autoworkers and repealed this de facto electric vehicle mandate.
    Slotkin voted against congressional disapproval of Biden’s EPA rule seeking to limit tailpipe emissions.
    The House Budget Committee called the regulation “a de facto ban on the sale of gas-powered and traditional hybrid vehicles.”
    Research shows that EV mandates would kill thousands of jobs:
    America First Policy Institute: New Report Exposes Biden-Harris’s Proposed EV Mandates to Cost 200,000 American Jobs
    “The Midwest will suffer the most, with Michigan (-37,000), Indiana (-24,000), and Ohio (-21,000) facing the highest job losses.”

    A UAW study from 2019 projected that EVs would kill 35,000 jobs at its plants.
    Slotkin has repeatedly voted for open borders. President Trump has moved swiftly to secure our borders with attempted crossings in February at the lowest number ever recorded.
    In May 2023, Slotkin voted against the H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act.
    In February 2019, Slotkin voted to terminate President Trump’s declaration of an emergency at the southern border.
    In March 2019, Slotkin again voted again to terminate the declaration in an attempt to override President Trump’s veto.

    In July 2024, Slotkin voted against a resolution “Strongly condemning the Biden Administration and its Border Czar, Kamala Harris’s, failure to secure the United States border.”
    Slotkin said, “I don’t believe that anyone really thinks a wall from sea to shining sea is needed to make us safer.”
    Slotkin is just another out-of-touch politician that wants to hollow out American manufacturing and let criminals flood into our communities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Lawmakers to Trump: Fire Elon Musk, Reinstate Agency Leaders and Federal Watchdogs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    March 04, 2025

    Lawmakers demand Trump reinstate fired Senate-confirmed officials and address Musk’s conflicts of interest, cite officials’ investigations and prosecutions of Musk’s companies 

    “Nearly all of your decisions you made about who to fire appear to benefit Mr. Musk”

    “We urge you to immediately reinstate the illegally fired individuals and remove Mr. Musk from his government role unless he addresses his massive and glaring conflicts of interest”

    Text of Letter (PDF) 

    Washington, D.C.– U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), led 38 Members of Congress in a letter to President Donald Trump, raising concerns about his unlawful firings of dozens of independent agency heads and inspectors general (IGs), and calling attention to how many of these firings appear to benefit Elon Musk. The Members also asked that President Trump remove Musk from his government role unless he addresses his conflicts of interest, and immediately reinstate the illegally fired individuals. 

    “Nearly all of your decisions you made about who to fire appear to benefit Mr. Musk, and many target individuals and agencies that are currently investigating or prosecuting Mr. Musk or his companies for unlawful behavior,” wrote the lawmakers. “Many of these individuals have legal protections dictating why and how they can be removed from office.”

    Many of the firings appear to benefit Musk. Musk and his companies have been the subject of at least 20 recent government investigations or prosecutions, including for possible violations of federal safety and labor laws. The lawmakers’ letter lists several agency heads and watchdogs who were improperly fired while involved in oversight surrounding Musk, including but not limited to: NLRB Chair Gwynne Wilcox, FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub, EEOC Commissioners Jocelyn Samuels and Charlotte Burrow, and USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong.

    “Altogether, these firings either directly benefit Mr. Musk and his companies or remove guardrails that would hold them accountable to the rule of law,” continued the lawmakers.

    Several of Trump’s orders contradict legal protections for the relevant officials. For example, federal law requires the president to notify Congress before removing an inspector general, but Trump did not do so before firing over a dozen IGs. He also failed to set forth the justification required to remove a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). 

    “The impacts are vast: in total, your removals of agency heads and career civil servants have affected at least eleven federal agencies with more than thirty-two ongoing investigations, complaints, or enforcement actions on Mr. Musk’s companies,” wrote the lawmakers.

    The lawmakers warned that failing to hold Musk accountable hurts American citizens and threatens the democratic system of checks and balances.

    “These firings have removed the exact individuals in our government who would hold Mr. Musk and his companies accountable for following the law and protect everyday Americans from threats to their health, welfare, safety, and economic well-being,” wrote the lawmakers.

    “We urge you to immediately reinstate the illegally fired individuals and remove Mr. Musk from his government role unless he addresses his massive and glaring conflicts of interest as required by law,” concluded the lawmakers.

    In addition to lead Senator Warren and co-lead Cory Booker (D-N.J.), the following Senators signed on: Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Heinrich (D-N.M.), Markey (D-Mass.), Padilla (D-Calif.), Sanders (I-Vt.), Schiff (D-Calif.), Van Hollen (D-Md.)

    In addition to co-leads House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the following Representatives signed on: Balint (D-Vt.), Beyer (D-Va.), Brownley (D-Calif.), Clarke (D-N.Y.), Cleaver (D-Mo.), Cohen (D-Tenn.), Davis (D-Ill.), DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), García (D-Ill.), Garcia (D-Calif.), Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Johnson (D-Ga.), Kelly (D-Ill.), Khanna (D-Calif.), Lee (D-Pa.), Levin (D-Calif.), Matsui (D-Calif.), McIver (D-N.J.), Moulton (D-Mass.), Norton (D-D.C.), Olszewski (D-Md.), Ramirez (D-Ill.), Scanlon (D-Pa.), Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Stansbury (D-N.M.), Subramanyam (D-Va.), Titus (D-Nev.), Tlaib (D-Mich.), Tokuda (D-Hawai’i), Tonko (D-N.Y.), and Waters (D-Calif.).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: First Lady Melania Trump Invites Everyday Americans as Special Guests to Joint Session of Congress

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Meet the special people who will join the First Lady and President Trump at the U.S. Capitol when President Trump delivers his address to a joint session of Congress.
    These men, women, and families come from all different walks of life with incredible stories about the disaster wrought by the previous administration, and the historic achievements President Trump has already enacted to usher in the Golden Age of America.
    Elliston Berry from Aledo, TX: Elliston is a 15-year-old who was the victim of computer-generated deepfakes created by a bully at her school intended to humiliate and degrade Elliston and her friends.
    The Comperatore Family from Sarver, PA: Helen, Allyson, and Kaylee are the widow and daughters of Corey Comperatore, a firefighter who was killed by the gunman who also shot President Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in July 2024.
    Jeff Denard from Decatur, AL: Jeff has spent nearly three decades working at a steel plant owned by Nucor Steel. His good paying, middle class job at the steel plant has allowed Jeff to serve as volunteer firefighter, provide a loving home to dozens of foster children, and organize his fellow steelworkers to respond to natural disasters, including Hurricane Helene.
    Stephanie Diller from Long Island, NY: Stephanie is the widow of Jonathan Diller, an NYPD officer who was murdered at a traffic stop in Queens in March 2024 by a repeat criminal who was allowed to roam the streets.
    Haley Ferguson from Spring Hill, TN: Haley is a former foster child, a senior at Middle Tennessee State University majoring in Elementary Education, and a Fostering the Future scholarship recipient, which was launched by the First Lady’s organization, Be Best.
    Marc and Malphine Fogel from Butler, PA: Marc is an American history teacher who was held hostage by the Russian government and wrongfully sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison. On February 12th, President Trump fulfilled his promise to Malphine, Marc’s 95-year-old mother, that he would bring Marc home.
    January Littlejohn from Tallahassee, FL: January is a mother and parents’ rights advocate who sued the School Board of Leon County after school officials at her daughter’s middle school socially transitioned her daughter to a different sexual identity without January and her husband’s knowledge or permission. The school drove a wedge between January’s daughter and her parents, and deceived January about their covert plan to transition her daughter.
    Payton McNabb from Murphy, NC: Payton is a former high school athlete who had her dreams of competing in college sports crushed in a September 2022 volleyball match when a biological man playing on the opposing women’s team spiked the volleyball at Payton’s face, leaving her with a traumatic brain injury. Payton joined with the Independent Women’s Forum and has made it her mission to put an end to this brutal unfairness.
    Allyson and Lauren Phillips from Woodstock, GA: Allyson and Lauren are the mother and sister of Laken Riley, a young female nursing student who was murdered by an illegal alien during a morning jog. The Biden administration apprehended and released Laken’s murderer into the country under its reckless open border policies. The very first bill President Trump signed into law this year was named in Laken’s honor.
    Alexis Nungaray from Houston, TX: Alexis is an angel mom and the mother of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who was murdered by two illegal aliens during a walk to a corner store. The Biden administration apprehended and released these vicious illegal aliens into the country just weeks before Jocelyn’s murder.
    Roberto Ortiz from Weslaco, TX: Roberto has served with U.S. Border Patrol for nearly a decade, and is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and California State Guard. He has been shot at repeatedly by cartel members while performing his duties near the Rio Grande River in Texas.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Proceeds with Tariffs on Imports from Canada and Mexico

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    SAFEGUARDING THE NATION: President Donald J. Trump is proceeding with implementing tariffs on Canada and Mexico under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to combat the extraordinary threat to U.S. national security, including our public health posed by unchecked drug trafficking.
    While President Trump gave both Canada and Mexico ample opportunity to curb the dangerous cartel activity and influx of lethal drugs flowing into our country, they have failed to adequately address the situation.
    The flow of contraband drugs like fentanyl into the United States, through illicit distribution networks, has created a national emergency, including a public health crisis.
    Mexican drug trafficking organizations, the world’s leading fentanyl traffickers, operate unhindered due to an intolerable relationship with the government of Mexico.
    The government of Mexico has afforded safe havens for the cartels to engage in the manufacturing and transportation of dangerous narcotics, which collectively have led to the overdose deaths of hundreds of thousands of American victims.
    Mexican drug cartels are known for extreme brutality, corruption, and control over entire regions of Mexico.
    The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels manufacture fentanyl in clandestine labs they oversee in Mexico, in both powder form and pressed into fake pills, and traffic it into the United States through the many entry points they control. 97% of seizures occur at the U.S.-Mexico border.
    Cartel violence, including armed drones and roadside IEDs, are coming in closer and closer proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border as cartels are more actively targeting one another as well as Mexican military and law enforcement personnel.
    This alliance with the Mexican government endangers the national security of the United States, and we must eradicate the influence of these dangerous cartels.

    There is also a growing presence of Mexican cartels operating fentanyl and nitazene synthesis labs in Canada. 
    A recent study recognized Canada’s heightened domestic production of fentanyl, and its growing footprint within international narcotics distribution.
    Canada-based drug trafficking organizations maintain robust “super labs,” mostly in rural and dense areas in western Canada, some of which can produce 44 to 66 pounds of fentanyl weekly.
    Last year’s northern border fentanyl seizures, though smaller than Mexico’s, could kill 9.5 million Americans due to the drug’s potency—proof of Canada’s growing role in this crisis.
    Fentanyl seizures at the northern border in the first four months of this fiscal year are quickly closing in on what was seized the entirety of  fiscal year 2022.

    Both nations’ failure to arrest traffickers, seize drugs, or coordinate with U.S. law enforcement constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to America’s security—demanding IEEPA action to force accountability and protect American lives.
    PRESIDENT TRUMP IS KEEPING HIS PROMISE TO STOP THE FLOOD OF ILLEGAL ALIENS AND DRUGS: When voters overwhelmingly elected Donald J. Trump as President, they gave him a mandate to seal the border. That is exactly what he is doing.
    The Biden Administration’s policies fueled the worst border crisis in U.S. history.
    More than 10 million illegal aliens attempted to enter the United States under Biden’s leadership.
    This problem is not confined to the southern border—encounters at the northern border with Canada are rising as well.
    The sustained influx of illegal aliens has profound consequences on every aspect of our national life—overwhelming our schools, lowering our wages, reducing our housing supply and raising rents, overcrowding our hospitals, draining our welfare system, and causing crime.  
    Gang members, smugglers, human traffickers, and illegal drugs and narcotics of all kinds are pouring across our borders and into our communities. 
    Last fiscal year, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehended more than 21,000 pounds of fentanyl at our borders, enough fentanyl to kill more than 4 billion people.
    Since 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has seized more than 25,697 kilograms of fentanyl pills and more than 7,272 kilograms of fentanyl powder at the southern border, and more than 659 kilograms of fentanyl pills and more than 650 kilograms of fentanyl powder at the northern border.
    From 2021 to present, fentanyl has been the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the U.S., followed by methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin in that order.
    According to the CDC, 68 percent of all drug poisoning deaths in 2022 and 2023—216,294 total—were caused by synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl.
    It is estimated that federal officials are only able to seize a fraction of the fentanyl smuggled across the southern border.  
    More Americans are dying from fentanyl overdoses each year than the number of American lives lost in the entirety of the Vietnam War.

    BUILDING ON PAST SUCCESS: President Trump continues to demonstrate his commitment to ensuring U.S. trade policy serves the national interest.
    As President Trump said in the Presidential Memorandum on American First Trade Policy, trade policy is a critical component in national security.
    President Trump promised in November to “sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders. This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!”
    During his first term as President of the United States, President Trump established the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis and declared the Opioid Crisis a public health emergency.
    President Trump also has a long record of putting America first on trade. In his first term, President Trump successfully used threats of tariffs on Mexico to help secure our border.
    When our national security was threatened by a global oversupply of steel and aluminum, President Trump took swift action to protect America’s national security by implementing tariffs on imports of these goods.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King Votes No on Legislation Banning Transgender Athletes from School Sports Programs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) released the following statement after the Senate voted on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which did not reach the 60-vote cloture threshold, failing to advance by a count of 51-45:
    “This afternoon, the Senate voted on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, federal ban on transgender women from participating in school and college athletic programs. This bill was introduced in response to an issue that has become politically polarizing throughout the country, even though it involves only a small fraction of student athletes. Under the bill, if a single Maine school district decided not to comply with this federal mandate, all federal education funding to the entire state would be lost.
    “I understand the frustration around the issue of transgender athletes participating in women’s sports. Some students, parents and educators have concerns about a lack of ‘fairness’ and, among other things, safety issues, due to the physical differences between those born of different genders. Being the parent of a female high school athlete, I fully understand these concerns.
    “However, if one school in Maine decided to include a single trans student one of their teams, schools across the entire state would lose access to critical funding which would be detrimental to all students, a result disproportionate to the impact of one transgender athlete at one school. While these are complex issues, considerations of fairness and safety in sports are made every day by parents, educators, and school administrators at the local level. We should keep it that way and allow local communities to decide what’s best for their districts and their students, and let states abide by the will of their citizens. In other words, I see this as a state’s rights issue which should not require a one-size-fits-all federal solution. Simply put, it is highly likely this legislation would hurt Maine and Maine students.
    “Therefore, I am ultimately not comfortable conditioning all federal education funding on an issue that singles out such a small number of students nationwide — including here in Maine — and takes the decision-making power away from local communities.
    “Finally, I find it odd that many of those supporting this legislation have exactly the opposite position when it comes to women’s reproductive choices — that that issue should be left to the states — while the question of transgender athletes requires a federal solution which overrides local control.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo Statement on McMahon Confirmation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo

    Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) issued the following statement after the Senate confirmed, by a vote of 51-45, Linda McMahon to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education:

    “Despite being one of the world’s largest per-pupil investors in education, the U.S. continues to see student outcomes fall behind at alarming rates, with significant declines in core subjects like reading and mathematics.  As part of reversing this downward trend, the federal government must comprehensively evaluate its strengths and weaknesses when it comes to administering education programs.  Linda McMahon will bring this much-needed, outside-the-box thinking to the U.S. Department of Education, where she will also focus on key priorities such as defending Title IX and combating antisemitism on college campuses.  During President Trump’s first term, she excelled in leading the U.S. Small Business Administration.  That experience, as well as her positions on the Connecticut Board of Education and the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University, will enable her to effectively fulfill President Trump’s vision for the federal government’s role in education.  I congratulate Secretary McMahon on her confirmation.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Opposes Linda McMahon for Secretary of Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement after voting against confirming Linda McMahon to head the Department of Education:

    “As a proud product of the Nevada public school system, from kindergarten through my four years at UNR, I cannot in good conscience vote to confirm Linda McMahon to lead the Department of Education. Since her nomination, including during her confirmation hearing, Ms. McMahon has made it clear that she will follow President Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education. This would have a devastating impact on Nevada’s students and throw our public education system into chaos.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Votes Against Overreaching Bill to Require Genital Exams for Young Girls in Sports

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto released the following statement after voting against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, an over-broad bill that would open the door to genital exams for young girls on local sports teams.

    “I support fair play and safety and do not support transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports when it compromises those principles. I believe local schools, student athletes, coaches, and parents are much better equipped to implement fair, strong policies on this issue than politicians in Congress. This blanket legislation would allow anyone to subject girls to invasive physical exams just because of the way they look. That is incredible government overreach and is putting young women at increased risk for abuse and harassment – something I’ve spent my career fighting against.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner & Kaine on Legislation that Would Defund Public Schools & Subject Children to Uncomfortable Physical Scrutiny

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) issued the following statement after voting to block a procedural move on legislation to prevent transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports:

     

    “Right now, Congress should be focused on passing bills that lower grocery prices, not ones that threaten to defund public schools and gut world-class American colleges and universities. But instead, Republicans are poised to eliminate the Department of Education, while at the same time trying to dictate how individual schools should run their sports programs and subjecting children to uncomfortable scrutiny, invasive questioning, and even harassment. We will be voting to prevent this bill from moving forward and to leave the decision of how to best integrate transgender students into sports in the hands of parents, educators and state athletic associations—not the federal government.”

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: White House Issues Statement Supporting Tuberville’s Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

    WASHINGTON – Today, the White House issued a statement in support of U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act to make President Trump’s recent “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports” Executive Order permanent:

    “The Administration strongly supports passage of S. 9, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025. Through an amendment to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, this bill would expressly recognize what is already federal law—that it is an illegal act of discrimination for a man to participate in a federally funded athletic program or activity designated for women or girls. This bill also recognizes that “sex,” as used in the statutory scheme, is based solely on reproductive biology and genetics. Men participating in women’s sports not only is demeaning and dangerous to women and girls, but it erodes the integrity of our Nation’s civil rights laws. Congress’s affirmative vote on this bill would complement both federal court rulings and President Trump’s February 5, 2025, Executive Order, ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.’”

    Senator Tuberville’s legislation will get a vote in the Senate this evening.

    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, Kennedy Safeguard American Investors’ Privacy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) and ten of their Senate colleagues in cosponsoring the Protecting Investors’ Personally Identifiable Information Act, which would prohibit the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from requiring brokers to submit investors’ identifiable information to its data tracking system, the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT), in the wake of recent cyber-attacks and ongoing vulnerabilities.

    Sen. Tuberville cosponsored this legislation in the 118th Congress.  

    “Americans should be able to invest in the stock market without fear that their private information is up for grabs. This unlawful practice by the SEC is a useless system that enables our adversaries rather than protecting Americans. Far too often, we let cyber-attacks slip under the rug. This legislation safeguards our citizens and strengthens our cyber capabilities. I hope my colleagues join us in this commonsense legislation,” said Sen. Tuberville.

    “Americans assume their private information is secure when they invest money in the U.S. stock market. However, the SEC’s unlawful Consolidated Audit Trail could put their data in jeopardy. My bill would protect American investors from foreign enemies and bad actors by preventing the SEC from collecting personal information it doesn’t need and storing in on a dangerous database,” said Sen. Kennedy. 

    Senators Tuberville and Kennedy were joined by U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Katie Britt (R-AL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Steve Daines (R-MT), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Mike Lee (R-UT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Rick Scott (R-FL) in cosponsoring the legislation.

    U.S. Congressman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11) led the effort in the U.S House of Representatives.

    The American Securities Association endorsed the legislation.

    Read full text of the legislation here. 

    BACKGROUND:

    The Protecting Investors’ Personally Identifiable Information Act would: 

    • Prohibit the SEC from requiring brokers to submit investors’ personally identifiable information to the CAT, with the exception that the SEC can obtain personally identifiable information related to investors only by requesting it on a case-by-case; and 
    • Require the SEC to delete personally identifiable information once the agency resolves any investigations or issue that required that information.

    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: ICYMI: Tuberville Joins “America Reports” as Senate Takes up his Bill to Protect Female Athletes

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

    “This is not a Democrat or Republican issue.”

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined “America Reports” on Fox to discuss tonight’s Senate vote on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, his legislation to permanently codify Title IX protections. 

    The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed Senator Tuberville’s legislation on a 218-206 bipartisan vote. 

    Excerpts from Senator Tuberville’s interview can be found below, and the full interview can be found on YouTube or Rumble.

    ROBERTS: “The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act gets a vote on the Senate floor later on today. This bill would set a stronger precedent to keep trans athletes out of women’s sports, and states who don’t comply would face consequences. At least seven Democrats will need to get on board for it to pass a filibuster. Let’s bring in Senator Tommy Tuberville, the Alabama senator who introduced the bill. So do you have seven Democrats out there who care enough about protecting women in sports to join with Republicans?” 

    TUBERVILLE: “Well John, I would hope so, but it’s a heavy lift. This is the third time—third time I’ve had it on the floor. I’ve gotten one Democrat vote—that was Joe Manchin—obviously, he’s gone, but we’re getting to a point now where women and girls’ sports are getting ready to be extinct. […] Hopefully, we can get something done today, but President Trump’s Executive Order is only going to last John, four years. After that, it’ll probably go the other way. ”

    ROBERTS: “Yep. So, here’s where the American people stand on this issue according to a recent New York Times/ Ipsos poll. Seventy-nine percent of all Americans believe that transgender athletes should not be allowed in women’s sports. Ninety-four percent of Republicans believe that, 67 percent of Democrats. So, the tide would seem to be in your favor.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Well, you’d think so, but when you have the Democratic party believe that men can get pregnant, you know you’ve got problems. And it’s such a gender—attack on gender up here, John. […]”

    ROBERTS: “Yeah, so Riley Gaines really illuminated what’s going on here with her support for the bill. She said, ‘With the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act now being heard on the Senate floor, we’re one step closer to ensuring that women no longer lose trophies, roster spots, playing time, scholarships, or fair competition to men in their own sport.’ This really is a one-way street. We don’t hear a lot about biological women going into men’s sports and blowing away the competition. This is all about biological men going into women’s sports, taking spots from women, taking championships from women, and not allowing women who have spent their entire lives trying to compete for these top prizes to really do what they’re trained to do.”

    TUBERVILLE: “And I talk to Democrats, John, and I say, ‘What do you not understand here?’ and they say, ‘Well, it’s gotta be fair.’ Wait a minute—fair? You’re gonna do away with women’s sports is what you’re going to do. […] President Trump did this Executive Order and people are defying it already. NCAA says, ‘We’re not going to let them compete, but we’re gonna let them practice, in dressing rooms, and shower with girls. NCAA has lost their damn mind. We have to get back to common sense in this country, especially when it comes to something like this because this will grow year, and year, and year out, and we have to do something for the women and girls in sports, and give them a chance to learn leadership and time restraint, work ethic and all those things. […]”

    ROBERTS: “Yeah, so we talked about the tide being with you in terms of where the American public opinion is. Janet Mills, who is the Maine governor, continues to swim against that tide. She had the dust-up with the President last week. Here’s what she said, she’s fundraising off of her spat with the President, saying, ‘I want to make one thing clear: Maine will not be intimidated by the president’s threats. The work to push back against Trump and his agenda begins at the state level. Can you donate $10 to the Maine democratic Party to make sure they have the resources to fight for our state?’ This is a state that had a biological boy who was a mediocre athlete go into a women’s division and blow away the competition, so what is she defending?”

    TUBERVILLE: “Well, first of all, this is not a Democrat or Republic issue. This is an American and equal rights issue. And again, this governor has no right to defy Number One, President Trump, but Number Two take away the right of young girls to work hard to take that opportunity that this country gives to do the best you can in sports…I coached 40 years. You learn work ethic, you learn time, you learn how to work with other people, you learn how to win, you learn how to lose. You learn how to do all those things together, but again, they want to do away with women’s sports for some reason.”

    ROBERTS: “Senator, we’ll be watching later today to see if it can break the filibuster and how many Democrats come over. We thank you for your time, Coach.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you.”

    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: Senator Markey Urges Commerce Committee to Investigate Musk’s Airline Safety Claims

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Letter Text (PDF)
    Washington (March 3, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today wrote to Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) urging them to hold a hearing to investigate Elon Musk’s recent statements regarding the safety of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Air Traffic Control System. Last week, Elon Musk posted on X suggesting that the FAA’s Air Traffic Control communications system “is single digit months to catastrophic failure, putting air traveler safety at serious risk.”
    In the letter, Senator Markey wrote, “Given Musk’s far-reaching role within the U.S. government and his recent involvement with the FAA’s information technology systems, Musk’s comments could understandably cause panic among air travelers. This Committee has worked diligently over the past few years to improve aviation safety, including in last year’s FAA Reauthorization Act, but the traveling public is understandably experiencing heightened anxiety about air travel after several recent and tragic plane crashes. Although the FAA’s information technology systems need modernization, Musk’s alarmist rhetoric appears extreme. If he has discovered new vulnerabilities in the FAA’s Air Traffic Control system, the Committee should know about such information immediately. If Musk cannot provide evidence of his claims, it raises serious questions about whether he is using his role as a senior government official to enrich his company SpaceX, currently competing for FAA contracts. In either case, the Commerce Committee has a responsibility to immediately hold a public hearing to investigate Musk’s claims on behalf of the American public.”
    On February 26, Senator Markey wrote to Chris Rocheleau, Acting Administrator of the FAA with questions about the FAA’s recent decision to deploy three Starlink terminals, which provide broadband internet connectivity through a satellite network, from Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Given Musk’s dual positions as CEO of SpaceX and wide-spread role in the Trump administration, this decision creates at least an appearance of a conflict-of-interest. 

    MIL OSI USA News –