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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Graham Unveils FY 2025 Budget Resolution To Secure The Border, Revitalize Our Military, Unleash American Energy Production And Begin The Process Of Restoring Fiscal Sanity

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Lindsey Graham

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, today released the text of the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Resolution.

    The FY 2025 budget resolution will be the blueprint that unlocks the pathway for a fully paid for reconciliation bill to secure the border, bolster our military, increase American energy independence and begin the process of fiscal sanity.

    “To those who voted for and support real border security and a stronger defense in a troubled world, help is on the way,” said Senator Graham. “This budget resolution jumpstarts a process that will give President Trump’s team the money they need to secure the border and deport criminals, and make America strong and more energy independent.”

    The FY 2025 Budget Resolution lays the groundwork for legislation that:

    • Secures our border by providing funding to:
      • Finish the wall and upgrade technology for ground and aerial support.
      • Increase the number of detention beds so dangerous criminals aren’t released into the United States.
      • Increase the number of:
        • ICE officers to conduct mass detention and removal of criminal illegal aliens; Border Patrol agents to regain operational control of the border; Assistant U.S. attorneys to prosecute violent crime, organized crime and immigration-related offenses; and immigration judges to clear the backlog in our immigration courts.
      • Make investments in state and local law enforcement to facilitate cooperation with federal law enforcement and immigration enforcement and removal efforts.
    • Revitalizes our military by providing critical funding for the Department of Defense to strengthen the U.S. military to deter conflict and ensure our nation’s security. Priorities to plus up our national defense include:
      • Maintaining U.S. military readiness and the ability to defend U.S. interests globally.
      • Growing the U.S. Navy and strengthening its industrial base to restore U.S. maritime dominance.
      • Building an integrated air and missile defense to counter threats to the U.S. homeland.
      • Continuing to overhaul and strengthen America’s nuclear defense posture.
    • Facilitates energy independence by unleashing American energy production through on and offshore lease sales, and stopping the Biden Administration’s natural gas tax, also known as the methane emissions fee.
    • Begins the Process of Restoring Fiscal Sanity by fully paying for the investments in our border security, national security and domestic energy production up front. Since these investments will be spent in four years, the legislation will be paid for in four years. The bill’s projected increased annual spending of $85.5 billion will be paid for by a projected $85.5 billion in reduced annual spending.

    Why we need to Secure our Border, Revitalize our Military, Unleash American Energy Production and Begin the Process of Restoring Fiscal Sanity.

    Text of the FY 2025 Senate Budget Resolution is available HERE.

    View tables on the FY 2025 Senate Budget Resolution HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey: Trump and Musk Attack on National Institutes of Health Funding Is Targeted Attack on Massachusetts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Boston (February 8, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass), top Democrat on the Primary Health and Pensions Subcommittee of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement after the Trump administration announced significant cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to support hospitals, universities, and research institutions conducting lifesaving research. The drastic limits on this funding would reduce the amount that these institutions are able to spend on researchers, laboratories, and students.  

    “Last night, Trump and Musk took drastic steps to make it harder to find a cure for cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, heart attacks, strokes, and other debilitating diseases that devastate millions of American families by illegally cutting National Institutes of Health funding.  

    “NIH funding is the lifeblood of Massachusetts’ innovation economy, creating jobs and fueling the engine for delivering lifesaving care and treatment across the country, and this is a direct attack on the Bay State. NIH isn’t just the National Institutes of Health, it’s the National Institutes of Hope, giving hope to patients and families for lifesaving medical discoveries.  

    “Instead of working to keep the American economy on the cutting edge, the Trump administration is bullying the Bay State and hamstringing U.S. leadership in medical research. Trump and Musk are cutting the research to cure the diseases that will soon overwhelm our ability to pay for treating millions who will be afflicted by these very same diseases. That’s not efficiency, that’s stupidity.  It’s not just bad values, it’s bad budgeting.   

    “This budget cut action is illegal. With billions in NIH funding going to both red and blue states, I urge all of my colleagues to join in opposing this overstep of presidential authority — driven by and for unelected billionaires – and not let these cuts stand.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Durbin Join Kaine, Colleagues in Introducing Legislation to Expand Congressional Oversight of Foreign Assistance

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    February 08, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and 16 of their Senate colleagues in introducing legislation to expand congressional oversight of foreign assistance decision-making. The Foreign Assistance Accountability and Oversight Act would require the State Department’s Director of Foreign Assistance to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate and for all foreign assistance funding provided to the State Department or U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to be used as directed within 90 days of its appropriation by Congress. The Director of Foreign Assistance is currently not confirmed by the Senate, and the Trump Administration has refused to publicly identify the individual currently occupying this powerful position.

    “Donald Trump and Elon Musk illegally dismantling USAID would not only jeopardize the safety and well-being of innocent people around the world, but it would also hurt our national security, make our country less safe and cost taxpayers more money—not less,” said Duckworth. “This is yet another illegal power grab by the President—and Americans will undoubtedly feel the ramifications as bad actors like the PRC and Russia step in to fill the leadership vacuum that Trump so foolishly created. Our legislation would help push back against this dangerous agenda by strengthening our foreign assistance programs, increasing Congressional oversight of the State Department and reaffirming that this Administration must follow the law as written by Congress.”

    “USAID is the reason deadly infectious diseases are monitored and contained, countries become more free and prosperous, and humanitarian crises are minimized.  More than 70 million people have gained access to clean drinking water in the last decade, thanks to USAID.  PEPFAR, a USAID program, curtailed the AIDS epidemic in Africa, saving more than 25 million lives.  Simply put, investing in USAID is a smart investment for everyone.  President Trump’s draconian decision to gut USAID and its funding puts innocent lives and American influence across the globe at risk,” said Durbin. “I’m introducing legislation with Senator Kaine to protect the agency and its lifesaving work.”  

    “Foreign assistance is not a handout. It is a critical part of our national security strategy and a key tool to keep Americans safe from disease, narcotics and instability. China has rapidly expanded its foreign assistance over the past decade, and would like nothing more than for the United States to retreat on the global stage. The Trump Administration’s recent attempts to destroy USAID and U.S. foreign assistance programs emboldens China, Russia, and Iran, makes Americans less safe, puts thousands of Americans out of work, and is already causing cause immense human suffering for millions of people around the world,” said Kaine. “That’s why I’m introducing this bill to force congressional oversight of this lawless and damaging behavior.”

    Along with Duckworth, Durbin and Kaine, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patti Murray (D-WA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

    Full text of the bill is available on Senator Duckworth’s website.

    Duckworth has repeatedly called out President Donald Trump and his Administration’s illegal attack on USAID. Today, Duckworth led her fellow SFRC Democratic colleagues in demanding immediate answers from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on how much it will cost American taxpayers to pull USAID workers off the job overseas and relocate them back to the United States. This week, Duckworth also spoke out against Trump’s ongoing illegal power grabs—including the shuttering of USAID—on the Senate floor as part of Senate Democrats’ 30-hour protest opposing Project 2025 architect Russell Vought’s nomination to serve as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). As a result of Trump’s ongoing lawlessness, Duckworth also announced this week that she will be a blanket-no on all remaining top-level cabinet nominees.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed Calls for Immediate Ouster of Unqualified Partisan Tom Krause at Treasury

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – The Trump Administration today brazenly installed Tom Krause, a Silicon Valley executive and associate of billionaire Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to oversee the U.S. Treasury Department’s critical payment systems that manage the cash and debt that finances the federal government. Mr. Krause’s new position gives him control over the Treasury payment system responsible for disbursing more than $5 trillion annually, including Social Security, Medicare, tax refunds and other payments. He also has control over auctions for U.S. Treasury securities, which is the most important financial market in the world and determines the benchmark rate for consumer credit. In 2024, Treasury held 440 auctions and issued $28.5 trillion in securities. 

    Mr. Krause takes on these enormous responsibilities to manage the Nation’s finances, despite having no background in government operations or in financial markets. The installation of Mr. Krause injects politics into processes that have always been conducted in a nonpartisan fashion.

    Mr. Krause, who will reportedly continue to hold his private sector job at Cloud Software Group while taking on this critical full-time role at Treasury, replaces a longtime civil servant who resigned after objecting to Mr. Krause’s demands to stop certain payments — a measure the non-partisan Treasury official resisted as illegal. 

    U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Subcommittee, which oversees funding for Treasury, is calling for Mr. Krause’s immediate removal. Reed sent a third letter this week warning Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about this matter and stating: “At the very least, the American people deserve someone’s undivided attention for this job.”

    Secretary Bessent wrote to Senator Reed on February 4 that Mr. Krause was merely “conducting an ongoing review of Treasury’s systems” and that “to allow him to perform this function, he has been “hired as an expert/consultant.”  Only two days later, Mr. Krause is not simply reviewing Treasury’s systems—he in full operational control of them.

    Full text of the letter follows:

    February 7, 2025

    ?? ?

    The Honorable Scott Bessent, Secretary

    U.S. Department of the Treasury

    1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

    Washington, DC 20220

    Dear Secretary Bessent:

                   

    Earlier today, you appointed Tom Krause to perform the duties of the Fiscal Assistant Secretary.  I urge you to immediately remove Mr. Krause from this position and appoint a nonpartisan career expert, as I requested in my letter dated February 3. 

    Mr. Krause, an unqualified partisan “special government employee,” was installed by Elon Musk in the Treasury Department earlier this year.  Currently, he is the top government official responsible for paying the Nation’s bills on time, including Social Security, Medicare, and tax refunds.  He is also responsible for managing the Nation’s finances to remain under the debt limit while the Treasury Department is using extraordinary measures to avoid a catastrophic breach.  He is also in charge of the system for auctioning U.S. government bonds.  As you know from your long career on Wall Street, Treasuries are the benchmark for how much money Americans are charged for a mortgage or a credit card.  A seasoned and nonpolitical expert should be at the helm to ensure the fair, impartial, and responsible administration of public funds. 

    As a “special government employee,” Mr. Krause is reportedly performing his public duties while remaining in charge of his private company.  According to a trade publication, he emailed employees at his company on February 5 that his Treasury post is “in addition to my duties as CEO of Cloud Software Group.”  At the very least, the American people deserve someone’s undivided attention for this job.

    Given your choice to give this job to a partisan who will apparently be working part time, the buck stops with you if there is any interruption to Treasury’s ability to pay Americans the money they are owed, make interest payments on the debt, or auction Treasury securities.

                   

    I request your commitment, no later than February 11, 2025, to remove Mr. Krause as the Fiscal Assistant Secretary and instead appoint a qualified individual who will work for the American people on a full-time basis.  Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

                                                                                   

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Blasts Republican Budget Blueprint to Target Middle Class Families, Health Care and Nutrition

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement in response to Senate Republicans releasing their blueprint for a first budget reconciliation bill:

    “Republicans are making clear with their budget blueprint that they are serious about eliminating the Department of Education, cutting Medicaid and Medicare, and increasing wait times for veterans by slashing the VA. The Senate Republican Budget shows they are blindly following the lead of Elon Musk rather than the needs of the American people. This started with illegal impoundments, and then Musk and DOGE ransacking and infiltrating federal agencies to make arbitrary cuts—and based on the nearly $1 trillion in unspecified spending cuts assumed for this year alone, Republicans are not just okay with Elon Musk running wild, but are encouraging him to target schools, health care, transportation, and other services people who aren’t billionaires rely on.  

    “Let’s not lose sight of the fact that these cuts are a precursor to Republicans giving massive tax cuts to billionaires while blowing up the deficit and grinding services Americans depend on—like Medicaid and SNAP—down to the bone.  

    “Prices are rising and families need help. People are right to be outraged that Republicans’ first instinct is to deliver massive giveaways for billionaires while putting a target on nutrition and health care. The single biggest driver of our national debt since 2001 has been Republican tax cuts—and America can’t afford another round. Democrats are ready to right-size our budget by simply asking giant corporations and billionaires to pay their fair share in taxes, while still investing in health care, our schools, environment, and more. I will be on the side of regular working people when I arrive at Wednesday’s Budget Committee markup—not billionaires like Elon Musk.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Slams Indirect Cost Rate for NIH as Massive Indiscriminate Cut, Setting Back Progress on Lifesaving Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement in response to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announcing it would set the maximum reimbursement rate for indirect costs to 15%, creating a serious funding shortfall for research institutions of all types across the country. This move will dismantle the biomedical research system, stifle the development of new cures for disease, and rip treatments away from patients in need. It won’t produce cost savings; it will just shift costs to states who can’t afford to pay the difference. Importantly, this action by the Trump administration is illegal. Congress’ bipartisan Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill prohibits modifications to NIH’s indirect costs.   

    “By proposing an illegal and arbitrary indirect cost rate, Trump and Elon are functionally forcing an indiscriminate funding cut for research institutions across the country that will be nothing short of catastrophic for so much of the lifesaving research patients and families are counting on. This will derail major breakthroughs by forcing research institutions—like the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the University of Washington in my state—to now scramble to make up this massive shortfall, almost certainly forcing layoffs across the country. Sick kids may not get the treatment they need. Clinical trials may be shut down abruptly with dangerous consequences. Just because Elon Musk doesn’t understand indirect costs doesn’t mean Americans should have to pay the price with their lives.  

    “These resources go toward things like construction, utility costs, and lab operation—if NIH cuts off this support, the research will come to a halt. This funding helps produce breakthroughs that change patients’ lives, prepare us for pandemics and other health threats, and ensure the U.S. continues to be the global leader in biomedical research. After a global pandemic that brought the world economy to a grinding halt and cost more than one million American lives, it’s unthinkable that Trump and Musk want to pull funding that will force public and private labs across America to shutter. I refuse to abandon the millions of families who are fighting cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, substance use disorders, and so much more—I hope Americans everywhere will speak out to reverse this haphazard and dangerous funding cut.”

    As a longtime appropriator and former Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, Murray has long fought to boost biomedical research, strengthen public health infrastructure, and make health care more affordable and accessible. Over her years as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, she has secured billions of dollars in increases for biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health, and during her time as Chair of the HELP Committee she established the new ARPA-H research agency as part of her PREVENT Pandemics Act to advance some of the most cutting-edge research in the field. Senator Murray was also the lead Democratic negotiator of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which delivered a major federal investment to boost NIH research, among many other investments. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of Super Bowl, Senators Markey and Warren Urge NFL Commissioner to Cancel Flyover of Dangerous V-22 Osprey Aircraft Linked to Servicemembers’ Deaths

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Letter Text (PDF)
    Washington (February 7, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), member of the Armed Services Committee, today urged National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell, to cancel the planned V-22 Osprey flyover at Sunday’s Super Bowl.
    The V-22 has been involved in 21 major accidents since 1992, resulting in 64 deaths. In March 2022, Marine Corps Captain Ross A. Reynolds of Leominster, Massachusetts was piloting a V-22 when it crashed near Norway, killing Captain Reynolds and three other Marines onboard. The most recent crash, off the coast of Japan in November 2023, killed eight service members, including Staff Sergeant Jacob Galliher – a young father from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Japan and the United States grounded the Osprey after this incident, but flights have since been resumed. As recently as December 2024, an Osprey was forced to land due to an engine failure.
    In the letter, the lawmakers write, “On the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps, we appreciate the NFL’s effort to honor servicemembers. But we believe that it is inappropriate to feature the Osprey in this way and that the aircraft should not be included in the flyover.”
    The lawmakers continued, “The families of these brave servicemembers are still grieving the loss of their loved ones. They should not have to be reminded of their loss while watching the Super Bowl. Out of respect for the military families and in deference to the safety concerns about the aircraft, we strongly urge you to cancel the planned V-22 Osprey Super Bowl flyover this Sunday.”
    In November 2024, the Senators wrote to the Pentagon that the increase in V-22 incidents over the last five years raises serious safety concerns regarding the aircraft, and that it should be grounded until those concerns are resolved.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cramer, Capito, Graves, and Perry Highlight Cost-Saving Public Buildings Reforms

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
    BISMARCK, N.D. – In 2023, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a review of the actual utilization of 24 agency headquarters buildings to better understand how the federal government is utilizing its real estate portfolio. On average, 17 of the 24 agency headquarters reviewed were at 25 percent or less utilization, with some agencies as low as nine percent.  
    U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Subcommittee, joined EPW Chairman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), House T&I Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO-06), and House T&I Emergency Management Subcommittee Chairman Scott Perry (R-PA-10) in sending a letter to the Trump administration highlighting provisions included in the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024, which provided new authority for the administration to rightsize the federal real estate portfolio and save taxpayers billions of dollars. 
    In their letter to Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought, Acting Administrator of the General Service Administration Stephen Ehikian, and Commissioner of the Public Building Service Michael Peters, the lawmakers refer to the “Public Buildings Reforms” section of WRDA 2024. These reforms give the administration new authorities to improve the management of the federal government’s real estate portfolio, address its inefficient utilization of office space, and require federal agencies to bring employees back into the office or lose office space.
    “To maximize the effectiveness of these provisions, it is critical that implementation begins as soon as possible to meet deadlines and take full advantage of the authorities provided to the administration in this legislation,” the lawmakers wrote.
    The members explained federal real estate portfolio is bloated and, “Even if 100 percent of the federal employees returned to the office, the taxpayer would still be paying for excess space. For example, one agency that was the subject of GAO’s 2023 review reported that, even if all their employees came into the office on the same day, only 67 percent of their headquarters building would be utilized.
    “It is unacceptable for American taxpayers to pay for space that is sitting empty, and we urge you to utilize these new authorities to consolidate federal space and support your efforts to direct employees to return to work in-person,” concluded the members. “As Chairmen of the Congressional Committees and Subcommittees with jurisdiction over public buildings and improved grounds of the United States, our committees are willing to assist the administration’s efforts to protect the taxpayer’s dollar.”
    Cramer previously joined U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in sending a letter to the Public Building Reform Board, requesting it complete the final round of disposals required under the Federal Assets and Transfers Act (FASTA) and FASTA Reform Act to bring “tangible benefits” to the taxpayer.
    Click here for the letter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall, Durbin Put FDA on Notice for Misleading Drug Commercial Set to Run During Super Bowl

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. and Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a bipartisan letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to draw the agency’s attention to an upcoming pharmaceutical advertisement that is slated to air during the Super Bowl on Sunday to more than 120 million Americans, which misleads patients by omitting any safety or side effect information when promoting a specific type of weight loss medication.
    FDA regulates direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements for pharmaceuticals to ensure they are not false or misleading, by disclosing side effects, contraindications, and effectiveness information to the public. Under federal law and regulations, the FDA requires that prescription drug advertisements be truthful, not misleading, and balanced—failure to do so risks FDA enforcement action, including civil monetary penalties.  
    The Senators wrote, “An upcoming Super Bowl advertisement, which has been publicly posted online, appears to showcase a company’s ability to prescribe and dispense GLP-1 medications to patients, including with text and claims about weight loss drugs, and imagery of an injection pen with distinctive characteristics reflective of an existing brand-name medication. However, nowhere in this promotion is there any side effect disclosure, risk, or safety information as would be typically required in a pharmaceutical advertisement.”
    “By comparison, the FDA-approved labels and advertisements for brand-name GLP-1 medications include significant risk disclosures to patients about side effects and contraindications, such as warnings about potential gallbladder, pancreas, vomiting, diarrhea, and other implications. Further, for only three seconds during the minute-long commercial does the screen flash in small, barely legible font, that these products are not FDA-approved,” the Senators continued.
    The advertisement appears to be exploiting a perceived loophole in federal law regarding the promotions of compounded drugs by telehealth companies. However, the Senators’ letter argues this advertisement does fall under FDA’s jurisdiction, and previews legislation that will soon be introduced to close any gaps regarding prescription drug advertising.
    The Senators continued, “We recognize the important roles that pharmaceutical compounding and telehealth play in the health care delivery system, helping to ensure access to FDA-approved products and filling a need for more customized treatments. However, we believe there should be no disparity in pharmaceutical advertising requirements between regulated entities.”
    “To the extent this falls within a regulatory loophole for the FDA’s authorities, we plan to soon introduce bipartisan legislation to close this gap, so that patients are not deceived by advertisements that glaringly omit critical safety and side effect information. But, we believe FDA may already have the authority to take enforcement action against marketing that may mislead patients about this company’s products,” the Senators concluded.Recently, a STAT News article highlighted the direct-to-consumer telehealth company Hims & Hers, which will air a Super Bowl ad promoting its GLP-1 weight loss medications.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Democrats Urge Republicans Against Using Medicaid to Bankroll Tax Cuts for the Rich at the Expense of Working Families, Seniors and Americans with Disabilities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC — Senate Democrats are warning their GOP colleagues against bankrolling tax cuts for the rich by gutting Medicaid and slashing health care for children, seniors, and people with disabilities. 

    Nearly 80 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) nationally. Medicaid alone covers more than 40 percent of births in the United States.  Medicaid offers essential health coverage to people who otherwise couldn’t afford health care, including seniors on fixed incomes, pregnant women, families with young children, and Americans with disabilities.  And in addition to covering services Americans rely on to remain healthy, go to school, and thrive at work, Medicaid also provides essential coverage for mental health and treatment for fentanyl addiction that is ravaging red and blue states alike.  If Medicaid is compromised millions of American working families would lose nursing home care for older loved ones. 

    Noting the importance of Medicaid to all fifty states and the fact that it is one of the most cost-effective health insurance programs in the country with massive implications for every state’s budget, all 47 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus today sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), writing: “We urge you to reject proposals that use Medicaid as a piggy bank for partisan priorities and continue to defend the importance of this vital program.”

    Despite a weak claim to “love and cherish” Medicaid, President Trump’s Administration has already put a blanket freeze on federal funds flowing to states, jeopardizing access to Medicaid funds. The White House and Congressional Republicans have also engaged in closed-door discussions on slashing vital health programs, circulating a plan that includes draconian Medicaid cuts of up to $2.3 trillion that would take away people’s health benefits; make it harder for them to retain their health care providers; and prevent seniors from getting nursing home care.

    The 47 U.S. Senators wrote: “Republicans are proposing cuts to the Medicaid program from hundreds of billions to multiple trillions of dollars.   Cuts to Medicaid through drastically changing the program’s financing structure or imposing additional barriers to coverage are dangerous to the millions of people who rely on the program. These proposals will also force states to make difficult decisions that will result in millions getting kicked off their coverage and providers struggling to keep their practices open. States simply cannot absorb these massive funding cuts without hurting children, seniors, people with disabilities, tribal populations, patients with chronic illnesses, and many other Americans who rely on Medicaid.”

    If Congressional Republicans carry out their proposals to slash Medicaid it would hit working people hard and shift a greater financial burden on to states, local taxpayers, and already-strained local hospitals and clinics.  In more rural areas, it would likely lead to the closure of health facilities, leaving vulnerable communities with fewer options for care and decimating the health care workforce.

    Senate Democrats are vowing to do everything they can to protect Medicaid while warning that Republicans’ plan to ram these dangerous cuts through a budget reconciliation process that cannot be filibustered.

    “While we disagree on these costly and misguided policies, we are hopeful that there is bipartisan understanding of Medicaid’s importance for millions across the country, that the Medicaid program should be enhanced rather than cut, and that Republican policies should not be paid for at the expense of working-class Americans losing their health care,” the 47 U.S. Senators wrote, highlighting the fact that Medicaid has a proven track record of being cost-effective and creating opportunities for families and businesses and making communities and the nation healthier and stronger.

    The letter is signed by U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Peter Welch (D-VT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tina Smith (D-MN), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Mark Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

    Full text of the letter follows:

    Dear Majority Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson:

    As we begin a new Congress, we seek to pursue policies that improve the lives of Americans across this country. However, we are deeply concerned about recent reporting on Republican plans to use the budget reconciliation process to advance President Trump’s reckless agenda. While we disagree on these costly and misguided policies, we are hopeful that there is bipartisan understanding of Medicaid’s importance for millions across the country, that the Medicaid program should be enhanced rather than cut, and that Republican policies should not be paid for at the expense of working-class Americans losing their health care.

    Medicaid is a lifeline for communities across the country. Nearly 80 million Americans get their health insurance through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provide services Americans rely on to remain healthy, go to school, and thrive at work. Medicaid pays for nearly half of all births in the U.S., provides health insurance coverage to nearly half of all of America’s children, provides care to 3 in 5 nursing home residents, and provides peace of mind to 17 million women of reproductive age. Medicaid is also a lifeline for rural communities, with children and non-elderly adults in rural areas more likely to be covered by Medicaid compared to those in urban areas.

    Republicans are proposing cuts to the Medicaid program from hundreds of billions to multiple trillions of dollars. Cuts to Medicaid through drastically changing the program’s financing structure or imposing additional barriers to coverage are dangerous to the millions of people who rely on the program. These proposals will also force states to make difficult decisions that will result in millions getting kicked off their coverage and providers struggling to keep their practices open. States simply cannot absorb these massive funding cuts without hurting children, seniors, people with disabilities, tribal populations, patients with chronic illnesses, and many other Americans who rely on Medicaid.

    Speaking about Medicaid last week, President Trump said, “We’re not going to do anything with that, unless we can find some abuse or waste. The people won’t be affected. It will only be more effective and better.”

    Given that levels of abuse and waste within Medicaid are not commensurate to cutting billions from the program, President Trump and Congressional Leadership should uphold this commitment to enhance, rather than gut, Medicaid. The American people should be assured that Medicaid will be protected. We urge you to reject proposals that use Medicaid as a piggy bank for partisan priorities and continue to defend the importance of this vital program.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Kaine Join Democratic Colleagues in Demanding the VA Defend Veterans’ Private Information from Elon Musk’s DOGE

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Ranking Member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and 23 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins pushing him to take immediate actions to secure veterans’ personal information provided by the VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). This call follows Musk’s takeover of the U.S. Treasury’s payment system, which includes private information of veterans and their families, and reports of DOGE employees accessing VA computer systems at the Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
    There are millions of veterans’ medical records stored in VA’s computer systems. These confidential records include veterans’ prescriptions, diagnoses, and procedures they have undergone. Access to these medical records could give Musk and DOGE the ability to identify veterans who have received abortions or abortion counseling in the past. The Million Veteran Program, which manages the genomic data of its more than one million veteran participants for authorized research programs, also stores its data in VA data systems. In addition, the U.S. Treasury’s payment system stores private information of veterans, surviving spouses, and their families, including their monthly disability compensation amount, home address, and bank account numbers.
    In their letter, the senators demanded the Secretary 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 writing, “Among many tasks, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is entrusted with safeguarding the private and sensitive information of millions of veterans…Veterans risked their lives to defend our country, and they deserve better than to have an unelected billionaire reviewing their medical records, targeting the benefits they have earned, or using their private information for personal gain.”
    “Our nation’s veterans have entrusted their health records, including genetic samples, disability data, bank information, and other private information, to VA. The Department also stores sensitive veteran casework, files of whistleblowers who have come forward with concerns about waste, fraud, and abuse, and sensitive investigative files with veteran and federal employee information,” they continued.
    The senators wrote, “Meanwhile, the President has given unfettered access to federal databases and systems to Mr. Musk, an unelected citizen, and a team of colleagues with no formal documented employment agreement with the U.S. government. It is a group of private citizens with no experience in the federal government, who lack proper approval from legal and agency authorities, lack the appropriate security clearances, and lack the requisite background investigations or ethical conflict requirements. We are outraged these unelected, unvetted, and unaccountable individuals now have access to sensitive information that has been heavily secured for decades and by Administrations of both parties.”
    A copy of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Secretary Collins,
    Among many tasks, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is entrusted with safeguarding the private and sensitive information of millions of veterans. Today, we call on you to immediately secure any personal and related information regarding veterans provided by VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and associates under the auspices of the “Department of Government Efficiency” established under Executive Order 14158. Further, we call on you to deny and sever their access to any VA or other government system that includes information about veterans, and to require them to immediately and permanently delete any information in their possession. Veterans risked their lives to defend our country, and they deserve better than to have an unelected billionaire reviewing their medical records, targeting the benefits they have earned, or using their private information for personal gain.
     Our nation’s veterans have entrusted their health records, including genetic samples, disability data, bank information, and other private information, to VA. The Department also stores sensitive veteran casework, files of whistleblowers who have come forward with concerns about waste, fraud, and abuse, and sensitive investigative files with veteran and federal employee information. Veterans and VA employees entrusted the Department with this information with the understanding that it would be kept private and only used to help deliver the highest quality of services to veterans, their families, and survivors.
     Meanwhile, the President has given unfettered access to federal databases and systems to Mr. Musk, an unelected citizen, and a team of colleagues with no formal documented employment agreement with the U.S. government. It is a group of private citizens with no experience in the federal government, who lack proper approval from legal and agency authorities, lack the appropriate security clearances, and lack the requisite background investigations or ethical conflict requirements. We are outraged these unelected, unvetted, and unaccountable individuals now have access to sensitive information that has been heavily secured for decades and by Administrations of both parties.
     These actions are in direct violation of federal laws meant to protect our national security and the privacy of our citizens’ personal information. This includes information on Social Security payments, Medicare, Medicaid, student loans, veterans’ disability compensation payments, GI Bill payments, federal civil servants’ personnel records, and much more. With every hour, we see DOGE further expand its efforts to create a massive private database of previously guarded data outside the federal government’s cyber and legal protections. It is an abhorrent and illegal overreach of executive powers, which conflicts with various federal statutes, including the Federal Information Security Modernization Act, the Privacy Act, the E-Government Act of 2002, and likely several other cyber and national security laws.
    During your confirmation process, you claimed you would be focused on rooting out corruption and ensuring accountability at VA, and committed to following the laws passed by Congress. We now call on you to respond quickly and comprehensively to these privacy violations by revoking DOGE’s access to VA systems and insisting they permanently remove all VA data collected from their files.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine Introduces Legislation to Expand Congressional Oversight of Foreign Assistance

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led the introduction of the Foreign Assistance Accountability and Oversight Act, legislation to expand congressional oversight of foreign assistance decision-making. The bill would require the State Department’s Director of Foreign Assistance to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate and for all foreign assistance funding provided to the State Department or U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to be used as directed within 90 days of its appropriation by Congress. The Director of Foreign Assistance is currently not confirmed by the Senate, and the Trump Administration has refused to publicly identify the individual currently occupying this powerful position.

    “Foreign assistance is not a handout. It is a critical part of our national security strategy and a key tool to keep Americans safe from disease, narcotics and instability. China has rapidly expanded its foreign assistance over the past decade, and would like nothing more than for the United States to retreat on the global stage. The Trump Administration’s recent attempts to destroy USAID and U.S. foreign assistance programs emboldens China, Russia, and Iran, makes Americans less safe, puts thousands of Americans out of work, and is already causing cause immense human suffering for millions of people around the world,” said Kaine. “That’s why I’m introducing this bill to force congressional oversight of this lawless and damaging behavior.”

    “USAID saves lives and is critical to U.S. national security,” said Bennet. “As the Trump Administration threatens this crucial agency, our bill will reaffirm USAID’s independence and ensure the delivery of U.S. foreign assistance worldwide.”

    “Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s attempts to dissolve USAID are not only illegal, but pose a grave threat to our national security,” said Booker. “My colleagues and I refuse to stand by and watch as they try to dismantle a crucial agency that provides life-saving support overseas, services that keep Americans safe at home, and programs that prevent our adversaries from gaining a foothold. This legislation will ensure U.S. leadership in foreign affairs is preserved.”

    “The Trump administration’s attempts to gut foreign assistance and shut down USAID don’t just weaken our national security and strengthen China at our expense. They’re also clearly illegal and unconstitutional,” said Coons. “This bill makes clear that Congress plays a critical, constitutional role in funding and overseeing our nation’s foreign aid apparatus and reins in the chaos of the Trump administration to ensure their foreign policy doesn’t actively harm Americans and their interests.”

    “Donald Trump and Elon Musk illegally dismantling USAID would not only jeopardize the safety and well-being of innocent people around the world, but it would also hurt our national security, make our country less safe and cost taxpayers more money—not less,” said Duckworth. “This is yet another illegal power grab by the President—and Americans will undoubtedly feel the ramifications as bad actors like the PRC and Russia step in to fill the leadership vacuum that Trump so foolishly created. Our legislation would help push back against this dangerous agenda by strengthening our foreign assistance programs, increasing Congressional oversight of the State Department and reaffirming that this Administration must follow the law as written by Congress.”

    “USAID is the reason deadly infectious diseases are monitored and contained, countries become more free and prosperous, and humanitarian crises are minimized.  More than 70 million people have gained access to clean drinking water in the last decade, thanks to USAID.  PEPFAR, a USAID program, curtailed the AIDS epidemic in Africa, saving more than 25 million lives.  Simply put, investing in USAID is a smart investment for everyone.  President Trump’s draconian decision to gut USAID and its funding puts innocent lives and American influence across the globe at risk,” said Durbin.  “I’m introducing legislation with Senator Kaine to protect the agency and its lifesaving work.”  

    “A President is not a King. Trump cannot eliminate USAID with the stroke of a pen. Not only is it illegal—it is a gift to our adversaries,” said Merkley.

    “What Donald Trump and Elon Musk have done over the last week to shutter USAID is not only a flagrant violation of the law, it is a dangerous concession to our adversaries who will fill the void we leave behind, and it is devastating for the thousands of Americans who have dedicated their lives to a mission that makes America safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” said Murray. “This bill reasserts what we already know—that USAID is critical to our national security and global leadership and cannot be dismantled by an unelected billionaire with an axe to grind—and it ensures greater accountability for the political appointees leading these efforts.”

    “President Trump and Elon Musk’s brazen and illegal attempt to dismantle USAID makes us all less safe by limiting our ability to fight infectious diseases, stabilize war-torn regions, and prevent gang violence that drives migration,” said Padilla. “Transparency and proper oversight are essential to ensure USAID can continue providing vital congressionally-mandated foreign assistance to protect our national security interests here at home.”

    “USAID prevents famines, counters extremism, combats disease, and creates more markets for U.S. exports,” said Klobuchar. “Eliminating USAID makes the world a more dangerous place for Americans, is a gift to China and Russia, and hurts American farmers who feed the world. Our bill reaffirms the independence of USAID, as intended by Congress.”

    “USAID plays a critical role in protecting America’s national security, strengthening international partnerships, and addressing crises around the world,” said Rosen. “This bill will safeguard against Elon Musk’s unlawful attempts to target USAID and our federal workers, and weaken America’s influence around the globe.”

    “Helping our allies and partners makes us safer, boosts our economy, and maintains our leadership around the world,” said Schatz. “This bill strengthens the implementation of foreign assistance funds that Congress provides by ensuring it is distributed in a timely and transparent manner, consistent with the law.”

    “With the recent efforts to dismantle USAID, it is essential that we have increased accountability over the foreign assistance programs at the State Department and USAID. By codifying authorities of the Office of Foreign Assistance at the State Department and requiring that all funds appropriated to State or USAID be obligated in a timely manner, we are taking steps to ensure that crucial support is directed to those in need,” said Schiff.

    “The humanitarian assistance that the U.S. provides not only saves countless lives, it is also an essential and cost-effective part of our overall national security and foreign policy strategy. In acting illegally to dismantle USAID, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are aiding and abetting our adversaries while making Americans less safe. This legislation makes it abundantly clear that neither Presidents – nor unelected billionaire megadonors – can ignore the legal duty to implement the laws duly enacted by the Congress,” said Van Hollen.

    “President Trump and Elon Musk—making wildly false and defamatory accusations— have made it clear that they could care less about the thousands of dedicated American aid workers and millions of people around the world who depend on USAID’s life-saving work. They are trying to destroy as much of USAID as they can get away with, and the fact that it’s illegal and unconstitutional is of no concern to them. We will not stand by while an agency that plays a unique and indispensable role in protecting U.S. interests and security is dismantled,” said Welch. “This bill will strengthen our foreign assistance programs and help ensure that the will of Congress prevails.”

    In addition, the legislation expresses the sense of Congress that foreign assistance is critical to U.S. national security, reiterates USAID’s status as a legally independent agency, specifies the exact authorities of the Office of Foreign Assistance, and creates an extra layer of review for personnel decisions within the Office of Foreign Assistance.

    The legislation was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patti Murray (D-WA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: February 7th, 2025 Heinrich, Luján, Colleagues Call on Trump Administration to End Harmful Freeze on Health Communications and Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    Senators emphasize the damage Trump’s freeze on funding has already inflicted on patient care and public health oversight

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined 34 Senate Democrats to call on Acting Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Dorothy Fink to end the unprecedented freeze on all external communications and funding at HHS.

    This freeze has disrupted clinical trials and prevented HHS operating divisions, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), from communicating with patient groups and scientific advisory committees without a plan for restoration. The directive prohibits agencies from issuing vital public health advisories, publishing scientific reports, updating websites, announcing regulatory decisions, and distributing federal grants. CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), considered the nation’s premier publication for disseminating public health updates, is delayed for the first time in over 60 years. This political interference is a threat to public health.

    “We write to express our deep concern over the administration’s recent decision to freeze external communications and suspend federal health funding at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),” wrote the senators. “The abrupt order has already disrupted patient care, public health oversight, halted medical research funding, and obstructed critical regulatory processes.”

    “This political interference in public health agencies is unprecedented and unacceptable. … The American people depend on HHS agencies to provide accurate, real-time information about disease outbreaks, medical research, and regulatory decisions. We urge you to immediately reverse this harmful decision,” the senators continued.

    The letter was led by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Alongside Heinrich and Luján, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Minn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass,), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    The full text of the letter is available here and below.

    Dear Acting Secretary Fink:

    We write to express our deep concern over the Administration’s recent decision to freeze external communications and suspend federal health funding at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The abrupt order has already disrupted patient care, public health oversight, halted medical research funding, and obstructed critical regulatory processes.

    On January 22, all 13 HHS operating divisions – including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were told to immediately “pause” all external communications and grant disbursements until at least February 1, with no clear plan for restoration. This directive prohibits agencies from issuing public health advisories, publishing scientific reports, updating websites, announcing regulatory decisions, or conducting outreach to patient groups – unless such activity is explicitly approved by politically appointed leadership.

    With the Administration’s own deadline having passed, it remains unclear when these restrictions will be lifted. While limited exceptions exist for critical health, safety, or national security concerns, the freeze has already severely impeded essential public health and biomedical research functions.

    The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the nation’s premier publication for disseminating public health updates, was abruptly delayed for the first time in over 60 years, limiting reporting on the H5N1 bird flu outbreak and other emerging infectious disease threats. The MMWR often includes clinical recommendations for doctors, such as guidance on how to treat diseases that are currently circulating in the United States – and delaying the MMWR means that doctors may not have all the latest information they need to keep their patients healthy.

    At the NIH, new clinical trials have been delayed and external peer-review grant processes have faced disruptions. NIH study sections – which legally must review grant applications before funding can be disbursed – were initially canceled, creating uncertainty about when federal research funds will be awarded. Despite efforts by the Administration to provide clarity, it remains unclear whether the full peer-review process has resumed and how long grant funding decisions will continue to be delayed. This uncertainty has placed billions in federal research funds in limbo, directly threatening ongoing medical studies and academic research programs.

    The freeze has also blocked NIH from engaging with patient groups on ways to recruit participants into ongoing clinical trials. This means that patients with rare diseases, cancer, and other serious conditions who rely on clinical trials for treatments may be prevented from enrolling, directly jeopardizing their access to life-saving care.

    This political interference in public health agencies is unprecedented and unacceptable. While it is not unusual for a new administration to conduct brief reviews of existing programs, no past transition has implemented a blanket freeze of this magnitude.

    Accordingly, we request an immediate and detailed response to the following questions by Monday, February 10:

    Provide a full accounting of all scientific reports, disease surveillance updates, grant decisions, public health advisories, events, calls, research reviews, reports, issue briefs, inspections, surveys, and postings that have been postponed or cancelled since noon on January 20.

    Which of the postponed or cancelled items will be rescheduled or published, and by what date?

    Has the pause affected communications between HHS and other federal Departments or state agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture. If so, in what capacity?

    Can you confirm that all external communications, including those listed above in your answer to the first question, have already resumed or will resume by February 10? If not, please provide a detailed explanation for any continued delay.

    Has the communications and funding freeze affected the department’s ability to respond promptly to public health threats and ongoing outbreaks? If so, in what ways?

    Given that we are at the height of virus season, how has this pause affected the department’s ability to fulfill its core mission of protecting public health?

    The American people depend on HHS agencies to provide accurate, real-time information about disease outbreaks, medical research, and regulatory decisions. We urge you to immediately reverse this harmful decision.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this request. We look forward to your response and to working with the Department to protect public health and ensure Americans can get the care they need.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: February 7th, 2025 Heinrich, Luján Demand VA Secretary Collins Step Up and Defend Veterans’ Private Information from Elon Musk

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined 25 Senate Democrats to urge Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to immediately secure veterans’ personal information provided by the VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). This call follows Musk’s takeover of the U.S. Treasury’s payment system, which includes private information of veterans and their families, and reports of DOGE employees accessing VA computer systems at the Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

    In a letter, the senators demanded that VA Secretary Collins 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.

    “Among many tasks, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is entrusted with safeguarding the private and sensitive information of millions of veterans…Veterans risked their lives to defend our country, and they deserve better than to have an unelected billionaire reviewing their medical records, targeting the benefits they have earned, or using their private information for personal gain,” the senators wrote.

    “Our nation’s veterans have entrusted their health records, including genetic samples, disability data, bank information, and other private information, to the VA. The Department also stores sensitive veteran casework, files of whistleblowers who have come forward with concerns about waste, fraud, and abuse, and sensitive investigative files with veteran and federal employee information,” the senators continued.

    “Meanwhile, the President has given unfettered access to federal databases and systems to Mr. Musk, an unelected citizen, and a team of colleagues with no formal documented employment agreement with the U.S. government. It is a group of private citizens with no experience in the federal government, who lack proper approval from legal and agency authorities, lack the appropriate security clearances, and lack the requisite background investigations or ethical conflict requirements. We are outraged these unelected, unvetted, and unaccountable individuals now have access to sensitive information that has been heavily secured for decades and by administrations of both parties,” the senators stated.

    There are millions of veterans’ medical records stored in VA’s computer systems. These confidential records include veterans’ prescriptions, diagnoses, and procedures they have undergone. Access to these medical records could give Musk and DOGE the ability to identify veterans who have received abortions or abortion counseling in the past. The Million Veteran Program, which manages the genomic data of its more than one million veteran participants for authorized research programs, also stores its data in VA data systems. In addition, the U.S. Treasury’s payment system stores private information of veterans, surviving spouses, and their families, including their monthly disability compensation amount, home address, and bank account numbers.

    “During your confirmation process, you claimed you would be focused on rooting out corruption and ensuring accountability at the VA, and committed to following the laws passed by Congress. We now call on you to respond quickly and comprehensively to these privacy violations by revoking DOGE’s access to VA systems and insisting they permanently remove all VA data collected from their files,” the senators concluded.

    The letter was led by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). Alongside Heinrich and Luján, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.).

    The full text of the letter is here and below.

    Dear Secretary Collins,

    Among many tasks, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is entrusted with safeguarding the private and sensitive information of millions of veterans. Today, we call on you to immediately secure any personal and related information regarding veterans provided by VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and associates under the auspices of the “Department of Government Efficiency” established under Executive Order 14158. Further, we call on you to deny and sever their access to any VA or other government system that includes information about veterans, and to require them to immediately and permanently delete any information in their possession. Veterans risked their lives to defend our country, and they deserve better than to have an unelected billionaire reviewing their medical records, targeting the benefits they have earned, or using their private information for personal gain.

    Our nation’s veterans have entrusted their health records, including genetic samples, disability data, bank information, and other private information, to VA. The Department also stores sensitive veteran casework, files of whistleblowers who have come forward with concerns about waste, fraud, and abuse, and sensitive investigative files with veteran and federal employee information. Veterans and VA employees entrusted the Department with this information with the understanding that it would be kept private and only used to help deliver the highest quality of services to veterans, their families, and survivors.

    Meanwhile, the President has given unfettered access to federal databases and systems to Mr. Musk, an unelected citizen, and a team of colleagues with no formal documented employment agreement with the U.S. government. It is a group of private citizens with no experience in the federal government, who lack proper approval from legal and agency authorities, lack the appropriate security clearances, and lack the requisite background investigations or ethical conflict requirements. We are outraged these unelected, unvetted, and unaccountable individuals now have access to sensitive information that has been heavily secured for decades and by Administrations of both parties.

    These actions are in direct violation of federal laws meant to protect our national security and the privacy of our citizens’ personal information. This includes information on Social Security payments, Medicare, Medicaid, student loans, veterans’ disability compensation payments, GI Bill payments, federal civil servants’ personnel records, and much more. With every hour, we see DOGE further expand its efforts to create a massive private database of previously guarded data outside the federal government’s cyber and legal protections. It is an abhorrent and illegal overreach of executive powers, which conflicts with various federal statutes, including the Federal Information Security Modernization Act, the Privacy Act, the E-Government Act of 2002, and likely several other cyber and national security laws.

    During your confirmation process, you claimed you would be focused on rooting out corruption and ensuring accountability at VA, and committed to following the laws passed by Congress. We now call on you to respond quickly and comprehensively to these privacy violations by revoking DOGE’s access to VA systems and insisting they permanently remove all VA data collected from their files.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Digs into Waste, Fraud and Abuse at DOD’s Office of Net Assessment

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is calling on the Department of Defense (DOD) to eliminate egregious waste, fraud and abuse at the Office of Net Assessment (ONA). In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Grassley pressed DOD to determine how many formal net assessments ONA has completed since 2007 and whether its purpose is still necessary in light of its consistently wayward performance.

    “Since 2019, I’ve engaged in oversight of the Office of Net Assessment within the Department of Defense, requesting information and documents related to Professor Stefan Halper’s contracting work and ONA’s contracting practices more broadly. To date, ONA has failed to provide full and complete responses to my inquiries,” Grassley wrote.

    ONA is tasked with researching and comparing trends in military capabilities to identify future threats and opportunities. However, Grassley’s oversight has shown it has breached contracting rules and inappropriately spent millions of taxpayer dollars on projects unrelated to a net assessment.

    In his letter today, Grassley requested all ONA-produced net assessments since 2007 and the date when ONA plans to conduct its next assessment. Grassley also requested a full list of contracts issued over the last 10 years, including the total cost of each contract to the taxpayer in unclassified form after ONA previously improperly classified the information to hide it from public scrutiny.

    “I remain concerned that ONA is not performing its mission for the taxpayer and has engaged in financial waste. Moreover, ONA’s improper classification of taxpayer funded work product must come to an end,” Grassley continued.

    Grassley has scrutinized ONA’s contracting practices since 2019, with a particular focus on contracts awarded to Stefan Halper. Halper was a confidential human source tasked by the Obama and Biden administrations’ FBI to surreptitiously record members of President Trump’s 2016 election campaign during the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.

    Text of Grassley’s letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth follows:

    February 7, 2025

    VIA ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION

    The Honorable Pete Hegseth

    Secretary

    Department of Defense

    Dear Secretary Hegseth:

    Since 2019, I’ve engaged in oversight of the Office of Net Assessment (ONA) within the Department of Defense (DoD) requesting information and documents related to Professor Stefan Halper’s contracting work and ONA’s contracting practices more broadly.[1]  To date, ONA has failed to provide full and complete responses to my inquiries.[2]

    As part of my oversight, in January 2020, I requested that ONA “provide a list of all contracts issued for each year over the last five years, the title of each funded project, and the total cost of each contract to the taxpayer.”[3]  I also asked that ONA specify which of these projects were considered classified research.[4]  On February 5, 2020, ONA produced a list of contracted work, but classified all of it.[5]  On June 18, 2020, I wrote again to ONA noting that the list was improperly classified and only served to hide information that the taxpayers ought to know about.[6]  Accordingly, I requested that the entire list of contracts and funded projects be declassified and provided to my office.[7]  In response, on July 1, 2020, ONA stated that “it remains [Director Baker’s] judgement that the previous classified enclosure should remain classified.”[8]  Such a position is indefensible and is designed to prevent embarrassment, which my oversight has previously highlighted. 

    For example, in my June 18, 2020, letter, I noted a paper entitled, “On the Nature of Americans as a Warlike People: Workshop Report,” which was authored by the Long Term Strategy Group (LTSG).[9]  The workshop paper highlighted the “level of American belligerency . . . [which is] the result of the persistence of Scotch-Irish culture in America, with its emphasis on violent responses to challenge[.]”[10]  It further stated that “[t]he role of Scotch-Irish culture must also be understood as having been reinforced by slaveholding, and American Protestant religious beliefs,” and that the Scotch-Irish culture was “shaped by endemic warfare that placed high value on violent and immediate personal responses to challenges and high loyalty to clan and kin.”[11]  The paper continued by stating that the Scotch-Irish culture placed value “on violent immediate responses to challenges [which] shaped [their] views, and thus of the United States as a whole, toward war.”[12]  Additionally, in my June 2020 letter, I also raised concerns that ONA spent taxpayer dollars on a paper titled, “A Technical Report on the Nature of Movement Patterning, the Brain and Decision-Making,” which focused largely on Vladimir Putin’s neurological development and potential Asperger’s diagnosis.[13]  These have nothing to do with ONA’s core mission, which is to produce a net assessment that measures our military capabilities against our foreign adversaries. 

    My oversight work has shown that ONA has lost its way.  In June 2020, I introduced legislation that required ONA to perform the work it was created to do—complete a net assessment, which at that time hadn’t been done since 2007.[14]  That legislation included a provision requiring the DoD Inspector General (IG) perform a comprehensive review to determine ONA’s failure to comply with government contracting laws and regulations for research projects.[15]

                I remain concerned that ONA is not performing its mission for the taxpayer and has engaged in financial waste.  Moreover, ONA’s improper classification of taxpayer funded work product must come to an end.  So that Congress can conduct independent oversight of ONA and determine how it has used taxpayer dollars to comply with its mission, please provide answers to the following questions by February 21, 2025:

    1. From 2007 to 2025, provide all ONA produced net assessments.
    2. When does ONA plan to conduct its next net assessment?  Provide all records.[16]
    1. Provide a list of all contracts issued for each year over the last ten years, the title of each funded project to the extent applicable, the recipient of taxpayer money, and the total cost of each contract to the taxpayer.  Produce that information to me in unclassified form.

    Thank you for your prompt review and responses.  If you have any questions, please contact Tucker Akin on my Committee staff at (202) 224-7708.

    [1] Letter from Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Chairman, Senate Finance Committee, to the Honorable Mark Esper, Secretary, Department of Defense (July 12, 2019), https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2019-07-12%20CEG%20to%20DoD%20(Halper%20Contracts)_0.pdf; Letter from Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Chairman, Senate Finance Committee, to the Honorable Mark Esper, Secretary, Department of Defense (Oct. 31, 2019), On File with Committee Staff; Letter from Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Chairman, Senate Finance Committee, to James Baker, Director, Office of Net Assessment, Department of Defense (Jan. 22, 2020), On File with Committee Staff; Letter from Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Chairman, Senate Finance Committee, to James Baker, Director, Office of Net Assessment, Department of Defense (June 18, 2020), On File with Committee Staff; and Letter from Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Chairman, Senate Finance Committee, and Sen. Ron Johnson, Chairman, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to the Honorable Mark Esper, Secretary, Department of Defense (Oct. 14, 2020), On File with Committee Staff.

    [2] Id.

    [3] Letter from Sen. Charles E. Grassley (Jan. 22, 2020), supra note 1.

    [4] Id.

    [5] Letter from James Baker, Director, Office of Net Assessment, Department of Defense, to Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Chairman, Senate Finance Committee, (Feb. 5, 2020), On File with Committee Staff.

    [6] Letter from Sen. Charles E. Grassley (June. 18, 2020), supra note 1.

    [7] Id.

    [8] Letter from James Baker, Director, Office of Net Assessment, Department of Defense, to Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Chairman, Senate Finance Committee, (July 1, 2020), On File with Committee Staff.

    [9] On the Nature of Americans as a Warlike People: Workshop Report, Long Term Strategy Group (Apr. 2009),  https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/FOID/Reading%20Room/Litigation_Release/Litigation%20Release%20-%20On%20the%20Nature%20of%20Americans%20as%20a%20Warlike%20People%20Workshop%20Report%20%20200904.pdf.

    [10] Id. at 1. 

    [11] Id. at 1, 3.

    [12] Id. at 4.

    [13] Elizabeth F. Ralph, The Pentagon’s Secret Putin Diagnosis, Politico (Feb. 5, 2015), https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/02/putin-autism-pentagon-114937.

    [14] Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Grassley: A Case in Waste, Fraud and Abuse: The Office of Net Assessment, Press Release (July 2, 2020), https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-case-waste-fraud-and-abuse-office-net-assessment (“Last week I introduced an amendment to the Defense Bill that does several things.  First, it reduces ONA’s budget to 10 million dollars a year.  Second, it requires the Secretary of Defense to create a comprehensive plan to ensure that ONA performs an annual net assessment and complies with federal contracting requirements.  Third, it requires the DOD Inspector General to study and report on ONA’s contracting failures and determine if a net assessment can be done for less than 10 million dollars. Fourth, it requires GAO to perform an audit of the effectiveness of the comprehensive plan.”).

    [15] Id.

    [16] “Records” include any written, recorded, or graphic material of any kind, including letters, memoranda, reports,  notes, electronic data (emails, email attachments, and any other electronically created or stored information),  calendar entries, inter-office communications, meeting minutes, phone/voice mail or recordings/records of verbal  communications, and drafts (whether they resulted in final documents).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Kaine Lead Colleagues in Raising Concerns about Virginia Community Health Centers’ Delays in Accessing Funding

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) led 20 of their colleagues in writing a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Acting Secretary Dorothy A. Fink, M.D. regarding reports that Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grantees, including community health centers, are experiencing significant delays in accessing funding. The senators also expressed concerns about restrictions on regular communications between HRSA and grantees. These issues come after an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memo that suspended all federal grant and loan funding. The memo has since been rescinded following pressure from the senators, other Democrats in Congress, and the public, but many grantees that rely on federal funding are still experiencing confusion and uncertainty, and have received little to no guidance from the Trump Administration about their funding.

    There are 31 Federally Qualified Health Centers with over 200 locations—a majority of which serve rural areas with limited access to medical care—in Virginia. Due to the funding freeze, several centers within the Capital Area Health Network closed earlier this week. Kaine and Warner met with Virginia community health centers earlier this week.

    “We are writing to express serious concerns regarding reports that Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grantees, such as Community Health Centers (health centers), continue to experience significant delays in accessing funding to support services, as well as restrictions on regular communications with agency staff as a result of the Trump Administration’s January 20, 2025 executive orders to pause external communication from federal agencies, and subsequent memorandum directing all federal departments and agencies to freeze all financial assistance.” wrote the members.

    The members continued, “While nearly 70 percent of health center revenue comes from payments from Medicaid, Medicare, commercial insurance, and self-pay patients, health centers rely on their regular federal grant funding to meet payroll obligations and keep their doors open. Beginning in late January, health centers started reporting issues accessing the Payment Management System (PMS) – getting “locked out”, being denied funding they had been awarded, and experiencing long delays in funding being released. As a result, health centers across the country are experiencing panic, unsure how to pay their staff and keep their doors open.”

    “Despite a judge’s order blocking the funding freeze, we are troubled by reports that health centers are unable to access funding duly appropriated by Congress through the PMS. To compound this issue, our offices have heard troubling reports that since the Trump Administration’s executive orders and funding freeze, funding that has already been appropriated and directed by Congress is still being restricted, and standing webinars, briefings, and meetings are being cancelled at the last minute,” they wrote. “Health centers are receiving little communication regarding these cancellations and changes, and the communication they have received from HRSA has been unclear, directing actions that may conflict with current court orders.”

    “Two-thirds of Virginia’s community health centers are located in the rural areas of our Commonwealth,” said Tracy Douglas, CEO of the Virginia Community Healthcare Association. “For countless hardworking individuals and families in these regions, these health centers are not just a place for medical care—they are a lifeline. People rely on them to stay healthy so they can work, care for their families, and live full, productive lives. It is absolutely imperative that we ensure the continued operation of these vital health centers to protect the well-being of our communities and our nation.”

    In addition to Kaine and Warner, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-CT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Angus King (I-ME), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). The letter is also signed by U.S. Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA-02), Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Eugene Vindman (D-VA-07), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10), and Sarah McBride (D-DE-At-Large).

    The full text of the letter is available here and below.

    Dear Acting Secretary Fink,

    We are writing to express serious concerns regarding reports that Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grantees, such as Community Health Centers (health centers), continue to experience significant delays in accessing funding to support services, as well as restrictions on regular communications with agency staff as a result of the Trump Administration’s January 20, 2025 executive orders to pause external communication from federal agencies, and subsequent memorandum directing all federal departments and agencies to freeze all financial assistance.

    Community Health Centers provide high-quality primary and preventive care, dental care, behavioral health and substance use disorder services, and low-cost prescription drugs to more than 32 million Americans annually, serving one in five rural Americans and one in three people living in poverty. Nationally, more than 1,400 health centers operate over 15,000 service sites across every state and Territory, employing more than 500,000 individuals and generating nearly $85 billion in economic output.

    Despite the critical role health centers play in addressing health inequities, many centers struggle to keep up with the growing demand for services and rising costs to deliver high-quality care in their communities. While nearly 70 percent of health center revenue comes from payments from Medicaid, Medicare, commercial insurance, and self-pay patients, health centers rely on their regular federal grant funding to meet payroll obligations and keep their doors open. Beginning in late January, health centers started reporting issues accessing the Payment Management System (PMS) – getting “locked out”, being denied funding they had been awarded, and experiencing long delays in funding being released. As a result, health centers across the country are experiencing panic, unsure how to pay their staff and keep their doors open. Due to delays in funding, health centers have reported:

    • “We have put off signing a contract to replace our mammography machine, which has reached end of life, because of this freeze and the uncertainty.”
    • “I’m also now getting providers asking if they should be looking for a new job. Without any understanding and guidance, I’m pretty limited with how much I can actually assure them to do other than tighten our belts…”
    • “Any services that are directly funded by federal funds will be placed on hold…”
    • “We had to use all reserves in 2024. We will not make payroll or any other payments next week without access to this federal funding. Staff will be dismissed without access to federal funds.”
    • “If everything stays the same…the best guess is that we could be fully operational for six months.”
    • “We have the ability to sustain current or full operations for 60 days…Outreach and case management staff…would be in the first wave of layoffs. Unfortunately, those positions rely on federal support as they are typically not reimbursable through third-party payors. In a short period of time, this has had a profound impact on our staff. [Staff are] concerned that we will lose valuable staff members as they are concerned about the stability of the organization.”
    • “We will step back on hiring and likely implement hiring pause unless this is resolved quickly.”
    • “We have enough in reserve to cover two payroll periods.”
    • “The pause in grant funding would create a deficit for us…We would likely need to start reducing staff and healthcare services to the…patients we serve…within the next couple of weeks if the freeze persists.”

    As safety net providers operating on razor-thin margins, health centers need certainty to provide care in underserved communities. In Virginia alone, ongoing delays in accessing funding have caused health centers to close their doors and cancel patient appointments. When health centers close, people with chronic conditions miss appointments, pregnant women miss prenatal visits, and behavioral health services are interrupted, worsening outcomes and increasing costs to the entire health care system.

    Despite a judge’s order blocking the funding freeze, we are troubled by reports that health centers are unable to access funding duly appropriated by Congress through the PMS. To compound this issue, our offices have heard troubling reports that since the Trump Administration’s executive orders and funding freeze, funding that has already been appropriated and directed by Congress is still being restricted, and standing webinars, briefings, and meetings are being cancelled at the last minute. Health centers are receiving little communication regarding these cancellations and changes, and the communication they have received from HRSA has been unclear, directing actions that may conflict with current court orders.

    We request that you provide answers to the following questions in writing no later than Wednesday, February 12, 2025.

    1. How many health centers have draw-down requests pending in the PMS?
      1. How has that number changed, daily, since January 27, 2025?
      2. What is the average wait time from submission of a draw-down request to disbursement of funds prior to January 27, 2025 and after January 27, 2025?
    2. How many health center draw-down requests have been denied since January 27, 2025?
      1. What is the rationale for these denials?
    3. What is the exact timeline for ensuring the PMS is fully operational and disbursing all pending health center draw-down requests?
    4. What specific authority and under which executive action did HRSA or the Department of Health and Human Services use to restrict health center access to the PMS and funding that they had been previously awarded?
    5. Please provide a list of regular standing calls or meetings between HRSA staff and HRSA grantees that have been cancelled since January 20, 2025. Please include the following:
      1. A description of the grantees impacted, including the type of grantees and number of grantees.
      2. Whether funds appropriated by Congress for the purpose of the grant are being withheld from being awarded to the grantees.
    6. Please provide a list of webinars, briefings, information sessions, and trainings that have been cancelled since January 20, 2025. Please include the following:
      1. A description of the purpose of each webinar, briefing, information session, or training.
      2. Whether or not the webinar, briefing, information session, or training is required by statute and if so, provide the corresponding citation.

    Sincerely,

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Daines Introduce Legislation to Boost Job Growth, Support Virginia Communities

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON —U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Steve Daines (R-MT), both members of the Senate Finance Committee, introduced legislation that will permanently extend the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) in order to encourage redevelopment and new construction in communities across the country, including Virginia. The New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act will permanently extend the NMTC, which attracts capital to low-income communities by providing private investors a 39 percent federal tax credit for investments made in businesses or economic development projects, including housing.

    “The New Markets Tax Credit is a vital tool in the fight to build more housing and encourage investment in communities that need it most. By leveraging this program, we can encourage economic development, expand opportunity and make housing more affordable for families across the country,” said Sen. Warner.

    “The New Markets Tax Credit spurs growth and creates jobs in our communities across Montana. Making this program permanent will encourage the opportunities and economic stability our country needs to continue thriving,” said Sen. Daines.

    NMTC investments take place in all 50 states. In the last 20 years, $81 billion in NMTC allocations has financed more than 8,500 businesses and projects with total project costs of over $130 billion. The NMTC Program created or retained more than 894,000 jobs and supported the construction of over 56.7 million square feet of manufacturing space, 94.5 million square feet of office space, and 67.2 million square feet of retail space across the country.

    The New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act is one of several bills Warner has introduced or plans to introduce in the 119th Congress to expand access to housing and make housing more affordable for Virginians.

    Joining Sens. Warner and Daines in introducing this legislation are Sens. John Boozman (R-AK.), Peter Welch (D-VT), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Roger Wicker (R-MS), John Hickenlooper (D-CO(), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Corey Booker (D-NJ).

    “The New Markets Tax Credit has been an essential tool for LISC to finance community revitalization work in Virginia and throughout the country. NMTCs have enabled LISC to finance a wide array of projects in disadvantaged communities, including the Petersburg Public Library, the Anna Julia Cooper School and The Market at 25th project in Richmond’s east end.  These projects provide important educational resources, community facilities, healthy food options and affordable housing for local residents.  LISC strongly supports the New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act and thanks Senator Warner for his leadership in making this vital tax credit permanent,” said Jane Ferrara, Executive Director, LISC Virginia.

    “Our New Markets Tax Credit allocation will allow Locus to fill project financing gaps by providing both equity and affordable debt to projects that may not move forward otherwise.  This financing tool will allow Locus to deepen its outreach efforts and drive more capital into projects that create jobs and drive economic development in areas that need it most,” said Clyde Cornett, CFO and Interim CEO, Locus.

    “New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) have proven to be vital tools in attracting billions in private investment into local communities. Every $1 of federal funding attracts $8 in private investment, which in turn creates jobs, enlivens communities, and spurs growth. We support a permanent NMTC program that can extend and amplify this efficient, market-driven solution in urban and rural areas across the country,” said Ellis Carr, President & CEO, Capital Impact Partners & CDC Small Business Finance.

    “New Markets Tax Credits have been a game-changer in Appalachia and have helped us create and retain over 8,170 jobs across the region, supporting economic development in underserved communities. We appreciate Senator Warner’s continued leadership and efforts to strengthen the program and to make the New Markets Tax Credits permanent,” said Bryan Phipps, President and CEO, People Incorporated.

    Full text of the bill is available here.

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: President Trump Announces “Joint Venture” on Alaska LNG Project with Japan

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan

    02.07.25

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Governor Mike Dunleavy (R-Alaska) today applauded President Trump’s leadership for highlighting the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Project in his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba today at the White House and announcing a “joint venture” on Alaska oil and gas between the United States and Japan.

    In his press conference today, President Trump said, “Japan will soon begin importing historic new shipments of clean American liquefied natural gas in record numbers…We’re talking about the pipeline in Alaska, which is the closest point of major oil and gas to Japan by far…We’re talking about a joint venture of some type between Japan and us having to do with Alaska oil and gas.”

    “While Alaskans are praying for those who were on the missing Bering Air flight last night, we did have some very good news today on the Alaska LNG Project: I want to thank President Trump for his strong leadership on the Alaska LNG Project in his meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister today,” said Sen. Sullivan. “With his leadership, we will get the Alaska LNG Project built, which will create thousands of good-paying jobs, reinvigorate our American steel industry, significantly reduce our trade deficit in Asia, and deliver clean-burning Alaska gas for Americans, our military, and our allies in the Asia-Pacific, like Japan. Alaskans stand ready to work with the Trump administration, Japan and the private sector to realize a dream that we have been pursuing for almost half a century.”

    “President Trump has been a steadfast supporter of Alaska and its ability to be the solution to many of America’s issues through its vast natural resources, its geopolitical position in the Arctic and Pacific, and Alaska’s ability to help its Asian neighbors such as Japan, with 60 years of clean burning natural gas,” said Gov. Dunleavy. “As we move this project along, we look forward to working with President Trump, Japanese officials, and others to put project agreements in place ASAP. Thank you, President Trump!”

    In the last few months, Sen. Sullivan has directly pitched the importance of the Alaska LNG Project to President Trump and all of his incoming cabinet officials and members of his national security team. Sen. Sullivan has utilized a document, “America’s Gasline,” highlighting the project’s unique advantages to America and our Asia-Pacific allies. On his first day in office, President Trump signed a comprehensive Alaska-specific executive order, “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential,” which declared the Alaska LNG Project a top priority of the Trump administration. Sen. Sullivan and Gov. Dunleavy have been working closely with the incoming Trump administration for weeks on this critically important EO for Alaska and both Sullivan and Dunleavy are very appreciative of the President and his team for listening to and singling out Alaska in a very positive way on day one.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Capito, Colleagues Highlight Cost-Saving Public Buildings and Federal Office Space Reforms to Trump Administration

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, joined several of her congressional colleagues in sending a letter to the Trump administration highlighting provisions, signed into law last month as part of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA), that provided authority for the Trump administration to right-size the Federal real estate portfolio, saving money for the U.S. tax payer.

    In the letter addressed to Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russell Vought, Acting Administrator of the General Service Administration (GSA) Stephen Ehikian, and Commissioner of the Public Building Service Michael Peters, the lawmakers refer to the “Public Buildings Reforms” provisions location in Title III of Division B of WRDA 2024. This title of the law gives the administration new authorities to improve the management of the federal government’s real estate portfolio, address the inefficient utilization of federal office space, and require federal agencies to bring employees back to the office or lose office space.

    “To maximize the effectiveness of these provisions, it is critical that implementation begins as soon as possible to meet deadlines and take full advantage of the authorities provided to the administration in this legislation,” the lawmakers wrote.

    “Even if 100 percent of the Federal employees returned to the office, the taxpayer would still be paying for excess space. For example, one agency that was the subject of GAO’s 2023 review reported that, even if all their employees came into the office on the same day, only 67 percent of their headquarters building would be utilized,” the lawmakers continued.

    BACKGROUND:

    Chairman Capito was joined in sending this letter by U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Chairman of the EPW Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, and Representatives Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee, and Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Chairman of the T&I Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee.

    In 2023, the GAO conducted a review of the utilization of 24 agency headquarters buildings to understand how the federal government is utilizing its real estate portfolio. The report showed that on average, 17 of the 24 agency headquarters reviewed were at 25 percent or less utilization, with some agencies as low as nine percent.  

    Since the publication of the GAO report, the Committee leaders have been working to increase utilization of Federal office space and offload buildings and leases that are unused or underused. In the letter, the Committee leaders point out that the public buildings reforms included in WRDA 2024 aim to do exactly that.

    Full text of the letter is available here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Joins Colleagues from Both Parties in Calling for Quick Implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act

    US Senate News:

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

    In December, Senator Rosen Helped Pass The Social Security Fairness Act To Allow Public Employees To Fully Access Their Social Security Benefits
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues in calling on the Trump Administration to immediately implement the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act, which Senator Rosen helped pass in December. This law provides full Social Security benefits for millions of public employees that were otherwise barred from accessing them. 
    “The Social Security Fairness Act restores full Social Security benefits for the millions of teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public servants who are unfairly penalized by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO),” wrote the senators. 
    “The Social Security Administration’s website currently states, ‘SSA expects that it could take more than one year to adjust benefits and pay all retroactive benefits’ owed under the Social Security Fairness Act,” they continued. ‘We call for the immediate implementation of this legislation to provide prompt relief to the millions of Americans impacted by WEP and GPO.” 
    The full letter can be found HERE.
    Senator Rosen has been a staunch supporter of critical programs like Social Security and Medicare. She has vocally and repeatedly called to protect them and the benefits they provide to Nevadans. Last Congress, she renewed her commitment to fight against any attempts in Congress to cut Social Security and Medicare.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Helps Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Reunite Filipino World War II Veterans with Their Children

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) helped introduce bipartisan legislation to expedite the visa process for children of Filipino World War II veterans. Despite their service, Filipino World War II veterans were not granted citizenship until 1990, and their children still face long backlogs in obtaining a visa to reunite with their parents. The bipartisan Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt the sons and daughters of Filipino World II veterans who were naturalized from global limits. Nevada is home to one of the largest Filipino-American communities in the United States.
    “Filipino veterans served our country admirably during World War II, but outdated laws have prevented them from reuniting with their loved ones in the United States,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort to expedite visa processing for the children of these heroes to ensure they can reunite. I’ll always push to honor our veterans for their service to our nation.”
    Senator Rosen has worked consistently to deliver for Nevada’s veterans. Earlier this year, she announced that a bipartisan bill she backed to expand veterans benefits outreach became law. Senator Rosen’s bipartisan legislation to require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to maintain a permanent helpline for veterans to use for information on VA services is now law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025. She also successfully pushed President Biden to include the construction of a new VA hospital in Reno in his 2024 Budget Request and helped introduce and pass bipartisan legislation to officially authorize its construction.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin, Murray, DeLauro Blast Trump Administration on Halt of Vital Work at Nation’s Largest Public Health Agency

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Related Agencies Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, and Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, in calling out the Trump Administration for the chaos and confusion they have unleashed by pausing communications and critical work, groundbreaking research, and funding for programs Americans rely on at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The legislators also demanded answers from the Trump Administration on the funding freeze that has impacted Medicaid, Head Start and other vital services in their states.

    “The Department’s issuance of internal guidance combined with implementation of sweeping Executive Orders has unleashed significant confusion and hindered the Department’s mission to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans,” wrote the legislators in a letter to Dorothy A. Fink, M.D., Acting Secretary of HHS.

    The legislators outlined their concerns that HHS has paused external communications for weeks that give Americans basic information about the spread of diseases and viruses that impact their communities. As communities across the country deal with avian flu, the Centers for Disease paused the release of a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from January 16 to February 6, the first time in decades that this basic public health communication for states and local communities did not go out. The National Institutes of Health was also forced to cancel over 50 critical meetings, resulting in delays for tens of thousands of grant applications and delaying lifesaving biomedical research and clinical trials across the country.

    Meanwhile on the ground in communities across the country, community health centers have been unable to reach anyone at the Health Resources and Services Administration who can help them access the federal funds that they are owed, while public health data that researchers and local doctors rely on was removed from CDC’s website.

    The legislators also rebuked the Trump Administration for the chaos and confusion caused by an Office of Management and Budget memo that called for a halt on federal funding of agency grant, loan, and other financial assistance programs. While that memo was later rescinded and courts stepped in to pause the freeze on spending, significant confusion and ongoing disruptions in federal funding remain. The legislators warned against continued efforts to override Congress, especially the delay or termination of grants through programs already secured and passed in bipartisan spending legislation.

    “The Department’s actions over the last two weeks have done nothing to improve the health of Americans. They have disrupted early childhood education for our youngest children. They have put at risk opioid prevention and treatment programs and led to domestic violence programs wondering how they can keep their doors open and phones on,” the legislators continued. “They have delayed biomedical research and clinical trials for lifesaving cures for deadly diseases. We are deeply concerned this is a precursor of actions to come from this Administration.”

    Given the lack of transparency or clear communication from HHS, the legislators concluded by demanding more information about the full scope of the HHS communications pause and further information on their plan to implement the flurry of Executive Orders from the Trump Administration in its first few weeks. The legislators requested a response by no later than February 10, 2025. A full list of their questions is available below.

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

    Dear Acting Secretary Fink,

    We write with serious concerns about actions at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (the Department) since January 20, 2025, including a pause in external communications and lack of transparency regarding the Administration’s funding freeze. The Department’s issuance of internal guidance combined with implementation of sweeping Executive Orders has unleashed significant confusion and hindered the Department’s mission to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans.

    On the first full day of the Trump Administration, you sent a memo, “at the direction of the new Administration” to the heads of HHS operating and staff divisions implementing an immediate pause on issuing documents and public communications. Although you noted in the memo that these directives were consistent with precedent, they are clearly more far reaching, restrictive and long-standing than any limitations on communication that have been implemented during previous transitions. As a result, CDC did not issue its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for two weeks, the first time in decades this basic public health communication to states and local communities has not been published. A February 20-21 meeting (notably outside the scope of the “temporary” pause that was supposed to be in effect until February 1) of CDC’s National Vaccine Advisory Committee, which advises HHS leadership on vaccine policy, was cancelled.  The National Institutes of Health cancelled more than 53 FACA meetings, including at least 10 Advisory Committee meetings and innumerable peer review sections, holding up tens of thousands of grant applications and delaying lifesaving biomedical research and clinical trials across the country. Community health centers have been unable to reach anyone at the Health Resources and Services Administration who can help them access the federal funds that they are owed. Public health data that researchers and practitioners rely on was removed from CDC’s website.

    In addition to this internal memo, over the last two weeks the Administration has issued sweeping Executive Orders (EOs) that directly implicate HHS and its programs, and sought to disrupt funding in a manner that far exceeds the President’s legal authority. The Office of Management and Budget issued a memo on January 27 (M-25-13) to heads of executive Departments and agencies directing them to broadly freeze federal funding of agency grant, loan, and other financial assistance programs. While that memo was later rescinded and courts quickly issued Temporary Restraining Orders against its implementation and any freeze, pause, cancelation, or termination of existing grant funding related to recent EOs, it created significant confusion and ongoing disruptions in federal funding. Attempts to illegally pause federal funding led to a nationwide outage of HHS payment management systems including Medicaid portals in all 50 states and organizations continue to have problems accessing their grant funds this week, including Head Start programs and community health centers. Compounding this problem, grantees are largely unable to get answers from their program officers or agency contacts, apparently because of restrictions on external communications. 

    In the midst of this confusion, HHS has begun implementing Trump Administration EOs, many of which focus on broadly undefined terms and provide little concrete information for grantees or Congress. This includes directives to federal grant recipients that they must comply with various EOs which has created more confusion and uncertainty among Federal grant recipients tasked with carrying out HHS’ broad mission. The Department has also provided no information to the Committees on Appropriations regarding how it is implementing EOs that seek to directly alter the availability and uses of funds provided in prior appropriations acts.

    Finally, while we are focused on the most immediate issues created by the Administration’s actions, we are also concerned about continued, ongoing restrictions on HHS grantmaking and communications and the impact they will have on families and communities if they persist for the remainder of the fiscal year. The cancellation of HHS advisory committee meetings and study sections has already delayed the grant making process and impacted tens of thousands of research grants. Implementation of the Trump Administration’s EOs has already delayed the posting of scores of funding opportunity announcements and the awarding of new grants. This not only slows biomedical innovation and destabilizes national security, but it jeopardizes the health and wellbeing of every American. This is particularly concerning given the Administration’s stated intentions to impound federal funding for activities it simply does not support.

    The Department’s actions over the last two weeks have done nothing to improve the health of Americans. They have disrupted early childhood education for our youngest children. They have put at risk opioid prevention and treatment programs and led to domestic violence programs wondering how they can keep their doors open and phones on. They have delayed biomedical research and clinical trials for lifesaving cures for deadly diseases. We are deeply concerned this is a precursor of actions to come from this Administration. Given the tremendous importance and reach of HHS programs, and the lack of transparency over the Department’s actions to date, we write to request additional information. Because most of these questions have been previously provided in writing we request a prompt response by no later than February 10, 2025 at 5pm.

    Regarding the memo issued on January 21, 2025, directing an immediate pause on issuing documents and public communications:

    1. What restrictions on issuing documents and public communications are currently in place as a result of this memo?
    1. Are there any restrictions on communications with Members of Congress and/or Congressional staff, including Appropriations Committee staff? Are there any restrictions on communicating with existing grantees?
    1. Does the directive to pause issuing documents and public communication apply to any part of the grant making process, including the release of notices of award, notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs), or any part of the peer review process? If so, does the Department expect any delay in the awarding of grant funds or posting of funding opportunity announcements? Please provide the total number of grant applications and NOFOs impacted, broken down by agency.
    1. Has the directive to pause issuing documents and public communication resulted in the delay of FACA meetings, including advisory meetings or councils, or peer review sections? If so, please provide the total number of meetings and study sections impacted, broken down by agency. When do you expect any paused activities to resume?
    1. Does the guidance to pause external communications and public documents apply to public health information, including the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)?
    1. Does the guidance to pause external communications, or any subsequent guidance provided through acquisition alerts issued by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources, apply to communications between HHS personnel and private vendors for the purposes of acquisition, procurement, or contracting of goods or services necessary to carry out activities under existing grant awards or contracts?
    1. Does the guidance to pause external communications apply to communications between HHS personnel and current grant recipients that are eligible to exercise grant extensions? 

    Regarding Executive Orders:

    1. Describe all actions taken and planned to be taken to implement the Executive Order (EO) “Withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO)”, including addressing the specific questions below:
      1. Will the directive to “pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO” impact ongoing cooperative agreements between HHS and WHO in the interim between the announcement and the official withdrawal? 
      2. What new activities will HHS have to assume that are currently a function of the United States’ participation in WHO in response to Section 2 (d)(iii) of this EO?
    1. Describe all actions taken and planned to be taken to implement Executive Order “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”, including addressing the specific questions below:
      1. How will HHS “assess grant conditions and grantee preferences and ensure grant funds do not promote gender ideology”? How is HHS defining “promote gender ideology”?
      2. Will this assessment include a review of existing grant awards/contracts where funding has already been obligated? 
      3. What if any guidance has been provided to existing grantees/contractors regarding implementation of this EO? If guidance has been provided has it been provided to all grantees or just select grantees? If it’s only been provided to select grantees how was it determined which grantees would receive guidance?
      4. How does HHS plan to implement this EO with regard to future funding opportunities? 
    1. Describe all actions taken and planned to be taken to implement Executive Orders “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity”, including addressing the specific questions below:
      1. How is HHS identifying offices, positions, initiatives, programs, grants, or contracts implicated by this EO? How is HHS defining equity actions and equity-related grants or contracts?
      2. Provide a list of all offices, positions, initiatives, programs, grants, or contracts that have been identified or terminated as a result of this EO.
      3. What if any guidance has been provided to existing grantees/contractors regarding implementation of these EOs?  If guidance has been provided has it been provided to all grantees or just select grantees? If it has only been provided to select grantees how was it determined which grantees would receive guidance?
    1. How does HHS plan to conduct the Position Reviews referenced in OPM’s memo, “Guidance on Implementing President Trump’s Executive Order titled, ‘Restoring Accountability To Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce’”?        
    1. In response to any Executive Orders issued to date, or as a result of any other administrative action, has HHS issued stop work orders on existing grants/contracts or imposed new restrictions on existing grants/contracts? If so, please explain. 
    1. In response to Executive Orders issued to date, or as a result of any other administrative action, does HHS expect delays in awarding new, renewal or continuation grants relative to the timelines of previous years?
    1. Describe in detail the timeline of events since January 20, 2025 that led to widespread problems with grantees being unable to draw down or access their grant funds from HHS’ Payment Management System in a timely manner, including ongoing problems as of today. When was HHS first aware of problems and what was the cause of them?  When will issues with HHS’ Payment Management System be resolved and what efforts are being made to ensure it is operational as soon as possible?

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff, Colleagues Call on Trump Administration to End Harmful Freeze on Health Communications and Funding

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Schiff, Colleagues Call on Trump Administration to End Harmful Freeze on Health Communications and Funding

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and a group of 30 other Senators in calling on Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services Dorothy Fink to end the unprecedented freeze on all external health communications and funding.

    This freeze has disrupted clinical trials, prevented the National Institutes of Health and other agencies from engaging with patient groups and scientific advisory committees, and delayed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) — the nation’s premier publication for disseminating public health updates — for the first time in over 60 years. This political interference in public health agencies is an unprecedented, dangerous threat to public health.

    With the Administration’s own deadline already having passed, it remains unclear when these restrictions will be lifted.

    “We write to express our deep concern over the Administration’s recent decision to freeze external communications and suspend federal health funding at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),” wrote the Senators. “The abrupt order has already disrupted patient care, public health oversight, halted medical research funding, and obstructed critical regulatory processes.”

    “This political interference in public health agencies is unprecedented and unacceptable,” continued the Senators. “… The American people depend on HHS agencies to provide accurate, real-time information about disease outbreaks, medical research, and regulatory decisions. We urge you to immediately reverse this harmful decision.”

    In addition to Senators Padilla, Schiff, Klobuchar, and Sanders, the letter was also signed by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    After the Trump Administration paused crucial communications from federal health agencies last month, Senator Padilla joined Senator Schatz in introducing a resolution calling for uninterrupted health warning services for the American people.

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Acting Secretary Fink:

    We write to express our deep concern over the Administration’s recent decision to freeze external communications and suspend federal health funding at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The abrupt order has already disrupted patient care, public health oversight, halted medical research funding, and obstructed critical regulatory processes.

    On January 22, all 13 HHS operating divisions – including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were told to immediately “pause” all external communications and grant disbursements until at least February 1, with no clear plan for restoration. This directive prohibits agencies from issuing public health advisories, publishing scientific reports, updating websites, announcing regulatory decisions, or conducting outreach to patient groups – unless such activity is explicitly approved by politically appointed leadership.

    With the Administration’s own deadline having passed, it remains unclear when these restrictions will be lifted. While limited exceptions exist for critical health, safety, or national security concerns, the freeze has already severely impeded essential public health and biomedical research functions.

    The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the nation’s premier publication for disseminating public health updates, was abruptly delayed for the first time in over 60 years, limiting reporting on the H5N1 bird flu outbreak and other emerging infectious disease threats. The MMWR often includes clinical recommendations for doctors, such as guidance on how to treat diseases that are currently circulating in the United States – and delaying the MMWR means that doctors may not have all the latest information they need to keep their patients healthy.

    At the NIH, new clinical trials have been delayed and external peer-review grant processes have faced disruptions. NIH study sections – which legally must review grant applications before funding can be disbursed – were initially canceled, creating uncertainty about when federal research funds will be awarded. Despite efforts by the Administration to provide clarity, it remains unclear whether the full peer-review process has resumed and how long grant funding decisions will continue to be delayed. This uncertainty has placed billions in federal research funds in limbo, directly threatening ongoing medical studies and academic research programs.

    The freeze has also blocked NIH from engaging with patient groups on ways to recruit participants into ongoing clinical trials. This means that patients with rare diseases, cancer, and other serious conditions who rely on clinical trials for treatments may be prevented from enrolling, directly jeopardizing their access to life-saving care.

    This political interference in public health agencies is unprecedented and unacceptable. While it is not unusual for a new administration to conduct brief reviews of existing programs, no past transition has implemented a blanket freeze of this magnitude.

    Accordingly, we request an immediate and detailed response to the following questions by Monday, February 10:

    1. Provide a full accounting of all scientific reports, disease surveillance updates, grant decisions, public health advisories, events, calls, research reviews, reports, issue briefs, inspections, surveys, and postings that have been postponed or cancelled since noon on January 20.

    2. Which of the postponed or cancelled items will be rescheduled or published, and by what date?

    3. Has the pause affected communications between HHS and other federal Departments or state agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture. If so, in what capacity?

    4. Can you confirm that all external communications, including those listed above in your answer to the first question, have already resumed or will resume by February 10? If not, please provide a detailed explanation for any continued delay.

    5. Has the communications and funding freeze affected the department’s ability to respond promptly to public health threats and ongoing outbreaks? If so, in what ways?

    6. Given that we are at the height of virus season, how has this pause affected the department’s ability to fulfill its core mission of protecting public health?

    The American people depend on HHS agencies to provide accurate, real-time information about disease outbreaks, medical research, and regulatory decisions. We urge you to immediately reverse this harmful decision.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this request. We look forward to your response and to working with the Department to protect public health and ensure Americans can get the care they need.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Leads Fellow SFRC Democrats in Demanding Answers from Secretary Rubio on How Much Evacuating USAID Workers Overseas Will Cost American Taxpayers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    February 07, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—led her fellow SFRC Democratic colleagues in demanding immediate answers from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on how much it will cost American taxpayers to pull USAID workers off the job overseas and relocate them back to the United States. In their letter, the lawmakers underscored that the Trump Administration’s attacks on USAID are not only likely illegal, but also counterproductive to U.S. interests and actually cost our country more money despite the Administration’s so-called claim that this move will cut costs. By helping reduce global instability that contributes to conflict and mass migration, USAID’s development work is critical in protecting our national security in addition to saving lives. The lawmakers’ letter comes amid news that the Trump Administration plans to cull the USAID global workforce from about 10,000 individuals to just under 300.

    In their letter, the lawmakers wrote: “While any new administration has a right to review programs, you do not have authority to unilaterally dismantle USAID, an independent agency created and funded by federal law, and destroy its infrastructure and workforce in a manner that would be difficult and even more costly to repair, despite how critical they are to our national security.”

    “We are incredulous that any such plan, which would come with great logistical challenges and cost to taxpayers, could be lawfully organized and funded under current requirements,” the lawmakers continued. “Public reporting that an appointee under your direction suggested that the military would step in if the impossible deadlines that were set for this global retreat were not met raises even more questions about how these appointees would be authorized to obligate U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) funds and manpower, at the direct cost of our military readiness.”

    The lawmakers are requesting immediate answers to 14 questions about the costs and legality of the decision to force the return of the global USAID workforce and their families to return to the United States, including: “What is the expected cost of the forced recall of USAID staff from overseas locations?” and “What is the estimated cost to DoD in dollars and in manhours required to support this evacuation?”

    Along with Duckworth, the letter is co-signed by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Chris Coons (D-DE).

    A copy of the full letter is available on the Senator’s website and below:

    Dear Secretary Rubio:

    We write with escalating concern about the spiral of destabilizing and likely illegal orders drafted by officials under your direct authority and often approved by you, with said orders providing directives to the global workforce of USAID. While any new administration has a right to review programs, you do not have authority to unilaterally dismantle USAID, an independent agency created and funded by federal law, and destroy its infrastructure and workforce in a manner that would be difficult and even more costly to repair, despite how critical they are to our national security.

    The February 4, 2025, communication to USAID staff announcing administrative leave for the global USAID workforce, along with a declaration that the Agency is working on a plan to force and fund the return of the global workforce—including their family members—raises a series of urgent questions to which Congress is owed immediate answers. While your directive suggests that exceptions will be granted for designated programs and personnel with extenuating circumstances, the necessary guidance hasn’t been provided and many personnel have already been cut off from their emails with little way to seek clarity. We are incredulous that any such plan, which would come with great logistical challenges and cost to taxpayers, could be lawfully organized and funded under current requirements. Public reporting that an appointee under your direction suggested that the military would step in if the impossible deadlines that were set for this global retreat were not met raises even more questions about how these appointees would be authorized to obligate U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) funds and manpower, at the direct cost of our military readiness.

    We are extremely skeptical about the legal authority under which such an evacuation may be undertaken but also the counterproductive and inefficient nature of the order.

    Therefore, we request answers to the following series of questions. We look forward to your response no later than February 12, 2025.

    1. What is the expected cost of the forced recall of USAID staff from overseas locations? Please detail the estimated cost of transportation for staff, for dependents, for obligated but unused housing and all other anticipated costs separately.
    2. From what accounts is this funding expected to be withdrawn, and under what authority would the Agency use funding in this manner?
    3. What are the terms of leases for office space that will be impacted by this forced recall, how quickly do you anticipate terminating them and how many months of rent for unused office space will U.S. taxpayers pay for?
    4. Please name the “applicable requirements and laws” to be taken into consideration in planning the evacuation, as referenced in the notification to all USAID staff.
    5. What specific congressional funding directives will go unmet as a result of the forced withdrawal of these personnel?
    6. Given the abrupt nature of the forced recall of USAID staff, what plans would the Agency have to provide a resettlement allowance for resettled staff and what amount is intended for that allowance?
    7. From what accounts would such resettlement allowances be withdrawn and under what authority would the Agency use funding in this manner?
    8. Who is responsible for making case-by-case determinations as referenced in the announcement to all USAID staff, by name and office? What accommodations will be available to those with medical and familial needs?
    9. What is the specific process for requesting and evaluating those determinations and what is the timeline for these decisions?
    10. What coordination is happening with DoD regarding potential support for evacuations?
    11. Who at DoD is responsible for this coordination, by name and by office?
    12. Under what authority is DoD potentially providing assistance for this evacuation?
    13. What specific platforms and assets are being requested of DoD to support this evacuation and how would their capabilities and responsibilities be covered while on this task deviating from their normal mission set?
    14. What is the estimated cost to DoD in dollars and in manhours required to support this evacuation?

    An abrupt withdrawal of overseas personnel for this critical agency directly contradicts your statements during your confirmation that the United States needs to show up and be engaged as we work to counter our adversaries around the world, in support of our own national security. The work of development is critical to this national security mission, as it reduces drivers of global instability that contribute to conflict and mass migration, in addition to saving lives. This preventative action comes at a low cost to the taxpayer for the value provided, and a literal retreat from this global mission would amount to burning taxpayer dollars and even military readiness for an emergency of your own making. Images of withdrawal would provide a defining and lasting stain on the United States’ reputation and our failures, and we urge you to shift course.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed, Colleagues Demand Answers About Trump’s Efforts to Restrict & Undermine NSF-Funded Scientific Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – With several major sources of federal research funding in limbo after chaotic directives from the Trump Administration, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has been forced to pause grant review panels, re-examine previously awarded research funding, and initiate the process for dismissing a significant portion of the agency’s workforce.

    Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) joined with 24 colleagues in sounding the alarm over the Trump Administration injecting partisanship into scientific studies, obstructing critical research, potentially derailing the careers of promising American researchers, and attempting to undermine the U.S. scientific research ecosystem.  The Senators wrote to NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan “to express concern about funding delays and widespread confusion at universities and research organizations across the country, resulting from the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders.”  The lawmakers are demanding answers about actions that could damage advancements in scientific discovery and undermine NSF’s mission.

    “In light of NSF’s congressionally mandated mission, we are deeply concerned by recent reports that the Trump Administration’s memoranda and Executive Orders forced the NSF to pause all grant review panels, initiate a re-examination process for existing awards, and develop plans to dismiss a significant portion of the agency’s workforce within the next two months,” the 25 Senators wrote.

    The NSF is an independent federal agency with a $9 billion fiscal year 2024 (FY24) budget that is the funding source for about a quarter of federally supported basic research conducted by U.S. colleges and universities in a variety of fields such as mathematics, biology, computer science, engineering, physics, and marine sciences.  NSF also helps cultivate the nation’s STEM workforce of the future by strengthening academic partnerships and research opportunities with colleges and universities across the country.

    Earlier this month, NSF staff were forced to pause their regular work in order to examine whether any existing grants ran afoul of President Trump’s directive to halt programs aimed at addressing issues of diversity and historic systems of discrimination.

    “We believe these actions are having a devastating impact on our universities and their ability to sustain robust research programs, the Senators continued.  “These pauses will also undermine NSF’s competitive, peer-reviewed research selection process, and could result in a corrupt research system based on ideology and party loyalty rather than independent, scientific inquiry and intellectual integrity.”

    In FY24 alone, NSF awarded $57 million in federal funding to Rhode Island-based research projects. 

    NSF-funded research has helped contribute to numerous, diverse areas of scientific development and discovery, including medical imaging, kidney matching, Doppler radar, geographic information systems (GIS), sign language, and 3D printing.

    In addition to Senator Reed, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    The Senators demanded written responses to the following questions no later than February 13, 2025: 

    1.         Have agents of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency established a presence at NSF?  If so, what measures and directives have they established?  What access to NSF’s computer systems do they have?  Do they have sufficient clearances and background checks?

    2.         How much research funding has been placed on hold?

    3.         How many grant review panels has NSF canceled? 

    4.         Will all grant review panels be rescheduled?  If so, for when?

    5.         Will delays in grant approvals impact faculty and students who depend on NSF grants for financial support?

    6.         Is it standard practice for NSF to re-examine existing awards once a new administration takes office?

    7.         How many existing awards is NSF re-examining?

    8.         Will NSF terminate any existing awards?

    9.         Is NSF planning to dismiss “between a quarter and a half of its staff in the next two months,” as reported by E&E News? If so, what authorities enable the NSF to take this action?

    10.       How would NSF ensure that any reduction in force complies with the requirements of Division C, section 505 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118–42)?

    11.       How will these proposed layoffs comply with the agency’s union agreements?

    Full text of the letter follows:

    Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan

    Director

    National Science Foundation

    2415 Eisenhower Ave

    Alexandria, VA 22314

    Dear Director Panchanathan:

    We write to express concern about funding delays and widespread confusion at universities and research organizations across the country, resulting from the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders. 

    In 1950, Congress established the National Science Foundation (NSF) as an independent federal agency to “promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes.”  Since then, the NSF has served as a critical facilitator and funding source for U.S. research at universities, and has contributed to countless modern advancements – from medical imaging and kidney matching, to Doppler radar and geographic information systems (GIS), to sign language and 3D printing.  NSF’s achievements have relied on its longstanding, merit-based, independent approach to advancing scientific discovery. 

    In light of NSF’s congressionally mandated mission, we are deeply concerned by recent reports that the Trump Administration’s memoranda and Executive Orders forced the NSF to pause all grant review panels, initiate a re-examination process for existing awards, and develop plans to dismiss a significant portion of the agency’s workforce within the next two months.  We believe these actions are having a devastating impact on our universities and their ability to sustain robust research programs.  These pauses will also undermine NSF’s competitive, peer-reviewed research selection process, and could result in a corrupt research system based on ideology and party loyalty rather than independent, scientific inquiry and intellectual integrity.

    Given the severity of this threat, we request that you provide written answers to the following questions by February 13, 2025:

    1. Have agents of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency established a presence at NSF?  If so, what measures and directives have they established?  What access to NSF’s computer systems do they have?  Do they have sufficient clearances and background checks?
    2. How much research funding has been placed on hold?
    3. How many grant review panels has NSF canceled? 
    4. Will all grant review panels be rescheduled?  If so, for when?
    5. Will delays in grant approvals impact faculty and students who depend on NSF grants for financial support?
    6. Is it standard practice for NSF to re-examine existing awards once a new administration takes office?
    7. How many existing awards is NSF re-examining?
    8. Will NSF terminate any existing awards?
    9. Is NSF planning to dismiss “between a quarter and a half of its staff in the next two months,” as reported by E&E News? If so, what authorities enable the NSF to take this action?
    10. How would NSF ensure that any reduction in force complies with the requirements of Division C, section 505 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118–42)?
    11. How will these proposed layoffs comply with the agency’s union agreements?

    We appreciate your attention and prompt response to this important matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey Joins Senators Launching Probe Into DOGE’s Interference With Department of Education, Access to Federal Student Loan Data

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Musk’s Team May Have Obtained Access to Personal Information of Millions of Borrowers; Raises Concerns About Violations of the Law, Failure to Protect Sensitive Information
    “The millions of families who rely on ED to help them achieve the American Dream deserve answers about reports that an unelected billionaire and his team now have access to some of their most sensitive personal information.”
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington (February 7, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and 13 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Acting Secretary of the Department of Education, Denise Carter, launching a probe into recent reports that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has infiltrated the Department of Education (ED) and that “DOGE staffers have gained access to federal student loan data, which includes personal information for millions of borrowers.”
    The letter was also signed by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
    There are over 40 million federal student loan borrowers in the United States. ED’s student loan database contains millions of borrowers’ highly sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, marital status, and income data. 
    “This deeply troubling report raises questions about potential exposures of Americans’ private data, the abuse of this data by the Trump Administration, and whether officials who have access to the data may have violated the law or the federal government’s procedures for handling sensitive information,” wrote the senators.
    According to public reporting, “a handful of 19-to-24-year-old engineers linked to Musk’s companies, with unclear titles, could be bypassing regular security protocols” during DOGE’s infiltration of federal agencies. The senators also raised concerns that the access provided to DOGE-affiliated staff by the Department may violate the Privacy Act, which generally prohibits the disclosure of such information.
    “We are especially troubled by this reporting given President Trump’s stated pledge to abolish the Department,” concluded the lawmakers. “The millions of families who rely on ED to help them achieve the American Dream deserve answers about reports that an unelected billionaire and his team now have access to some of their most sensitive personal information.”
    Additional reporting suggests that DOGE has “fed sensitive data from across the Education Department into artificial intelligence software to probe the agency’s programs and spending.” The 16 senators requested answers from Acting Secretary Carter about DOGE’s access to federal student loan data and any other sensitive databases by February 13, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Markey, Schmitt Applaud Committee Passage of Legislation to Increase Transparency in Ticket Sales

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Washington (February 7, 2025) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) celebrated Wednesday’s passage of their Transparency In Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act out of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, a major step toward increasing transparency and consumer protections in ticket sales. This bipartisan legislation ensures fair pricing in the ticketing marketplace by requiring upfront price disclosures, banning speculative ticket sales, clarifying refund policies, and strengthening enforcement against deceptive practices.

    “Consumers across the country are sick of the high prices and hidden fees for concerts, sports, and other event tickets, making entertainment expensive and inaccessible. The TICKET Act would make purchasing tickets straightforward and stop sellers from leaving people scrounging for cash when they are ready to check out. It’s time to stop the ruse and keep costs transparent right from the start,” said Senator Markey.

    “Consumers deserve to know exactly what they are paying for when they purchase tickets to their favorite sporting events or concerts. The TICKET Act will put an end to hidden fees and misleading resale practices by requiring sellers to display the total cost upfront,” said Senator Schmitt.

    The TICKET Act now moves to the Senate floor for further consideration.

    The TICKET Act establishes consumer protections for ticket sales. This bill requires ticket sellers for concerts, sporting events, and similar activities to clearly disclose fees at the beginning of the transaction with an itemized list of the base ticket price and each additional fee. This includes displaying the total cost, including all fees, in any advertising or sales listing. The Federal Trade Commission is responsible for enforcing these requirements.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Reaction to Senate Republicans’ Proposed Budget Resolution

    US Senate News:

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

    BURLINGTON, VT — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, today released the following statement after Senate Republicans unveiled a proposed budget resolution that could lead to major cuts to critical programs like Medicaid and clean energy initiatives while providing trillions in tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy: 
    “With this plan, Senate Republicans have shown us that their true priority will always be following President Trump’s extremist agenda over doing what’s good for the American people. This blueprint would take a wrecking ball to the progress we’ve made to strengthen and repair our infrastructure, combat climate change, and lower health care costs. This plan also threatens to cut Medicaid and take away the health care that so many Vermonters and folks across America rely on. We will fight this budget plan at every turn to preserve the programs hardworking Vermont families and seniors rely on.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren on Senate GOP Budget Resolution Proposal

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    February 07, 2025
    Washington, D.C. – Today, in response to Senate Republicans unveiling their FY 2025 budget resolution proposal, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released the following statement:
    “The federal budget reflects our nation’s values, and Senate Republicans are showing us with their proposal that working people don’t matter to them. If Republicans really wanted to cut costs for families, then they wouldn’t slash the funds we use to educate and feed our kids, cut access to health care coverage, allow oil companies to pollute our air and water, and shovel even more money to defense contractors. This is an insult to the working people who hoped that Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress would use their complete control of Washington to lower their costs.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Ernst: Kelly Loeffler is the Champion Small Businesses Need

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) made the case for the Honorable Kelly Loeffler, based on her success as a business leader, to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA).
    In the Washington Examiner, Ernst lays out how Loeffler, who advanced out of committee this week with bipartisan support, will reverse the damage done over the last four years, increase transparency and accountability at the SBA, and prioritize the needs of small businesses.

    Kelly Loeffler is the champion small businesses need
    By: Chair Joni Ernst 
    In Iowa and across the country, Main Street is in trouble.
    Small businesses are the lifeblood of communities, but under former President Joe Biden’s administration, they were crushed by bureaucratic overreach.
    After four years of price hikes and dismay, optimism on Main Street recently surged to its highest level since 2018 because job creators are eager for Republicans and the Trump administration to revitalize the small business economy.
    That starts with fixing the broken Small Business Administration, which has become a bloated bureaucratic mess.
    Change starts at the top, and we need a proven business leader as SBA administrator to gut the red tape and refocus the agency on serving Main Street.
    As an accomplished businesswoman, Kelly Loeffler is the perfect person for the job.
    Throughout her career, she rose through the ranks at multiple companies due to her determination and grit. She also started many businesses and knows what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.
    Most importantly, she knows what it means to be overrun by Washington’s bureaucratic overreach — and that the government must instead get out of the way so businesses can thrive.
    I believe substantial reforms must be made to get the SBA back in shape, and that will require strong leadership.
    While the SBA once may have been characterized as a smaller agency, COVID-19-era small business programs made the agency a household name, as it received $1.1 trillion in taxpayer funding to assist small businesses during the pandemic.
    With that funding came big responsibilities, and I remain concerned that the SBA has too often failed to live up to its mission.
    The Biden administration decided to turn a blind eye to COVID-19 fraud and delinquencies, refusing to properly collect outstanding debt and fraudulent funds, which has huge implications for the taxpayer.
    Reports have indicated the SBA charged about $18.6 billion worth of economic injury disaster loans in fiscal 2024.
    The agency has also been unable to provide an accounting of its loans receivable and loan guarantees, which means the Government Accountability Office hasn’t been able to even issue a financial audit of the agency since fiscal 2020.
    The SBA also mismanaged and misinformed Congress last year regarding its disaster loan account, resulting in a shortfall that lasted 66 days — an unacceptable failure for the disaster victims in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Florida.
    On top of this, it also appears the agency’s workforce continues to stay home, while its more than 246,000-square-foot Washington headquarters sits empty.
    The GAO found that even if everyone did show up to work in person, the SBA’s building space would still only be 67% utilized.
    That is why I introduced a bill to relocate 30% of the headquarters workforce to the SBA district offices across the country and cut 30% of office space. Not only will this save taxpayers money, but it will bring SBA employees closer to the people they serve.
    As chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I will work with Loeffler to ensure that the SBA effectively utilizes its personnel and that small businesses across the country can access resources if they need them.
    Small businesses will drive America into the Golden Age, but only if we get Washington out of the way.
    Loeffler will get the job done, and I encourage my Senate colleagues to confirm her, so we can unleash the small business economy.

    MIL OSI USA News –