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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hassan, Shaheen Host Roundtable Discussion Highlighting Harmful Impact of Potential Republican Cuts to Medicaid

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan

    (Manchester, NH) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) hosted a roundtable discussion highlighting the harmful impact of potential Republican cuts to Medicaid. This event comes after Democrats held the floor last week to push back against the Republican-led budget resolution that would pave the way for tax breaks for the wealthiest while slashing programs like Medicaid to pay for it. At the event, Senator Hassan, Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, shared a new Joint Economic Committee analysis showing the impact that Medicaid cuts would have on Granite Staters including the fight to combat the opioid epidemic. Photos from the discussion can be found here. 

    “One in seven Granite Staters rely on Medicaid for their health insurance, and gutting the program would have devastating consequences for families, children, seniors, people that live with disabilities and more,” said Senator Shaheen. “We know that despite what President Trump may say about not touching this program, Republicans in Congress have made it clear that Medicaid is on the chopping block. That would cause real harm in our state and across the country. I’ll continue pursuing every avenue available to protect Medicaid and prevent health care costs from rising.” 

    “Medicaid helps strengthen our economy, our workforce, and the health of our families and our children,” said Senator Hassan. “The plan put forward by President Trump and Congressional Republicans will drastically cut Medicaid in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and special interests. It will have serious and severe consequences for people across New Hampshire and will prevent children and families from getting the health care that they need to thrive.”

    The discussion brought together Granite State health care professionals, Medicaid recipients, activists and elected officials. In addition to Shaheen and Hassan, roundtable participants included Jonathan Routhier, The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, Steve Ahnen, New Hampshire Hospital Association, Tess Kuenning, Bi-State, Ken Gordon, CEO, Coos Family Health, Jake Berry, New Futures, Maureen Beauregard, Easterseals, Katie Phillips, Able NH, Shawn Cannizzarro, Hope2Freedom Recovery, Carrie and Katie Duran, Medicaid recipients, Maggie Pritchard, CEO, Lakes Region Mental Health Center, Jay Couture, CEO, Seacoast Mental Health Center and Rep. Laura Telerski, NH Deputy House Democratic Leader.  

    Last week, the majority of Senate Republicans worked to block several amendments Shaheen offered that would have helped make health care more affordable and accessible, including an amendment that mirrors her Health Care Affordability Act—bicameral legislation she introduced last month that would make permanent the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits for Marketplace coverage. According to the Congressional Budget Office, if the tax credits are allowed to expire at the end of this year, health care premiums would skyrocket and 4 million Americans would lose their health insurance altogether.   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Colleagues Demand Trump Admin Answer to Colorado Small Businesses After SBA Layoffs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, along with eight of his  Senate colleagues, called on Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler to address the devastating impacts the recent and arbitrary mass firings of SBA public servants, including loan and disaster assistance staff and veterans, will have on small businesses in Colorado.

    “Over the past week, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has taken unprecedented personnel actions that have gutted its civil service workforce around the country,” the senators wrote. “The SBA was underfunded and understaffed before President Trump took this executive action, and his continued efforts to terminate SBA employees will only lead to further disruption of critical aid and resources flowing to America’s small businesses.”

    Specifically, the lawmakers demanded the SBA:

    • Stop arbitrary firings of career civil servants and reinstate them immediately, with backpay
    • Review actions to ensure any termination was lawful
    • Brief the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship on the SBA’s recent actions and the plan on how to implement deferred resignation

    Hickenlooper is a former small business owner and a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

    Full text of the letter is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Sounds Alarm on DOGE Plan to Cut Half the Staff at Federal Housing Agency

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    02.25.25

    Cantwell Sounds Alarm on DOGE Plan to Cut Half the Staff at Federal Housing Agency

    Mass firings could increase housing costs, and delay or halt funding for critical housing programs that protect families, address homelessness; The Washington Post: HUD cuts expected to worsen America’s housing crisis, staffers say

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – ICYMI, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and senior member of the Senate Committee on Finance, joined 24 Senate Democrats in sending a letter to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Scott Turner, questioning the alarming consequences of the recently announced “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) Task Force on HUD’s ability to support vulnerable communities. 

    “HUD engages in critical work supporting communities in expanding their housing supply, providing rental assistance, and preventing homelessness—work that is urgently important for millions of Americans looking to purchase a home to build generational wealth or find an affordable place to rent,” wrote the Senators. “Axing these offices will handicap the Department’s ability to serve the American public and exacerbate the housing crisis we currently find ourselves in.”

    The DOGE Task Force plans reportedly include laying off 50% of its workforce, eliminating half of HUD’s field offices serving local communities across the country, and gutting programs that protect families and people with disabilities from discrimination, address our homelessness crisis, and provide resources to communities to tackle our housing shortage and recover from disasters.

    The senators are also seeking clarity on the DOGE Task Force’s overall objectives and how it is defining waste: “In addition to personnel cuts, you also announced that HUD and DOGE have identified $260 million in savings on wasteful contracts.  If this represents legitimate waste, we are happy to work with you to wipe it out,” wrote the Senators. “But to date, there has been no transparency about DOGE’s involvement, or what exactly it is finding. We ask that you provide additional information on the allegedly wasteful spending identified by DOGE, and a clear accounting of how these funds have been misused.”

    There are also reports that HUD is terminating the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, which was provided by Congress to help repair and improve efficiency in homes for families, seniors, and people with disabilities. These funds have already been awarded and obligated to nonprofits and other housing providers to improve more than 30,000 homes across the country – but now DOGE at HUD is trying to claw these funds back. 

    Sen. Cantwell has been a longtime supporter of affordable housing and is the leading champion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). In the previous Congress, Sen. Cantwell successfully negotiated the inclusion of two provisions to enhance LIHTC in the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024. A background document detailing those provisions in addition to Sen. Cantwell’s advocacy on LIHTC is available HERE.

    Since its creation in 1986, LIHTC has helped pay for 90% of the federally-funded affordable housing construction across the country, and has financed over 3.8 million affordable homes, including more than 100,000 in Washington state. The economic activity that the credit generated has supported nearly 170,000 jobs and generated more than $19 billion in wages.

    The full text of the HUD letter is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Lee Secures Major Legislative Win to Cut Uncontrolled Spending by the Administrative State

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Utah Mike Lee

    WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee achieved a significant legislative victory in the early morning hours of Friday, February 21st as Senate Republicans unanimously supported and passed his budget resolution amendment 53-47. This amendment represents a critical step in restoring Congress’s constitutional authority to cut mandatory spending and require accountability in federal rulemaking.

    “This is about restoring the proper balance of power in Washington,” said Senator Lee. “For too long, unaccountable agencies have imposed burdensome regulations that stifle innovation and drive up costs for American families. Congress must take responsibility for the laws that govern this nation, and tonight’s vote is a step in the right direction.”

    Senator Lee’s amendment reinforces Congress’s Article I lawmaking powers by requiring legislative approval before federal agencies can finalize major regulations. By curbing unchecked rulemaking—which often results in exceedingly high mandatory spending costs—this measure will help reduce unnecessary spending, combat inflation, and unleash economic growth.

    With this amendment’s passage, Senator Lee continues his longstanding commitment to reining in the administrative state and advancing policies that promote fiscal responsibility, economic opportunity, and constitutional governance.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Risch Introduces Bill to End Taxpayer Funded Handouts to Illegal Immigrants

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho James E Risch
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) introduced today the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Actto block federal funding to sanctuary cities intended to benefit illegal immigrants. 
    Risch’s bill aligns with President Trump’s Executive Order “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders”which blocks federal agencies and programs from providing taxpayer-funded services to illegal immigrants.
    “Sanctuary cities abuse taxpayer dollars and fuel the illegal immigration crisis,” said Risch. “My No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act stops these jurisdictions from using federal funding to directly give handouts to illegal immigrants.”  
    Risch is joined by U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) in introducing the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act. Representative Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) introduced the bill in the House of Representatives.
    “Not a single taxpayer dollar should be used to provide unwarranted hand-outs to non-citizen migrants or to cities giving them any unearned financial advantages,” said Crapo. “Federal resources should be used to secure the borders, not invite and encourage illegal immigration.
    “Montanans are paying the price of Biden’s crisis at the southern border, but thankfully with President Trump in office, we’re working together to restore order,” said Daines. “I’m glad to join my colleagues in introducing a bill to prevent Montana taxpayer dollars from ever being used to fund sanctuary cities, which will deter illegal immigration and make our communities safer.”
    “Nobody in their right mind would say it’s a good idea to force hardworking American taxpayers to subsidize sanctuary cities and incentivize the illegal invasion of our country,” said Sheehy. “It’s time we put an end to the backward policies that encourage illegal immigration, and I’m proud to stand with my colleagues in support of this America First bill to bring back common sense, restore fiscal sanity, and put the interests of our people first.”
    “Sanctuary states and cities that refuse to enforce the law make Americans less safe,” said Ricketts. “This bill would bring needed accountability to those who facilitate illegal immigration and bring justice for the victims of sanctuary policies.”
    “Lawless so-called sanctuary cities should no longer get a free pass to sabotage our national security and the safety of communities across America,” said Lee. “Under this legislation, if you ignore federal law and refuse to hand over dangerous criminals to ICE and other authorities, you don’t get federal funding. American taxpayers should no longer be compelled to support sanctuary cities and states which endanger their families.”
    “Continuing to send federal tax dollars to cities that use those funds to aid and abet illegal immigration is asinine. If state and local leaders refuse to comply with federal law in the effort to defend our communities from criminal aliens, they must be held accountable,” said Banks. “This bill holds these incompetent leaders to account when they undermine the safety of the Americans they govern.”
    “Folks in Mississippi and around the country are baffled by cities and states that aid and abet illegal immigration, and they’re right to question why their taxpayer dollars are being used to prop up these so-called sanctuary cities.  Senator Risch’s bill would begin the process of ending the gravy train for those jurisdictions that flaunt our immigration and border laws,” Hyde-Smith said.
    The No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act would:
    Define “sanctuary jurisdiction” as any local or state government entity that withholds information regarding an individual’s citizenship status from federal, state, or other local authorities; and
    Prevent sanctuary jurisdictions from receiving federal funds for the specific benefit of illegal immigrants. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Introduces Bicameral DRIVE Act to Lower Costs for Veterans Traveling to Receive VA Medical Care

    US Senate News:

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

    Bill is critical for veterans from small and rural communities traveling long distances to receive essential medical care provided by the VA
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and U.S. Representative Julia Brownley (D-CA-26) introduced the bicameral Driver Reimbursement Increase for Veteran Equity (DRIVE) Act, legislation to cut costs for more than 8 million veterans enrolled with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for medical care. The DRIVE Act will make it easier for veterans to receive essential health care and ensure the VA’s travel reimbursement rate keeps pace with inflation and gas prices. 
    “Our veterans have performed the ultimate public service. To honor that service, we must ensure that the cost of the war includes the cost of caring for the warrior, and that includes making long-overdue changes to help ensure that veterans traveling from rural and small communities can access the health care they need,” said Senator Welch. “Our bicameral bill improves access to care, lowers costs, and helps improve this out-of-date system for veterans, servicemembers, and their families moving forward.” 
    “No veteran should have to decide between their health care and the rising costs of traveling to their appointments,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “The DRIVE Act is an essential step in easing this burden by ensuring that our veterans, especially those in rural areas and those with fixed incomes, are not penalized for seeking the care they have earned and deserve.” 
    The DRIVE Act would require the VA to ensure the Beneficiary Travel reimbursement rate is at least aligned with the General Services Administration (GSA) reimbursement rate for federal employees who use their personal vehicles for official business. The bill would also ensure timely processing so that veterans receive their reimbursement within 90 days.  
    In addition to Senator Welch, the bill is cosponsored in the Senate by Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) 
    The bill is also cosponsored in the House by Representatives Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX-02), Juan Vargas (D-CA-52), Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23), Brad Sherman (D-CA-32), Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), Andrea Salinas (D-OR-06), Val Hoyle (D-OR-04), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL-20), Ted Lieu (D-CA-36), and Dina Titus (D-NV-01). 
    Learn more about the DRIVE Act. 
    Read the full text of the bill. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Scott Accepting Applications for Summer 2025 Internships

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is now accepting applications for internships in his Washington, D.C., North Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville offices for the summer of 2025. The internship program offers undergraduate and graduate students the chance to work with public service professionals and gain practical experience in constituent services, federal policy, and more. Students of all majors, particularly those studying governmental affairs, public policy, or communications, are welcome to apply. 
    Washington, D.C. Office: In Washington, interns will research legislation, attend congressional hearings and briefings, assist with press tasks, and help manage correspondence on various issues. Responsibilities also include answering phones and other administrative tasks. Interns in this office will gain a stronger understanding of the lawmaking process, while also improving their communication and customer service skills.
    South Carolina Offices (North Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville): In the state offices, interns will take an active role in the community, working on state-based projects while also answering phones, completing research, and being an integral part of day-to-day office operations. Interns in these offices are able to assist with issues that affect South Carolinians each day.
    Internship hours are flexible to accommodate students’ course schedules but generally run from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Students may also gain course credit for completing the internship program. Interested students can apply through Senator Scott’s website at https://www.scott.senate.gov/constituent-services/internships. For additional questions, contact the internship coordinator at internships@scott.senate.gov or (202) 224-6121. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Scott, Colleagues, Send Letter to President Trump to Award the Medal of Honor to Major James Capers, Jr.  

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Congressman Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) in sending a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to award Major James Capers, Jr. the Medal of Honor. Major Capers was responsible for incredible acts of valor when his Marine Corps special operations team was ambushed during a mission in Phu Loc, Vietnam in 1967 during the Vietnam War. 
    “Major James Capers, Jr. overcame humble beginnings to become an American hero,” said Senator Scott. “His sacrifice and selflessness on behalf of his brothers in arms embody the American spirit and what it means to go above and beyond the call of duty. I’m proud to recommend to President Trump that this great South Carolinian be rightfully awarded with the Medal of Honor.”
    “Major James Capers, Jr. has served his nation with great distinction and is an inspiration to all Marines,” said Senator Lindsey Graham. “I am proud to join my colleagues in honoring him for his heroic and selfless action.”
    “Mr. James Capers, Jr. is a legend and should be honored as one,” said Congressman Ralph Norman. “He has lived, seen, and done more in this life than most people could dream of. Major Capers has handled every struggle with strength, humility, and grace. He deserves to be honored as a decorated Marine and for his exemplary character.”
    “Major James Capers, Jr. is a hero and his battlefield actions during the Vietnam War are worthy of America’s highest military honor,” said Congressman Joe Wilson. “South Carolina is proud of its native son and appreciates his dedicated service to our nation.”
    “Major Capers’ courage and sacrifice exemplify the very best of our nation’s ideals. His heroism deserves the highest recognition, and we strongly urge President Trump to award him the Medal of Honor,” said Congresswoman Nancy Mace. “Honoring Major Capers is not just about recognizing one Marine’s extraordinary service—it’s about reaffirming our nation’s commitment to those who have given everything in defense of our freedoms.”
    “Major James Capers’ service and sacrifice exemplify the best of our armed forces. His bravery saved lives and demonstrated exceptional leadership,” said Congresswoman Sheri Biggs. “I proudly stand with my colleagues in urging President Trump to recognize his remarkable service with the Medal of Honor.”
    Background: The Medal of Honor is awarded to a military service member who: “distinguishes himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty
    While engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; 
    While engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or
    While serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.”
    Thanks to the selfless sacrifice by Major Capers, all nine members of the team were brought to safety and survived the attack, though all members of the team, including Major Capers, were injured.
    Major Capers, who now resides in North Carolina, served 22 years in the Marine Corps. He served in combat infantry during the Vietnam War, followed by his re-enlistment where he became the first African American to serve in the Marine Corps’ elite special operations unit, Force Recon.  
    During his career, Major Capers and his team conducted over 50 classified missions in Vietnam, amphibious assaults, covert missions to rescue POWs, and a recovery mission for a downed B-57 bomber, while enduring countless injuries including a broken leg.
    He continually sacrificed himself before his team, earning three Purple Hearts, the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and Combat V, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, three Good Conduct Ribbons, Battle Stars, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, CG Certificate of Merit, and multiple letters of Merit, Appreciation, and Commendation.
    Upon returning to the U.S., he then became the face of the “Ask a Marine” recruiting campaign.
    At 85 years old, Major James Capers, Jr. continues his public service by mentoring young Marines.
    Read the full text of the letter here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lummis Introduces Legislation to Protect the People of Wyoming from CCP Buying American Lands

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) led three of her Senate colleagues in introducing the No American Land for Communist China Act to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from purchasing farmland adjacent to federal lands. This legislation will protect Wyoming and other western states from the threat of the CCP buying up property next to federal lands that could harm critical mineral and energy production taking place on those lands. It will also protect our critical U.S. military and infrastructure sites from CCP surveillance.

    “Putting America First means preventing the Chinese Communist Party from buying up western land and putting our military bases, critical energy, and mineral production at risk,” said Lummis. “The people of Wyoming know that allowing the CCP to buy up our land compromises both our national and economic security.”

    “Allowing the CCP to purchase western lands poses a plethora of risks including threats to our national security and encroachment on America’s natural resources.  We must protect Idaho and our western neighbors from threats seen and unseen,” said Crapo.

    “Wyoming is the center of critical energy and mineral production for our nation. We are also home to F.E. Warren Air Force Base – a key part of our nation’s nuclear deterrence,” said Barrasso. “Opening the door to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) puts our national security and domestic energy production at risk. The people of Wyoming and across the West work hard to protect and manage our lands productively and efficiently. We cannot allow our adversaries to buy up our land and threaten our national, economic, and energy security.”

    This legislation prohibits any agent or business affiliated with the CCP from purchasing land adjacent to federal land in the United States. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) cosponsored this legislation.

    Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced the companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.  

    Full text of the legislation can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Presses for Answers on DOGE Cuts to Critical Housing Programs and Staff

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and 24 other Senators sounded the alarm on concerning reports that President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Task Force will make wide-ranging, harmful cuts hampering the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) ability to support vulnerable communities and combat the housing and homelessness crises.

    The DOGE Task Force plans reportedly include laying off 50 percent of its workforce, eliminating half of HUD’s field offices, and gutting critical programs that protect families and people with disabilities from discrimination, help address the housing and homelessness crises, and support communities recovering from disasters. HUD has three field offices in California, and these cuts are especially concerning as Southern California recovers from the devastating fires last month. HUD only recently rebuilt its workforce after a 20 percent drop between 2012 and 2019, and further cuts threaten disaster recovery efforts while delaying housing development.

    “HUD engages in critical work supporting communities in expanding their housing supply, providing rental assistance, and preventing homelessness—work that is urgently important for millions of Americans looking to purchase a home to build generational wealth or find an affordable place to rent,” wrote the Senators. “Axing these offices will handicap the Department’s ability to serve the American public and exacerbate the housing crisis we currently find ourselves in.”

    “DOGE’s actions thus far at other agencies have caused widespread chaos, hampered the ability of agencies to do their work, and provided potentially illegal data access to individuals with conflicts of interest,” continued the Senators. “There is no indication that DOGE’s work at HUD will be any less detrimental.”

    There are also reports that HUD is terminating the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, which was authorized by Congress to help repair and improve efficiency in homes for families, seniors, and people with disabilities. These funds have already been awarded and obligated to nonprofits and other housing providers to improve more than 30,000 homes all across the country — but now DOGE at HUD is trying to claw these funds back. In 2024, California received five green and resilient retrofit program grants.

    The Senators also expressed confusion and frustration at the lack of transparency surrounding the launch of a HUD DOGE Task Force identifying a purported $260 million in wasteful HUD contracts, and asked HUD Secretary Scott Turner to provide additional information and a precise accounting of the alleged wasteful spending identified by DOGE.

    The letter, led by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), was signed by Padilla as well as Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    Senator Padilla believes everyone deserves access to affordable and safe housing and recognizes the need to drastically increase the affordable housing stock to address the homelessness crisis facing California and the country, including to support disaster victims. In the aftermath of the Los Angeles fires, Padilla introduced the bipartisan Disaster Housing Reform for American Families Act to expedite, expand, and improve temporary housing available to victims of disasters like wildfires and storms. Last year, he announced the reintroduction of his Housing for All Act, a comprehensive approach to invest in proven, locally-developed solutions to address the homelessness and affordable housing crises.

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Secretary Turner:

    We write regarding your recent announcement that you have launched a “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) Task Force at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and your statement indicating that DOGE has identified $260 million in wasteful contracts at HUD. We are also seeking additional information about alarming reports of HUD’s plans to cancel a program serving families, seniors, and people with disabilities and fire half of its workforce. To address these questions, we request information about DOGE’s involvement at HUD, and the impact it is having on HUD funding and staffing needed to implement its mission.

    HUD engages in critical work supporting communities in expanding their housing supply, providing rental assistance, and preventing homelessness—work that is urgently important for millions of Americans looking to purchase a home to build generational wealth or find an affordable place to rent.

    According to public reports, HUD plans to lay off 50 percent of its workforce. These cuts would eliminate half of HUD’s field offices serving local communities across the country and gut the offices of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO), Policy Development and Research (PD&R), and Community Planning and Development (CPD), which protect families and people with disabilities from discrimination, address our homelessness crisis, and provide resources to communities to tackle our housing shortage and recover from disasters. Axing these offices will handicap the Department’s ability to serve the American public and exacerbate the housing crisis we currently find ourselves in.

    In addition to personnel cuts, you also announced that HUD and DOGE have identified $260 million in savings on wasteful contracts. If this represents legitimate waste, we are happy to work with you to wipe it out. But to date, there has been no transparency about DOGE’s involvement, or what exactly it is finding. We ask that you provide additional information on the allegedly wasteful spending identified by DOGE, and a clear accounting of how these funds have been misused. This is particularly important because, even before implementing any cuts, HUD’s DOGE Task Force is already interfering with the department’s future planning and funding which is critical to boosting our nation’s housing supply. Public reporting suggests that DOGE’s request for information on HUD’s contracts has put all “future funding grants […] effectively on pause.”

    Further, reports indicate HUD is now terminating the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, which was provided by Congress to help repair and improve efficiency in homes for families, seniors, and people with disabilities. These funds have already been awarded and obligated to nonprofits and other housing providers to improve more than 30,000 homes all across the country.

    But now, HUD is trying to claw these funds back, cancelling signed contracts and breaking its word to residents and owners. Not only is this bad faith, but it also cuts a program that will reduce operating costs and protect families and seniors from the effects of disasters. Without these funds or continued trust in HUD as a reliable partner, some properties in dire need of rehabilitation may opt out of the program and be permanently lost from our country’s already limited stock of affordable housing, in red and blue states alike.

    DOGE’s actions thus far at other agencies have caused widespread chaos, hampered the ability of agencies to do their work, and provided potentially illegal data access to individuals with conflicts of interest. There is no indication that DOGE’s work at HUD will be any less detrimental.

    During your testimony in front of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, you spoke about empowering HUD employees and serving HUD’s mission “to create strong and sustainable communities and support quality affordable homes — serving the most vulnerable of our nation.”

    It is not clear how laying off half its staff serves HUD’s mission, or whether the $260 million figure you referred to in your interview represents legitimate waste and abuse. As HUD Secretary, it is your job to ensure that the millions of Americans who rely on HUD can continue to do so without DOGE’s interference.

    As members of the Senate who have authorized and funded HUD’s programs and are responsible for its oversight, it is critical that we understand the scope of DOGE’s activities at HUD. We request that you answer the following questions by February 26, 2025:

    1. How many individuals are currently part of HUD’s DOGE Task Force? Please provide the names of all Task Force members and whether they are considered employees of HUD or any other federal agency.

    2. What are the specific components of the $260 million in contracts that you described in your February 11, 2025, interview on The Charlie Kirk Show? Please provide a list of all contracts that DOGE employees have identified as wasteful and the justification for cancellation.

    3. Do members of the DOGE Task Force have access to any non-public HUD information, including data systems, contracting systems, personnel records, or other legal records? Does this include proprietary Tribal enrollment data submitted for Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA) funding?

    4. What steps have you taken to protect Americans’ data and ensure compliance with the Privacy Act?

    5. What are the objectives of the HUD DOGE Task Force and how long will the Task Force be in place?

    6. Has there been any pause or delay in disbursing or obligating HUD funds, including delays in signing grant agreements, since January 20, 2025? Please provide a detailed accounting of any pauses or delays.

    7. Has HUD cancelled – or does HUD intend to cancel – the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, including terminating or failing to enter into awards or contracts?

    8. Please explain in detail any plans to reduce HUD staffing below the level of staff employed at the agency on January 20, 2025, including:

    a. Current or planned changes in staffing by HUD Office and the reason for any change, including retirement, participation in a Deferred Resignation Program, or other actions;

    b. The number of staff that would be present in each HUD Office after planned changes; and

    c. Whether any programs or functions of HUD would be reduced or eliminated.

    9. Are there any programs, functions, or offices you plan to eliminate at HUD? If so, please provide a list of those programs, functions, or offices. If not, please detail how you intend to perform HUD’s critical functions and prevent mismanagement of funds with the proposed staff reductions.

    As DOGE’s work is already affecting HUD programs and personnel, it is critical that Congress, which funds and oversees HUD activities, understands the full scope of DOGE’s work within HUD immediately. Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Denounces President Trump’s Unlawful Transfer of Immigrants to Guantánamo Bay

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla Denounces President Trump’s Unlawful Transfer of Immigrants to Guantánamo Bay

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined Democratic leaders of the Senate Judiciary and Appropriations Committees in denouncing President Trump’s transfer of immigrants from the United States to Guantánamo as unlawful and demanded answers to basic questions regarding these unlawful transfers.

    The Senators outlined the illegal and unjustified nature of the directive transferring immigrants to Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, which followed President Trump’s directive to the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to prepare the base to hold tens of thousands of noncitizens. The Senators emphasized that noncitizens inside the United States are entitled to legal protections under American immigration law and the Constitution, including due process.

    “These actions are unprecedented, unlawful, and harmful to American national security, values, and interests. The United States has never sent anyone from the United States to be detained at Guantánamo before now,” wrote the Senators. “… There is no basis in U.S. immigration law for transferring noncitizens arrested inside the United States to a location outside of the United States for detention prior to or for the purposes of conducting removal proceedings.”

    “Such hasty and unlawful actions will cause harms to the United States for years to come. As those familiar with the long history of operations at Guantánamo can tell you, detaining individuals there is not a quick fix. Congress has not appropriated funds for such purposes for good reason,” continued the Senators. “Given the isolated location of the base, its controversial history, and the lack of legal authority to detain noncitizens there, continuing down this path will invite more litigation, drain resources, place undue strain on our servicemembers, diminish military readiness, undermine support from our allies, and harm our standing in the world.”

    The Senators also refuted a false Department of Homeland Security statement to the Committee that suggests immigrants with final orders of removal do not need access to counsel. They said that individuals in civil immigration detention have a right to access counsel under ICE detention standards and immigration law even if they have a final removal order, and impeding this access to counsel could violate the Constitution.

    Additionally, they countered the Trump Administration’s false claim that only high-risk, “worst of the worst” criminals are being detained. In fact, public reporting has shown that noncitizens who DHS itself deemed low risk were sent to Guantánamo, and the Administration has not ruled out detaining children and families at Guantánamo, declaring its decisions would be made on a “case-by-case basis.”

    Padilla joined U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, as well as Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) in signing the letter.

    Full text of the letter to President Trump is available here and below:

    Dear President Trump:

    We write to object to your illegal and unjustified transfers of noncitizens from the United States to the detention center at Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, which follows your directive to the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to prepare the base to hold tens of thousands of noncitizens. These actions are unprecedented, unlawful, and harmful to American national security, values, and interests.

    The United States has never sent anyone from the United States to be detained at Guantánamo before now. More than three decades ago, the base was used temporarily to house sudden influxes of migrants from Haiti and Cuba who were interdicted at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard. Since then, the Department of State and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have jointly provided housing and other services for a small number of migrants interdicted at sea at the Migrant Operations Center (MOC). Operations supporting even this limited number of migrants have proven challenging and there have been serious concerns regarding the living conditions of the MOC and insufficient access to basic legal rights and services.

    There is no basis in U.S. immigration law for transferring noncitizens arrested inside the United States to a location outside of the United States for detention prior to or for the purposes of conducting removal proceedings. Noncitizens inside the United States are entitled to numerous protections under U.S. immigration law and the U.S. Constitution. For example, removal processes under our immigration laws afford noncitizens due process and an opportunity to seek protection from removal to a place where they could face persecution or torture. These rights cannot be extinguished by transfer to a location outside the United States. Simply put, if the processes for obtaining a lawful removal order have not been followed, the forcible removal of a noncitizen to Guantánamo violates U.S. immigration law.

    Moreover, U.S. immigration law does not provide authority to detain noncitizens after their removal from the United States following a final order of removal. Immigration custody authority is based on immigration enforcement powers to seek and execute a removal order. Once an individual with a removal order departs the United States and arrives in a location outside the United States, the removal order has been executed. After that point, there is no basis under immigration law to retain custody of the individual. In addition, individuals in civil immigration detention have a right to access counsel under ICE detention standards, and immigration laws governing removal proceedings. Impeding access to counsel for detained noncitizens also may violate the Constitution in some circumstances. In addition, individuals in immigration detention may have appeal or other review rights and cannot be held indefinitely, and the only effective means by which a detained individual could assert these rights would be through access to counsel.

    Based on information provided to the Judiciary Committee and in court filings, we are concerned that your Administration did not consider these serious legal concerns or have any plan to address them prior to transferring noncitizens from the United States to Guantánamo. In response to the Judiciary Committee’s inquiry regarding how noncitizens will access counsel once on the base, DHS stated, “Removable aliens housed will be those with final orders pending removal.” This suggests that noncitizens with final orders of removal do not need access to counsel, which is inaccurate. After individuals and legal organizations filed suit seeking access to the noncitizens, the Department of Justice filed a brief arguing that these noncitizens’ constitutional rights were not violated, because, though they did not have a right to meet with attorneys in person under the circumstances, other means of communicating with counsel, such as by telephone, were available. Yet just the day before, when the Judiciary Committee requested details regarding how noncitizens being held at Guantánamo could contact counsel when granted access to a phone, DHS did not know what, if any, procedures were in place to notify them of their rights or provide them with contact information for legal services. Your Administration’s actions and these responses raise serious legal concerns and call into question what effort, if any, was put into ensuring that the transfer of noncitizens complied with applicable laws and regulations.

    While such clarification should be unnecessary, we must also emphasize that there is no colorable argument that noncitizens, including those convicted, accused, or suspected of crimes or criminal associations, can be held in law of war detention or in Department of Defense custody, whether at Guantánamo or anywhere else. The law of war detention facility at Guantánamo has been used to hold alleged members of al Qaeda and “associated forces” in connection with the armed conflict between the United States and these groups following the 9/11 attacks. While these detention operations have been the subject of significant controversy and criticism, these detainees have all been captured abroad and detained pursuant to the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force and Section 1021 of the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act.

    While no noncitizen should be sent from the United States to Guantánamo, it also appears that your Administration’s claims that it was sending “worst of the worst” there are misleading. Public reporting indicates that noncitizens who DHS deemed low risk were sent to Guantánamo. In response to inquiries from Judiciary Committee staff, your Administration has even left open the possibility that families, including children, will be detained at Guantánamo, stating that future decisions regarding detention would be made on a “case-by-case basis.”

    Your efforts to house or detain noncitizens forcibly removed from the United States at the MOC and the Camp 6 law of war detention facilities at Guantánamo are cruel, unlawful, and unprecedented. Such hasty and unlawful actions will cause harms to the United States for years to come. As those familiar with the long history of operations at Guantánamo can tell you, detaining individuals there is not a quick fix. Congress has not appropriated funds for such purposes for good reason. Given the isolated location of the base, its controversial history, and the lack of legal authority to detain noncitizens there, continuing down this path will invite more litigation, drain resources, place undue strain on our servicemembers, diminish military readiness, undermine support from our allies, and harm our standing in the world.

    We urge you to heed these lessons, follow the law, refrain from any further expansion of facilities, and cease transferring noncitizens to Guantánamo. To inform our oversight of this situation, please answer the following questions by March 10, 2025:

    1. What is your Administration’s claimed legal authority for transporting noncitizens from the United States to the Naval Station at Guantánamo Bay? Relatedly, what is your claimed legal basis for detaining noncitizens there, whether at the MOC, JTF-GTMO, or other facilities?

    2. What are your Administration’s criteria for determining which noncitizens would be sent to Guantánamo?

    3. Will you definitively state that families and children will not be sent to Guantánamo?

    4. For what crimes, if any, were the individuals previously sent to Guantánamo convicted? Were individuals provided with representation in their criminal proceedings?

    5. To what legal processes and rights does your Administration consider individuals sent to Guantánamo to be entitled, including relative to individuals in immigration detention inside the United States and individuals currently housed at the MOC?

    6. How will your Administration ensure that these rights, such as access to counsel and administrative and judicial review, are upheld given the restricted access to Naval Station Guantánamo Bay?

    7. How many ICE personnel are stationed at the MOC? How many are stationed at Camp 6?

    8. What are the projected costs of expanding the MOC and any other operations or actions associated with the transfer of noncitizens to or from Naval Station Guantánamo Bay? How much have the actions already taken cost U.S. taxpayers and how does that compare to the cost of detaining immigrants inside the U.S.? What is the source of funding for these efforts?

    9. What impact will these operations and expenditures have on military readiness and availability of funds for immigration detention and enforcement inside the United States?

    10. How does your Administration plan to ensure the facilities meet required standards of care for housing, food, medical care, security, sanitation, education, employment, and the like for both detained noncitizens and U.S. military personnel at the base, given the already deteriorated state of facilities at the base? What contingency plans do you have in place for weather conditions or other emergency situations?

    11. How does your Administration plan to ensure that Congress and the American people, including the press and civil society, have access to information regarding these operations, including who is, was, or will be detained there and under what conditions and authorities?

    12. What is your long-term objective and strategy for these detentions, including your plan for individuals for whom repatriation or resettlement may not be feasible?

    13. Reporting indicates that in one case, you have brought a noncitizen you had transferred to Guantánamo back to the United States. Is this true? If so, why, and under what authorities?

    We look forward to your prompt response.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley, Johnson Demand National Archives Fulfill Request for Biden Records

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) are renewing their request for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to provide records related to former-President Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents and use of pseudonyms and personal email addresses for official business during his time as Vice President. 

    “Since 2021, we have conducted oversight of Joe Biden’s use of multiple pseudonyms and personal email addresses for official government business when he served as Vice President. Despite our multiple requests for information, the Biden White House failed to respond,” the senators wrote. 

    “Although former President Biden is no longer in office, and he pardoned his son Hunter and other family members, we believe it is of importance to review these records so the American people have a full accounting of Joe Biden and his family’s activities while Joe Biden was in government,” they concluded. 

    Read the full letter HERE. 

    A timeline of Grassley and Johnson’s prior requests to NARA follows: 

    • August 2023: Letter to then-NARA Archivist Colleen Shogan regarding Biden’s use of pseudonyms and personal email addresses 
    • March 2023: Letter to then-NARA Acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall regarding Biden’s mishandling of classified documents 
    • February 2023: Letter to then-NARA Acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall regarding Biden’s mishandling of classified documents 
    • January 2023: Letter to then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle regarding Biden’s mishandling of classified documents 
    • January 2023: Letter to then-NARA Acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall regarding Biden’s mishandling of classified documents 
    • January 2023: Letter to then-White House Counsel Richard Sauber regarding Biden’s mishandling of classified documents 
    • June 2022: Letter to then-White House Counsel Richard Sauber regarding Biden’s use of pseudonyms and personal email addresses 
    • July 2021: Letter to then-White House Counsel Dana Remus regarding Biden’s use of pseudonyms and personal email addresses 
    • June 2021: Letter to then-NARA Archivist David Ferriero regarding Biden’s foreign financial dealings 

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Moran Bolster Rural Broadband, Prevent Taxation of Broadband Deployment Grants

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) in reintroducing legislation to amend the Internal Revenue Code to make certain that federal broadband deployment funding will not be considered taxable income.

    Grants awarded to broadband providers for the purposes of broadband deployment are currently factored into a company’s income and taxed as income. This bipartisan legislation moves to exclude broadband deployment grants awarded through certain federal programs from an organization’s income, ensuring the entirety of federal dollars are awarded to companies for the purpose of deploying broadband around the country can be used for that purpose, rather than making their way back to the government through taxes. 

    “Rural communities are the backbone of our nation, and we want to ensure that Americans living in these communities have access to high-speed internet,” said Sen. Tuberville. “Taxing broadband grants would undermine state efforts to prioritize rural broadband expansion. I am proud to support this legislation so that those living in rural America have internet needed to run their businesses, access health care, and pursue educational opportunities.”

    “Reliable, high-speed internet is more crucial than ever for Kansans to run their businesses, access telehealth or pursue and education,” said Sen. Moran. “This commonsense legislation would make certain federal grants provided for broadband deployment are not counted as taxable income to maximize the impact and success of these resources.”

    U.S. Sens. Tuberville and Moran are joined by U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) in cosponsoring the legislation.

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

    Read full text of the legislation here.

    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: Tillis, Shaheen Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Supporting Ukraine on Third Anniversary of Russia’s Invasion

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Senators Thom Tillis and Jeanne Shaheen, Co-Chairs of the Senate NATO Observer Group, alongside 14 of their Senate colleagues, introduced a bipartisan resolution acknowledging the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and expressing the U.S. Senate’s unwavering support for Ukraine. 

    “As we mark the third anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, it is critical that we maintain our support for the Ukrainian people and hold Putin accountable as the United States seeks to secure a lasting peace,” said Senator Tillis. “This resolution reinforces our bipartisan commitment to supporting Ukraine as a free and sovereign nation.”

    “As Vladimir Putin’s illegal and brutal full-scale invasion enters its fourth year, I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan resolution that clearly states our unwavering support for and solidarity with the Ukrainian people and condemns Russia’s aggression,” said Senator Shaheen. “During my recent visit to Ukraine with Senators Tillis and Bennet, we witnessed the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ determined resistance and the government’s commitment to democracy, despite constant Russian attacks. This resolution reaffirms our commitment to supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty, supports Ukraine’s Euro Atlantic integration, and emphasizes the need for Ukraine to be at the negotiating table when determining its own future.” 

    Background: 

    The resolution expresses the U.S. Senate’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity while condemning Russia’s illegal aggression and attempts to seize Ukrainian territory. It also commends NATO, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, and the international community for their continued efforts to support Ukraine’s defense and the protection of human rights and emphasizes Ukraine’s right to be included in any discussions with Russia about its future. 

    In addition to Senators Tillis and Shaheen, the resolution is co-sponsored by Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Curtis (R-UT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Chris Coons (D-DE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Steve Daines (R-MT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). 

    Full text of the resolution is available HERE. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Collins, Bennet Reintroduce Bill to Make High-Rise Apartments Safer for Residents, Firefighters

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins, co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, and Michael Bennet (D-CO) reintroduced the High-Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act to help place more sprinklers in older high-rise residential buildings where fires are especially dangerous. Companion legislation has been reintroduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11) and John Larson (D-CT-1), another co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus.

    “The annual cost of fires is enormous, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Americans and causing billions of dollars in property damage. Fortunately, state-of-the-art sprinkler systems can help avert these tragedies by controlling and extinguishing fires, protecting firefighters, and saving countless lives,” said Senator Collins. “This bipartisan bill would create a tax incentive for property owners to modernize the sprinkler systems in their high-rise buildings, helping better protect these communities.”

    “Older high-rise apartments pose serious risks for residents and firefighters because they were completed before modern fire codes required sprinklers,” said Senator Bennet. “This common-sense, bipartisan bill can help save lives by encouraging building owners to modernize their properties by installing sprinklers.”

    Recent research has found that Americans “have the least amount of time today to safely exit their homes in the event of a fire than at any time in history,” and fire deaths have steadily increased over the last decade. However, the current tax code does not adequately incentivize high-rise building owners to install fire sprinklers, since it treats them similarly to plumbing and depreciates the costs over 39 years. The High-Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act encourages high-rises to modernize their fire prevention systems by decreasing this cost recovery to 15 years. 

    “Fire sprinklers are one of the most effective ways to save the lives of both civilians and firefighters in the event of a fire,” said Bill Webb, Executive Director, Congressional Fire Services Institute. “The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) strongly supports the High-Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act, which will make it more economical to install fire sprinkler systems in residential high-rise properties. Incentivizing installation of fire sprinkler systems will help to protect property and most importantly, save lives. CFSI looks forward to working with Senators Bennet and Collins, and Representatives Malliotakis and Larson to help this bill become law.”

    “Residential high-rise structures are among the most challenging and dangerous environments the fire service operates in,” said Victor Stagnaro, Chief Executive Officer, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. “Automatic fire sprinklers are a proven technology that contains fire, provides residents the necessary time to evacuate, and saves lives. We applaud Senator Bennet, Senator Collins, Representative Malliotakis, and Representative Larson for their continued commitment to the safety of our citizens and the health and well-being of our nation’s firefighters.”

    “Sprinklers save lives by helping address unique challenges posed by high-rise buildings such as longer egress times and distance, fire department accessibility and fire control,” Jim Pauley, President and CEO, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). “NFPA strongly supports the bipartisan High-Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act and urges Congress to act quickly.”

    “Statistics consistently show that fire sprinkles save lives,” said Steve Hirsch, Chair, National Volunteer Fire Council. “I applaud Senators Bennet and Collins and Reps. Malliotakis and Larson for reintroducing this important legislation, which would incentive the installation of sprinklers in high-rise buildings.”

    “Almost every high-rise fire in this country has a firefighter injury and many more are having civilian and firefighter fatalities,” said Shane Ray, President, National Fire Sprinkler Association. “There should not be a high-rise building in America in 2025 that is not properly protected. Thank you to Congressman Larson, Congresswoman Malliotakis, Senator Bennet, and Senator Collins for protecting the occupants and firefighters.” 

    “I thank Senators Bennet and Collins for introducing the High-Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act,” said Chief Josh Waldo, President and Board Chair, International Association of Fire Chiefs. “Passage of this legislation would be a historic accomplishment by incentivizing the installation of fire sprinklers in high-rise buildings. As we have seen in the Grenfell Tower fire in the UK and in fires here in America, we must have the best fire protection systems possible in high-rises to save human life.”

    The complete text of the bill can be read here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cramer, Moran Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Prevent Taxation of Rural Broadband Grants

    US Senate News:

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

    ***Click here to download audio. ***

    WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Under existing law, federal broadband deployment grants are subject to federal taxation, limiting the funds available for recipients to use.

    U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) in introducing the Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act to ensure federal broadband deployment grants are excluded from taxable income, allowing recipients to maximize investments in broadband expansion.

    “It certainly won’t surprise North Dakotans to know that reliable, high-speed broadband brings our country together in many respects,” said Cramer. “Much like our integrated highway system, broadband connects large, rural states like ours to essential services like telemedicine, educational opportunities, and strengthens our small businesses with e-commerce opportunities. By making every dollar for broadband expansion count, this bill really does pave the way for a much more connected future.”

    “Reliable, high-speed internet is more crucial than ever for Kansans to run their businesses, access telehealth or pursue an education,” said Sen. Moran. “This commonsense legislation would make certain federal grants provided for broadband deployment are not counted as taxable income to maximize the impact and success of these resources.” 

    The bill is consistent with longstanding efforts to promote broadband accessibility in underserved communities and has received strong support from industry leaders, including USTelecom – The Broadband Association; the Competitive Carriers Association; CTIA – The Wireless Association; INCOMPAS – The Internet and Competitive Networks Association; WTA – Advocates for Rural Broadband; NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association; and the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association.

    Cosponsors of the Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act include U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Angus King (I-ME), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Deb Fischer (R-NE).

    Click here for bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Names Small Business of the Week, Edgewood Locker

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    RED OAK, Iowa – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, today announced her Small Business of the Week: Edgewood Locker of Clayton County. Throughout the119th Congress, Chair Ernst plans to recognize a small business in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.
    “Edgewood Locker’s seasoned approach has kept them marbled in success,” said Chair Ernst. “The Kerns’ family recipes truly are a meating of the minds. They produce award-winning sausages, meat sticks, bacon, and more, resulting in over one million pounds of sausage and almost 500,000 pounds of venison products just last year!”
    In 1966, Tom and Joan Kerns founded Edgewood Locker in a rented building in downtown Edgewood. Their sons, Terry and Jim, later joined the business. By 1980, the Kerns established a family partnership that has grown to provide custom meat processing while serving meat sticks, sausage, ribeye steaks, jerky, and much more in their retail store. Today, Terry and Jim run the business with the family’s third generation, Luke, Katie, Baili, and Payson. Edgewood Locker will celebrate its 58th anniversary in Iowa later this year.
    Stay tuned as Chair Ernst recognizes more Iowa small businesses across the state with her Small Business of the Week award.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Moran Lead Introduction of Legislation to Prevent Taxation of Broadband Deployment Grants

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) led 10 of their colleagues in introducing legislation to amend the Internal Revenue Code to make certain that federal broadband deployment funding will not be considered taxable income.

    Grants awarded to broadband providers for the purposes of broadband deployment are currently factored into a company’s income and taxed as income. This bipartisan legislation moves to exclude broadband deployment grants awarded through certain federal programs from an organization’s income, ensuring the entirety of federal dollars awarded to companies for the purpose of deploying broadband around the country can be used for that purpose, rather than making their way back to the government through taxes.

    The senators were joined by Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Angus King (I-ME), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) in introducing this legislation.    

    “In order to fully reap the benefits of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the American Rescue Plan, every dollar that was set aside to fund broadband expansion and deployment should be used for that purpose,” said Sen. Warner. “Taxing these broadband investments awards is counter-productive, and will ultimately diminish efforts to give more Americans access to high-speed internet.”

    “Reliable, high-speed internet is more crucial than ever for Kansans to run their businesses, access telehealth or pursue an education,” said Sen. Moran. “This commonsense legislation would make certain federal grants provided for broadband deployment are not counted as taxable income to maximize the impact and success of these resources.”

    “Broadband investments that I worked hard at securing in the bipartisan infrastructure bill will continue to unlock limitless possibilities in terms of telehealth, education and small business opportunities, and importantly, allow Alaskans to connect with one another,” said Sen. Sullivan. “However, taxing these investments weakens our efforts. This legislation ensures that funds directed by Congress are spent on deploying broadband, furthering my goal of connecting every single Alaskan.”

    “We made tremendous federal investments, including through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to build broadband infrastructure and help ensure Virginians can access reliable, high-speed internet, which is critical for school, work, and other opportunities,” said Sen. Kaine. “This legislation would ensure every dollar is used for this purpose by preventing broadband deployment grants from being taxed.”

    “Rural communities are the backbone of our nation, and we want to ensure that Americans living in these communities have access to high-speed internet,” said Sen. Tuberville. “Taxing broadband grants would undermine federal efforts to prioritize rural broadband expansion. I am proud to support this legislation so that those living in rural America have internet needed to run their businesses, access health care, and pursue educational opportunities.”

    “Taxing federal broadband grants as gross income undermines the intent for broadband deployment programs,” said Sen. Capito. “The Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act would help make sure this doesn’t happen so we can continue our efforts to close the digital divide in the areas that need broadband connectivity the most.”

    “In today’s digital age, access to high-speed, affordable broadband is critical for Maine people to live, work and stay connected with one another,” said Sen. King. “Every single dollar that is invested in broadband deployment is vital, and shouldn’t be clawed back by the government at the cost of connecting an extra community street or neighborhood that needs it. I want to thank my colleagues for coming together to help close the digital divide in rural and urban communities in Maine and across the nation.”

    “It certainly won’t surprise North Dakotans to know that reliable, high-speed broadband brings our country together in many respects,” said Sen. Cramer. “Much like our integrated highway system and anchored by our interstate highway system, it connects large, rural states like ours to essential services like telemedicine, educational opportunities, and it strengthens, probably more than anything, our small businesses with e-commerce opportunities. By making every dollar for broadband expansion count, this bill really does pave the way for a much more connected future.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sens. Moran, Warner Lead Introduction of Legislation to Prevent Taxation of Broadband Deployment Grants

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas – Jerry Moran

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) led 10 of their colleagues in introducing legislation to amend the Internal Revenue Code to make certain that federal broadband deployment funding will not be considered taxable income.

    Grants awarded to broadband providers for the purposes of broadband deployment are currently factored into a company’s income and taxed as income. This bipartisan legislation moves to exclude broadband deployment grants awarded through certain federal programs from an organization’s income, ensuring the entirety of federal dollars awarded to companies for the purpose of deploying broadband around the country can be used for that purpose, rather than making their way back to the government through taxes.

    The senators were joined by Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Angus King (I-Maine), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) in introducing this legislation.     

    “Reliable, high-speed internet is more crucial than ever for Kansans to run their businesses, access telehealth or pursue an education,” said Sen. Moran. “This commonsense legislation would make certain federal grants provided for broadband deployment are not counted as taxable income to maximize the impact and success of these resources.”

    “In order to fully reap the benefits of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the American Rescue Plan, every dollar that was set aside to fund broadband expansion and deployment should be used for that purpose,” said Sen. Warner. “Taxing these broadband investments awards is counter-productive, and will ultimately diminish efforts to give more Americans access to high-speed internet.”

    “Broadband investments that I worked hard at securing in the bipartisan infrastructure bill will continue to unlock limitless possibilities in terms of telehealth, education and small business opportunities, and importantly, allow Alaskans to connect with one another,” said Sen. Sullivan. “However, taxing these investments weakens our efforts. This legislation ensures that funds directed by Congress are spent on deploying broadband, furthering my goal of connecting every single Alaskan.”

    “We made tremendous federal investments, including through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to build broadband infrastructure and help ensure Virginians can access reliable, high-speed internet, which is critical for school, work, and other opportunities,” said Sen. Kaine. “This legislation would ensure every dollar is used for this purpose by preventing broadband deployment grants from being taxed.”

    “Rural communities are the backbone of our nation, and we want to ensure that Americans living in these communities have access to high-speed internet,” said Sen. Tuberville. “Taxing broadband grants would undermine federal efforts to prioritize rural broadband expansion. I am proud to support this legislation so that those living in rural America have internet needed to run their businesses, access health care, and pursue educational opportunities.”

    “Taxing federal broadband grants as gross income undermines the intent for broadband deployment programs,” said Sen. Capito. “The Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act would help make sure this doesn’t happen so we can continue our efforts to close the digital divide in the areas that need broadband connectivity the most.”

    “In today’s digital age, access to high-speed, affordable broadband is critical for Maine people to live, work and stay connected with one another,” said Sen. King. “Every single dollar that is invested in broadband deployment is vital, and shouldn’t be clawed back by the government at the cost of connecting an extra community street or neighborhood that needs it. I want to thank my colleagues for coming together to help close the digital divide in rural and urban communities in Maine and across the nation.”

    “It certainly won’t surprise North Dakotans to know that reliable, high-speed broadband brings our country together in many respects,” said Sen. Cramer. “Much like our integrated highway system and anchored by our interstate highway system, it connects large, rural states like ours to essential services like telemedicine, educational opportunities, and it strengthens, probably more than anything, our small businesses with e-commerce opportunities. By making every dollar for broadband expansion count, this bill really does pave the way for a much more connected future.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Following Dangerous Cuts to Transportation Workforce, Rosen Joins Colleagues to Demand Trump Administration Prioritize Safety

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, joined colleagues in a letter urging Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to stop the mass layoffs and firing of essential transportation safety employees and instead focus on prioritizing safety. In the letter, the lawmakers demand information regarding Department of Transportation plans to protect passengers and prevent future airline crashes. 
    “At the Department of Transportation, safety must come first, but that commitment appears in doubt as the Trump administration promotes cost-cutting over protecting the public,” wrote the Senators. “By offering to buy out federal employees, ordering government agencies to prepare for mass layoffs, firing employees with critical safety functions, giving Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) free reign to cut the federal workforce, and turning Musk, DOGE, and their unqualified staff loose on the air traffic control system, the Trump administration risks undermining decades of safety improvements.”
    “We urge you to cease this dangerous approach to governing and request important information on how the Department of Transportation (DOT) plans to prioritize safety in this environment,” they continued.
    The lawmakers requested responses by March 3 to questions that include:  

    How many DOT employees were offered the buyout? How many accepted? 
    How many DOT employees have lost their jobs since January 20, 2025?  
    What is Musk’s and DOGE’s role in reviewing DOT personnel and program information? 
    What steps is the Department taking to ensure that Musk and the DOGE do not compromise public safety? 

    The full letter can be found HERE.
    As a member of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Senator Rosen has been an advocate for Nevada’s transportation and infrastructure interests. Earlier this year, she announced more than $700,000 to improve transportation for tribal communities in Nevada. She worked to write and pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to create good-paying jobs and upgrade Nevada’s infrastructure. Last year, she secured $275 million to improve and expand I-80 to reduce congestion in Northern Nevada.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Baldwin Hosts Roundtable in Milwaukee on Looming Cuts to Medicaid

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    MILWAUKEE – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) hosted a roundtable discussion to highlight the dire consequences of Congressional Republicans’ moves to cut Medicaid to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. Senator Baldwin was joined by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and members of the Milwaukee County Commission on Aging to discuss how these cuts jeopardize critical services for seniors. 5.6 million Americans count on Medicaid for their long-term care bills, with Medicaid paying for over half of long-term care in the United States for primarily seniors.

    “Republicans are threatening to rip away health care from over one million Wisconsinites on Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. These aren’t just statistics, these are real people who will have their lives upended if they lose their health care. Today, I was able to hear how devastating this would be for our seniors in Milwaukee,” said Senator Baldwin. “Medicaid is the lifeline that provides health care for 8 million seniors, ensures over 30 million kids can see a doctor and get health care, and helps our rural hospitals keep their doors open.”

    “We know that Medicaid is vital for working families across Wisconsin. Any cuts to federal Medicaid funding would have a detrimental impact on the health, safety, and prosperity of folks in Milwaukee County,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “I’m grateful that Senator Tammy Baldwin is fighting for our residents, families, and children every single day. Let’s continue working together to protect the quality, affordable health care that Wisconsinites need.”

    Republicans are planning deep cuts to Medicaid that will jeopardize the coverage of 72 million Americans, or 1 in 5 people living in the United States who use Medicaid. This includes nearly half of all children, 31.5 million, over 8.3 million seniors, and around 15 million people with disabilities. Medicaid also pays for 6 out of 10 of residents in nursing homes, with 5.6 million Americans counting on Medicaid for their long-term care bills and Medicaid paying for over half of long-term care in the United States. Severe cuts to Medicaid will also jeopardize rural hospitals and clinics’ ability to keep their doors open. Over 12 million rural Americans rely on Medicaid for health care.

    In Wisconsin, over 1.2 million people are enrolled in Medicaid. About 1 in 3 children in Wisconsin’s rural and metro communities have Medicaid coverage. More than 300,000 kids under age 19 are members of BadgerCare Plus or another Wisconsin Medicaid program.

    Republicans released a budget blueprint that directed the committee with jurisdiction over Medicaid to find $880 billion in cuts for their upcoming budget to pay for tax breaks for the super-wealthy and large corporations. Last week, President Trump endorsed that blueprint. As Republicans move forward with their legislation, their plans to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid will jeopardize care for individuals with autism, seniors seeking long-term care, low- and middle-class children, and Americans who rely on rural hospitals. Republicans also rejected Democrats’ repeated attempts last week to protect Medicaid from being cut to fund billionaire tax breaks.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Peters Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Access to Mental Health Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) introduced bipartisan legislation previously championed by former Michigan U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow to expand access to mental health care in areas experiencing shortages of mental health professionals. The More Behavioral Health Providers Act – which Peters introduced with U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) – would expand the eligibility for health care professionals to receive bonus incentives from the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Physician Bonus Program to include physician assistants, nurse practitioners, mental health counselors, and other specialists who provide mental health or substance use disorder services in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). A HPSA is an area experiencing a shortage of primary care or mental health providers needed to adequately meet the needs of a community, specifically when the population to mental health provider ratio is at least 30,000 to 1. With an increasing number of Americans diagnosed with mental health disorders, this bipartisan legislation aims to incentivize health professionals to work in HPSAs to ensure all communities have access to mental health care.

    “I’m proud to carry this torch for my good friend and mentor, Debbie Stabenow, who throughout her career was a champion for expanding access to mental health care for folks in Michigan and across our country,” said Senator Peters. “This bipartisan bill will help ensure that no matter where you live, mental health care is an option for those who need it, while providing extra support to our health care professionals who deliver this essential care. With the demand for mental health support higher than ever before, I’m going to work to see this commonsense legislation passed into law.”

    Across Michigan, more than 355,000 adults suffer from a serious mental illness. Despite 1 in 7 Michiganders living with a mental health disorder, over 4.2 million Michigan residents live in an area experiencing a shortage of mental health professionals. In 2023, there were 257 mental health HPSAs designated across the state. According to the independent health research organization, KFF, Michigan requires about 144 additional psychiatrists in each shortage area to meet local mental health needs. This bipartisan bill would grow Michigan’s behavioral health care workforce and promote access to mental health services across the state.

    The More Behavioral Health Providers Act is supported by numerous key stakeholders including the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the American Association of Physician Associates, American Psychological Association Services, and the National Association of Social Workers.

    “The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is pleased to support the More Behavioral Health Providers Act, which will deliver critical financial support to nurse practitioners and other clinicians providing behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment in underserved communities,” said AANP President Dr. Stephen A. Ferrara, DNP. “We thank Senators Peters and Daines for their leadership on this bill to address clinician shortages and increase access to care for patients in need of these essential services.”

    “The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) applauds Senator Daines (R-MT) and Senator Peters (D-MI) for taking action to address the heartbreaking shortage of mental health and substance use disorder providers in our communities by introducing the More Behavioral Health Providers Act.  PAs stand ready to work with Congress to help patients and their families receive the care, treatment, and ongoing support they need,” said AAPA CEO Lisa M. Gables, CPA.

    “We must do more to expand access to high-quality mental health care for Medicare’s growing patient population, particularly in rural and underserved areas where individuals are far less likely to receive care from mental health specialists compared to those in urban settings. Adequate reimbursement rates are essential to ensuring the participation of psychologists and other behavioral health providers in Medicare. APA Services strongly supports this bipartisan effort to invest in increasing access to mental health services for Medicare beneficiaries in rural America,” said Arthur C. Evans, Jr., PhD, Chief Executive Officer, American Psychological Association Services, Inc.

    “The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) applauds Sens. Gary Peters and Steve Daines for introducing the More Behavioral Providers Act, which will expand eligibility for the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Physician Bonus Program to clinical social workers and other providers of mental health and substance use disorder services. With our country’s continuing mental health and substance use epidemic, this legislation is meeting the moment by helping clinical social workers provide critical services to Medicare beneficiaries. Social workers stand ready, as always, to improve access to mental health and substance use services,” said Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C, Chief Executive Officer, NASW.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: On The Third Anniversary of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, Welch Joins Durbin in Introducing Bill to Grant Ukrainians Already in The U.S. Temporary Guest Status

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the third anniversary of the Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and his colleagues in introducing the Protecting our Guests During Hostilities in Ukraine Act. This legislation would provide temporary guest status to Ukrainians and their immediate family members who are already in the United States through the “Uniting for Ukraine” parole process. The bill allows Ukrainians to stay and work in the U.S. until the Secretary of State determines that hostilities in Ukraine have ceased and it is safe for them to return.
    “Three years ago, we made a commitment to help protect Ukrainians fleeing Putin’s unprovoked invasion. Maintaining our commitment to the Ukrainian people is crucial, now more than ever, to ensure not only the future of European democracy, but our own security,” said Senator Welch. “Vulnerable Ukrainians legally in the United States should be able to stay here under temporary guest status until conditions in Ukraine are safe for their return. Obviously, those conditions don’t exist only days after Putin’s largest killer-drone attack of the war. I urge my Republican colleagues to join us in standing by displaced Ukrainians and standing up against Putin’s ruthless attempts to isolate and erase Ukraine.”
    “Three years ago today, Putin began his brutal, criminal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine—which remains on the frontlines of democracy and transatlantic security,” said Senator Durbin. “When the war started, Americans across the country opened their hearts and communities to Ukrainians fleeing Russian aggression. Both Republicans and Democrats petitioned President Biden to protect them from deportation. While not a single Republican has cosponsored this bill, I urge them to join us to ensure Ukrainians legally present in the U.S. have temporary guest status until conditions in Ukraine are safe for return. Standing up to dictators and speaking out for victims of war should not be a partisan issue.”
    U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) are original cosponsors of the Protecting our Guests During Hostilities in Ukraine Act.
    The individuals included in the bill already underwent rigorous vetting to ensure that they present no criminal or public safety risks. The legislation would also allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to revoke this temporary status if new information raises such concerns about any individual. Bill text can be found here.  
    The following organizations endorsed the Protecting our Guests During Hostilities in Ukraine Act: Refugee Council USA; Chin Association of Maryland; HIAS; World Relief; Center for Gender & Refugee Studies; Human Rights First; Church World Service; International Refugee Assistance Project; Global Refuge; Boat People SOS; Center for Victims of Torture; Jesuit Refugee Service; and Veterans for American Ideals.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 02/24/2025 Blackburn Requests FBI Director Patel Release Complete, Unredacted Epstein Records

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi requesting that they promptly release the complete flight logs from Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet and helicopter, any records that were in Ghislaine Maxwell’s possession, including her “little black book,” and all video surveillance footage from Jeffrey Epstein’s residence in Palm Beach, Florida. During his confirmation hearing, Director Patel committed to working with Senator Blackburn to release the files and provide transparency. 
    Senator Blackburn also sent a letter to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Acting Commissioner Douglas O’Donnell requesting the release of any and all information in his agency’s possession that will reveal Jeffrey Epstein’s associates and business dealings. 
    Blackburn: Americans Deserve to Know Exactly Who Was Affiliated with Epstein’s Network
    “Congratulations on your recent confirmation as the 9th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I have no doubt that you will bring much-needed transparency to the FBI as you return the Bureau to its core mission of investigating crimes and keeping our nation safe. To that end, at your January 30, 2025, Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, you committed to working with me in illuminating the full extent and scope of Jeffrey Epstein’s international sex trafficking ring. The American people deserve to know exactly who was affiliated with this network.”
    Blackburn Pushes for Release of Complete, Unredacted Epstein Records
    “As you know, over the course of many years, Jeffrey Epstein built a heinous global sex trafficking network that caused irreparable harm to countless women. Since Mr. Epstein’s death in 2019, there is still much about this tragic case that is not known—including the names of his associates that are listed in the flight logs of his private jet and in Ghislaine Maxwell’s ‘little black book.’ While some redacted portions of Epstein’s flight logs and Maxwell’s ‘little black book’ have been released in various lawsuits, it is paramount that the FBI provide full transparency to the American people and immediately release the complete, unredacted records in this case.”
    Blackburn’s Previous Efforts to Provide Transparency for the American People Were Stonewalled
    “Your predecessor, Director Wray, was unwilling to provide this crucially important transparency.  In fact, despite informing me during his December 2023 appearance before the Judiciary Committee that he would ‘get with [his] team and figure out if there’s more information we can provide’ on the Epstein matter, Director Wray never provided any such follow-up information. Over a year has elapsed since then, and we still do not have all of the necessary information regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. As noted above, you have committed to bringing transparency back to the FBI and rooting out the two-tiered system of justice that has operated there for far too long.  Therefore, I respectfully request that you transmit to me and release to the American public the… records that are in the Bureau’s possession.”
    View Senator Blackburn’s letter to the FBI here.
    View Senator Blackburn’s letter to the IRS here.
    RELATED

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: In CNN Interview, Shaheen Discusses Recent Trip to Ukraine, Rebukes President Trump’s Pro-Russia Talking Points, Slams Proposed Cuts at Department of Defense and Musk’s Mass Firing of Federal Workers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    Published: 02.21.2025

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer to discuss her bipartisan Congressional delegation to Ukraine earlier this week and rebuke President Trump’s comments about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that align with Russian propaganda talking points. Shaheen, a top member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, also spoke about how the across-the-board cuts and potential firings at the U.S. Department of Defense weaken the lethality and readiness of America’s military. Click HERE to watch Senator Shaheen’s full CNN interview. 
    Key quotes from Senator Shaheen: 
    On President Trump’s false comments that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is a “dictator,” Shaheen said: “Well President Trump is just wrong. He’s factually incorrect. […] We just returned, as you pointed out, from Ukraine where we saw the courage and the resilience of the Ukrainian people. […] Senator Tillis and I just went to the floor of the Senate to talk about what we saw in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, where the Russians came in, they held siege in that town for 33 days. They indiscriminately shot civilians, in fact, that was the target of what they were trying to do. […] That’s the person that Donald Trump wants to give away the store to. You never start a negotiation by giving away all your leverage at the beginning and that’s what Donald Trump is doing.” 
    On Speaker Johnson’s comments that there is “no appetite” for another Ukraine aid bill in Congress, Shaheen said: “Well, I was at the Munich Security Conference with a bipartisan delegation. […] We met with President Zelenskyy. We talked to him about how the war is going. […] We talked about how we are supporting Ukraine. We want to continue to equip the country. We want to ensure that they have leverage as they’re going into any negotiation with Russia and we want to make sure that Ukraine is at the table for any negotiations.” 
    On U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth making broad cuts and potentially firing high-ranking generals, Shaheen said: “You know, he talked a lot about wanting to restore lethality to our military. Well, what he’s doing now doesn’t improve the lethality, it doesn’t improve the readiness, it just creates political divisions at a time when our military’s strength has been that it is not political. Secretary Hegseth is introducing politics into the military in ways that are not good for our national security.” 
    On mass firings of federal workers, Shaheen said: “It’s unfortunate that this has been an indiscriminate effort led by Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, who has multiple conflicts of interest as he’s looking at what he wants to do with government programs and people. And the firings have been not based on expertise or experience or what we need, it’s just been an across the board.”  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen Joins Colleagues in Demanding VA Secretary Collins Put Veterans First, Reverse Mass Terminations of VA Employees

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) joined 35 of her Senate colleagues, led by U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), in sending a letter calling on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to immediately reinstate the more than 1,000 fired VA employees who serve veterans and their families nationwide, including critical employees combatting veteran suicide working at the Veterans Crisis Line. The Trump Administration’s mass terminations of VA employees, which included a substantive number of veterans and military spouses, comes at a time when VA faces critical staffing shortages and increased demand for its services.
    The Senators wrote, in part: “Last week, we were outraged by the Administration’s abrupt and indiscriminate termination of tens of thousands of workers across almost every government agency, including more than 1,000 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees. We were further disturbed by the manner in which you publicly celebrated this reprehensible announcement – a clear departure from the assurances provided throughout your confirmation process to never ‘balance budgets on the back of veterans’ benefits’ and to always ‘put the veteran first.’ Not only will this latest action put veterans’ care and benefits at risk, but it further confuses, demoralizes, and threatens a VA workforce we need to fulfill our nation’s sacred promise to our veterans and their families who have already sacrificed so much.”
    They concluded: “With the best interests of veterans in mind, and to ensure VA is capable of carrying out its sacred obligation of behalf of veterans, we urge you to immediately reinstate all of the employees dismissed in the latest indiscriminate terminations and commit to VA employees and veterans that no additional widespread terminations will occur without advanced notification to Congress, a detailed justification, coordination with service-level leadership, and an appropriate assessment of potential impacts on veterans’ health care and benefits. Congress remains ready to collaborate with you, if you are willing to come to the table and put the needs of our veterans above all else.”
    The full letter can be found here.
    Senator Shaheen has spearheaded efforts in the Senate to support veterans and military families. In the committee-passed (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Shaheen secured Granite State priorities including expanding access to child care for military families, expanded efforts to research the health impacts of harmful forever chemicals and a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted (E1-E4) and a 4.5% pay raise for all other service members and civilians to ensure military families receive the pay and benefits they deserve. Each year, Shaheen leads the bipartisan Senate resolution with Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) to recognize an annual National Warrior Call Day, which encourages Americans to reach out and build meaningful relationships with both those currently serving and veterans and will take place on November 17, 2024. In 2022, Shaheen worked to include provisions and helped pass the historic PACT Act, which expanded health care for veterans who were exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances.   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen, Hassan Host Roundtable Discussion Highlighting Harmful Impact of Potential Republican Cuts to Medicaid

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
    (Manchester, NH) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) hosted a roundtable discussion highlighting the harmful impact of potential Republican cuts to Medicaid. This event comes after Democrats held the floor last week to push back against the Republican-led budget resolution that would pave the way for tax breaks for the wealthiest while slashing programs like Medicaid to pay for it. At the event, Senator Hassan, Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, shared a new Joint Economic Committee analysis showing the impact that Medicaid cuts would have on Granite Staters including the fight to combat the opioid epidemic. Photos from the discussion can be found here. 
    “One in seven Granite Staters rely on Medicaid for their health insurance, and gutting the program would have devastating consequences for families, children, seniors, people that live with disabilities and more,” said Senator Shaheen. “We know that despite what President Trump may say about not touching this program, Republicans in Congress have made it clear that Medicaid is on the chopping block. That would cause real harm in our state and across the country. I’ll continue pursuing every avenue available to protect Medicaid and prevent health care costs from rising.” 
    “Medicaid helps strengthen our economy, our workforce, and the health of our families and our children,” said Senator Hassan. “The plan put forward by President Trump and Congressional Republicans will drastically cut Medicaid in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and special interests. It will have serious and severe consequences for people across New Hampshire and will prevent children and families from getting the health care that they need to thrive.”
    The discussion brought together Granite State health care professionals, Medicaid recipients, activists and elected officials. In addition to Shaheen and Hassan, roundtable participants included Jonathan Routhier, The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, Steve Ahnen, New Hampshire Hospital Association, Tess Kuenning, Bi-State, Ken Gordon, CEO, Coos Family Health, Jake Berry, New Futures, Maureen Beauregard, Easterseals, Katie Phillips, Able NH, Shawn Cannizzarro, Hope2Freedom Recovery, Carrie and Katie Duran, Medicaid recipients, Maggie Pritchard, CEO, Lakes Region Mental Health Center, Jay Couture, CEO, Seacoast Mental Health Center and Rep. Laura Telerski, NH Deputy House Democratic Leader.  
    Last week, the majority of Senate Republicans worked to block several amendments Shaheen offered that would have helped make health care more affordable and accessible, including an amendment that mirrors her Health Care Affordability Act—bicameral legislation she introduced last month that would make permanent the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits for Marketplace coverage. According to the Congressional Budget Office, if the tax credits are allowed to expire at the end of this year, health care premiums would skyrocket and 4 million Americans would lose their health insurance altogether.   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Call on Duffy to Provide Immediate Transparency on FAA Personnel Firings and Safety Concerns

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
    WASHINGTON –  Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, expressing deep concerns about the recent firings of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel and the troubling involvement of unaccountable entities, including SpaceX, in critical aviation safety decisions. The letter urges Duffy to prioritize the safety of America’s air travel system and to reverse recent cuts to essential FAA safety roles.
    “We write to express our deep concerns with the recent firings of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel and the involvement of a cadre, unaccountable to the American people, in critical aviation safety decision making. The past week has seen mass firings of Federal workers, done without regard to personal performance, the impact on mission effectiveness, and the effect on the country’s ability to deliver services at home or compete abroad. We urge you to stand up for the safety of our national air space and reverse these devastating cuts in key safety roles,” wrote the senators.
    The letter raises alarms about a series of concerning aviation incidents over the past month, including multiple crashes and close calls that highlight the need for highly trained, impartial professionals at the FAA. The lawmakers stressed the need for a commitment to safety, calling out the dangers of prioritizing political agendas over the well-being of American air travelers.
    “We need experienced, qualified, and impartial professionals to investigate these unfortunate incidents, develop plans to prevent these types of accidents from occurring in the future, and implement those plans with the safety of the public as the sole and guiding objective,” wrote the senators.
    In the letter, the senators also raised significant concerns regarding the role of SpaceX in the future of air traffic control, following public statements by Duffy that employees of Elon Musk’s company are involved in “deliver[ing] a new, world-class air traffic control system” and that his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is “plug[ged] in” to the country’s aviation system.
    The lawmakers noted that the involvement of Musk’s employees in the FAA “is troubling given that SpaceX has been investigated and fined by the FAA for multiple incidences of safety violations, and is at this time actively under investigation by the FAA for additional safety violations.”
    The letter calls for a series of detailed answers from Duffy regarding the role of SpaceX, the processes used to evaluate and select external contractors, and the impact of recent personnel terminations on the safety and effectiveness of FAA operations. The letter also demands a full public accounting of the decision-making process that led to these significant changes, with a commitment to ongoing transparency.
    Text of the letter is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Senate Appropriators Murray, Shaheen Sound Alarm on Public Health Effects of Mass Firings at the Food and Drug Administration; Urge Secretary Kennedy to End Indiscriminate Cuts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: Murray Blasts Trump and Musk Decimating HHS, Risking Americans’ Health and Livelihoods
    ***FACT SHEET: WA State Impacts of Trump and Musk’s Reckless Mass Layoffs***
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies, sent a letter Friday to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to express their grave concerns about the recent mass firings of hundreds of federal workers at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Murray and Shaheen’s counterparts in the U.S. House of Representatives—House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D, CT-03) and Congressman Sanford Bishop (D, GA-02)—also signed the letter. 
    The lawmakers wrote, “The FDA’s mission is to protect public health by assuring the safety, efficacy and security of our human and veterinary drugs, food and cosmetics products and the regulation of tobacco products. We are concerned that the mass firings of probationary staff at the FDA, many of whom with scientific backgrounds, will prevent us from staying on the cutting edge of drug and device approvals, maintaining food safety and responding to new threats, like avian flu.” 
    “This decision will only hurt the American people by preventing advancements in patient care and is directly in conflict with President Trump’s stated health care goal of, ‘providing more choice, better care, and lower costs,’” they continued.
    The full text of the letter can be found here. 
    Last week, Senator Murray responded at length to the Trump administration’s mass firings of dedicated workers across HHS and its many subagencies—and earlier this month she released a fact sheet detailing how reckless mass layoffs across the federal government will jeopardize essential services Americans rely on. Senator Murray was a leading voice in opposition to the confirmation of RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary. Earlier this month on the Senate floor, she warned of the dangers of confirming RFK, Jr.—given his lack of health care experience and deadly rhetoric—and encouraged her colleagues to “show some courage” by rejecting his nomination. A longtime congressional leader on health care and former HELP Committee Chair, she called her meeting with him the “most troubling” she’s ever had with a cabinet nominee.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Statement on Trump Admin Illegally Firing USAID Staff

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on the Trump administration taking action Sunday to permanently eliminate 1,600 USAID employees’ positions and put nearly every other agency employee on administrative leave—in flagrant violation of the law.
    “Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to unilaterally shutter USAID—with their latest announcement of permanent reductions in force for 1,600 positions—are a dangerous concession to our adversaries who will fill the void we leave behind. It is a slap in the face to the dedicated Americans who have honorably chosen to serve their country and help keep us all safe.
    “Trump and Musk’s reckless actions are also illegal. USAID’s existence as an independent agency has long been enshrined in law and affirmed by bipartisan majorities year after year in annual appropriations. Our appropriations law also requires the administration to notify and consult with Congress before undertaking any efforts to reorganize, realign, or downsize USAID—as the sweeping reductions in force issued Sunday and all the other brazen actions we’ve seen clearly seek to do. These actions make waste and fraud more likely, will prevent even foreign assistance programs supported by the administration from being effectively implemented, and will illegally block hundreds of millions of dollars for other programs enacted into law by bipartisan majorities.
    “Needless to say: the Trump administration has not consulted Congress on these changes—in flagrant violation of the law—and the reckless, indiscriminate gutting of the agency seriously weakens America’s credibility and our ability to advance our national security interests across the globe.”
    Section 7063 of Division F of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118-47) prohibits funds from the Act and prior Acts from being used to implement a reorganization without prior consultation with, and a detailed and justified notification to, the appropriate congressional committees. A reorganization, redesign, or other such plan is further defined in the Act and includes any activity to expand, eliminate, consolidate, or downsize covered departments or agencies, the United States official presence overseas, or the size of the permanent Civil Service, Foreign Service, eligible family member, and locally employed staff workforce from staffing levels previously justified to the Committee on Appropriations for fiscal year 2024.

    MIL OSI USA News –