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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: $2.5 Million for Maine Air National Guard Advanced by Senator Collins in Funding Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she advanced $2.5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the planning and design of a new aircraft maintenance and ground equipment facility for the Maine Air National Guard. This funding was included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, which was officially approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee today and now awaits consideration by the full Senate and House.

    “From assisting our communities when disaster strikes to supporting our national defense, the brave men and women of the Maine National Guard are always ready to serve,” said Senator Collins. “This proposed funding would enhance the Maine Guard’s readiness while ensuring modern and safe working environments and reducing maintenance costs. As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to advocate for this funding as the appropriations process moves forward.”

    “Maine National Guard is grateful for Senator Collins continued support and efforts to pursue proposed funding for a new maintenance and equipment facility at the Bangor Air National Guard Base,” said Brigadier General Diane Dunn, the Adjutant General of the Maine National Guard. “The project will benefit the Maine National Guard, the state, and the nation. A modernized facility will help ensure that our Maineiacs are equipped and ready to conduct refueling operations for years to come. Our tankers are critical to our country’s defense strategy. We are excited that is one step closer to approval.”

    Currently, flightline maintenance and ground equipment maintenance operate out of two separate and undersized facilities. This project would combine operations under one right-sized facility for the 101st Air Refueling Wing in Bangor, helping to reduce response times.

    In May, Senator Collins secured $50 million for the Maine Air National Guard to construct a new hangar in Bangor. This funding was included in the Fiscal Year 2025 full-year continuing resolution.

    This funding advanced through the Committee’s markup of the FY 2026 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill—an important step that now allows the bill to be considered by the full Senate.

    In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $1 billion for hundreds of Maine projects for FY 2022, FY 2023, and FY 2024.? As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Announces Hold on National Guard Bureau Nominee Until Trump Demilitarizes Los Angeles

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Padilla Announces Hold on National Guard Bureau Nominee Until Trump Demilitarizes Los Angeles

    WATCH: Padilla: “Stop militarizing our cities and using our service members as political pawns.”

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, announced on the Senate floor that he placed a hold on President Trump’s nominee to serve as vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, Lieutenant General Thomas Carden, until the Trump Administration releases all remaining U.S. military forces from their unjustified deployment to Los Angeles. Lieutenant General Carden currently serves as second-in-command of Northern Command — the combatant command that has enforced Trump’s orders to militarize Los Angeles. Padilla blasted President Trump for manufacturing a crisis and escalating tensions in the region by deploying 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 active-duty Marines without Governor Newsom’s consent.

    After intense and successful political pressure from Democrats, the Trump Administration finally announced earlier this week that they would release 2,000 National Guard troops from their deployment to Los Angeles; however, approximately 2,000 National Guardsmen and all 700 Marines still remain. In response to the ongoing militarization of Los Angeles, Padilla will oppose any expedited consideration of Carden’s nomination until the Administration:

    • Releases every Guardsman and Marine from their federalized deployment to Los Angeles and
    • Commits to not sending any Guardsmen from other states to enforce the President’s political demands on California.

    Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard went against the wishes of the Governor for the first time since 1965. The Cal Guard serves honorably in overseas deployments in support of our allies and partners, disaster response efforts, and counter-drug missions. Padilla urged Trump to return these troops to their core missions, including wildfire mitigation efforts during peak fire season. He cited that the head of the U.S. Northern Command requested in late June that Secretary Hegseth return 200 troops from the National Guard’s wildfire unit who were stuck in Los Angeles to enact Trump’s political agenda.

    Key Excerpts:

    • “I rise today to both publicly and clearly explain my hold on this nomination, and to demand that the Trump Administration release all remaining U.S. military forces from the unnecessary and political deployment to Los Angeles.”
    • “In order to change the news cycle, which he does so often — to shift the headlines away from his many, many failures — President Trump chose to ramp up ICE raids in California. And when Californians took to the streets to exercise their First Amendment rights by peacefully protesting, Trump responded by federalizing the California National Guard and then later, the U.S. Marines were ordered in to intimidate the people of Los Angeles.”
    • “None of these service members signed up to become a political prop. But Trump has put them in this impossible position that he knew would escalate tensions in the region and take them away from their critical missions elsewhere.”
    • “Every day that those troops were unnecessarily deployed to Los Angeles was another day that their primary mission went unmet. We’re talking about undermining firefighting and fire mitigation efforts as we are approaching peak wildfire season. This is dangerous and unnecessary.”
    • “I want to be very clear about something: my objection is about more than Lieutenant General Carden. None of what we are seeing in Los Angeles through this militarization is business as usual. Deploying the Guard against the wishes of the Governor, against the wishes of the Mayor, and against even the wishes of local law enforcement — the sheriff, the police chief — none of that is normal.”
    • “Stop militarizing our cities and using our service members as political pawns.”

    Video of Senator Padilla’s full remarks is available here.

    Senator Padilla has been outspoken in criticizing Trump’s mass deportations and unprecedented militarization and escalation of tensions by deploying National Guard troops and active-duty U.S. Marines to respond to overwhelmingly peaceful protests in Los Angeles. Padilla recently led the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in demanding that President Trump immediately withdraw all military forces from Los Angeles and cease all threats to deploy the National Guard or active-duty service members to American cities. Padilla spoke on the Senate floor following his forcible removal from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s press conference, where he was thrown to the ground and handcuffed after attempting to ask a question. He has spoken at a spotlight hearing and on the Senate floor multiple other times to blast President Trump for manufacturing a crisis by launching indiscriminate Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across Los Angeles and using that crisis to dramatically expand executive power.

    Last week, Padilla and Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced the VISIBLE Act to require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible identification during public-facing enforcement actions. Padilla also led 13 Democratic Senators in a letter criticizing ICE for engaging in counterproductive, theatrical enforcement activities — including raids on courthouses and restaurants — and requesting information from the agency on its mask and uniform policies. Additionally, Padilla is leading legislation to restrict the President’s authority under the 217-year-old Insurrection Act and limit the domestic deployment of military troops for law enforcement purposes.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Durbin, Welch, Colleagues Condemn DOJ’s Baseless Voter Fraud Investigations

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Durbin, Welch, Colleagues Condemn DOJ’s Baseless Voter Fraud Investigations

    On John Lewis National Day of Action, Senators request access to Civil Rights Division Memo that changes mission statement to investigating voter fraud

    Senators: “Taken together, the Department is clearly pursuing an anti-voter, partisan agenda aligned with 2020 election deniers and conspiracy theorists”

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, on John Lewis National Day of Action, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) led 13 Senators in raising the alarm on the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division’s policy shift to focus on unsubstantiated voter fraud investigations. The Senators pushed Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon to share the recent staff memorandum reportedly changing the mission statement of the Civil Rights Division Voting Section away from defending voting rights. The Department of Justice has repeatedly refused Ranking Member Padilla’s oversight requests to access this memo.

    The letter comes as the DOJ’s Voting Section made a sweeping request asking Colorado to provide all 2024 federal election records and maintain any remaining 2020 election records, in addition to seeking voter rolls from at least nine other states. The Voting Section is also pursuing cases in Arizona, Wisconsin, and North Carolina based on baseless claims of election irregularities or fraud. They also criticized the Voting Section for abandoning efforts to protect voting rights, including dropping its lawsuit challenging Georgia’s Senate Bill 202, withdrawing its claims in redistricting cases in Texas, and revoking its requests to orally argue before the Supreme Court for Louisiana redistricting cases.

    “We write out of grave concern for the reported changes to the mission and work of the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, which appear to redirect the Section’s focus towards the extremely rare instances of voter fraud and noncitizen voting. Since its creation by the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the Division has been charged with enforcing the civil and criminal provisions of federal laws that protect the civil rights of Americans, including the right to vote,” wrote the Senators.

    “Taken together, the Department is clearly pursuing an anti-voter, partisan agenda aligned with 2020 election deniers and conspiracy theorists. We urge you to change course and take a nonpartisan approach to protecting voters’ rights that is grounded in facts and the law, not unfounded speculation and conspiracy theories,” continued the Senators.

    The Senators also expressed concern about the reduction of lawyers in the Voting Section as well as the appointment of Acting Chief Maureen Riordan, a former line attorney in the Section, who has been associated with election skeptics and worked for the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), a leading anti-voting legal group. Riordan has appeared on “Stop the Steal” architect Cleta Mitchell’s podcast and made accusations of political bias in the Voting Section, while voicing her disagreement with the Section’s pursuit of cases aimed at protecting voting rights and access to the ballot box for racial minorities.

    Additionally, they highlighted the DOJ’s attacks against election officials, wasting limited resources to examine how existing laws could be used to criminally charge state and local election officials.

    “This clear attempt to intimidate these hardworking individuals, whose work holds up our democracy will not go unchallenged,” added the Senators. “The Department must abandon this effort and instead focus on working on actual problems facing election officials, which includes protecting these officials from the ongoing threats and harassment.”

    In addition to Senators Padilla, Durbin, and Welch, the letter was also signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    Earlier this year, Padilla and his Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee colleagues demanded answers from the DOJ concerning the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department’s Civil Rights Division. The Senators separately called for Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, to immediately hold an oversight hearing with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, a San Francisco-based lawyer leading the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, on its politicization. During her Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing in February, Senator Padilla criticized Dhillon for her alarming track record of restricting the right to vote, spreading disinformation about the 2020 election, and perpetuating discriminatory laws.

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Assistant Attorney General Dhillon:

    We write out of grave concern for the reported changes to the mission and work of the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, which appear to redirect the Section’s focus towards the extremely rare instances of voter fraud and noncitizen voting. Since its creation by the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the Division has been charged with enforcing the civil and criminal provisions of federal laws that protect the civil rights of Americans, including the right to vote.

    To start, we are unable to fully understand the Section’s work as the Department has repeatedly refused requests for the memorandum you sent to employees of the Civil Rights Division—which was reported by the Associated Press in May 2025—highlighting the new mission statement for the Voting Section. This refusal to cooperate with such a simple and specific congressional information request is alarming, and we once again renew our request for basic transparency to review this document and confirm these reports are accurate.

    We are particularly concerned about the Voting Section’s unprecedented and intrusive request for significant amounts of election data from the state of Colorado. This overly broad and burdensome request appears to have limited justification and raises alarming questions regarding what the Department intends to do with this information, and which states are next to be targeted. This initial request demands a full, public explanation and exacerbates ongoing concerns about the sharing and misuse of voter data by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency.

    Public reporting and court filings also indicate that the Voting Section is down to a small number of attorneys and that Maureen Riordan—who previously worked for an anti-voting rights group and has associated with individuals who perpetuated falsehoods around the 2020 election, has been appointed as Acting Chief. This raises questions about whether the Section has abandoned its longstanding mission to conduct meaningful voter protection work and will instead act to perpetuate the myth of widespread voter fraud.

    Ms. Riordan’s documented disregard for established legal precedent in the voting rights context is troubling and should disqualify her from leading the Section. For instance, Ms. Riordan recently appeared on election-denier Cleta Mitchell’s podcast and expressed disapproval of the Department’s previous challenges to racial discrimination in the electoral process. Ms. Riordan also joined Ms. Mitchell in spreading false claims of widespread voting by noncitizens and criticizing as negligent states’ voter roll maintenance, among other inflammatory comments. 

    With the significant changes occurring at the Department, we are paying close attention to the Division’s work and are alarmed at how the Section is now using its limited resources. In addition to the recent action in Colorado, the Voting Section is pursuing alleged infractions about proper semantics of “and/or” language on Arizona’s voter registration form, and the Section is requesting that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission withhold any future election security funding for the Wisconsin Elections Commission based on alleged violations of federal elections laws. The Voting Section is also attempting to pursue a partisan agenda by suing the North Carolina State Board of Elections over the same baseless voter registration claim that was at issue in the Republican challenger’s failed attempt to nullify election results to regain a seat on North Carolina’s Supreme Court.

    Recent reporting also indicates the Department is using its limited resources to determine how existing laws could be used against state and local election officials to charge them criminally as they administer elections. This clear attempt to intimidate these hardworking individuals, whose work holds up our democracy will not go unchallenged. The Department must abandon this effort and instead focus on working on actual problems facing election officials, which includes protecting these officials from the ongoing threats and harassment.

    As its priorities shift, the Department is also withdrawing from cases that it has been engaged in for years that are meant to protect the right to vote, including dropping its lawsuit challenging Georgia’s Senate Bill 202, dropping all its claims in several consolidated cases in Texas around redistricting, and withdrawing its requests to participate in oral arguments before the Supreme Court for consolidated cases involving redistricting in Louisiana. Through these actions, it is clear that the Department has abandoned any work protecting the voting rights of communities of color, despite its core mission to enforce the protections of the Voting Rights Act.

    Taken together, the Department is clearly pursuing an anti-voter, partisan agenda aligned with 2020 election deniers and conspiracy theorists. We urge you to change course and take a nonpartisan approach to protecting voters’ rights that is grounded in facts and the law, not unfounded speculation and conspiracy theories.

    We respectfully request specific responses to these concerns and your prompt response in sharing the new mission statement for the Voting Section with Congress without further delay.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff Urge Trump Administration to Reverse Staffing Cuts at the National Weather Service, Warn of Devastating Impacts in California

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Schiff Urge Trump Administration to Reverse Staffing Cuts at the National Weather Service, Warn of Devastating Impacts in California

    Senators: “The safety and lives of millions of Americans as well as the economic success of California depend on weather forecasts from the state’s NWS offices.”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) demanded the Trump Administration reverse the staffing cuts at California National Weather Service (NWS) offices, which jeopardize critical weather services that people rely on during disasters, especially during an active fire season — where more than 2.3 million acres in California face significant fire risk. 
    “The safety and lives of millions of Americans as well as the economic success of California depend on weather forecasts from the state’s National Weather Service offices. Protecting human lives from severe weather events is not a partisan issue, and it is important that the NWS has the workforce required to meet its core mandate to protect human life,” wrote the Senators. 
    Two of the six NWS offices in California — Sacramento and Hanford, which are responsible for providing more than 7 million Californians with extreme weather warnings and information that helps the state’s agriculture industry — were most impacted by these staffing cuts. In their letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Acting Administrator Laura Grimm, the Senators also highlighted that reliable and high-quality weather forecasts are crucial to protecting Californians who face a year-round fire season from deadly consequences. 
    The Senators also emphasized that with the agricultural industry relying on NWS’ services, these staffing shortages may result in direct harm to farmers and economic losses for the state and country. 
    To date, NOAA has failed to be responsive to congressional inquiries on these issues and failed to provide a briefing on NWS staffing cuts in California as requested by Senator Schiff’s office.   
    Full text of the letter here is available here and below: 
    Dear Secretary Howard Lutnick and Administrator Laura Grimm:  
    We write to express deep concern regarding staffing reductions at the National Weather Service (NWS) and plans for Temporary Duty assignments (TDYs) in California, especially considering the already active fire season. On June 2, 2025, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a statement outlining steps the agency will take to attempt to sustain mission-critical operations at NWS offices. This plan includes the use of TDYs to help fill workforce vacancies caused by the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to push federal employees out of the workforce. This reduction in the NWS workforce has left regional offices across California critically understaffed, endangering lives and threatening California’s economy.   
    There are six NWS offices across California—Eureka, Sacramento, San Francisco, Hanford, Los Angeles, and San Diego —and four other offices located in neighboring states which cover portions of California. The Sacramento and Hanford offices were most impacted by DOGE staffing reductions; the Sacramento office currently has a 50 percent vacancy rate, and the Hanford office has a 61.5 percent vacancy rate, one of the worst in the country. These two offices are responsible for providing more than 7 million Californians with extreme weather warnings. Understaffing has forced these offices to cut their hours of operation and limit forecasting and weather warnings. 
    The NWS provides warnings and forecasts for wildfires and burned areas, including issuing fire weather warnings, red flag warnings, burned area debris flow warnings, and other public weather-related preparedness information. In addition to providing information regarding severe weather to the surrounding populace, NWS meteorologists can also be assigned to specific fire incidents.3 NWS meteorologists provide the Incident Management Team (IMT) with real-time weather information such as thunderstorm activity (a high hazard due to lightning strikes) and fire weather (wind direction, wind speed, humidity, temperature, and other information). They also provide specialized information to helicopter and plane crews fighting incipient and ongoing fires, which is critical to the safe and effective management of fires. The significant staffing cuts to these NWS offices will affect standard fire weather forecasting and warnings and the safe execution of firefighting efforts, which can have fatal consequences.   
    More than 2.3 million acres in California face significant fire risk. There have been multiple dangerous fires so far this summer in California, including, the Ranch Fire near Los Angeles which burned 4,293 acres and forced evacuations of Apple Valley; a second near Mono Lake, which closed Highway 395 and forced evacuations of Mono City and Lundy Canyon; and a third, the Bonanza Fire, which forced evacuations near Shingle Springs, CA. Wind speed is strongly and consistently associated with the number of acres burned. This was definitely the case for the Eaton, Palisade, and Ranch Fires in Southern California where the strong Santa Ana winds drove fire spread. In California, fire is a year-round risk, and this reality requires consistent, high-quality, and reliable weather forecasting data to protect Californians 
    Critically, the Sacramento and Hanford offices provide forecasts specifically tailored to the needs of California’s $50 billion agriculture industry. These forecasts provide information that helps farmers plan their planting and harvesting cycles, which is especially important in California, where the climate fluctuates between wet and dry years. Staffing shortages at these NWS offices may result in direct harm to farmers, economic losses for the state and country, and a less stable food supply.   
    Even with the agency’s TDY plan, which will take time to implement and train relocated employees, NWS will suffer from hundreds of personnel shortages. We have serious concerns regarding this plan, which appears to be a temporary and inadequate fix, and its impact on California NWS offices. Consequently, we request answers to the following questions by July 31, 2025:  
    Please provide a breakdown of vacancies at California NWS offices by specialized roles. Please include information on vacancies prior to January 20, 2025, as well.  
    What is the minimum staffing level at the Sacramento and Hanford offices required to maintain 24/7 weather forecasts and weather balloon launches?  
    How many TDYs and new permanent employees will be added to California NWS offices? How long will these positions take to fill?  
    What is the anticipated impact to fire weather-related work? Will there be sufficient staffing to provide for incident-specific meteorologists?  
    What is the expected impact of these staffing shortages on farmers and the food supply chain?  
    The safety and lives of millions of Americans as well as the economic success of California depend on weather forecasts from the state’s NWS offices. Protecting human lives from severe weather events is not a partisan issue, and it is important that the NWS has the workforce required to meet its core mandate to protect human life. Thank you, and we look forward to your response. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Slams Lifetime Judicial Appointment of Unfit Trump Loyalist Emil Bove as Senate Republicans Continue to Bury Epstein Evidence

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Padilla Slams Lifetime Judicial Appointment of Unfit Trump Loyalist Emil Bove as Senate Republicans Continue to Bury Epstein Evidence

    WATCH: Padilla also denounces Trump Administration’s unserious proposal to reopen Alcatraz

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” this evening to speak out against the nomination of Emil Bove — one of Trump’s personal lawyers with an extensive track record of unethical and unprofessional conduct and political retaliation — to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and to condemn the Trump Administration’s continued refusal to release the Epstein files, despite the President’s public promises to do so. After Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum visited Alcatraz earlier today, Padilla also criticized the Trump Administration’s unrealistic and wasteful proposal to reopen Alcatraz as a federal prison, highlighting the “exorbitant” costs to taxpayers of bringing the facility up to even minimum modern standards.

    The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Bove’s nomination this morning as Padilla and Committee Democrats boycotted the vote in protest of Republicans’ blatant violation of Committee rules, which they used to jam through nominations, including Bove and “Judge Jeanine” Pirro to serve as United States Attorney for D.C., without public debate. At his nominations hearing, Padilla slammed Bove for his role in firing dozens of Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors who worked on January 6 cases and his pledge to disregard lawful court orders that check presidential power.

    Key Excerpts:

    On Emil Bove’s nomination and Senate Judiciary Republicans ignoring Senate rules:

    • “What happened today in the Senate Judiciary Committee is just the latest example of Republicans not just tearing down the norms of the Senate Judiciary Committee, but the Senate as a whole.”
    • “Affording Senator Booker an opportunity to ask questions or even to call for a vote on bringing forward…the whistleblower that has come up publicly about Emil Bove’s comments, things like the targeting anybody involved with the prosecutions around January 6, things like, if court orders that come out against what the Trump Administration wanted, they’re just going to ignore them. I mean, the Committee deserves to hear it directly and to consider it before any confirmation votes on Emil Bove. Republicans don’t want to hear it. They don’t want to hear it.”

    On Bove’s potential connection to the Epstein case and Trump Administration’s refusal to release Epstein files:

    • “Emil Bove’s the number three top official in the Justice Department. With everything going on around the Epstein case, and the Epstein files, the involvement of the Attorney General herself, he’s probably been in the room. He’s probably been at the table. What role did he play in determining there is a list, there isn’t a list, should we release files or not? The Committee deserves to hear this before taking action, but this Republican majority doesn’t want to hear it. They’re trying to squelch any information that Donald Trump doesn’t want to go out and Democrats aren’t going to be a party to that.”

    On the Trump Administration’s unserious proposal to reopen Alcatraz as a federal prison:

    • “Here they go again, right? It’s nothing but bad news for Donald Trump, between the Epstein files, between economic indicators, prices are going up. So in classic Trump fashion, let’s distract. Right? Let’s talk about something else. Alcatraz is not a serious proposal. The cost of bringing that up to minimum standards to serve as a detention facility — we’ve been hearing from Republicans all year long. They want to reduce the federal budget. They’re looking for cost savings, not unnecessary, exorbitant costs.”
    • “This is just another effort to distract from the horrible news brought to you by the Trump Administration.”

    Video of the full interview is available here.

    During his Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing, Senator Padilla pressed Bove on his extensive track record of lies, poor temperament, and political retribution. Earlier this week, Padilla joined Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in calling for Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to schedule a hearing to collect testimony from Mr. Erez Reuveni, former Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Immigration Litigation at the Department of Justice, who disclosed allegations of misconduct and documentation regarding Bove. Previously, Padilla joined Senate Judiciary Democrats in requesting personnel records relevant to Bove from Interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton. Padilla and Senate Judiciary Democrats also filed a professional misconduct complaint against Bove with the New York State Bar, citing reported misconduct in moving to dismiss charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Amid Trump Cuts to the FDA, Senators Markey and Booker Introduce Legislation to Get Dangerous Chemicals Out of Food

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Bill Text (PDF) | One Pager (PDF)

    Washington (July 17, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) today introduced the Ensuring Safe and Toxic-Free Foods Act, legislation that would direct the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to strengthen the Substances Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Rule. The GRAS Rule acts as a loophole that is currently used by companies to avoid getting pre-market FDA approval for more than 1,000 food chemicals. As a result of this rule, nearly 99 percent of new food chemicals are able to be added to products without triggering any FDA oversight.

    The Ensuring Safe and Toxic-Free Foods Act would prevent chemicals that have been linked to cancer, developmental toxicity, or reproductive toxicity from being categorized as GRAS. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are cosponsors of the legislation. 

    “Americans deserve to know the food on their kitchen tables is safe for them, their families, and their loved ones to eat,” said Senator Markey. “Our legislation ensures the FDA has the authority it needs to fulfill their responsibility to guarantee the food we eat is safe—free from substances that cause cancer and harm development. It is long past time that we revise existing food safety measures and close the loophole that allows manufacturers to self-regulate which new substances enter our food supply and our bodies.”

    “It is unacceptable that hundreds of new chemicals have entered the food supply without the FDA requiring an independent, scientific review of their safety. This has led to the use of ingredients that have evidence of carcinogenicity or endocrine disruption in thousands of food products,” said Senator Booker. “This legislation will require the FDA to thoroughly review new chemicals before they can be added to foods, finally closing the loophole that has left Americans at risk.”

    “The Ensuring Safe and Toxic Free Foods Act is an important step towards fixing the broken GRAS system that allows manufacturers to put food chemicals on the market without notifying FDA. We must not allow toxic additives to slip through the GRAS loophole and stay in the food supply for decades without getting reassessed for safety. EDF appreciates Senator Markey’s years of leadership on this critical issue to protect Americans’ health,” said Maria Doa, Senior Director of Chemicals Policy at the Environmental Defense Fund.

    “EWG applauds the reintroduction of the Ensuring Safe and Toxic-Free Foods Act. For too long, food and chemical companies have exploited loopholes that allow them, not the FDA, to decide what is safe. This bill restores common sense to our federal food chemical regulations and will help ensure that the chemicals added to our food are safe,” said Melanie Benesh, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Environmental Working Group.

    “For far too long, companies have utilized the GRAS loophole to secretly introduce new chemicals into our foods without even notifying the FDA,” said Anupama Joshi, Vice President of Programs, Center for Science in the Public Interest. “The Ensuring Safe and Toxic-Free Foods Act of 2025 will finally close the GRAS loophole by requiring meaningful independent, science-based safety review by the FDA.”

    Specifically, the Ensuring Safe and Toxic-Free Foods Act would direct the FDA to revise the GRAS Rule to include provisions that:

    • Prohibit manufacturers from designating substances as safe without supplying proper notice and supporting information to the Secretary of HHS.
    • Require safety information be publicly available on the FDA website and subject to a 90-day public review period.
    • Prohibit carcinogenic substances from receiving GRAS designation.
    • Prohibit substances that show evidence of reproductive or developmental toxicity from receiving GRAS designation.
    • Prohibit people with conflicts of interest from serving as experts in reviewing and evaluating scientific data regarding GRAS designations.
    • Create a procedure of reassessment for substances receiving previous GRAS designations.

    The Ensuring Safe and Toxic-Free Foods Act is endorsed by the Environmental Working Group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and the Environmental Defense Fund.

    Senator Markey has long been an advocate for food safety and a strong FDA. In 2024, Senator Markey and Senator Booker urged the agency to ban phthalates—chemicals that affect the durability, flexibility, and transparency of plastics—from use in food contact materials (FCM) due to their effect on brain development in infants and children.

    In 2016, he called on the FDA to take steps to strengthen the GRAS rule and update guidance to mitigate conflicts of interest for outside experts evaluating GRAS substances. In 2018, he sent the FDA a letter about reports that Johnson & Johnson had concealed information about baby powder products containing carcinogenic substances from regulators and the public. In 2019, Senator Markey sent a letter to the FDA, urging it to establish mandatory standards to strictly limit heavy metals in children’s food, including fruit juices.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: As Republicans Gut Medicaid Funding for Planned Parenthood, Sen. Markey, Rep. Fletcher Host Spotlight Hearing on Republican Attacks on Birth Control Access

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Watch: Senator Markey hosts spotlight hearing on birth control access in the Post-Roe Era

    Washington (July 17, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee’s Subcommittee on Primary Health & Retirement Security, and Representative Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) held a hearing yesterday titled “A Right at Risk: Protecting the Right to Contraception and Reproductive Freedom in the Post-Roe Era” to spotlight how Republican attacks on birth control access threaten reproductive freedom nationwide. Earlier this month, Republicans cut millions in Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood in their so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” which Trump signed into law.

    “As Republicans pursue their agenda of unprecedented cuts to our health programs, banning funding for Planned Parenthood and ripping health care away from millions of Americans, the threat to the right to contraception is no longer hypothetical—it is real, and it is here,” said Senator Markey. “We must meet this moment with the urgency it deserves. We must pass the Right to Contraception Act and guarantee that reproductive freedom does not depend on where you live or who is in power in your statehouse. We cannot allow MAGA extremists to roll back decades of progress. And we will not stop until the right to contraception and reproductive freedom is protected—for everyone, everywhere.”

    “As Republicans wage unprecedented and unconstitutional attacks on Americans’ health care, it is important for us to hear from those on the frontlines of the fight for reproductive freedom,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. “Millions of Americans rely on contraception of all kinds to plan their families and their lives, and ninety percent of Americans support access to all forms of birth control. I am grateful to Senator Markey for joining me in hosting today’s hearing to bring this important issue to light. As a representative from a state intent on taking away our right and our access to quality, affordable reproductive health care, I will continue to do everything I can to protect the health, privacy, dignity, and autonomy of women and families across our country.”

    Senator Markey and Representative Fletcher were joined by several reproductive rights experts and advocates who delivered testimony on how Republican attacks on birth control access harm communities across the country.

    “Across the country—and in my home state of Indiana—birth control is being targeted through misinformation and ideology that are completely disconnected from science and clinical reality. These attacks are not about patient safety or public health. They are about control and because of the broad popularity of contraception, they are designed to be less noticeable,” said Dr. Tracey Wilkinson, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Obstetrics & Gynecology, Indiana University School of Medicine. Read Dr. Tracey Wilkinson’s testimony here.

    “Access to contraception is essential to sexual and reproductive healthcare and gender equity. Contraception is not merely a matter of personal choice; it is healthcare, and access to this healthcare has a large and positive impact on maternal and infant health outcomes, economic stability, and prosperous, safe communities. Nonetheless, the advances we have made in a ‘purple’ state like Virginia are clearly precarious,” said Tarina Keene, executive director of REPRO Rising Virginia. “And—if a state like Virginia can’t rely on its own government to protect and advance its right to contraception, then surely other state governments, ones that are more openly attacking reproductive rights, cannot be expected to do the same.” Read Tarina Keene’s testimony here.

    “Jane’s Due Process has helped young Texans access reproductive healthcare for almost 25 years. Texas has required parental involvement for access to prescriptive birth control for young people under 18 since 1998, and in 2022, a federal judge determined that Title X federal family planning providers could no longer provide prescriptive birth control to Texas teens without parental consent despite decades of protected federal provision. We hear every day from young people negatively impacted by these barriers. We believe that everyone, including young people, deserve the right to self-determination, and full access to the complete spectrum of family planning options, including birth control, is a big part of ensuring that right. We need to protect and expand young people’s access to contraception so that they can make the decisions for their own futures that are right for them,” said Lucie Arvallo, Executive Director, Jane’s Due Process. Read Lucie Arvallo’s testimony here.

    “Contraception is a key component of reproductive health care. The decision about whether, when, or how to become a parent is one of the most important life decisions we make. For the past sixty years, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England has touched the lives of more than a million people in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, including for birth control services. We are an integral part of the health care system and proudly provide the highest quality, nonjudgmental care to all who walk through our doors. Patients count on us. The reality is that in rural states like ours, you’d be hard pressed to find someone whose life hasn’t been touched by Planned Parenthood of Northern New England,” said Nicole Clegg, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. “That’s why the attacks targeting Planned Parenthood are so dangerous. The harm caused when we are forced to leave a community is well documented. People’s health is jeopardized. They go without care. Cancers are left undetected. Unintended pregnancy rates rise, and pregnancy outcomes worsen. Birth control is essential health care. No one wants politicians and judges involved in their medical decisions. People want to be able to see their trusted provider, get medically accurate information, and have peace of mind. Thank you to our champions in Congress for shining a light on the devastating outcomes of the attacks on birth control and the providers who make access possible.” Read Nicole Clegg’s testimony here.

    “Contraception is essential health care — and a vital tool that allows people to decide if, when, and how to grow their families,” said Taylor St. Germain, Deputy Director of Reproductive Equity Now. “When it came to Roe, we waited too long to act, and that delay cost us dearly. We can’t make that same mistake again. I’m grateful to Senator Markey and Representative Fletcher for bringing us together for this critical, timely hearing to protect our care and defend our right to contraception at the federal level before it’s too late.” Read Taylor St. Germain’s testimony here.

    In February 2025, Senator Markey reintroduced the Right to Contraception Act, legislation that would create a statutory right to obtain and use contraceptives and ensure health care providers have a right to provide contraceptives, contraception, and share information about this essential care.

    In September 2024, Senator Markey joined Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in support of the Right to IVF Act, legislation that would establish a nationwide right to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technology, as well as lower the costs of IVF treatment for the millions of families who need it to have their children. In October 2023, Senator Markey, alongside with other Democratic Senators urged the Biden administration to require insurers to fully cover over-the-counter birth control, with no out-of-pocket costs or prescription barrier.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman-Led Bill to Deliver Investments to Natural State Veterans and Servicemembers Advanced by Senate Appropriations Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

    Senator Boozman Delivers Opening Remarks Ahead of Committee Passage

    WASHINGTON— U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), Chairman of the Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement after the Senate Committee on Appropriations advanced legislation he crafted that secures key funding for Arkansas military and defense priorities:

    “This bipartisan bill delivers the funding, tools and resources necessary to maintain and strengthen America’s defense infrastructure and capabilities. I am proud to champion The Natural State’s critical role in bolstering our national defense –including $93 million to the Red River Army Depot and support for the Arkansas National Guard – and welcome the recommitment to those who have and currently serve through improving mental health care, access to suicide prevention services and funding the modernization of VA hospital systems.”

    Boozman secured funding for Arkansas National Guard planning projects and $93 million for the Red River Army Depot’s project, “CTC: Component Rebuild Shop” to repair and extend the life of military equipment. 

    This legislation also includes key investments in military housing, improvements to VA electronic health and IT systems and critical funding for telehealth, women’s health initiatives and medical innovation. 

    The full measure, advanced by a vote of 26-3, will now move to the Senate for consideration.

    Background

    The FY 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Act provides over $153 billion in discretionary funding, including $19.8 billion in defense funding and $133.6 billion in nondefense funding.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Durbin Help Reintroduce Bill to Help Families Get the Affordable Child Care They Need

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    July 17, 2025
    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), U.S. Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03) and their colleagues in reintroducing the Child Care for Working Families Act, comprehensive legislation to ensure families across America can find and afford the high-quality child care they need.
    “For most working parents, affordable child care isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity,” said Duckworth. “Donald Trump ran on a promise to lower costs for working families—and yet, he and Republicans are prioritizing tax breaks to their billionaire donors, leaving families to fend for themselves. If Republicans really cared about lowering costs and supporting middle-class families, they’d help us pass this legislation to help solve our child care shortage and make quality, affordable care more accessible to every family who needs it.”
    “Working families in Illinois deserve high-quality, affordable, and reliable child care, but this necessity has become an out-of-reach luxury. While the cost of care continues to rise, President Trump has held up critical government funding and dished out tax breaks for billionaires rather than address the child care crisis,” said Durbin. “It’s time working families had better options. Under the Child Care for Working Families Act, parents would have better access to affordable child care, including pre-kindergarten programs, and caregivers would earn the living wages they deserve.”
    As President Trump and Republicans in Congress choose to spend trillions on new tax cuts for billionaires and the biggest corporations, kick Americans off their health care, cut kids off from nutrition assistance and raise costs on everyday essentials for working families, Democrats in Congress are continuing their push to help working people make ends meet—including by tackling the childcare crisis.
    The cost of child care nationwide continues to rise—and far from helping tackle it, President Trump is exacerbating the affordability crisis. The average cost of child care is now $13,128—a 29% increase since 2020 that outpaces inflation. In 49 states and the District of Columbia, the average annual costs of child care for two children exceed median rent—and in 41 states and the District of Columbia, the cost of care for one infant exceeds in-state university tuition. The crisis costs the U.S. economy over $100 billion each year. Nonetheless, President Trump has gutted oversight of and support for the federal childcare office, held up childcare funding to states, held up Head Start funding and now created massive holes in states’ budgets with the “Big Beautiful Bill’s” cuts to Medicaid and SNAP—which may well force states to pare back on their own investments in child care. While two-thirds of Americans oppose Republicans’ Big Beautiful Betrayal that President Trump signed into law earlier this month, over three-quarters of Americans support increased investment to help families afford child care.
    The Child Care for Working Families Act would tackle the childcare crisis head-on: ensuring families can afford the child care they need, expanding access to more high-quality options, stabilizing the child care sector and helping ensure child care workers taking care of our nation’s kids are paid livable wages. The legislation would also dramatically expand access to pre-K and support full-day, full-year Head Start programs and increase wages for Head Start workers. Under the legislation, typical family in America will pay no more than $15 a day for child care—with many families paying nothing at all—and no eligible family will pay more than 7% of their income on child care.
    The Child Care for Working Families Act would help:
    Make child care affordable for working families.
    The typical family earning the state median income would pay less than $15 a day for child care.
    No working family would pay more than seven percent of their income on child care.
    Families earning below 85% of state median income would pay nothing at all for child care.
    If a state does not choose to receive funding under this program, the Secretary can provide funds to localities, such as cities, counties, local governments, districts or Head Start agencies.

    Improve the quality and supply of child care for all children and expand families’ child care options by:

    Addressing childcare deserts by providing grants to help open new childcare providers in underserved communities.
    Providing grants to cover start-up and licensing costs to help establish new providers.
    Increasing childcare options for children who receive care during non-traditional hours.
    Supporting child care for children who are dual-language learners, children who are experiencing homelessness and children in foster care.

    Support higher wages for child care workers.

    Childcare workers would be paid a living wage and achieve parity with elementary school teachers who have similar credentials and experience.
    Childcare subsidies would cover the cost of providing high-quality care.

    Dramatically expand access to high-quality pre-K.

    States would receive funding to establish and expand a mixed-delivery system of high-quality preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-olds.
    States must prioritize establishing and expanding universal local preschool programs within and across high-need communities.
    If a state does not choose to receive funding under this program, the Secretary can provide funds to localities, such as cities, counties, local governments, districts or Head Start agencies.

    Better support Head Start programs by providing the funding necessary to offer full-day, full-year programming and increasing wages for Head Start workers.
    Along with Duckworth, Durbin and Murray, the legislation is cosponsored by 41 additional U.S. Senators—the most in the bill’s history: U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
    The full text of the bill is available on Senator Duckworth’s website.
    – 30 –

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall: There Are Better Uses for $9 Billion Than Socialist Radio Stations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Senator Marshall Joins Fox Business to Talk About The Rescissions Package
    Washington – On Thursday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined David Webb and Dagen McDowell on Fox Business’ The Bottom Line to discuss the Senate passing the President’s rescissions package and the partisan bias of NPR and PBS.

    Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full interview.
    On why it was important to cut funding for NPR and PBS:
    “That’s just fine with me, David. The backdrop of this is $37 trillion of national debt. We’re spending $7 trillion here, only taking in $5 trillion. We’ve got a budget issue amongst us. And here we’re spending a billion dollars on public television. Look, I don’t wish them any ill will. They certainly are a left-leaning organization to be polite about it, but here you’re using taxpayer money to run an advertisement against a politician, right?
    “So anyway, we just thought… It’s not the best use of money, let’s put it that way. If I had the choice between spending a billion dollars on public radio, public television, versus rural hospitals, I’m going to pick rural hospitals.”
    On what America should do with the savings instead:
    “So I think the big picture, I would ask Americans is, if the President identifies waste, fraud, or abuse, what [do] you expect him to do with it? Well, I think we would expect him to be frugal and get rid of that. So, that’s exactly what we did here. We trimmed back. It’s only $9 billion, it’s only $9 billion, but again, that could help keep rural hospitals open. Maybe we could have more food. There’s lots of other things, better things to do with $9 billion, including paying off the national debt, which is the biggest long-term threat our grandchildren will ever face.”
    On the fake news narrative around severe weather and public broadcasting:
    “Yeah, once upon a time, there was probably a place for government funding. But when you’re in Kansas, we’re in Tornado Alley. And when there’s a tornado system coming towards you, heavy, severe thunderstorms, you’re going to tune to a local TV station with the local meteorologist with the radar. And then if you’re asleep, you have a special warning system. I don’t know anyone that turns to public broadcasting during these types of emergencies. That’s just a fallacy out there. I think there are plenty of other alternatives to your point. We would probably go to a radio station, but most likely, we want a local television with a locally trained meteorologist.”
    On how public broadcasting has been turned into an arm of the Democrat party:
    “So, they’re getting out a leftist message; these public broadcasts have been turned into another tool of the leftist socialists. That’s all they become significantly left. Yes, they’ve got some good programs, but we don’t want to use government funding for such a program as this; there are better things to do with the money.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand And Espaillat Reintroduce Resilient Transit Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

    Legislation Would Authorize Additional Funding for Resilience Improvement Projects for Public Transportation Systems, Making Them More Reliable in the Event of Extreme Weather

    Today, United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee, and Representative Adriano Espaillat announced the Resilient Transit Act of 2025. The legislation would provide a dedicated stream of federal funding to strengthen the resilience of the United States’ public transportation systems as extreme weather events become more common.

    This legislation would authorize an additional $300 million from the mass transit account of the Highway Trust Fund for Fiscal Year 2026 for resilience improvement grants and apportion those funds in accordance with the existing State of Good Repair Grants Program formula. Recipients of the grant would be able to use the funds to finance standalone resilience improvement projects or resilience improvement components of larger projects carried out under the State of Good Repair Grants Program. Resilience improvement projects include the use of structural and nonstructural techniques to better anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to extreme weather events precipitated by climate change, including earthquakes, sea level rise, heat waves, and floods.

    “Public transportation systems already lack sufficient resilience funding, and increasingly frequent extreme weather events precipitated by climate change will disrupt and damage future public transit function,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Public transit ridership continues to increase year over year, thereby increasing the necessity of functioning public transit systems. I am committed to improving the reliability of public transit for the millions of Americans who rely on it each and every year.”

    “The Resilient Transit Act of 2025 establishes the first-ever dedicated funding stream to proactively strengthen our transit systems, while working to make them more durable in the face of extreme weather and climate-driven threats,” said Representative Espaillat. “I’m proud to join Senator Gillibrand to introduce this critical piece of legislation once again, ensuring our infrastructure not only withstands storms today but continues to serve communities tomorrow. Together, we are committed to investing in public transit and safeguarding the lifeblood of cities around the nation.”

    Senator Gillibrand and Representative Espaillat first introduced the Resilient Transit Act in 2022 and reintroduced the bill in 2023. Additionally, Senator Gillibrand passed portions of her Resilient Highways Act as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, including provisions to relocate and raise roads out of zones at risk of floods or slides and construct protective infrastructure to mitigate flood risk.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: As DOGE Slashes Federal Agencies That Protect Seniors From Fraud, Gillibrand Calls For Action To Fight Scams

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

    In 2024 Alone, Seniors Lost $4.8 Billion to Scammers

    Despite Uptick In Fraud, Trump Administration Is Firing The Federal Workers Who Go After Fraudsters 

    Gillibrand Asks For Watchdog Report On Ability of Agencies To Make Protecting Older Adults a Top Priority

    Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Aging Committee, held a virtual press conference to discuss the Trump administration’s cuts to federal agencies that protect seniors from frauds and scams. Last year, seniors lost almost $5 billion to scammers; these financial losses can be devastating for older adults with limited income.

    Federal agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau track and investigate fraud complaints. But the Trump administration’s attempts to cut critical staff is undermining their ability to go after fraudsters and protect seniors. 

    Gillibrand has called on the Government Accountability Office to examine how cuts affect federal efforts to protect seniors from scams. 

    “Every day, seniors fall victim to devastating scams that strip them of their life savings and steal their private information,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The federal government must do more to stop scammers and protect older adults. As the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Aging Committee, I am calling on the Trump administration to develop and implement a strategy to fight scams and to stop making cuts to federal agencies doing this critical work. I look forward to working across the aisle to fight for our seniors.” 

    The full text of Senator Gillibrand’s letter to head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office Gene Dodaro is available here. 

    The full text of Senator Gillibrand’s letter to Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Russell Vought is available here. 

    The Senate Aging Committee’s 2025 report on scams facing our nation’s seniors is available here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand Statement On House Passage Of The Genius Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

    Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand applauded House passage of the GENIUS Act, landmark legislation that will establish a regulatory framework for stablecoins. As the lead Democratic senator on the bill, Senator Gillibrand shepherded the legislation to passage in the Senate in June.

    “House passage of the GENIUS Act is a historic milestone in our bipartisan effort to regulate stablecoins. This bill will empower American businesses and consumers and enable them to take advantage of the next iteration of financial innovation,” said Senator Gillibrand. “A result of serious bipartisan negotiations, the GENIUS Act will protect consumers, enable responsible innovation, and safeguard the dominance of the U.S. dollar. This bill targets illicit finance, places limitations on Big Tech, puts in place ethical guardrails, and strengthens national security. The GENIUS Act is landmark legislation that will help maintain American global competitiveness, now and into the future.” 

    Senator Gillibrand, alongside Senators Hagerty (R-TN), Scott (R-SC), Lummis (R-WY), and Alsobrooks (D-MD), introduced the GENIUS Act earlier this year. The bill passed out of the Senate Banking Committee with bipartisan support in March 2025, and the Senate passed the full bill with strong bipartisan support in June 2025.

    Senator Gillibrand has been working on cryptocurrency legislation since 2022, when she and Senator Lummis introduced the Lummis-Gillibrand Responsible Financial Innovation Act, a comprehensive bipartisan framework for cryptocurrency regulation. The framework was re-introduced in 2023. In 2024, Gillibrand and Lummis also introduced a stablecoin bill that included many of the provisions that passed in the GENIUS Act.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER SECURES $54 MILLION AUTHORIZATION IN SENATE NATIONAL DEFENSE BILL FOR NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION TO BUILD NEW COMBINED OPERATIONS ALERT FACILITY; SENATOR LAUNCHES PUSH TO DELIVER $$$ IN…

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer

    Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station Is Critical Base For Air Force In Western NY, But Current Operations Are Spread Across Multiple Facilities, Wasting Energy & Degrading Command & Control & NFARS Has Lacked Funding To Build New Combined Facility

    After Months Of Work, Schumer Just Secured New $54M Authorization For Project In The FY 2026 Senate NDAA; Senator Says Now House Needs To Back Funding, Too; Schumer Is Pushing To Deliver $$ For New Centralized Facility In The Next Defense Appropriations Bill

    Schumer: We Are A Major Step Closer To A New Combined Operations Alert Facility For The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station!

    Following months of advocacy, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today announced he has secured a $54 million authorization in the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 in a major step forward to building a new Combined Operations Alert Facility (COAF) at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station (NFARS).

    The senator has been advocating for a new COAF to provide the station with more effective command and control, improved cohesion between squadrons, improved mission response times, and streamlined communications. Currently, support functions for the 914th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) are distributed across multiple stovepiped and outdated facilities at NFARS, adding unnecessary burden and mission load. Schumer underscored that centralizing operations has been a major priority for NFARS.

    “Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station and the 914th Air Refueling Wing has continuously delivered for New York and America’s strategic deterrence over the last 50 years, but to best fulfill its mission going forward it needs a new facility to centralize its command & control operations and improve communication across squadrons. Today, we take a major step towards bringing a new Combined Operations Alert Facility to life. I am proud to announce I just secured the long desired federal funding authorization of $54 million to build a new NFARS Combined Operations Alert Facility in the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act,” said Senator Schumer. “NFARS is one of Niagara County’s top employers and it needs continued federal investment to keep this facility in top notch shape. This is a major step forward to improving efficiency and upgrading operations at NFARS, which is why we need the House to follow suit as we continue efforts to deliver this funding. I will continue to fight tooth and nail to secure funding in appropriations to get dollars through the door and shovels in the ground for this new facility for the Niagara Falls Reserve Station and all the hardworking men and women in Niagara County.”

    Schumer explained, “With 914th ARW command and control operations and support functions currently spread across multiple facilities, wasting energy and degrading communications, securing this $54 million authorization in the Senate is a massive step forward in the push to build a new facility to consolidate alert operations across key units and support functions.”

    The senator said the House needs to follow suit backing this authorization as the he fights to deliver funding in the next defense appropriations bill. Schumer previously secured $2.8 million in federal funding for the design and planning of the COAF in FY 2023.

    Schumer has long fought for greater federal investment into NFARS. Schumer has visited NFARS many times, including in 2017, when he worked with Air Force and National Guard officials to secure funding for a new training facility, building on the structures already in place at NFARS. Also in 2017, Schumer announced after his advocacy that the base would receive eight KC-135 aircraft, which brought nearly $25 million in investment, jobs and increased flight hours.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo Statement on Senate-Passed Rescissions Package

    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 on the Senate’s passage of the $9 billion rescissions package:

    “I cast my vote in support of rescinding funds for wasteful foreign aid programs that have deviated from their original intent or that do not promote American interests.  By reducing waste, fraud and abuse in federal spending, we can better ensure the long-term viability of the programs most critical for our national security and for global health programs that protect Americans from the spread of fatal diseases.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Joins Effort to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28) introduced bicameral legislation to implement federal workplace heat stress protections. This introduction comes on the heels of an announcement that there have already been 29 heat-related deaths in Southern Nevada this year.
    The Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act would protect the safety and health of workers who are exposed to dangerous heat. The bill would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish enforceable federal standards to protect workers in high-heat environments with commonsense measures like paid breaks in cool spaces, access to water, limitations on time exposed to heat, and emergency response protocols for workers with heat-related illness. The bill also directs employers to provide training for their employees on the risk factors that can lead to heat illness and guidance on how to respond to symptoms.
    “From farmhands to construction workers, America’s essential workforce is doing important work while under extreme heat conditions,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Temperatures continue to reach record highs in Nevada and across the United States. We must act now to protect our communities’ vital workers.”
    From 2011-2020, heat exposure killed at least 400 American workers and caused nearly 34,000 injuries and illnesses resulting in days away from work. Nevada is home to the two fastest-warming cities in the country: Reno and Las Vegas. While farm and construction workers suffer the highest incidence of heat illness, workers in factories, commercial kitchens, and other workplaces can face dangerously high heat conditions all year round. In 2021, Cortez Masto successfully pushed the Biden administration to begin developing federal heat standards to help protect workers and communities from the extreme heat, and this bill is an important step to strengthen and codify those protections into law.
    The bill is named in honor of Asunción Valdivia, who died in 2004 after picking grapes for 10 hours straight in 105-degree temperatures. Mr. Valdivia fell unconscious, but instead of calling an ambulance, his employer told Mr. Valdivia’s son to drive his father home. On his way home, he died of heat stroke at the age of 53.
    The proud daughter of a Teamster, Senator Cortez Masto grew up in organized labor and has always fought for Nevada’s working families. In March, she joined legislation to protect workers’ right to collectively bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces. Last year, she joined the Culinary Union in their strike to secure a fair contract with Virgin Hotels. She has also been a strong supporter of increased funding for the National Labor Relations Board to help fight for workers’ rights to collectively bargain.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murkowski Speaks Out on Rescission Package

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski

    07.17.25

    Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statement following the passage of the rescissions package late Wednesday evening:

    “I voted against approving this rescissions package for three key reasons.

    “First, it is still unclear how specific accounts within the areas targeted for rescission will be impacted. Neither the administration nor others involved in this process have provided sufficient explanation and transparency about the programs and priorities that would be cut as a result of this measure.

    “Second, while some changes have been made to protect global health programs, we still lack necessary details, including which ones will be zeroed out. There is no way to determine the implications for lifesaving care and vital resources for women and children abroad. I also strongly oppose the rescission of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. My colleagues are targeting NPR but will wind up hurting – and, over time, closing down – local radio stations that provide essential news, alerts, and educational programming in Alaska and across the country. During the vote last night, I advanced an amendment to protect funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that disappointingly failed. This was just hours after we saw the value of public broadcasting in my state as Alaskans anxiously awaited updates following a 7.3 magnitude earthquake that triggered a tsunami warning. Fortunately, there was no damage reported from the earthquake, and the tsunami warning was quickly canceled. But as we see life threatening natural disasters occur more frequently around the country, that will not always be the case.

    “Finally, and most importantly, approving this package in this manner further shifts the balance of power over the federal budget to the executive branch. Congress, not OMB, holds the power of the purse under the Constitution. To the extent that certain appropriations are not necessary to comply with the laws passed by Congress, we can best address that through the annual budgeting process, where we routinely rescind funds every year.

    “Nothing in our floor debate or vote-a-rama alleviated my objections to this mystery box of a rescissions package, so I voted against it.”

    Ahead of a procedural vote Tuesday evening, Senator Murkowski spoke on the Senate Floor expressing her objections to this process. Her full remarks can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed & Whitehouse Advocate for Passage of Child Care Affordability Bill to Expand High-Quality Child Care Options

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Child care is essential to families, communities, and our economy.  But instead of making federal investments to help bring down the cost of child care, the Trump Administration is raising costs for working families in order to provide a bigger tax windfall for billionaires and special interests.  The Republican tax law also slashed Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provide critical support to children, families, child care centers and the child care workforce.  And the Trump Administration has made deep cuts within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families.

    To help working families afford the rising cost of child care, expand the range of high-quality child care options, and strengthen America’s child care infrastructure and workforce, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are teaming up with Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, to reintroduce the Child Care for Working Families Act (S.2295).

    This comprehensive legislation seeks to alleviate the high cost of child care for working families; provide families with more flexible options for high-quality, affordable child care; and boost wages for early childhood workers.  The bill would cap child care expenses at 7 percent of working families’ incomes, making it affordable for all parents and providing historic investments in the child care workforce, including higher pay, better benefits and improved training opportunities. It would also help increase access to pre-K education while supporting full-day Head Start programs.

    “Right now, the cost of child care and other essentials is weighing millions of families down, but instead of tackling the affordability crisis, President Trump and Republicans have chosen to shower their billionaire donors with trillions of dollars in new tax breaks and kick 17 million Americans off their health care,” said Senator Murray.

    “Working parents need access to high-quality, affordable child care that meets their needs.  But too many parents simply can’t afford it.  This bill would help lower the cost of child care and allow working parents to keep more of their paychecks so they can afford to raise a family.  Making child care more accessible and affordable is critical to families, communities, businesses, and future economic growth.  Studies show that investing in quality child care and early childhood education saves money in the long run and is linked to better graduation rates and lower use of public benefits later in life,” said Senator Reed.  “This is a chance to help lift children out of poverty, save working parents real money, and strengthen our workforce.  We’ve got to prioritize investing in what’s important to us – for Democrats that is expanding access to affordable and high-quality child care.”

    “Making child care more affordable will lower one of the biggest costs in many families’ budgets, and give parents more flexibility to participate in the workforce,” said Senator Whitehouse.  “As President Trump fuels the affordability crisis with his chaotic tariffs and his Big, Beautiful-for-Billionaires Bill, our legislation will lower the cost of child care for working Rhode Island families, set kids up for success, and ensure early childhood educators are paid fairly for their hard work.”

    Last month, Ruth J. Friedman, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, testified before Congress on the state of America’s child care crisis, noting: “An approach like the Child Care for Working Families Act takes the necessary steps to adequately build child care supply and reduce parent costs. It would be transformative for American families, eliminating child care as a barrier to the workforce and child care bills as a barrier to economic security and wellbeing.  Ultimately, it would give parents much more freedom to raise their families and be productive members of society.”

    According to the Economic Policy Institute, Rhode Island is ranked as the 18th most expensive state for infant care, with the average annual cost exceeding $16,750 per year, or $1,397 per month.  And according to a WalletHub Child Care Costs by State report released this month, Rhode Island ranked 7th-highest in the nation for child care costs for married couples, with data showing 10.42 percent of married couples’ income was spent on family-based child care and 11.45 percent was spent on center-based child care.

    The cost of child care nationwide continues to rise—and far from helping tackle it, President Trump is exacerbating the affordability crisis. The average cost of child care is now $13,128—a 29% increase since 2020 that outpaces inflation. In 49 states and the District of Columbia, the average annual costs of child care for two children exceeds median rent—and in 41 states and the District of Columbia, the cost of care for one infant exceeds in-state university tuition. The crisis costs the U.S. economy over $100 billion each year. Nonetheless, President Trump has gutted oversight of and support for the federal child care office, held up child care funding to states, held up Head Start funding, and now created massive holes in states budgets with the “Big Beautiful Bill’s” cuts to Medicaid and SNAP—which may well force states to pare back on their own investments in child care. While two-thirds of Americans oppose Republicans’ Big Beautiful Betrayal that President Trump signed into law earlier this month, over three-quarters of Americans support increased investment to help families afford child care.

    The Child Care for Working Families Act would tackle the child care crisis head-on: ensuring families can afford the child care they need, expanding access to more high-quality options, stabilizing the child care sector, and helping ensure child care workers taking care of our nation’s kids are paid livable wages.

    The legislation would also dramatically expand access to pre-K, and support full-day, full-year Head Start programs and increased wages for Head Start workers.  Under the legislation, which Murray, Reed and Whitehouse have been pushing since 2017, the typical family in America will pay no more than $10 a day for child care—with many families paying nothing at all—and no eligible family would pay more than 7 percent of their income on child care.

    The Child Care for Working Families Act will:

    • Make child care affordable for working families. 
      • The typical family earning the state median income will pay less than $15 a day for child care.
      • No working family will pay more than seven percent of their income on child care.
      • Families earning below 85% of state median income will pay nothing at all for child care.
      •  If a state does not choose to receive funding under this program, the Secretary can provide funds to localities, such as cities, counties, local governments, districts, or Head Start agencies.
    • Improve the quality and supply of child care for all children and expand families’ child care options by:
      • Addressing child care deserts by providing grants to help open new child care providers in underserved communities.
      • Providing grants to cover start-up and licensing costs to help establish new providers.
      • Increasing child care options for children who receive care during non-traditional hours.
      • Supporting child care for children who are dual-language learners, children who are experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care.
    • Support higher wages for child care workers.
      • Child care workers would be paid a living wage and achieve parity with elementary school teachers who have similar credentials and experience.
      • Child care subsidies would cover the cost of providing high-quality care. 
    • Dramatically expand access to high-quality pre-K.
      • States would receive funding to establish and expand a mixed-delivery system of high-quality preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-olds.
      • States must prioritize establishing and expanding universal local preschool programs within and across high-need communities.
      • If a state does not choose to receive funding under this program, the Secretary can provide funds to localities, such as cities, counties, local governments, districts, or Head Start agencies.
    • Better support Head Start programs by providing the funding necessary to offer full-day, full-year programming and increasing wages for Head Start workers.         

    The Child Care for Working Families Act is endorsed by: AFL-CIO, AFSCME, AFT, All Our Kin, The Center for American Progress, The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Child Care Aware of America, Community Change Action, Council for Professional Recognition, Family Value @ Work, MomsRising, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), National Education Association (NEA), National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), Oxfam, Save the Children, Save the Children Action Network, SEIU, YWCA, Zero to Three.

    In addition to Murray, Reed, and Whitehouse, the Senate bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Chuck Schumer, (D-NY), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-NM), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tammy Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    In the House, the bill is being introduced by U.S. Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed & Whitehouse Advocate for Passage of Child Care Affordability Bill to Expand High-Quality Child Care Options

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
    WASHINGTON, DC – Child care is essential to families, communities, and our economy.  But instead of making federal investments to help bring down the cost of child care, the Trump Administration is raising costs for working families in order to provide a bigger tax windfall for billionaires and special interests.  The Republican tax law also slashed Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provide critical support to children, families, child care centers and the child care workforce.  And the Trump Administration has made deep cuts within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families.
    To help working families afford the rising cost of child care, expand the range of high-quality child care options, and strengthen America’s child care infrastructure and workforce, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are teaming up with Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, to reintroduce the Child Care for Working Families Act (S.2295).
    This comprehensive legislation seeks to alleviate the high cost of child care for working families; provide families with more flexible options for high-quality, affordable child care; and boost wages for early childhood workers.  The bill would cap child care expenses at 7 percent of working families’ incomes, making it affordable for all parents and providing historic investments in the child care workforce, including higher pay, better benefits and improved training opportunities. It would also help increase access to pre-K education while supporting full-day Head Start programs.
    “Right now, the cost of child care and other essentials is weighing millions of families down, but instead of tackling the affordability crisis, President Trump and Republicans have chosen to shower their billionaire donors with trillions of dollars in new tax breaks and kick 17 million Americans off their health care,” said Senator Murray.
    “Working parents need access to high-quality, affordable child care that meets their needs.  But too many parents simply can’t afford it.  This bill would help lower the cost of child care and allow working parents to keep more of their paychecks so they can afford to raise a family.  Making child care more accessible and affordable is critical to families, communities, businesses, and future economic growth.  Studies show that investing in quality child care and early childhood education saves money in the long run and is linked to better graduation rates and lower use of public benefits later in life,” said Senator Reed.  “This is a chance to help lift children out of poverty, save working parents real money, and strengthen our workforce.  We’ve got to prioritize investing in what’s important to us – for Democrats that is expanding access to affordable and high-quality child care.”
    “Making child care more affordable will lower one of the biggest costs in many families’ budgets, and give parents more flexibility to participate in the workforce,” said Senator Whitehouse.  “As President Trump fuels the affordability crisis with his chaotic tariffs and his Big, Beautiful-for-Billionaires Bill, our legislation will lower the cost of child care for working Rhode Island families, set kids up for success, and ensure early childhood educators are paid fairly for their hard work.”
    Last month, Ruth J. Friedman, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, testified before Congress on the state of America’s child care crisis, noting: “An approach like the Child Care for Working Families Act takes the necessary steps to adequately build child care supply and reduce parent costs. It would be transformative for American families, eliminating child care as a barrier to the workforce and child care bills as a barrier to economic security and wellbeing.  Ultimately, it would give parents much more freedom to raise their families and be productive members of society.”
    According to the Economic Policy Institute, Rhode Island is ranked as the 18th most expensive state for infant care, with the average annual cost exceeding $16,750 per year, or $1,397 per month.  And according to a WalletHub Child Care Costs by State report released this month, Rhode Island ranked 7th-highest in the nation for child care costs for married couples, with data showing 10.42 percent of married couples’ income was spent on family-based child care and 11.45 percent was spent on center-based child care.
    The cost of child care nationwide continues to rise—and far from helping tackle it, President Trump is exacerbating the affordability crisis. The average cost of child care is now $13,128—a 29% increase since 2020 that outpaces inflation. In 49 states and the District of Columbia, the average annual costs of child care for two children exceeds median rent—and in 41 states and the District of Columbia, the cost of care for one infant exceeds in-state university tuition. The crisis costs the U.S. economy over $100 billion each year. Nonetheless, President Trump has gutted oversight of and support for the federal child care office, held up child care funding to states, held up Head Start funding, and now created massive holes in states budgets with the “Big Beautiful Bill’s” cuts to Medicaid and SNAP—which may well force states to pare back on their own investments in child care. While two-thirds of Americans oppose Republicans’ Big Beautiful Betrayal that President Trump signed into law earlier this month, over three-quarters of Americans support increased investment to help families afford child care.
    The Child Care for Working Families Act would tackle the child care crisis head-on: ensuring families can afford the child care they need, expanding access to more high-quality options, stabilizing the child care sector, and helping ensure child care workers taking care of our nation’s kids are paid livable wages.
    The legislation would also dramatically expand access to pre-K, and support full-day, full-year Head Start programs and increased wages for Head Start workers.  Under the legislation, which Murray, Reed and Whitehouse have been pushing since 2017, the typical family in America will pay no more than $10 a day for child care—with many families paying nothing at all—and no eligible family would pay more than 7 percent of their income on child care.
    The Child Care for Working Families Act will:
    Make child care affordable for working families. 
    The typical family earning the state median income will pay less than $15 a day for child care.
    No working family will pay more than seven percent of their income on child care.
    Families earning below 85% of state median income will pay nothing at all for child care.
     If a state does not choose to receive funding under this program, the Secretary can provide funds to localities, such as cities, counties, local governments, districts, or Head Start agencies.

    Improve the quality and supply of child care for all children and expand families’ child care options by:
    Addressing child care deserts by providing grants to help open new child care providers in underserved communities.
    Providing grants to cover start-up and licensing costs to help establish new providers.
    Increasing child care options for children who receive care during non-traditional hours.
    Supporting child care for children who are dual-language learners, children who are experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care.

    Support higher wages for child care workers.
    Child care workers would be paid a living wage and achieve parity with elementary school teachers who have similar credentials and experience.
    Child care subsidies would cover the cost of providing high-quality care. 

    Dramatically expand access to high-quality pre-K.
    States would receive funding to establish and expand a mixed-delivery system of high-quality preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-olds.
    States must prioritize establishing and expanding universal local preschool programs within and across high-need communities.
    If a state does not choose to receive funding under this program, the Secretary can provide funds to localities, such as cities, counties, local governments, districts, or Head Start agencies.

    Better support Head Start programs by providing the funding necessary to offer full-day, full-year programming and increasing wages for Head Start workers.         
    The Child Care for Working Families Act is endorsed by: AFL-CIO, AFSCME, AFT, All Our Kin, The Center for American Progress, The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Child Care Aware of America, Community Change Action, Council for Professional Recognition, Family Value @ Work, MomsRising, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), National Education Association (NEA), National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), Oxfam, Save the Children, Save the Children Action Network, SEIU, YWCA, Zero to Three.
    In addition to Murray, Reed, and Whitehouse, the Senate bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Chuck Schumer, (D-NY), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-NM), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tammy Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
    In the House, the bill is being introduced by U.S. Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed & Whitehouse Advocate for Passage of Child Care Affordability Bill to Expand High-Quality Child Care Options

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Child care is essential to families, communities, and our economy.  But instead of making federal investments to help bring down the cost of child care, the Trump Administration is raising costs for working families in order to provide a bigger tax windfall for billionaires and special interests.  The Republican tax law also slashed Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provide critical support to children, families, child care centers and the child care workforce.  And the Trump Administration has made deep cuts within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families.

    To help working families afford the rising cost of child care, expand the range of high-quality child care options, and strengthen America’s child care infrastructure and workforce, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are teaming up with Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, to reintroduce the Child Care for Working Families Act (S.2295).

    This comprehensive legislation seeks to alleviate the high cost of child care for working families; provide families with more flexible options for high-quality, affordable child care; and boost wages for early childhood workers.  The bill would cap child care expenses at 7 percent of working families’ incomes, making it affordable for all parents and providing historic investments in the child care workforce, including higher pay, better benefits and improved training opportunities. It would also help increase access to pre-K education while supporting full-day Head Start programs.

    “Right now, the cost of child care and other essentials is weighing millions of families down, but instead of tackling the affordability crisis, President Trump and Republicans have chosen to shower their billionaire donors with trillions of dollars in new tax breaks and kick 17 million Americans off their health care,” said Senator Murray.

    “Working parents need access to high-quality, affordable child care that meets their needs.  But too many parents simply can’t afford it.  This bill would help lower the cost of child care and allow working parents to keep more of their paychecks so they can afford to raise a family.  Making child care more accessible and affordable is critical to families, communities, businesses, and future economic growth.  Studies show that investing in quality child care and early childhood education saves money in the long run and is linked to better graduation rates and lower use of public benefits later in life,” said Senator Reed.  “This is a chance to help lift children out of poverty, save working parents real money, and strengthen our workforce.  We’ve got to prioritize investing in what’s important to us – for Democrats that is expanding access to affordable and high-quality child care.”

    “Making child care more affordable will lower one of the biggest costs in many families’ budgets, and give parents more flexibility to participate in the workforce,” said Senator Whitehouse.  “As President Trump fuels the affordability crisis with his chaotic tariffs and his Big, Beautiful-for-Billionaires Bill, our legislation will lower the cost of child care for working Rhode Island families, set kids up for success, and ensure early childhood educators are paid fairly for their hard work.”

    Last month, Ruth J. Friedman, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, testified before Congress on the state of America’s child care crisis, noting: “An approach like the Child Care for Working Families Act takes the necessary steps to adequately build child care supply and reduce parent costs. It would be transformative for American families, eliminating child care as a barrier to the workforce and child care bills as a barrier to economic security and wellbeing.  Ultimately, it would give parents much more freedom to raise their families and be productive members of society.”

    According to the Economic Policy Institute, Rhode Island is ranked as the 18th most expensive state for infant care, with the average annual cost exceeding $16,750 per year, or $1,397 per month.  And according to a WalletHub Child Care Costs by State report released this month, Rhode Island ranked 7th-highest in the nation for child care costs for married couples, with data showing 10.42 percent of married couples’ income was spent on family-based child care and 11.45 percent was spent on center-based child care.

    The cost of child care nationwide continues to rise—and far from helping tackle it, President Trump is exacerbating the affordability crisis. The average cost of child care is now $13,128—a 29% increase since 2020 that outpaces inflation. In 49 states and the District of Columbia, the average annual costs of child care for two children exceeds median rent—and in 41 states and the District of Columbia, the cost of care for one infant exceeds in-state university tuition. The crisis costs the U.S. economy over $100 billion each year. Nonetheless, President Trump has gutted oversight of and support for the federal child care office, held up child care funding to states, held up Head Start funding, and now created massive holes in states budgets with the “Big Beautiful Bill’s” cuts to Medicaid and SNAP—which may well force states to pare back on their own investments in child care. While two-thirds of Americans oppose Republicans’ Big Beautiful Betrayal that President Trump signed into law earlier this month, over three-quarters of Americans support increased investment to help families afford child care.

    The Child Care for Working Families Act would tackle the child care crisis head-on: ensuring families can afford the child care they need, expanding access to more high-quality options, stabilizing the child care sector, and helping ensure child care workers taking care of our nation’s kids are paid livable wages.

    The legislation would also dramatically expand access to pre-K, and support full-day, full-year Head Start programs and increased wages for Head Start workers.  Under the legislation, which Murray, Reed and Whitehouse have been pushing since 2017, the typical family in America will pay no more than $10 a day for child care—with many families paying nothing at all—and no eligible family would pay more than 7 percent of their income on child care.

    The Child Care for Working Families Act will:

    • Make child care affordable for working families. 
      • The typical family earning the state median income will pay less than $15 a day for child care.
      • No working family will pay more than seven percent of their income on child care.
      • Families earning below 85% of state median income will pay nothing at all for child care.
      •  If a state does not choose to receive funding under this program, the Secretary can provide funds to localities, such as cities, counties, local governments, districts, or Head Start agencies.
    • Improve the quality and supply of child care for all children and expand families’ child care options by:
      • Addressing child care deserts by providing grants to help open new child care providers in underserved communities.
      • Providing grants to cover start-up and licensing costs to help establish new providers.
      • Increasing child care options for children who receive care during non-traditional hours.
      • Supporting child care for children who are dual-language learners, children who are experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care.
    • Support higher wages for child care workers.
      • Child care workers would be paid a living wage and achieve parity with elementary school teachers who have similar credentials and experience.
      • Child care subsidies would cover the cost of providing high-quality care. 
    • Dramatically expand access to high-quality pre-K.
      • States would receive funding to establish and expand a mixed-delivery system of high-quality preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-olds.
      • States must prioritize establishing and expanding universal local preschool programs within and across high-need communities.
      • If a state does not choose to receive funding under this program, the Secretary can provide funds to localities, such as cities, counties, local governments, districts, or Head Start agencies.
    • Better support Head Start programs by providing the funding necessary to offer full-day, full-year programming and increasing wages for Head Start workers.         

    The Child Care for Working Families Act is endorsed by: AFL-CIO, AFSCME, AFT, All Our Kin, The Center for American Progress, The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Child Care Aware of America, Community Change Action, Council for Professional Recognition, Family Value @ Work, MomsRising, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), National Education Association (NEA), National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), Oxfam, Save the Children, Save the Children Action Network, SEIU, YWCA, Zero to Three.

    In addition to Murray, Reed, and Whitehouse, the Senate bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Chuck Schumer, (D-NY), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-NM), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tammy Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    In the House, the bill is being introduced by U.S. Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall: Association Health Plans are a Great Resource for Kansans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    Senator Marshall Questions Experts About Benefits Access for Independent Workers
    Washington – On Thursday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas),questioned Patrice Onwuka, Director at the Center for Economic Opportunity at the Independent Women’s Forum, Kev Coleman, Research Fellow at the Paragon Health Institute, and Karen Friedman, Executive Director at the Pension Rights Center, during a recent Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee focused on benefits for independent workers.
    Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full interview.
    Highlights from the hearing include: 
    On what protections would exist if a portable benefits provider went under:
    Senator Marshall: “Let’s start with Mrs. Onwuka. Welcome everybody. We appreciate you being here. Under a portable benefit model, what protections do workers have if a benefit provider were to go under or misuse funds?”
    Mrs. Onwuka: “Under a portable benefits plan, I think that there are protections in place to ensure that, you know, whatever investments have been made, whatever has been paid into it, that that would still be there and protected. There’s some great companies that have those accounts and set those up to ensure that, and they’re regulated to ensure that that happens.”Senator Marshall: “Have many of them failed? Or has that happened very often?”
    Mrs. Onwuka: “I have not seen anything any of them fail, sir.”
    On what’s preventing wider adoption of association health care plans:
    Senator Marshall: “Mr. Coleman, let’s go to you next. I’m a big fan of association health care plans. It’s something I fought for to help become a possibility. I’ve seen some acceptance of it, I’m surprised it’s not more, so to be honest. What’s keeping that from exploding in a good way, and what do we need to do to put wind beneath those sails?”
    Mr. Coleman: “Senator, thank you very much for that question. A primary obstacle to association health plans, underneath legacy regulation, deals with the obstacles to be able to form a coalition of our association of businesses whose aggregate employee body can be seen as a single health plan. There’s something known as ‘lookthrough doctrine,’ which says, if you don’t have the right affiliations among businesses, we’re going to treat each individual business within an association as its own entity with respect to health insurance. And hence, if they have three people, they’re in the small group health insurance.”
    Senator Marshall: “Got it – so, is this that we need to change the law, or is it a regulatory issue?”
    Mr. Coleman: “Ultimately, changing the law is best, because not only do you have the benefit of, you know, a very clear statutory precedent, but you also have a situation where technologists like myself, or my former self, are going to make investments in that market to build platforms facilitating technology, et cetera. If it’s a regulatory solution, there’s more hesitation, because there’s the fear that the next administration may change regulation.”
    Senator Marshall: “Okay, thanks. And I would just ask the committee staff, I’m sure you’re looking at that, but would love to kind of understand what we can do to improve that situation as well. We’ve seen some great success in Kansas with some of these plans, and again, I’m surprised there’s not more people utilizing it.”
    On how portable benefits could be on par with benefits offered to W2 employees:
    Senator Marshall: “I’ll go to Ms. Friedman next. And if you just briefly explain…how under portable benefits can we be sure that employers are still providing benefits on par with many of the W2 employees?”
    Ms. Friedman “…I mean, look, portability has been an intractable problem in the retirement space. There are lots of proposals that will address this. Senator Sanders, pensions for all would be portable. The state-facilitated auto-Iris has some portability. I think we have to ensure that we’re looking at solutions. I mean, what we’re trying to do is address a concern, which is portability. People changing jobs a lot, and benefits going with them. We need to be exploring those options and make sure that they’re options that both protect employees and also are being workable.”
    Senator Marshall: “So I understand the problem, now I’m looking for the solution. Mrs. Onwuka, can you take a shot at that? How, under portable benefits, can we be sure that employers are still providing benefits on par with W2 employees?”
    Mrs. Onwuka: “Well, that can be negotiated between the independent contractor and their client, really, who’s able to pay in you know, just as they in their contracts, they can define how much the employer is willing to pay this independent contractor on top of their negotiated rate, how much they’re going to pay into that benefits plan. And they can match with whatever they’re paying their W2 employees in terms of the benefits that they’re providing there. But let’s not forget, these plans can be paid into by multiple different clients and different entities, so an independent contractor can really do well in terms of being negotiating the kind of, you know, benefits package that works for them.”
    Senator Marshall: “Typically, if you were new to that negotiation and you have seven or ten clients or people you’re working for, are you asking them to match like 10% or 20%? Is there a kind of a range that you’re looking for?”
    Mrs. Onwuka: “It would be up to that independent contractor to decide, sir.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall & Hickenlooper Introduce Legislation Requiring Price Transparency in Healthcare

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    Washington – On Thursday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), led the introduction of the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act along with Senator John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado). This legislation will improve the transparency of healthcare costs so patients understand the true price of procedures, medications, and services before receiving them.
    Specifically, the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act will require public reporting of negotiated rates, costs, and cash prices for services provided at hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, and clinical labs. The bill also ensures group health plans have access to claims data and prevents third-party administrators from restricting data access. Providers or facilities will also be required to include a detailed itemized bill of each distinct item or service, or an all-in total price for bundled items if offered to the patient as an option.
    “Customers don’t walk into a restaurant only to find out how much the food costs when they get the bill. Patients should know the price of the service they need before they make any decisions,” said Senator Marshall. “Making America Healthy Again requires empowering Americans with the best information possible to inform their life and healthcare choices: the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act will ensure prices are available to patients to support a more competitive, innovative, affordable, and high-quality healthcare system.”
    “You wouldn’t book a flight if you couldn’t find out the ticket price until you land — or check into a hotel without knowing if you’re paying for the Ritz or a dump. But that’s the absurd guessing game Americans play every time they need medical care,” said Senator Hickenlooper. “We deserve to know exactly what we are paying for whether it’s a lab test, a colonoscopy, or an MRI. Our bill gives Americans that peace of mind.”
    “We applaud Senators Roger Marshall and John Hickenlooper for their strong, bipartisan leadership on the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act. With actual, upfront, and accountable prices, patients will be able to shop for the best care with protection from rampant overcharges hiding in the shadows. We urge all senators to support this bill and pass it without delay to protect America’s patients,” said Cynthia Fisher, Founder and Chairman of Patients Rights Advocate.
    “We applaud Senators Marshall and Hickenlooper for their ongoing commitment to enhancing health care price transparency requirements that will ensure employers have access to information necessary when making decisions on benefit design for the millions of Americans who receive coverage through their employer,” said ERIC President and CEO James Gelfand. “Moreover, strong transparency requirements of providers, including hospitals, and plans will empower workers and their families to select high quality, affordable health care, drugs, and services, helping ease the ever-growing pressures health care costs have on employers and workers alike.”   
    “Patients Deserve Price Tags Act is a critical step toward delivering high-quality care at lower costs for patients. Price transparency starts with clear, accessible information and this bill will empower patients to compare prices before they seek care. Real transparency and accountability are essential in helping unions make informed negotiations on behalf of workers and will ultimately help drive down costs. The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act moves us closer to that goal,” said Kevin Lyons, Member Benefits Director for the New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association.
    “At a time when health care costs are ballooning out of control and Americans continue to make clear that affordability is a top priority, we applaud Senators Marshall and Hickenlooper for introducing the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act. This robust, pro-consumer, bipartisan legislation will ensure that every family in America knows exactly how much a big hospital will charge them before they receive medical care and services,” said Sophia Tripoli, senior director for health policy at Families USA. “As long as big hospital corporations and health care systems are able to keep their prices hidden, they will continue to jack up prices year over year with no transparency or accountability from the public or lawmakers. The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act would bring much needed transparency to hospital pricing and help us hold the health care sector accountable for the unfair price gouging practices that are hurting patients and families.”
    Click here to read the full bill text.
    Background:
    During the first Trump Administration, in June 2019, President Trump issued an executive order titled Improving Price and Quality Transparency in American Healthcare to Put Patients First. Senator Marshall was a big supporter and partner of this work in 2019.
    In February 2025, President Trump signed a similar executive order requiring price transparency in healthcare. This legislation echoes the actions of the Trump Administration.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer Advances $54.3 Million for Offutt Air Force Base

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer

    Advances additional provisions to support veterans, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

    Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced she advanced $54.3 million in funding for Nebraska military construction projects at Offutt Air Force Base.

    The funding was included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Act, which now awaits consideration on the Senate Floor.

    “As the proud home of the Air Force’s ‘doomsday’ planes—used by the president and top military leaders to command our forces during extreme crisis—Offutt Air Force Base is essential to our nation’s survival. I was proud to advocate for this funding to ensure that Offutt and the brave men and women who serve there are equipped with the resources they need to continue to defend America against the threats we face,”     Fischer said.

    Fischer advanced funding to support next generation of ‘doomsday’ planes, critical investments at Offutt Air Force Base:

    • $19 million to plan and design a 1-Bay Hangar to support the new Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC)
    • $16 million to plan and design a 2-Bay Hangar to support the new SAOC
    • $7.3 million to plan and design a Supply Storage Facility to support the new SAOC
    • $6 million to plan and design a Consolidated Training Complex/Professional Development Center
    • $6 million to plan and design a new dormitory

    Fischer advanced key provisions to support our veterans:

    • Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to purchase essential medical devices, such as needles, syringes, and blood collection products from U.S. manufacturers or allied trading partners. Also, directs the VA to submit a report on ways to reduce dependency on Chinese medical devices while safeguarding against shortages.
    • Directs the VA to report on the success of the External Provider Scheduling (EPS) program while identifying barriers to increased implementation, and creating recommendations on how to increase community provider participation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Illegal Drug Activity on Social Media

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) reintroduced the bipartisan Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act, which would require social media companies and other communication service providers to take on a more active role in working with federal agencies to combat the illegal sale and distribution of drugs on their platforms. This critical data will also empower state and local law enforcement to combat fake fentanyl-laced pills and prosecute those who prey on America’s youth. 
    “For too long social media companies have turned a blind eye to drug dealers who use their platforms to sell deadly drugs like fentanyl,” said Sen. Klobuchar.  “The Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act cracks down on the sale of fentanyl through social media platforms by requiring these companies to report to the DEA when they know drugs are being sold on their platforms.” 
    The Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act is named after two young men who both tragically lost their lives to fentanyl poisoning after purchasing a pill from social media. 
    Devin Norring was a 19-year-old from Hastings, MN, who tragically died from fentanyl poisoning in 2020 after purchasing a pill on Snapchat he believed was Percocet to help relieve his migraines. In his honor, his family started the Devin J. Norring Foundation to raise awareness about the dangers of dealers selling fake pills and other illicit substances online.
    Cooper Davis from Johnson County, KS, tragically lost his life to fentanyl poisoning in the summer of 2021. Cooper died after taking half a fake pill that contained a lethal dose of fentanyl, which was believed to be purchased from a Missouri drug dealer through the social media platform Snapchat. Following his passing, Cooper’s family launched the non-profit ‘Keepin’ Clean for Coop’ to keep his memory alive to save lives, raise awareness, and educate students and families.
    The bill is cosponsored by Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Todd Young (R-IN). The bill is led in the House by Representatives Angie Craig (D-MN) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA).
    The legislation is supported by the families of Cooper Davis and Devin Norring, as well as National HIDTA Directors Association, Snapchat, Partnership for Safe Medicine, the U.S. Deputy Sheriff’s Association, The Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies, Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse, the Community Anti-Drug Coalition Association, the Alexander Neville Foundation, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the Kansas Sheriffs Association.
    “Our family & the Devin J. Norring Foundation wholeheartedly support the Cooper Davis & Devin Norring Act – legislation that serves as a critical step toward protecting families from the deadly threat of fentanyl sold through social media,” said The Family of Devin J. Norring & the Devin J. Norring Foundation. “This bill honors the lives of Cooper and Devin by holding tech companies accountable and giving law enforcement the tools they need to respond to this crisis. No parent should have to search for answers in a system that shields predators. It’s time for truth, transparency, and action.”
    “Our family continues to be extremely grateful for Senator Marshall and his colleagues’ dedication to this legislation. We are both honored and saddened to have another name, Devin Norring, added to this bill,” said Libby Davis, Mother of Cooper Davis. “However, the harsh reality is that there are thousands of other teenagers’ names that could be added to this bill because they too lost their lives in this same tragic way. Each with a story demonstrating that this can happen to ANY FAMILY. We, as parents and grandparents, do so many things to keep our kids safe, from baby gates, car seats, and seatbelts, to bike helmets, sunscreen, and vaccinations. This is no different. We need our legislators to come together and get this bipartisan bill across the finish line so that countless children can be saved, theirs being no exception.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Intel Chairs Cotton and Crawford to Gabbard: Review Intelligence Sharing with Spain

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas Tom Cotton
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Caroline Tabler or Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353July 17, 2025
    Intel Chairs Cotton and Crawford to Gabbard: Review Intelligence Sharing with Spain
    Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Congressman Rick Crawford (Arkansas-01), Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, today sent a letter to Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence requesting a review on all intelligence sharing with Spain’s intelligence, defense, and law enforcement services. This letter comes after Spain’s Ministry of the Interior reportedly awarded €12.3 million in contracts for Huawei, which has deep ties to the CCP, to provide servers and consulting services for Spain’s wiretap systems.
    In part, Senator Cotton and Congressman Crawford wrote:
    “Since the first Trump administration, the United States has waged a whole of government effort to remove the threat Huawei equipment poses to American networks, infrastructure, and privacy. Until Spain follows suit, the U.S. Government should ensure that any information shared with the Spanish government is redacted of details that should not be shared with the CCP.”
    Full text of the letter may be found here and below.
    The Honorable Tulsi GabbardDirector of National IntelligenceOffice of the Director of National Intelligence1500 Tysons McLean DriveMcLean, VA 22102
    Dear Director Gabbard:
    We write to urge you to review intelligence sharing arrangements with the government of Spain to ensure that any information shared with Spanish intelligence, defense, and law enforcement services does not reveal U.S. national security secrets to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).  
    As you are likely aware, Spain’s Ministry of the Interior reportedly awarded €12.3 million in contracts for Huawei to provide servers and consulting services for Spain’s wiretap systems.   Huawei has deep ties to the CCP and is subject to China’s National Intelligence and Data Security laws, which compel Huawei to provide the CCP access to any Huawei information that the CCP deems necessary.  In essence, Huawei and the CCP could have backdoor access to the lawful intercept system of a NATO ally—enabling them to monitor Spanish investigations of CCP spies and innumerable other intelligence activities. 
    Since the first Trump administration, the United States has waged a whole of government effort to remove the threat Huawei equipment poses to American networks, infrastructure, and privacy. Until Spain follows suit, the U.S. Government should ensure that any information shared with the Spanish government is redacted of details that should not be shared with the CCP.  Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. 
    Sincerely,
    Tom Cotton Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
    Rick CrawfordChairman, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn Slams Smithsonian for Playing Politics

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
     WASHINGTON – Today on the floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) called out the Smithsonian Institution Museums for playing political games and pandering to the Left rather than objectively displaying and celebrating great Americans’ contributions that make up the history of the United States. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.
    “The 21 museums that make up the Smithsonian Institution have been a treasure for a long time, but unfortunately in recent years, they have strayed from their true mission.”
    “The Smithsonian has lost its way.”
    “Instead of celebrating the contributions of remarkable Americans or educating our children about the animals that once roamed the planet, the Smithsonian Institution museums are telling children they should feel guilty for contributing to climate change and introducing them to topics which are clearly not age appropriate.”
    “But sometimes it’s not what the Smithsonian includes in their exhibits – which is troubling – it’s what they choose to exclude.”
    “Who can forget the snub to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture?”
    “I introduced a resolution at the time asking them to recognize the historical importance of Justice Thomas and his service to the court.”
    “After a groundswell of opposition in the months that followed, the museum finally did include him in an exhibit, but the previous exhibit featuring Anita Hill and not the Justice is a stain on the Smithsonian that I’ll never forget.”
    “Some have argued that the Smithsonian is subject to oversight by Congress and the Executive Branch. Others have said no, it’s purely a private, independent entity.”
    “It’s pretty hard to make the case that an institution that gets the majority of its funding from Congress and is governed by a board of government officials is anything but a government entity.”
    “The Smithsonian Institution itself has argued time and time again in court that they are in fact a government entity.”
     “In a case called Raven v. Sajet, a federal court agreed, ruling that the ‘Smithsonian is a government institution through and through.’’ 
    “As we prepare for the celebration of America’s 250th birthday, I would encourage, strongly encourage, the Smithsonian Institution to reconsider its purpose and to return to the principles and ideals laid out in the founding documents they so proudly display for the benefit of all Americans.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Tuberville OP-ED: It’s Time For Republicans To Put Up Or Shut Up When It Comes To Rescissions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) penned an op-ed on X touting the Senate’s passage of President Trump’s $9 billion rescissions package early this morning. In the piece, Sen. Tuberville urges Republicans to adhere to the America First mandate 77 million Americans voted for in 2024 by continuing to cut wasteful government spending on programs that don’t benefit the lives of hardworking American families. With $37 trillion in debt, it’s far past time to return to fiscal sanity before it’s too late. 
    Read excerpts from Sen. Tuberville’s op-ed below or the full piece here.
    “When you’re coaching football, one of the first things you teach your team is discipline. A team without discipline blows assignments, misses tackles, and lets games slip away. Well, Washington has been blowing assignments and missing tackles for decades, especially when it comes to spending your hard-earned tax dollars. This week, we’ve got a chance to start calling the right plays. The Senate voted on a $9 billion rescissions package—a straightforward, no-nonsense plan to cut wasteful government spending and get our fiscal house back in order. Now it is up to the House to follow through. This isn’t a trick play. It’s not a Hail Mary. This is blocking and tackling—the fundamentals of fiscal responsibility. Frankly, this should be low-hanging fruit for Republicans. We talk a big game on the campaign trail about cutting waste, fraud, and abuse. But now that it’s time to walk the walk, some of my Republican colleagues seem to have forgotten how they got here in the first place.
    Over the past 4 years, Joe Biden treated the American taxpayers like his own personal piggy bank for bad ideas. Now, we’re $37 trillion in debt and have very little to show for it. The American people sent us here to clean house. 77 million Americans voted for President Trump and the America First agenda—an agenda that includes cutting woke foreign aid, left-wing propaganda, and out of control bureaucracy. That’s exactly what this bill does. We are cementing DOGE cuts into law and finally delivering on the President’s mandate to cut waste, fraud, and abuse. First, we’re cutting $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).This woke organization funds NPR and PBS, two outlets that have gone out of their way to push the Democrat Communist Socialist Party’s radical agenda.
    It’s no secret that NPR is the PR arm of the left. Their CEO openly called President Trump a “fascist” and a “deranged racist.” But don’t taking my word for it—just ask Uri Berliner, who was a senior business editor at NPR for more than two decades. In April 2024, he wrote an op-ed called “I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust.” In the piece, he wrote that NPR has an “absence of viewpoint diversity.” He acknowledged that NPR has “always had a liberal bent” but now an “open-minded spirit no longer exists at NPR.” To prove his point, he noted that registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 87 to 0 in the newsroom. Not surprisingly, NPR suspended Berliner for having the nerve to call it like it is. I guess NPR only protects freedom of speech as long as it aligns with their progressive ideology. Go figure.
    […]
    Americans are starving on the streets, and yet we’re sending money to educate kids in Uganda on LGBTQI+. It would almost be funny if it wasn’t so sad. This is global social engineering paid for by the American taxpayer. What the hell are we doing?
    It’s time for Republicans to put up or shut up. You can’t campaign on cutting spending and then flake out when someone hands you the scissors. If Republicans can’t make this play, we don’t deserve to be on the field. Let’s pass this rescissions package, tighten our belts, and start governing with some good old-fashioned common sense. President Trump campaigned on reining in spending, and it is incumbent on us to deliver. Let’s get it done.”
    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 OP-ED: The Fed Has Gone Rogue—Fire Jerome Powell

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) penned a scathing op-ed in the Daily Caller calling for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to be fired. In the piece, Sen. Tuberville addresses his concern with Powell’s refusal to lower interest rates during a time of economic growth in the Golden Age of America. Chair Powell’s decision to play politics is hurting hardworking American families.

    Read excerpts from Sen. Tuberville’s op-ed below or the full piece here.

    “President Donald J. Trump and his America First policies are back, and the American people can feel the momentum. After four years of disastrous open-border policies, skyrocketing inflation, and woke bureaucrats running wild, the tide is finally turning. Thanks to the President’s tariffs and tax cuts, the Trump economic engine is revving back up. Prices are low. The stock market is up. Employment numbers are on the rise. America is returning to energy dominance. Families are finally starting to feel like they’re keeping more of their paycheck. But there’s still one major obstacle standing in the way of unleashing America’s full economic potential — and that’s Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

    Let’s cut the bull, Jerome Powell has gone rogue. He’s acting like a coach whose team is down by 2 at the end of the 4th quarter – but instead of kicking a field goal to win the game, they punt the ball. Inflation is at the lowest point in four years under President Trump – but Jerome Powell is still using the old Biden Democrat Socialist playbook. As a result, interest rates are through the roof, borrowing costs are squeezing families, and small businesses are getting crushed. Americans are ready to build, buy, hire, and grow — but the Fed is playing games instead of cutting rates and letting the economy breathe. That’s not just bad policy. That’s sabotage.

    This isn’t his first offense either. Powell’s track record is a mess. Back in 2021, as Biden and the Radical Left were pumping the economy with trillions of dollars in reckless spending, Powell stood in front of the American people and told them inflation was “transitory.” He basically told American consumers to not believe their own lying eyes. But the American people aren’t stupid. They saw prices rising at the pump, at the grocery store, and on every utility bill. What Powell called “transitory” turned out to be full-blown, historic inflation that was here to stay as long as Biden and Powell were the ones calling the shots.

    […]

    Let’s not pretend this wasn’t political. Powell has aligned himself with the D.C. Swamp, the same corrupt system that’s tried everything to stop Donald Trump from putting America First. The Fed is supposed to be independent, but under Powell, it’s acting like the economic arm of the Democrat Socialist Communist Party. Powell isn’t just a bad economist. He’s a symbol of the woke elites that look down on farmers, truckers, teachers, and welders — the backbone of this nation — and thinks they should just sit down and be quiet while the “experts” in D.C. run things.

    In the United States of America, we believe in freedom, faith, hard work, and putting the American taxpayer first. We don’t take orders from the World Economic Forum. We don’t answer to Davos. And we sure don’t let Ivy League elites in glass towers decide whether families in Alabama can afford to buy a house or start a business.

    If your quarterback is fumbling the ball, missing reads, and throwing picks, you bench him. You don’t give him another season; you send him packing. President Trump knows how to win. We need a Federal Reserve that supports that mission, not one that tries to undermine it. This isn’t just about monetary policy, it’s about our future. 

    It’s time to fire Jerome Powell and bring in a Fed Chair who understands the America First vision — someone who will fight inflation by empowering American workers, not punishing them. Someone who understands that prosperity starts with cutting taxes, slashing regulation, and letting a free people create, build, and thrive. Jerome Powell had his shot. He blew it. It’s time for a new leader at the Fed.”

    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: Booker Introduces Pesticide Injury Accountability Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Pesticide Injury Accountability Act, legislation that would ensure that pesticide manufacturers can be held responsible for the harm caused by their toxic products. Specifically, this bill would amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of 1972 (FIFRA) to create a federal right of action for anyone who is harmed by a toxic pesticide.

    Despite growing peer-reviewed scientific evidence linking widely used pesticides to a host of health harms including cancers, birth defects, endocrine disruption, Parkinson’s disease, and infertility, a coordinated effort is being led by pesticide manufacturers in state legislatures and in Congress seeking legal immunity – a liability shield – for these big corporations.

    If these largely foreign-owned companies are successful, this liability shield would leave farmers, farmworkers, and other injured individuals without meaningful recourse for the harms caused by these toxic substances. 

    Chemical companies are seeking liability shields because they know the harm their products have already caused. Syngenta, a subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned company ChemChina, reached a $187.5 million settlement in 2021 for paraquat-related Parkinson’s disease claims. Monsanto, now owned by Germany’s Bayer, has paid billions of dollars to settle lawsuits linking Roundup (glyphosate) to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

    “Rather than providing a liability shield so that foreign corporations are allowed to poison the American people, Congress should instead pass the Pesticide Injury Accountability Act to ensure that these chemical companies can be held accountable in federal court for the harm caused by their toxic products,” said Senator Booker.

    “CHD opposes any liability shield for any industry that has a direct impact on the health of the American people,” said Mary Holland, CEO of Children’s Health Defense. “Granting blanket immunity to corporations who have a fiscal responsibility to their shareholders, and not a responsibility to consumer safety, is one of the most dangerous propositions imaginable. CHD sincerely thanks Senator Booker for his leadership in sponsoring this critical piece of legislation to protect the American people over corporations.”

    “No one can dispute that crop pesticides are poisons. They are designed to kill weeds, but they also kill non-target plants and there is sound evidence linking them to human health problems,” said Jim Goodman, president of the National Family Farm Coalition. “To date, Bayer alone has paid out over $11 billion in legal settlements for medical problems caused by their herbicide Roundup. To avoid paying for damages caused by their poisons, agri-chemical companies routinely lobby for federal and state laws that shield them from any liability for the damages they are responsible for. People sickened by their poisons go bankrupt paying for their medical care and sometimes ultimately die. The Pesticide Injury Accountability Act of 2025 will hold agri-chemical companies accountable for the irreparable harms they cause.”

    “Moms Across America strongly supports the Pesticide Injury Accountability Act, which reaffirms our 7th Amendment right to sue for harm or damage,” said Zen Honeycutt, Founding Executive Director, Moms Across America. “It is unconscionable that corporations are pushing our elected officials to manipulate laws so that they can avoid accountability for safety and protect their profits over the health and safety of Americans. We must protect the American people from harm – especially from products that are proven to cause infertility, cancer, liver disease and many other negative health effects.”

    “People exposed to and suffering from the health effects of toxic chemicals should not be denied their right to seek justice,” said Geoff Horsfield, Policy Director, Environmental Working Group. “We applaud Senator Booker for his efforts to protect the rights of farmers, rural communities, workers, children and families.”

    “Granting legal immunity to pesticide manufacturers would leave farmers and their families with no way to seek justice after suffering health or crop damage from these chemicals,” said Kelly Ryerson, Co-Founder, American Regeneration. “Farmers have a right to hold companies accountable and protect their livelihoods from devastating illness.” 

    Last month, Senator Booker led a group of 20 of his colleagues in calling on Senate leadership to oppose any efforts to limit existing state and local authority to regulate pesticides in the upcoming Farm Bill or any other legislation.  

    To see a full list of endorsing organizations, click here.

    To read the full text of the bill, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker Statement on Senate Judiciary Republicans Attempt to Push Emil Bove Through Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement:

    “Today, in their desperate attempt to push through a scandal-ridden nominee, my Republican colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee tried to silence Democrats raising legitimate concerns about Emil Bove.

    “By doing so, the Republican party has surrendered the Senate’s constitutional duty to advise and consent on nominees, in order to blindly execute Donald Trump’s agenda and place an undeserving Trump loyalist on the federal bench.

    “As hard as they try, my Republican colleagues can’t ignore the truth: Emil Bove is alarmingly unfit to serve a lifetime appointment to one of the highest courts in our country. They are too afraid to thoroughly examine his record and debate the merits of his nomination. This is a profound disappointment.”

    MIL OSI USA News –