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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Stopping The Exploitation Of Children Online

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    February 19, 2025

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Children’s Safety in the Digital Era: Strengthening Protections and Addressing Legal Gaps.” Reports of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) have exploded in recent years. Between March 2009 and February 2022, the number of victims identified in CSAM rose tenfold from 2,172 victims to more than 21,413 victims. Between 2012 and 2022, the volume of reports to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline concerning child sexual exploitation increased from 415,650 reports to more than 32 million reports.

    Key Durbin Quotes:

    “Almost exactly two years ago, this Committee held a similar hearing where we heard from six witnesses about the harms social media does to our kids and grandkids—a mom whose son took his own life after he was bullied online; a young woman whose mental and physical health suffered as she chased the unattainable lifestyle depicted on Instagram and other apps; experts who told us how Big Tech designs their platforms to be addictive, keeping users online for longer and longer so they can be fed more targeted ads; and individuals combatting the tidal wave of child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, flowing across the internet.”

    “[Two years ago], the Committee reported five bills that would help protect kids online. This included my STOP CSAM Act and I want to thank Senator Hawley for joining me in that effort, along with bipartisan bills from Senators Graham, Blumenthal, Klobuchar, Cornyn, Blackburn, and Ossoff. These bills were reported out of this Committee unanimously. [The Committee contains] the most conservative Republicans to the most Progressive Democrats. It’s almost unheard of to pass a bill unanimously, yet we did it. Five times.”

    “Now let’s be clear, none of these bills are the silver bullet that would make the internet completely safe for our kids. But they would be significant steps toward finally holding tech companies accountable for the harms they’ve caused, the damages they’ve caused, the deaths that they’ve caused. And that’s why the tech companies opposed them as strongly as they did.”

    “So just over a year ago, I called in the CEOs of five major tech platforms—some under subpoena—to demand answers under oath. And that hearing produced results. Several companies implemented child safety improvements just days before their CEOs came to testify. And Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, under pressure from Senator Hawley, gave a long overdue apology to the parents his platform has hurt. But apologies and too-little-too-late reforms are simply not enough. The dozens of parents and survivors in that room and the thousands more impacted in every community across our country demand more. And I, for one, plan to follow through.”

    “I’m under no illusion that it will be easy to pass legislation to protect kids online and finally make the tech industry legally accountable for the damage they cause, but they should face the same liability [that] every other industry in America [faces]. Just last year, Big Tech and its allies in the House killed a bill—the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act—that would have imposed a basic duty of care on tech platforms. That bill passed the Senate 91 to 3. Yet it didn’t get a vote in the House.”

    “The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children receives 100,000 reports to its CyberTipline every single day. That’s not just a statistic. Each of those reports involves a victim. It could be anything from images of a toddler being raped to a teenager being coerced, extorted, groomed, and encouraged to commit suicide. One hundred thousand reports …every single day. I hope everyone keeps that in mind as we hold this hearing. And I hope it drives them to demand that Congress finally do something.”

    Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.

    Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.

    Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.

    During his time as Chair, Durbin and the Committee extensively examined the plague of online child sexual exploitation through hearings, legislation, and oversight efforts. On January 31, 2024, the Committee held a hearing featuring testimony from the CEOs of social media companies Discord, Meta, Snap, TikTok, and X (formerly known as Twitter). This hearing highlighted the ongoing risk to children and the immediate need for Congress to act on the bipartisan bills reported by the Committee. Last Congress, the Committee also reported out Durbin’s STOP CSAM Act, which provides a comprehensive response to online child sexual exploitation by supporting victims and increasing accountability and transparency for online platforms. During today’s opening statement, Durbin announced he plans to re-introduce the STOP CSAM Act again this Congress.

    This week, Durbin will join U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to introduce a bill that would sunset Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in two years.  Section 230—and the legal immunity it provides to Big Tech—has been on the books since 1996—long before social media became a part of our daily lives. To the extent this protection was ever needed, its usefulness has long since passed.

    In addition to the STOP CSAM Act, since February 2023 and under then-Chair Durbin’s leadership, the Committee unanimously reported multiple bipartisan bills to help stop the exploitation of kids online, including:

    1. The EARN IT Act, which removes Big Tech’s blanket immunity from civil and criminal liability for CSAM and establishes a National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention;
    2. The SHIELD Act, which ensures that federal prosecutors have appropriate and effective tools to address the nonconsensual distribution of sexual imagery;
    3. The Project Safe Childhood Act, which modernizes the investigation and prosecution of online child exploitation crimes; and
    4. The REPORT Act, which combats the rise in online child sexual exploitation by establishing new measures to help strengthen reporting of those crimes to the CyberTipline.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Condemns President Trump’s Comments About Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    February 19, 2025

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, released the following statement after President Donald Trump publicly attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the post, President Trump claimed the U.S. was “duped” into spending billions to help Ukraine defend itself following Russia’s 2022 full-scale military invasion and that President Zelenskyy is a “dictator without elections.” Further parroting a Kremlin propaganda point, President Trump also falsely claimed that Ukraine started the war against Russia.

    “The 46,000 Ukrainians who have died defending their country from Putin’s invasion deserve more than the insulting rant President Trump delivered this morning.

    “I would call on President Trump to apologize to the people of Ukraine, but it would be a waste of breath. Donald Trump is a pushover for Putin.”

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Lummis Addresses Wyoming Legislature 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis
    Cheyenne, WY — Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) on Friday addressed her former colleagues in two speeches to the Wyoming House of Representatives and the Wyoming Senate.  
    Senator Lummis discussed the excitement in Washington surrounding President Trump’s agenda, important policy changes that will positively impact Wyoming, and the progress that DOGE and Elon Musk are making in rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse from within our government. 
    Click here to watch Sen. Lummis’ remarks to the Wyoming Senate
    Click here to watch Sen. Lummis’ remarks to the Wyoming House of Representatives
    Excerpts from Sen Lummis’ Wyoming Senate Remarks:
    “It’s such an honor for me to come and get to visit with you. Thank you for allowing me to serve you, and this state, in the United States Senate. It’s an absolute new day in Washington. 
    …
    “Three hundred executive orders. One that we are all proud of is to reverse the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan (RMP), and the Buffalo RMP, there is recognition by this president that we need all sources of energy, including hydrocarbons to run this nation. 
    “Artificial intelligence is going to double the demand we have now for energy – and we don’t have enough baseload energy to meet that need. Well Wyoming does – we export about twelve times more energy than we consume. So, my office is working with AI companies to encourage them to bring their computing needs here and use our energy to produce the computer capacity to make the United States number one in AI – and keep it that way. 
    “I want you to know that I’ve invited three of our new cabinet members to Wyoming. The Senate, as they say, is so different from the U.S. House – the Senate is in the personnel business. And that’s about all we’ve done since January 20th. We’ve confirmed more cabinet members than have been confirmed by this time in recent memory. 
    “One of them, that I’ve invited to Wyoming, is EPA Director Lee Zeldin. Lee has only been to Wyoming once and it was to Teton County. So, he has yet to see the EPA’s impacts on our state. He is anxious to come and anxious to learn. I served in the U.S. House with Lee Zeldin. He is a great guy but he is from New York and our issues are somewhat different than theirs. And he wants desperately to help us through challenging permitting issues and to understand just how clean we can do hydrocarbon energy. No state can do it cleaner than we can.
    “I’ve also invited Sean Duffy, another person with whom I served with in the U.S. House, who is our Transportation Secretary. As you know, the Highway Trust Fund is heading for insolvency in about three years. Part of that is driven by the fact that electric vehicles pay no fuel taxes so the funds are depleted because there are enough vehicles on the road who are not contributing to the safety of our highways because they pay no taxes. Only those of us who drive gasoline and diesel vehicles are contributing. 
    ….
    “The other person I invited out was RFK Jr. RFK Jr. hunts in Sweetwater County and he’s hoping after a pretty grueling process that he has just completed to come out and do a little hunting in Sweetwater County. I asked if while he’s here he might consent to do a healthcare roundtable in Rock Springs. And he said, “absolutely.” 
    And so, unless the president has other plans for his time, we hope to get him this spring to Rock Springs. That is an opportunity to help him understand frontier and rural healthcare in a way that only frontier and rural areas can. 
    ….
    “We are in a new Golden Age in Washington. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. I got to be at the White House when President Trump signed the executive order restricting women’s sports to women. It was just a celebration. There were over a hundred women athletes behind the president on these bleachers. 
    …..
    “It’s been indescribably humbling to be there and see America back in charge – and the people back in charge of America.
    “I want to also tell you what Elon Musk is doing is incredibly important to America. He is ferreting our true waste, fraud, and abuse. And it’s shocking to see the pushback he is getting. He is auditing – he is finding where people were paid who should not have been. Government benefits, our dollars, going to people who should not have had them.
    ….
    “Mr. President – thank you for the privilege of the floor.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA:  Welch Provides Remarks at the Vermont Dairy Producers Conference 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    BURLINGTON, VT — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) delivered remarks at the Vermont Dairy Producers Conference on Monday. He discussed the path forward to protect Vermont’s dairy industry from harmful policies put forth by the Trump Administration, including the Administration’s actions on immigration and the Trump Tariffs, which will raise prices for farms, businesses and families.
    “I’m fighting to strengthen Vermont’s dairy farms, but many of President Trump’s actions during his first month in office are hurting farms and rural communities. His policies—threatened and enacted through Executive Order—are already putting pressure on dairy farmers and the USDA. None of us want this to happen, and we have to resist,” said Senator Welch. “A strong dairy industry is a strong Vermont, and I’ll do everything I can to fight for Vermont’s dairy farmers in Washington.” 
    As Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, Senator Welch has led bipartisan efforts to support Vermont’s dairy farmers and strengthen the state’s dairy industry. 
    View photos from the event below: 
    In 2023, Vermont imported $76 million worth of livestock feed from Canada. New blanket tariffs proposed by the Trump Administration on Canada and Mexico would increase costs for dairy farmers by raising the cost of livestock feed and eventually reduce the size of their milk check. Additionally, President Trump’s actions on immigration risk limiting Vermont’s agricultural workforce, with farming communities across the state reporting increased presence from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, especially in Addison County. 
    The Trump Administration’s illegal freeze on programs across the federal government have caused serious harm to farmers and producers across Vermont. The unconstitutional funding freeze broke the government’s promise to reimburse farmers for projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, leaving farmers to foot the bill–sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars. 
    Last Congress, Senator Welch introduced several bills to support Vermont’s dairy, organic, and specialty crop farmers; strengthen rural development and infrastructure; increase energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption; improve access to nutrition; strengthen our local food systems and expand markets; and make our communities more resilient to flooding—all of which were included in the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act. Senator Welch plans to reintroduce many of these bills and policy provisions in the 119th Congress, including his bipartisan, bicameral Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which would bring nutritious whole milk back into schools. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Questions Infrastructure Experts on the Permitting Process and Necessary Reforms

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
    February 19, 2025
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) questioned infrastructure policy experts during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on improving the federal environmental review and permitting process. During the hearing, Sen. Ricketts said the following: 
    Click here to watch
    “I believe we can make common-sense permitting reform to unleash projects for American energy, infrastructure, homebuilding, agriculture, all those sort of things—while protecting our environment. Permitting reform is about modernizing our regulatory system to ensure that we’re deploying projects efficiently, not about undercutting environmental standards. Regulatory delay for permitting infrastructure, energy and environmental projects is a hidden tax on Americans,” Sen. Ricketts said. “As Governor, one of the things I did to be able to help streamline this was I implemented a process called Lean Six Sigma. It’s about streamlining the process, which we’ve been all talking about here today. So, for example, we can’t change environmental regulations for the state, but we could look at the process. It was 110 steps long, for example, to issue an air construction permit. We cut that down to 22 and cut the time delay down for issuing that permit from 190 days to just 65 days. Those are the kind of reforms that are possible.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Statement on Confirmation of Kelly Loeffler as Administrator of the Small Business Administration

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)

    February 19, 2025

    February 19, 2025
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), issued the following statement after the confirmation of Kelly Loeffler to be Administrator of the Small Business Administration:
    “Kelly Loeffler is a strong leader who understands the vital role small businesses play in our communities. Nebraska is home to over 180,000 small businesses. I look forward to working with her to ensure that small business owners receive the support they need to thrive and continue driving our local economies forward.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall Leads Bipartisan Effort to Improve Important Weather Forecasting Tools

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen the collection of weather and soil moisture data and improve the accuracy of extreme weather warnings and agriculture forecasts.
    “The mesonet and soil moisture monitoring probes are crucial tools for Kansans. Weather affects everything on the farm, and a deeper understanding of what’s happening above and below the ground provides farmers more certainty when making crop decisions,” said Senator Marshall. “Better weather data collection for Kansas also helps us predict wildfires and tornadoes before they arrive, which has the potential to save lives in cases of extreme weather. I’m proud to introduce this important, bipartisan legislation.”
    “For Hawai‘i and other states vulnerable to floods, droughts, and severe weather, better data means better forecasts, better prepared communities, and faster emergency response times,” said Senator Schatz. “This same data also helps farmers and ranchers navigate droughts.”
    The Improving Flood and Agricultural Forecasts Act of 2025 codifies and expands the National Mesonet Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and updates other programs that are crucial to Kansans, such as the National Drought Information System and the Soil Moisture Monitoring Network. 
    You may click HERE to read the full bill text. 
    BACKGROUND:
    Mesonets are weather observation data tools that observe and track mesoscale weather events, and they are crucial for collecting hyperlocal meteorological data, such as soil moisture and stream gauges, to better forecast weather, flood, fire, and agricultural impacts. 
    Improving the National Mesonet Program and outlining its objectives through this bill would give NOAA authority to address critical gaps in weather data and forecasting. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Senator Marshall and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins Hold Fireside Chat at Top Producer Summit and Join RFD-TV to Discuss Agricultural Priorities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    Kansas City – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) welcomed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to Kansas this week. They made multiple stops around the state at key Kansas agriculture locations and ended their trip by attending Top Producer Summit in Kansas City where they held a fireside chat which was moderated by Senator Marshall.
    During the conversation, Secretary Rollins discussed her background and priorities for improving American agriculture. Both Senator Marshall and Secretary Rollins emphasized that they are not just fighting for policies, but fighting for the American farmer and rancher who put so much on the line to feed our country and the world. Senator Marshall and Secretary Rollins also discussed the importance of cutting government regulations and increasing agricultural production. 
    In addition, Senator Marshall and Secretary Rollins joined RFD-TV to discuss tariffs, their commitment to working with President Trump to help ranchers and farmers, and the status of the next Farm Bill.
    You may click HERE  to watch Senator Marshall’s full interview with RFD-TV.
    Highlights from the interview include:
    Senator Marshall on how rural farmers are struggling and what can be done:
    “As the Secretary mentioned, there’s been a record drop in net farm income. But the opportunities are there. The dairy industry is growing in Kansas. The cattle industry is growing as well. Biofuels are huge opportunities as well. So I think again, in the spirit of optimism, rolling back regulations. The Secretary was very involved before in the previous Trump Administration, rolling back Waters of the U.S. Our farmers and ranchers are being strangled by regulation, so we are looking forward to rolling those back as well.”
    Senator Marshall on the importance and function of tariffs:
    “Farmers and ranchers support President Trump. They know under Trump 1.0 that he gave us USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement)… He used those tariffs for the long-term gain of the farmers. [President Trump is] the best deal maker that you’ve ever met, and he’s going to make a deal with India. And I think India will replace China as one of our top markets as well, but not if they’re tariffing us 50% and we’re not tariffing them. So I think there are huge opportunities. We’ve got a deal maker in DC now, and the Secretary is gonna be right there pushing them down that road as well.”
    Senator Marshall on the outlook of the next Farm Bill:
    “We’ll get done this year. I am looking forward to working with Senator Klobuchar who’s the new ranking member for the Democrats… So, I think working with her and Senator Bozeman, we’ll get it across the finish line. We will put the farm back in Farm Bill. We’ll take care of the crop insurance. We’re going to take care of reference prices and maybe expand the guardrails for the conservation program so that the farmers and ranchers can actually use them. So, we’ll put the farm back in Farm Bill. We’ll get it done.”
    Senator Marshall on working with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins:
    “Secretary Rollins lives, breathes, and eats this agriculture world. And I think she did a great job communicating what was on her heart. She was born and raised in agriculture and that agriculture isn’t just an industry, it’s a way of life. And then her relationship with President Trump over the last eight years, and what a huge priority rural America is to President Trump. 90% of rural Americans voted for President Trump. That’s not lost on him, and he wants us to do everything that he can to make rural America great again.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy: It is disgraceful to waste taxpayer dollars on biased public broadcasting

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

    Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
    WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) highlighted some of the biased reporting from National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and argued that the federal government should not keep subsidizing these programs through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in a speech on the Senate floor.
    Key excerpts of the speech are below:
    “At least half of America would look at these headlines and be offended. They would be offended . . . really for three reasons. Number one, they disagree with opinion journalism. Number two, they would disagree with the headline. And number three, they would disagree with the fact that these headlines are not fair. They are not objective. They are obviously slanted to one point of view, and they are using taxpayer money.” 
    . . . 
    “I have introduced legislation, not to eliminate the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, not to eliminate the Public Broadcasting Service, and not to eliminate the National Public Radio—they can go exist on their own if they want to—but I do want to defund them.
    “We are running $36 trillion in debt. This is disgraceful in 2025. It is disgraceful whether it is left-of-center opinion journalism or right-of-center opinion journalism. It is disgraceful to the American people to have to fund this rot. It doesn’t mean the rot doesn’t have a right to exist, but they don’t have a right to taxpayer money.”
    Watch Kennedy’s full speech here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven: Howard Lutnick Confirmed as Commerce Secretary

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
    02.18.25
    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven issued the following statement after the Senate confirmed Howard Lutnick to serve as Secretary of Commerce:
    “We congratulate Secretary Howard Lutnick on his confirmation. During the confirmation process, he committed to increase our nation’s competitiveness and bring supply chains back to the U.S. Secretary Lutnick will play a vital role as President Trump negotiates better trade agreements, with the goal of securing better trade terms for American farmers, ranchers and producers on a long term basis. We look forward to working with him to increase trade, grow our economy and make our nation more competitive.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed, Colleagues Request Information on Elon Musk’s Access to VA Medical Records

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
    WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is teaming up with Senator Jon Ossoff, the Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (Milcon-VA) to safeguard veterans’ private information, asking questions about unelected billionaire Elon Musk’s access to veterans’ medical records and Musk’s dysfunctional and ineffective cost-cutting directives that could make it harder for veterans to get the care they deserve. 
    Reed and Ossoff, along with Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and fellow Subcommittee members Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Gary Peters (D-MI) are pressing U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to protect veterans, their families, and VA staff from unprecedented access to sensitive information by Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
    The Trump Administration is severely reducing VA staffing levels.  And according to a recent report by Military.com, DOGE employees had accessed VA computer systems at the Department’s headquarters in Washington, DC.
    “We understand that personnel reporting to Mr. Musk have recently visited VA facilities,” the five senators wrote to VA Secretary Collins. “Senators, veterans, and members of the public have serious concerns regarding Mr. Musk’s extraordinary and unprecedented activities and the lack of transparency surrounding them, including his potential access to and handling of sensitive or personal information.”
    “Accordingly, we seek specific information regarding VA’s engagement with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”),” they continued.
    The U.S. Senators requested a list of DOGE personnel who have visited VA facilities, the systems they accessed, and whether veteran data — including medical and service records — may have been viewed, run through AI/LLM programs, copied, or transferred. The group also requested that Secretary Collins reveal the nature of the agreement under which DOGE personnel are governed by in their engagement with the VA.
    The VA’s mission is to help veterans successfully transition to civilian life and assists them in their post-service journey by ensuring they have access to the benefits they earned.  The VA offers veterans and their families a wide range of services, including healthcare, housing, education, training, disability compensation and pension assistance, and more.
    Read the full letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: Mullin, Cortez Masto Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Make it Easier for Indian Health Services to Recruit and Retain Doctors

    US Senate News:

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

    RELEASE: Mullin, Cortez Masto Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Make it Easier for Indian Health Services to Recruit and Retain Doctors

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) reintroduced their bipartisan legislation to make it easier for Indian Health Services (IHS) to recruit and retain medical workers. Specifically, this legislation, the IHS Workforce Parity Act, improves health care in Tribal communities by allowing providers working part-time to access IHS scholarship and loan repayment programs. Last Congress, this bill passed the Senate unanimously but did not receive a vote in the House of Representatives.
    Historically, IHS has a 25% vacancy rate for health care providers, and the IHS Workforce Parity Act would help attract new doctors and nurses to both the agency and Tribal health facilities that serve over 2.5 million American Indian and Alaskan Native Tribal members.
    “I am confident our legislation will help address the current difficulty IHS is facing in recruiting and retaining health care professionals,” said Senator Mullin. “Rural health care providers like IHS have unique staffing needs, and our bill offers a flexible, cost-effective solution to ensure IHS maintains a competitive edge when considering new recruits. In strengthening the workforce, IHS can ensure a proper quality of care to their patients and improve patient outcomes.”
    “The severe shortage of IHS health care providers poses a threat to the quality of care that Nevadans in Tribal communities receive. That is unacceptable,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “It is time for Congress to come together to pass my common sense, bipartisan legislation and provide real solutions for Indian Country.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Presses VA Deputy Secretary Nominee on Mass Firings of VA Researchers, Holding Oracle Accountable to Get EHR Right for Veterans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: Senator Murray: Trump Must Reverse Firing of VA Researchers Across the Country, Threatens to Decimate Lifesaving Work on Veterans’ Medical Care, Prosthetics, and More
    ICYMI: Murray, Colleagues Request Information on Elon Musk’s Access to VA Medical Records
    ***VIDEO of Murray’s Q&A at nomination hearing HERE**
    Washington, D.C. – Today at a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on Dr. Paul Lawrence’s nomination to be Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, questioned Dr. Lawrence—who will oversee the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system—on what he will do differently to hold Oracle accountable and get the EHR system right for veterans in Washington state. Murray also pressed him on whether he supports the decision by Trump and Musk last week to fire en masse VA researchers in the middle of research on everything from burn pit exposure to mental health, opioid addiction, and preventing veteran suicide, among much else.
    “EHR started in 2018 under President Trump and in 2020, it deployed to two Washington state VA hospitals. Instead of helping to improve our veterans’ health care, the rollout ending up being a complete disaster, and it endangered veteran patients,” Murray said at today’s hearing. “Unfortunately, the system still is not working the way that the VA doctors and nurses need—and veterans are continuing  to suffer. Last month, the VA announced that it would be moving forward with pre-deployment activities at the next four sites for this Electronic Health Record.”
    “You will oversee the EHR program—so if confirmed, I want to know what you are going to do differently to hold Oracle accountable and to make sure we get this system right for our veterans?”
    Dr. Lawrence replied that he would aim to better understand why VA did not listen to employees earlier when they raised issued with the EHR system, and that he would work with the team Secretary Collins plans to convene with “everybody involved” to figure out the best path going forward for EHR. “If confirmed, I want to work on that and figure out what the plan should be in terms of holding everybody accountable for what’s supposed to take place, right, to get the most benefits as quickly as possible to our veterans within the amount of money we have,” Dr. Lawrence said.
    “Well let me make this very clear: we have heard that answer from every VA person that’s come before this committee for a number of years now,” Murray pushed back. “Everybody’s looked at it, everybody’s considered it, everybody’s talked about it, everybody’s convened panels. It is not working. So, I need your commitment that it’s not just—convene people and take a look at, but that you are going to make changes to it and demand changes, and get those fixed. Because we have spent, literally, millions and millions of dollars—and worse, veterans are still in jeopardy in their care, and doctors and nurses and VA facilities are really frustrated.”
    “I asked you a really important question: what are you going to do differently? The answer you gave me—I understand where you’re coming from—but it is the same one I’ve heard over and over,” Murray said.
    Dr. Lawrence responded that the Secretary conveyed a “strong sense of urgency that it should be done much sooner than later,” and that, in his previous tenure at VA as Under Secretary for Benefits, he dealt with technology problems around the GI Bill, appeals modernization, and other issues, and implemented technology: “I’ve actually done this, and so that’s the difference I will bring to this. And I understand the frustration, and I pledge to work as best, as hard as I can to get this done,” said Dr. Lawrence.
    “Well I don’t want to be sitting here again, two years from now, same conversation, new person,” Murray said.
    Murray continued her questioning by pressing Dr. Lawrence on Trump and Elon Musk’s unprecedented firings of VA researchers—last week the administration abruptly refused to honor researchers’ three-year “Not to Exceed” term limits (NTEs) by rolling them over as is standard. Instead, the Trump administration immediately dismissing researchers, including at VA Puget Sound, who were in the middle of research on topics including mental health, alcohol and opioid withdrawal, cancer treatments, burn pit exposure, prosthetics, diabetic ulcers, and so much else.
    “Last week, my office’s phones were ringing off the hook—as I assume a lot of people’s were—with really panicked calls from researchers at the VA. They had been laid off with ZERO justification, ZERO warning,” Murray said.
    “And in fact, up until then, the VA had assured them that they were protected from Trump and Musk’s mass firings. VA research shouldn’t be political. And firing VA researchers who are in the middle of a process to find life-saving treatment for veterans with conditions like PTSD, or opioid addiction, or cancer from toxic exposure is really cruel and wasteful. Some veterans are literally in the middle of receiving breakthrough treatment through these clinical trials. What will happen to them and their care when their lead researcher was just fired?”
    “Were you aware of the Trump Administration’s decision to fire these VA researchers?,” Murray asked.Dr. Lawrence responded that he was “not engaged” in anything at the Department now.
    “Do you support it?,” Murray pressed.Dr. Lawrence replied: “If confirmed, I will look into this to better understand what took place—I don’t have enough information to comment on that.”
    “So you won’t commit to restoring these VA researchers’ positions so they can continue that research on PTSD, and opioid addiction, and cancer that was caused by their exposure to toxic chemicals?” Murray pressed again.
    “If confirmed, I commit to looking in to understand what happened and why,” said Dr. Lawrence. “Well, I hope that’s not like every other answer we get from people that we are hearing from that they’ll look into it and no action is taken—you’ve just promised to look into it; this is critical,” said Senator Murray.
    “I understand,” said Dr. Lawrence.
    Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee—as the daughter of a World War II veteran, supporting veterans and their families has always been an important priority for her. Senator Murray has fought throughout her career for increased benefits for veterans, housing assistance, better access to veterans’ clinics throughout Washington state, and more accountability from the VA.
    Senator Murray has spoken out forcefully against President Trump and Elon Musk’s mass firing of VA employees across the country. Just yesterday, Murray and her colleagues sent a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins pressing him to protect veterans, their families, and VA staff from unprecedented access to sensitive information by Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). Earlier this month, Senator Murray sounded the alarm over reports of DOGE at the VA and voted against Doug Collins’s nomination to be VA Secretary, making clear that the Trump administration’s lawlessness was putting our national security and our veterans at risk. Alongside 25 of her colleagues, Murray sent another letter earlier this month to Secretary Collins, demanding that he deny and sever Musk and DOGE’s access to any VA or other government system with information about veterans, and to delete any veterans’ information in their possession.
    Senator Murray has been conducting oversight on the flawed EHR rollout in Washington state since the Trump Administration first negotiated the contract with Cerner (later acquired by Oracle), and at every point in the process since then. Murray has consistently pushed VA on its failed implementation of EHR—conducting oversight, holding the administration accountable, and calling on VA to halt deployment of EHR until they get it right in Washington state. In March 2023, Murray introduced comprehensive legislation that would require VA to implement a series of EHR reforms to better serve veterans, medical personnel, and taxpayers. In the Fiscal Year 2024 funding bills, Senator Murray negotiated and passed as Chair of the Appropriations Committee stronger language to hold VA and Cerner accountable for the rollout of the EHR system, and in May 2024, she sent a letter urging VA to consider feedback on the system from providers and veterans in Spokane and Walla Walla and reiterating that VA must not move forward on the rollout of EHR until the myriad issues that have plagued the system in the locations where it has been launched are fixed.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Names Small Business of the Week, Sweetheart Bakery and Homer’s Deli

    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: Sweetheart Bakery and Homer’s Deli of Clinton County. Throughout the 119th Congress, Chair Ernst plans to recognize a small business in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.
    “Founded by real sweethearts almost 75 years ago, Sweetheart Bakery and Homer’s Deli continues to operate as a family business today,” said Chair Ernst. “Whether it is their homemade breads, custom cakes, or original Blarney Stones, the Thornton family sure knows how to rise to the occasion!”
    In 1950, Charlie and Florence Thornton opened Sweetheart Bakery using original family recipes on Main Avenue. In 1978, their son, Charles, and his wife, Joanne, expanded the business, moving it one block west into its current storefront in the Lyons business district. After decades of success baking generational recipes made from scratch, Charles’ son, Chuck, and his wife, Brenda, purchased the bakery. Upon taking over, they merged the family bakery with Homer’s Deli, a restaurant they also owned next door. Today, their children, Derek and Shauna, help run and manage the store. In March, the business will celebrate its 75th anniversary in Iowa.
    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: Lankford Leads Bill to Stop Drug Smuggling at the Southern Border

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford
    WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK), Chairman on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs SubcommitteeonBorder Management, Federal Workforce and Regulatory Affairs, introduced the Border Enforcement, Security, and Trade (BEST) Facilitation Act to support border law enforcement by providing additional personnel to scan cargo for illegal drugs and guns or human smuggling. 
    “Adding more personnel at ports of entry will immediately provide our country with another layer of security to prevent traffickers from smuggling weapons or drugs across the border. Border law enforcement has repeatedly asked for more support to analyze cargo images in real time, so this bill also gives them tools they need to catch criminals and secure our border,” said Lankford. 
    Lankford is joined on this bill by Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and John Cornyn (R-TX).
    Border law enforcement told Lankford directly that addressing this issue would help them better enforce the law at our ports of entry. The bill creates within Customs and Border Protection (CBP), positions for what are called “image technicians” who will review and assess scans of cargo images and either recommend entry to the primary inspection CBP officer or refer for further inspection any cargo they suspect may have illegal or illicit items.
    The bill also creates the position of “supervisory image technicians” to review and assess difficult-to- review images in addition to the regular duties of imagetechnicians. This position will also receive, report, and disseminate intelligence to and from the National Targeting Center to image adjudicators. The bill would also mandate training and annual assessments for imagetechnicians, require the development of a workforce staffing model, and institute reporting requirements.
    This legislation is supported by US Travel, Border Trade Alliance, National Sheriffs Association, and National Association of Counties.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Markey, Merkley, Welch Press Google on Changes to AI Commitments

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Letter Text (PDF)

    Washington (February 19, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) wrote to Google CEO Sundar Pichai with concerns that the company has recently reversed promises to not develop potentially harmful and dangerous AI technologies.

    In the letter the lawmakers write, “For years, Google’s AI Principles have allowed the public to understand the company’s values for the development and deployment of new technologies. The company first published the AI Principles in 2018 following employee backlash to one of its contracts.”

    The lawmakers continue, “Google removed those limitations on the development and deployment of AI products, among other changes to its AI Principles. A blog post accompanying these revisions made no reference to the removal of these long-standing commitments. Instead, the blog highlighted Google’s new core tenets in AI developments. The closest the post came to referencing these critical changes was its noting Google’s commitment to ‘pursue AI responsibly throughout the development and deployment lifecycle.’ This vague language does not provide any guidelines on the types of technology Google will or will not develop, raising more questions than answers and sparking concerns from Google’s current and former employees.”

    The lawmakers request Mr. Pichai respond to the following questions by March 7, 2025:

    • Please describe Google’s rationale for revising its AI Principles, especially its decision to remove the limitation on developing AI products for weapons or certain surveillance applications. 
    • Is Google currently developing or has Google currently deployed any AI products or potential projects that could be considered a weapon? 
      • If so, please provide detailed description of those projects. 
      • Going forward, if Google develops AI weapons projects, how does Google intended to mitigate the risks they pose?
    • Is Google developing or has Google currently deployed any AI products or potential projects that could be used for surveillance purposes in violation of internationally accepted norms? 
      • If so, please provide detailed description of those projects. 
      • Going forward, if Google develops AI surveillance projects in violation of internationally accepted norms, how does Google intended to mitigate the risks they pose?
    • Is Google developing or has Google currently deployed any AI products or potential products that could cause or are likely to cause overall harm? 
      • If so, please provide detailed description of those projects. 
      • Going forward, if Google develops AI projects that could cause or are likely to cause overall harm, how does Google intended to mitigate the risks they pose?
    • The new Google AI Principles state the company will ensure “appropriate human oversight, due diligence, and feedback mechanisms to align with user goals, social responsibility, and widely accepted principles of international law and human rights.” Please provide a detailed description of how Google plans to uphold these commitments.
    • The new Google AI Principles state the company will “employ rigorous design, testing, monitoring, and safeguards to mitigate unintended or harmful outcomes and avoid unfair bias.” Please provide a detailed description of how Google plans to uphold these commitments, including a detailed description of the testing and monitoring Google intends to implement.  
    • Will Google commit that any AI development that conflicts with the 2018 principles will include robust stakeholder consultation, including collaboration with workers, relevant experts, and impacted communities? If not, why not?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman, Colleagues Mark 80th Anniversary of Iwo Jima

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) joined Senators Todd Young (R-IN) and Mark Warner (D-VA) to introduce a bipartisan resolution recognizing the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima. The major clash between U.S. and Japanese forces in World War II’s Pacific theater began on February 19, 1945, and lasted until March 26, 1945.

    “The 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima is a solemn yet important reminder of the sacrifice of the Greatest Generation,” said Boozman. “The resilience and courage of our U.S. Marines was famously characterized as a display of uncommon valor. Decades later, we continue to remember and honor our servicemembers’ heroism. I am proud to join my colleagues in recognizing them, this milestone and the vital partnership between our nation and Japan today.”                            

    “For myself, every Marine, and many Americans, Iwo Jima is a symbol of duty and sacrifice,” said Young. “I’m proud to lead this resolution that recognizes the heroic servicemembers who gave their lives at Iwo Jima, honors those who fought in the battle, and reaffirms our reconciled friendship with Japan.” 

    “I’m proud to introduce this resolution to pay tribute to the service and the sacrifice of all the heroes who fought for our country at Iwo Jima, which included my late father, Marine Corporal Robert Warner. The 80th anniversary of this pivotal battle offers us an opportunity to reflect on the bravery and perseverance of the Greatest Generation, and is an enduring reminder about the power of courage and unity in the face of adversity,” said Warner. 

    More specifically, the resolution:

    • Honors the Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, Army Air Crew and Coast Guardsmen who fought bravely on Iwo Jima;
    • Remembers the brave servicemembers who lost their lives in the battle;
    • Commemorates the iconic and historic raising of the United States flag on Mount Suribachi that occurred on February 23, 1945;
    • Encourages Americans to honor the veterans of Iwo Jima; and
    • Reaffirms the bonds of friendship and shared values that have developed between the United States and Japan over the last 80 years.

    The resolution is also cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Chris Coons (D-CT), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Angus King (I-ME), Rick Scott (R-FL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Jack Reed (D-RI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jim Justice (R-WV), Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Adam Schiff (D-CA).

    Click here for full text of the resolution.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Urge President Trump to Reject Republican Budget Raising Costs for Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    February 19, 2025
    More than 30 Democratic senators demand Trump reject GOP budget proposals “Republican budget plans do not focus on lowering costs, and in fact will raise costs for American families by forcing them to pay more for groceries, health care, education, and caregiving.”
    Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they are demanding Donald Trump reject Congressional Republicans’ legislative plans to increase the cost of living for Americans after pledging to lower costs on “Day One” of his presidency. 
    The letter to Trump from Wyden, Merkley and 30 other Democratic senators —more than two-thirds of the party caucus— comes after Congressional Republicans last week approved their 2025 budget proposals for floor consideration, their blueprints for a large legislative package that they hope to pass in the coming months.
    “But the Republican budget plans do not focus on lowering costs, and in fact will raise costs for American families by forcing them to pay more for groceries, health care, education, and caregiving,” wrote the senators.
    The senators explained that the Republicans’ budget plans will do the following:
    Raise food costs: The Republican budget plans tee up extensive cuts to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and Meals on Wheels.  
    Raise health care costs: The Republican budget plans also pave the way for 15 Republican proposals to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act coverage. These Republican cuts would raise health care costs for more than 160 million Americans.
    Raise education costs: The Republican budget plans set them up to pass cuts to programs that help families afford college, including Pell Grants and income-driven repayment plans, and tax scholarships for hard-working students. 
    Raise caregiving costs: The Republican budget plans pave the way to cutting programs that help families care for kids, people with disabilities, and aging loved ones. Cuts to these essential programs will make it impossible for many working families to live and work with dignity. 
    “If Congressional Republicans are successful at passing their proposals, it will mean that families will pay more for food, healthcare, education, and caregiving – while Republicans plot more tax cuts for billionaires,” concluded the senators. “We urge you to stand by the promises you made to the American people about lowering costs, including by committing not to sign any legislation that raises their costs.”
    In addition to Wyden and Merkley, the letter was led by U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. The letter was also signed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Mark Warner, D-Va., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Ed Markey, D-Mass., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Peter Welch, D-Maine, Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., and Andy Kim, D-N.J.
    Full text of the letter is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King Working to Protect Maine’s Coastal Ecosystem

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, is introducing legislation to help improve conditions for kelp forest and marine life. The Help Our Kelp Act — which also has a companion bill in the House of Representatives — would invest federal resources to address ongoing crises that kelp forest ecosystems face along the Maine coastline and across the country.
    Kelp forest ecosystems in Maine and along the nation’s shores provide food and habitat for hundreds of fish and marine mammals. These aquatic regions stabilize Maine’s coasts allowing for responsible economic activities including fishing, shipping and innovations in the blue economy. Over the last 50 years, changes in climate, poor water quality and overfishing have damaged between 40-60 percent of America’s kelp forests.
    “Kelp forests are key to helping keep our waters clean — and healthy waters make for healthy people,” said Senator King. “However, climate change and human activity are having devastating consequences on our coastal ecosystems, putting at harm the iconic Maine fishery and our coastal communities. The Help Our Kelp Act is an important  investment that will help to restore these intricate, sensitive underwater habitats, and better protect Maine’s waters and way of life. I want to thank my colleagues for acknowledging the importance of our kelp forests and am encouraged that we are coming together in the House and Senate to safeguard this critical ecological and economic resource.”
    The Help Our Kelp Act would:
    Establish a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant program to fund conservation, restoration, and management efforts to support kelp forest ecosystems;
    Take steps to address the greatest relative regional declines, long-term ecological or socioeconomic resilience, and focal recovery areas identified by Tribal, federal, or state management plans;
    Authorize $5 million annually for FY2026 through FY2030.
    In the Senate, this legislation is led by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and cosponsored by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA).
    Bill text can be found here and a bill summary can be found here.
    As a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Senator King has been a longtime advocate for Maine’s wild ecosystems. For his dedication to preserving the outdoors, Senator King was awarded the inaugural National Park Foundation Hero Award. Last year, Senator King helped secure critical funding for the American Lobster Research Program—an organization that supports projects to address critical knowledge gaps about American lobster and its fishery in a dynamic and changing environment. Senator King also helped pass the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act, legislation that provides approval for the restoration of a Maine fishway to allow fish such as herring, alewives, and the endangered Atlantic salmon to migrate upstream.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 02/19/2025 PHOTO: Blackburn Hosts Tele-Town Hall with Middle Tennesseans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after hosting a telephone town hall with residents from Montgomery, Rutherford, Wilson, and Williamson counties: 

    “During my tele-town hall, I heard from hardworking Tennesseans who are excited for what President Trump plans to do – and has already done – in his second term,” said Senator Blackburn. “From holding the federal government accountable through the Department of Government Efficiency to securing the border, slashing reckless spending, and unleashing American energy, President Trump is going to bat for Tennesseans and ushering in a new golden age of America. I will continue to support the America-first agenda in the Senate to address the issues that matter most to families across the Volunteer State.” 

    Click here to download this photo of Senator Blackburn.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Risch Names the Stagecoach Inn as the February Small Business of the Month

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho James E Risch

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch, senior member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, announced the selection of the Stagecoach Inn in Garden City as the Idaho Small Business of the Month for February 2025. The Stagecoach Inn will be recognized for its contribution to the community in the Congressional Record of the U.S. Senate. 

    “The Stagecoach Inn has been a feature of Idaho’s political and social landscape for decades,” said Risch. “This Treasure Valley institution has been around since 1959 and is now owned by Wanda Martinat and Fred and Francie Oliver. I’m proud to recognize the Stagecoach Inn as the February Small Business of the Month.”

    Idaho is consistently ranked one of the best places in the country to do business. Each month, Senator Risch selects an Idaho small business that exemplifies the Idaho values of hard work, entrepreneurial spirit, and exceptional commitment to the community.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Colleagues Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Small Businesses Bid for Federal Contracts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper, Jim Risch, Mike Crapo, and Todd Young reintroduced the bipartisan Simplifying Subcontracting Act, which would make it easier for small businesses to apply for contracts with the federal government.
    “Dense and technical language discourages small businesses from competing for government contracts,” said Hickenlooper. “Our bipartisan bill helps even the playing field.”
    “Small businesses are vital to our economy but are often left out in federal government contracting due to overly complicated, bureaucratic language,” said Risch. “The Simplifying Subcontracting Act requires certain federal government contracts to use plain language, enabling more small businesses to compete for these contracts.”
    Government contracts often contain highly technical and specialized language that can deter small businesses from applying for government contracts. The bipartisan Simplifying Subcontracting Act is a straightforward bill that would require prime contractors to use plain, understandable language when they offer subcontracting opportunities.
    Hickenlooper originally introduced this legislation in the 118th Congress.
    Full text of the bill is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Announces Legislation to Audit U.S. Tax Dollars Sent to Ukraine

    US Senate News:

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

    Tuesday, February 18, 2025

    U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) released the following statements this afternoon, demanding a new inspector general be created to investigate the billions in American tax dollars spent on aid to Ukraine.

    Senator Hawley is renewing his push today for an independent watchdog to oversee and audit Ukraine aid after a Democrat-controlled Senate voted down his legislation to establish one back in 2023. 

    The Senator has argued that Americans deserve an immediate accounting of every tax dollar spent on Ukraine aid, in light of the wasteful spending recently unveiled within the United States Agency for International Development.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Budd Leads Bipartisan Inquiry Into Chinese DeepSeek on Pentagon Devices

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ted Budd (R-North Carolina)
    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senators Ted Budd (R-NC), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) sent a letter to Acting Chief Information Officer at the Department of Defense, Leslie A. Beavers, requesting information on, “how many Department employees connected their work computers and/or mobile devices to Chinese servers via the DeepSeek Application”.
    Read the text of the letter:
    We write to express our concern that Department of Defense (DOD) employees accessed the Chinese artificial intelligence application DeepSeek on their work devices and, as a result, Chinese servers.
    We understand that the National Security Council (NSC) is currently reviewing the national security implications of DeepSeek and expect this will be an ongoing conversation between Congress, the NSC, and relevant agencies. However, in the immediate term, we request that the Department provide information regarding potential impacts to the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN) and the Department of Defense Information Network (DODIN) of the recent incident.
    The office of the Director of National Intelligence’s 2024 Annual Threat Assessment states that “China remains the most active and persistent cyber threat to the U.S. Government, private-sector and critical infrastructure networks”. This is evidenced by the recent Salt Typhoon Hack, a breach of at least eight U.S. telecommunications providers, among many other reports of cyberattacks originating from China.
    It is also our understanding, based on the DoD’s Use of Mobile Applications 2023 report, that misuse of mobile applications on DoD personnel devices may not be simply a series of isolated incidents. While our immediate concern is to understand the impact of DoD employees’ access to DeepSeek on national security, we are also interested in understanding the DoD’s policy regarding mobile device applications to the end of ensuring we are diminishing cybersecurity risks associated with certain platforms.
    Therefore, we request answers to the following questions by no later than March 4, 2025.
    How many Department employees connected their work computers and/or mobile devices to Chinese servers via the DeepSeek Application?
    Has the DeepSeek app now been deleted from all DoD devices? If not, what steps will you take to ensure the DeepSeek app is removed from all DoD devices?
    What steps have been made to limit access on DoD devices to only those applications with a justified and approved need?
    What is the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA’s) initial assessment about whether Chinese servers were able to access and exfiltrate sensitive information due to Department personnel use of DeepSeek?
    How has the use of the DeepSeek app by Department personnel impacted the operational and cybersecurity risks to the DISN as well as the DODIN?
    What guidance or training has DISA shared with Department employees regarding accessing Chinese AI app DeepSeek or any other Chinese-affiliated app?
    We understand that the Navy issued guidance against using open-source AI systems for official work. What guidance (if any) are the other services and/or the Department issuing to employees?
    What is DISA’s process for assessing which networks, websites and or applications have a connection to the People’s Republic of China and what are DISA’s standard operating procedures when made aware of such a connection?
    What action (if any) has been taken regarding the DoD employees who connected their work computers and/or mobile devices to Chinese servers via the DeepSeek Application?
    Have all of the recommendations from Management Advisory: The DoD’s Use of Mobile Applications (Report No. DODIG-2023-041) been implemented? If not, why not?
    Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to hearing from you and working with the Department of Defense to keep our networks safe from persistent cyber threats.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz, Marshall Introduce Legislation To Improve Weather Forecasts, Help Communities Better Prepare For Extreme Weather

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) today introduced a bill to strengthen the collection of weather and soil moisture data, improving the accuracy of extreme weather warnings and agriculture forecasts. The Improving Flood and Agricultural Forecasts Act of 2025 codifies and expands the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Mesonet Program, an initiative that aims to fill gaps in local weather data that impact forecasting and disaster response, as well as supporting agriculture and other weather-dependent industries through improved data collection.

    “For Hawai‘i and other states vulnerable to floods, droughts, and severe weather, better data means better forecasts, better prepared communities, and faster emergency response times,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. “This same data also helps farmers and ranchers navigate droughts.”

    “The mesonet and soil moisture monitoring probes are crucial tools for Kansans. Weather affects everything on the farm, and a deeper understanding of what’s happening above and below the ground provides farmers more certainty when making crop decisions,” said Senator Marshall. “Better weather data collection for Kansas also helps us predict wildfires and tornadoes before they arrive, which has the potential to save lives in cases of extreme weather. I’m proud to introduce this important, bipartisan legislation.”

    Mesonets are weather observation data networks crucial for forecasting weather, flood, fire, and agricultural impacts. The legislation would provide grants to states, Tribes, private entities, and universities to expand local weather observation systems. By authorizing and enabling NOAA to purchase local weather data, assess its quality and cost-effectiveness, and integrate it into key forecasting systems, the bill aims to improve disaster preparedness and agricultural production nationwide. The legislation builds on Schatz’s efforts to increase funding for NOAA’s Mesonet Program, which has supported a key soil moisture sensing network in Hawai‘i.

    The text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Colleagues Request Information on Elon Musk’s Access to VA Medical Records

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: Senator Murray: Trump Must Reverse Firing of VA Researchers Across the Country, Threatens to Decimate Lifesaving Work on Veterans’ Medical Care, Prosthetics, and More
    ICYMI: FACT SHEET: Trump & Elon’s Layoffs Jeopardize Essential Services Americans Rely On, Threaten Critical Agency Objectives Keeping Americans Safe & Healthy
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, joined Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Gary Peters (D-MI) in pressing Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to protect veterans, their families, and VA staff from unprecedented access to sensitive information by Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). According to a recent report by Military.com, DOGE employees accessed VA computer systems at the Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
    “We understand that personnel reporting to Mr. Musk have recently visited VA facilities,” wrote the senators to Secretary Collins. “Senators, veterans, and members of the public have serious concerns regarding Mr. Musk’s extraordinary and unprecedented activities and the lack of transparency surrounding them, including his potential access to and handling of sensitive or personal information.”
    “Accordingly, we seek specific information regarding VA’s engagement with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency,” they continued.
    Senator Murray and her colleagues requested a list of DOGE personnel who have visited VA facilities, the systems they accessed, and whether veteran data—including medical and service records—may have been viewed, copied, or transferred. They also requested that Secretary Collins reveal the nature of the agreement under which DOGE personnel are governed by in their engagement with the VA.
    Senator Murray has spoken out forcefully against President Trump and Elon Musk’s mass firing of VA employees across the country who are in the middle of critical research on topics including mental health, alcohol and opioid withdrawal, cancer treatments, burn pit exposure, prosthetics, diabetic ulcers, and more. Earlier this month, Senator Murray sounded the alarm over reports of DOGE at the VA and voted against Collins’s nomination to be VA Secretary, making clear that the Trump administration’s lawlessness was putting our national security and our veterans at risk. Alongside 25 of her colleagues, Murray sent another letter earlier this month to Secretary Collins, demanding that he deny and sever Musk and DOGE’s access to any VA or other government system with information about veterans, and to delete any veterans’ information in their possession.
    The full text of the senators’ letter to Secretary Collins can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI—Hagerty Joins Squawk Box on CNBC to Discuss Budget Resolution, DOGE

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty

    WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations, Banking, and Foreign Relations Committees and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, today joined Squawk Box on CNBC to discuss the negotiations between the White House and Congress on the Budget Resolution, along with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) uncovering wasteful and fraudulent spending.

    *Click the photo above or here to watch*

    Partial Transcript

    Hagerty on the Budget Resolution negotiations: “There’s been a lot that’s been done by executive order, but in this case, we’re working very closely, again, with the House and the Senate together, and we’ll work closely with the White House as well. We’re coming up into a point where the American public really expects us to deliver. It’s about energy independence. It’s about our national defense. It’s about bringing inflation down. All of this has to be addressed, also in the context of the broader tax cuts that President Trump wants to see in place, because that will have long-term positive implications for the economy. So, it’s a complex process. The House is working at pace on its product. We’re moving forward in the Senate, and I’m certain the White House is going to step in, and we’re going to have to bring all of this together pretty soon […] I think the conversations are on a regular basis between Leader [John] Thune, and also Budget [Committee Chairman Lindsey] Graham, as well as with [the Speaker of] the House, Mike Johnson. I think they’re working very closely. Mike Johnson obviously has a higher hurdle. He’s got a very narrow margin to navigate with. They put a product together right now, a larger product. Senator Graham, the Budget Committee [Chairman], who put something together, that would be a little bit slimmer, really focused just on energy independence, national defense, and the Coast Guard. But what we’re trying to do is keep things moving forward and make certain that we’ve got options as we come into the spring here. But what I want to do, and I’m setting process aside, I’m not too hung up on whether it’s one bill, two bills, or three bills. I think President Trump feels the same way. We just need to deliver on what the American public has asked us to do. And that is to step up, bring inflation under control, get energy independence back on the forefront, and get our southern border corrected and fixed once and for all when it’s all said and done.”

    Hagerty on DOGE’s discoveries of wasteful spending: “The critical aspect of it here is that DOGE has been underway for three weeks. We’ve got to start moving in the right direction. We’re looking at a situation now where we’ve got a thirty-seven trillion-dollar budget deficit that is so significant, and we’ve got to begin moving again in the right direction to become more fiscally responsible. I think what DOGE is uncovering is the fact that there’s a considerable amount of waste, fraud, and abuse that’s in the system. If we go about the process of systematically uncovering that, two things will happen. One is that there’ll be immediate opportunities that DOGE will uncover that they can address. The other more significant component is that they’re going to be signaling back to the legislative branch that we’ve got major areas that we can come in, reform, modify, and cut, but the whole streamlining process ought to have, in the long run, not only the impact of reducing the deficit spending, but also increasing our efficiency as a nation. Both of those things combined, I think, will have very positive implications for our deficit, for our fiscal situation, in the long run. And I think it’s something that we’ve absolutely got to get started on. I think the American public are ready for it.”

    Hagerty on the success of confirming Trump’s cabinet nominees: “In terms of President Trump’s influence, the American public spoke loud and clear. We’re cognizant of that here in the Senate. The point is President Trump is entitled to his team. He’s put together an incredible team. They’re very disruptive. I think what we want to see, what the American public wants to see, is real change, and you’ve got people coming into office to do that.”

    Hagerty on the Democrats in disarray: “The Democrat party is coming unraveled. And I think frankly, a lot of their allies in the media are as well, because I’ve heard the term ‘constitutional crisis’ over and over again. And now that we’re presiding in the United States Senate, because the Republicans have taken the majority, I’ve had the benefit of sitting there on the Senate floor listening to, time and again, my Democrat colleagues coming in saying that if, for example, Russ Vought, who is now our OMB Director, were he to be confirmed as OMB Director, millions of people would die, that we’re in a constitutional crisis. This isn’t happening. There are not people piling up dead on the streets. And this crying wolf constantly, I think, just discredits the Democrat party. They need to figure out where their core is. They need to get back to the basics and join us in governing, rather than just these shrill cries, again, because I think people are just becoming numb to it.”

    Hagerty on negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war: “You’ve heard a lot of speculation about what’s taking place. One thing I want to be careful to do, Joe, is not get ahead of the negotiating team. Last night in Riyadh, they agreed to put a high-level team together to focus on bringing this to resolution. I think what we all want to see is an end to the death, to the carnage. What’s happened in Ukraine has been absolutely awful. I think we’d all like to see that come to an end. President Trump has clearly been focused on that. I’ll let that team get to the point of negotiating the details, and the last thing I’m going to do is try to get ahead of them and start speculating right now. But I think one thing is clear: the American public wants to see this come to an end. I think the world needs to see this come to an end as well, and I’m hopeful that that’s going to happen post haste.”

    Hagerty on the transparency of the Trump Administration: “In terms of bringing the country along, I’d go back to election day where seventy-five percent of the American public said that we were on the wrong track. They want to see change. I think that opens the opportunity for us. And if you look at what’s happening right now, President Trump is holding daily press conferences. That’s transparency that we’ve not seen in the past four years, and I think that’s refreshing to the American people. As you say, they may or may not agree with a particular policy point, but what we’ve seen is transparency at a level that we have not for many years.”

    Hagerty on resignations within the federal government: “This is disruption. Look, I’m from a corporate background, when you’ve got a situation like we’re facing right now, with amounts of debt and deficit spending that we’re dealing with, you’ve got to come in and deal with it in a very rapid pace. Some people are uncomfortable with that; I get it. They can find another place to work. I also lived in the first Administration; I served in President Trump’s first Administration. There were a number of people that resigned for high sounding reasons, but I think it really was having to do with their own career and where they hope to land next. So, I think we should just let this move forward. Again, it’s early in the process. There’s going to be disruption; there’s going to be change, but I think overall we’re moving the direction that the American public wants to see us move.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Votes NO On Advancing Lutnick for Commerce Secretary; Slams His Enthusiasm for Inflationary Tariffs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    02.18.25

    Cantwell Votes NO On Advancing Lutnick for Commerce Secretary; Slams His Enthusiasm for Inflationary Tariffs

    In speech on Senate floor, Cantwell says Trump’s pick to lead the Dept. of Commerce will rubber-stamp tariffs, slow domestic chip manufacturing, and hang NOAA out to dry; Cantwell also stresses: “Now is not the time to cut FAA staffing”

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, voted against confirming Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as Secretary of the Department of Commerce.

    In a speech delivered on the Senate floor, Sen. Cantwell urged her colleagues to follow suit.

    The next Secretary of Commerce will have to deal with a wide-ranging, growing list of issues, from trade and exports […], expanding broadband, weather forecasting, patent issues, export controls on A.I., and figuring out some of the most thorny issues related to how we move our country forward, generally, in commerce. So it’s fair to say that if the Commerce Secretary doesn’t get it right, the American people and our American economy pay the price. Unfortunately, I believe that Howard Lutnick, the President’s nominee, isn’t the right person for this job at this point in time,” Sen. Cantwell said.

    The Senate ultimately confirmed Lutnick 51-45.

    Earlier this month, Sen. Cantwell also voted against advancing Lutnick out of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and to the full Senate for consideration. At the time, she expressed her concerns with Lutnick’s support for President Trump’s proposed tariffs. She also pointed to Lutnick’s failure to commit to fully allocating the funds approved by Congress under the Cantwell-led CHIPS & Science Act, as well as his waffling on whether he’d protect NOAA – including NOAA’s crucial missions and functions, and the workforce delivering those services to the American people. Sen. Cantwell had previously questioned Lutnick on these topics in a committee hearing the week prior – video of that hearing is HERE.

    Sen. Cantwell on FAA and Aviation Safety:

    “I would just say this: now is not the time to cut FAA staffing,” Sen. Cantwell said on the Senate floor today. “It is critically clear to me that we need these air traffic controllers, and so we have to make these investments. We should be working together, right now, on aviation. The most important thing? Let’s work together for the benefit of the flying public to come up with the best solutions that we can implement in aviation safety. Taking a broad brush and just cutting people out of the FAA — when oftentimes they’re the people that are helping you get that safety — is not what we should be doing right now.”

    During her tenure as chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Sen. Cantwell sounded the alarm about the staffing shortage of air traffic controllers, need for more FAA safety inspectors, a series of aviation incidents and near-misses on and around runways, and the midair blowout of a door plug in January 2024. Last year, the Committee’s Aviation Subcommittee also highlighted FAA’s shortage of at least 800 airway transportation systems specialists – commonly known as technicians –  during a December 2024 hearing on “Air Traffic Control Systems, Personnel, and Safety”. Dave Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), the union representing FAA technicians, testified about the importance of closing the shortage and boosting this segment of the FAA workforce in order to keep FAA’s air traffic control systems and equipment safely running.

    She led the passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act, signed into law in May 2024, which boosts controller staffing, ensuring a five-year commitment to maximum hiring and training to close the current staffing gap. The law requires upgraded safety technologies – giving controllers better visibility into runway traffic – to be installed at every large and medium airport nationwide. The law also includes stricter safety standards for aircraft operators and plane manufacturers, as well as provisions to put more FAA safety inspectors on factory floors.

    On Feb. 6, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy calling on him to ensure that Elon Musk stays out of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), citing Musk’s clear conflicts of interest.

    Sen. Cantwell on Tariffs:

    “In my conversations with Mr. Lutnick and before his Commerce Committee hearing, he made it very clear that he intends to be very enthusiastic about the President’s plans for tariffs,” Sen. Cantwell said today. “My constituents want to see inflation come down, and they want us to lower costs, not increase them. Now that President Trump is teasing out even more tariffs in the coming days on autos, pharmaceuticals,  and semiconductors, it’s going to drive up costs for consumers […] We can’t afford inflation. We want prices to come down. Whether that’s on housing, or whether that’s on pharmaceuticals, or whether that’s on food prices, we know that tariffs can increase prices.”

    Earlier this month, Sen. Cantwell delivered a major speech on the Senate floor arguing that the president’s arbitrary tariffs would threaten domestic job creation and economic growth in an Information Age. She outlined a strategy focused on building coalitions, growing exports, and establishing principles to support innovation in the Information Age – video of that speech is HERE.

    In Washington state, two out of every five jobs are tied to trade and trade-related industries.  Combined, the state imported $1.21 billion worth of steel and aluminum last year – and the major industries and employers in Washington that rely on steel and aluminum include aerospace, shipbuilding, utilities, and electronics. When President Trump imposed steel tariffs in 2018, our trading partners immediately responded by imposing tariffs of their own on Washington products, especially agriculture, including cherries, apples, pears, and potatoes. Nationally, across all industries, the steel and aluminum tariffs resulted in a decrease in production worth about $3.4 billion per year, according to an ITC report.  More information on how President Trump’s proposed tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, and China would affect consumers and businesses in the State of Washington can be found HERE.

    Sen. Cantwell has remained a steadfast supporter of free trade to grow the economy in the State of Washington and nationwide. Sen. Cantwell was the leading voice in negotiations to end India’s 20% retaliatory tariff on American apples, which was imposed in response to tariffs on steel and aluminum and devastated Washington state’s apple exports. India had once been the second-largest export market for American apples, but after President Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum in his first term, India imposed retaliatory tariffs in response and U.S. apple exports plummeted. The impact on Washington apple growers was severe: Apple exports from the state dropped from $120 million in 2017 to less than $1 million by 2023.  In September 2023, following several years of Sen. Cantwell’s advocacy, India ended its retaliatory tariffs on apples and pulse crops which was welcome news to the state’s more than 1,400 apple growers and the 68,000-plus workers they support.

    Sen. Cantwell on Semiconductor Manufacturing:

    “We learned during the chips crisis that even the cost of a used car went up $2,000. That’s because chips were at a shortage — car industries, trucking industries couldn’t even get enough chips to make and ship cars, and then the consequence was even used cars went up $2,000. So we don’t want to recreate that again,” Sen. Cantwell said today. “We want a Commerce Secretary who is going to fight for the CHIPS & Science investment that’s already been made in the electronic manufacturing process in the United States and keep the semiconductor industry right here. But unfortunately, Mr. Lutnick, before the Committee, would not commit to standing by the commitments of the term sheets the Department of Commerce has already signed.”

    Sen. Cantwell was the main architect and key negotiator of the CHIPS & Science Act. In her position as Commerce chair, she was instrumental in securing the science R&D funding authorizations in the 11th hour of negotiations. A key component of the legislation is the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs) program that was authored by Sen. Cantwell to strengthen U.S. economic and national security with investments in regions across the country. Earlier this month, the American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center (AAMMC) in Spokane was awarded $48 million from the program to establish the first-of-its-kind testbed facility in the United States focused on developing advanced thermoplastic materials – new types of lightweight, heat-moldable, and recyclable materials that can replace metal in aircraft parts. The AAMMC will serve as the nation’s hub for creating and testing these innovative materials that are essential for more rapidly building fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft. 

    Sen. Cantwell on NOAA:

    “When asked for the record, ‘Should NOAA be dismantled, as called for in Project 2025?’, Mr. Lutnick would only say he’ll figure it out once he’s confirmed,” Sen. Cantwell said today. “We needed a bigger commitment to NOAA. NOAA already supplies a big, important aspect of what we deal with, with weather forecasting, tracking extreme weather, hurricanes, wildfires, managing our fisheries, operating ships that conduct important charting for national security. Mr. Lutnick gave very tepid support for NOAA.”

    Project 2025 calls for NOAA to be “dismantled and many of its functions eliminated,” calling it part of the “climate change alarm industry.” NOAA provides critical services to the Nation including weather forecasts, extreme storm tracking and monitoring, tools to enable communities to adapt to sea level rise and climate change, supporting fisheries management, and conserving marine mammals and other protected species.

    Sen. Cantwell is a champion of NOAA and helped secure $3.3 billion in NOAA investments in the Inflation Reduction Act to help communities prepare for and adapt to climate change, boost science needed to understand changing weather and climate patterns, and invest in advanced computer technologies that are critical for extreme weather prediction and emergency response. Her Fire Ready Nation Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen NOAA’s ability to help forecast, prevent, and fight wildfires, passed the Commerce committee unanimously earlier this month and now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

    Video of Sen. Cantwell’s speech on the Senate floor today is available HERE, and transcript HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Capito Votes to Confirm Lutnick for Commerce Secretary

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, issued the following statement after voting to confirm Howard Lutnick to serve as the next Secretary of Commerce:

    “Improving broadband connectivity, ensuring fair trade for businesses, and making sure the Department of Commerce supports West Virginia’s effort to expand economic opportunities are all issues important to West Virginia, and areas I believe Secretary Lutnick will prioritize as our next Commerce Secretary. I am encouraged by Secretary Lutnick’s expertise and qualifications to serve in this role, and I look forward to a strong and productive working relationship with him,” Senator Capito said.

    Senator Capito previously met with Lutnick in December of 2024 to discuss his nomination and learn more about his vision to lead the department.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Rosen Express Concern, Demand Transparency Regarding Termination of Forest Service and Department of the Interior Employees

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) sent two letters to the Trump administration regarding his recent decision to terminate several thousand employees at the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI). The senators expressed deep concerns about the risks that these mass firings could have on the millions of acres of public lands in Nevada and demanded transparency about the projects the terminated employees had been responsible for.

    “The Trump administration has made the chaotic decision to fire thousands of hard-working federal employees who keep Nevadans safe from wildfires and protect their access to clean water,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “The federal government is responsible for managing over 80% of the land in Nevada, and our families deserve answers about how this decision will impact their communities.”

    “President Trump’s reckless firing of thousands of employees at the Department of the Interior and the United States Forest Service raises serious concerns about the impacts this could have on Nevada’s public lands,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m joining Senator Cortez Masto in pushing back and requesting more information from the Trump Administration to understand how this will impact ongoing projects across our state.”

    Nevada has the highest percentage of land managed by DOI – more than any other state. Specifically, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages over 60 percent (approximately 48 million acres) of Nevada’s land. Nevada is also home to prominent lands managed by the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), National Park Service (NPS), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Additionally, the USFS manages approximately 5.9 million acres of land in Nevada, including some of our most cherished landscapes such as the Lake Tahoe Basin, the Ruby Mountains within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, and the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area outside of Las Vegas. Many Nevadans rely on the services provided by Forest Service staff.

    The Senators asked that the following information about the terminated employees be made public:

    • The number of employees terminated.
    • A description of the position and responsibilities of each terminated employee.
    • A list and description of the projects to which each terminated employee was assigned.
    • A description of what information the terminated employees were provided.

    The letter to the USFS can be found here and the letter to the DOI can be found here.

    Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen are champions for Nevada’s great outdoor spaces and public lands. They passed critical legislation to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which protects public lands in Nevada and across the U.S. They passed bipartisan, bicameral legislation to reauthorize the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, and they delivered critical funding to protect Lake Tahoe in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Cortez Masto has introduced legislation to ban oil and gas development in Nevada’s beautiful and pristine Ruby Mountains.

    MIL OSI USA News –