NewzIntel.com

Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Budd, Lummis Reintroduce Bill to Streamline Federal Permitting Process

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ted Budd (R-North Carolina)
    Washington, D.C. — Senators Ted Budd (R-NC) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) have reintroduced the Full Responsibility and Expedited Enforcement (FREE) Act.
    The legislation would introduce a ‘permit by rule’ system to the federal permitting process, which would allow an applicant to certify compliance with pre-established criteria to obtain a permit. 
    This approach allows permits to be automatically approved unless the agency identifies that an applicant had not made proper certifications within a specified period of time.
    Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Rick Scott (R-FL) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) also co-sponsored the legislation. 
    Representative Celeste Maloy (R-UT) introduced the companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.
    Senator Budd said in a statement:
    “All too often, the federal permitting process is slow, expensive, and confusing. That is why President Trump directed federal agencies to consider a ‘permit by rule’ system in his day one Unleashing American Energy Executive Order. Now Congress should make this policy permanent to reduce bureaucratic delays and compliance costs, and create a transparent and predictable regulatory environment. I’m proud to partner with Senator Lummis and Representative Maloy in this effort to implement a ‘permit by rule’ system to federal permitting.”
    Senator Lummis said:
    “Under four years of the Biden administration’s failed leadership, our permitting process is woefully backlogged and incredibly difficult to navigate. The federal permitting process has become years-long, which discourages investment and innovation all together. Implementing permit by rule processes will streamline approvals and help us address backlogs.”
    Background:
    The FREE Act:
    Requires each agency to evaluate their current permitting systems and consider the feasibility of replacing them with a permit by rule system.
    Mandates agencies to submit a detailed report to Congress within 180 days, outlining each permit issued, the requirements for obtaining them, and an evaluation of whether a permit by rule could replace the current system.
    Establishes a permit by rule application process within 12 months of submitting the report, specifying written requirements and substantive standards for permits.
    Automatically approves permits if the application meets all required certifications and no objections are raised within 30 days.
    Allows agencies to audit applications and enforce compliance with substantive standards, including denying or halting permits if standards are not met.
    Enables applicants to appeal denied or halted permits in district court, with provisions favoring applicants who made a good faith effort to comply.
    Prohibits agencies from entering settlement agreements that would undermine the enforcement of the FREE Act.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Ted Budd Joins Intelligence Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ted Budd (R-North Carolina)
    Washington, D.C. — Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has named Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) to serve on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, filling the seat previously held by now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
    During the 119th Congress, Senator Budd will also serve on the Armed Services Committee, Commerce Committee, Small Business Committee, and the Joint Economic Committee.
    Sen. Budd said in a statement:
    “I am truly honored to serve on the Senate Intelligence Committee. The United States faces a complex global threat environment. Every day around the world, our intelligence community professionals risk their lives to collect foreign intelligence critical to our national security. At the same time, Americans are rightly concerned about abuses by, and politicization of, intelligence agencies. I am ready to join Chairman Cotton and my colleagues to ensure the intelligence community is focused on providing objective analysis to decision-makers, while protecting the privacy and civil liberties of Americans enshrined in our Constitution.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine Statement on Pete Hegseth’s Confirmation as Secretary of Defense

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement regarding Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as Secretary of Defense:

    “I’m shocked but not surprised at the willingness of GOP members to confirm a nominee who has been called out by so many (including his own mother) for egregious and disqualifying misconduct. Trump wanted to see if any had a gag reflex. He has his answer.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Schumer, Murphy, Kim Lead 46 Senators in Introducing Resolution Condemning Pardons of Individuals Found Guilty of Assaulting Capitol Police Officers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Resolution comes after Trump pardons 1,500 Jan 6 insurrectionists—including those convicted of violently assaulted police officers

    Murray will seek unanimous consent to pass the resolution this week

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Andy Kim (D-NJ) will lead a group of 46 senators in introducing a new resolution condemning the pardons of individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police Officers. The resolution follows the move by President Trump, on the first day of his second term, to grant full, complete, and unconditional pardons to over 1,500 people charged with committing crimes in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and to commute the sentences of 14 others, including leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, far-right militias. Among those pardoned by Trump were 169 people who pled guilty to assaulting police officers on January 6th.  During the siege of the Capitol that day, over 80 U.S. Capitol Police Officers were assaulted, as well as over 60 officers from the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.

    The senators’ resolution, Condemning the pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police Officers, simply states: “Resolved, That the Senate disapproves of any pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police officers.” This week, Senator Murray will seek unanimous consent on the Senate floor to pass the resolution.

    In addition to Murray, Schumer, Murphy, and Kim, Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) also cosponsored the resolution. In total, 46 senators signed onto the resolution. A PDF of the resolution is HERE.


    “I refuse to allow President Trump to rewrite what happened on January 6th—armed insurrectionists, incited by Trump himself, broke into the U.S. Capitol and violently assaulted Capitol Police officers in their attempt to overthrow a free and fair election,”     said Senator Murray. “Insurrectionists cracked the ribs of police officers and smashed spinal disks. Donald Trump’s pardons are a wholesale endorsement of political violence—as long as it serves Donald Trump. Affirming that U.S. Senators condemn unconditional pardons for people who were found guilty of violently assaulting Capitol Police officers should be the easiest thing in the world. If Republicans care even the tiniest bit about law enforcement, they should be outraged by these pardons. I hope and expect my Republican colleagues will allow this very simple resolution to pass as a show of support for the officers who put their lives on the line to keep senators safe.”

    “The people who invaded the Capitol on January 6th, whether they committed violence or not, broke the law and attempted to thwart democracy. What they did is a serious crime. There’s no gray area here,” said Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. “Donald Trump’s made it clear he’s more interested in rewarding lawbreakers and pardoning lawless rioters who attacked police officers and invaded the Capitol, than standing up for law and order. Senate Republicans who experienced the same mayhem on January 6 should join us in condemning this dangerous signal to lawbreakers, so we can make clear that political violence of any kind is unacceptable.”

    “Trump’s pardons of January 6th rioters who viciously assaulted law enforcement officers send a dangerous message: if you’re willing to commit violence in his name, there are no consequences,” said Senator Murphy. “This endorsement of political violence not only undermines our justice system, but it also makes our nation less safe and emboldens those who would attack our democracy.”

    “On January 6th 2021, we witnessed an attack against our sacred Capitol and a brutal assault on police officers upholding their sworn duty. It is shameful for President Trump to issue the pardons and exalt political violence. We all resoundingly condemned the assassination attempts on Trump only to see him bless the violence against a different branch of government. Never should political violence be acceptable,” said Senator Kim.  

    “President Trump’s blanket pardons of armed insurrectionists, who were convicted by juries of everyday Americans, is the ultimate disrespect for police officers who were brutally assaulted on January 6,” said Senator Blumenthal. “These sickening pardons are a clear endorsement of political violence and discredit justice and the rule of law. I urge my Republican colleagues who were protected that terrible day—and who now stay silent—to join in condemning the violence that occurred and standing with the officers who put their lives on the line for their safety.”

    “By attacking law enforcement and trying to block the peaceful transfer of power, the people being pardoned did serious damage to our Capitol and democracy. Some of them attacked and hurt police officers, all received their day in court and were convicted of their crimes. These pardons are a mistake that I strongly disagree with,” said Senator Cantwell.

    “By putting hundreds of violent criminals back on the streets as one of his first acts back in office, President Trump is sending a clear message: it’s open season on law enforcement officers, as long as you’re committing a crime he approves of,” said Senator Coons, co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus. “I pray that none of these criminals go on to commit further acts of violence, but President Trump’s pardons have made our police officers and our streets less safe.”

    “President Trump is pardoning violent criminals who assaulted police officers and attempted to overturn a fair and free election,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This is an insult to law enforcement across the country and an endorsement of political violence. The very least my Republican colleagues can do to back law enforcement is to support this resolution.”

    “On day one in office—after years of pushing the false narrative that Democrats are ‘soft on crime’ and Republicans truly ‘back the blue’— Donald Trump pardoned over 1,500 violent insurrectionists who assaulted law enforcement officers and stormed our nation’s Capitol in an effort to overturn a free and fair election,” said Senator Duckworth. “Not only are these pardons a gross endorsement of political violence, they’re also an insult to the heroic law enforcement officers who defended our democracy and those who died as a result of that fateful day. If Republicans really cared about upholding democracy and the rule of law, then they’d join us in supporting this simple resolution to condemn President Trump’s pardons.”

    “On January 6, 2021, a mob of Trump-inspired insurrectionists  descended on the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn a free and fair election, wielding unspeakable violence against law enforcement officers.  A ‘full, complete, and unconditional’ pardon dishonors the lives of the five law enforcement officers who died as a result of this day, as well as those who are left with life-altering injuries inflicted by these thugs,” said Senator Durbin.  “This resolution ensures that what truly happened that day – the violent, egregious assault on law enforcement officers and the undermining of a Constitutional proceeding – will not be forgotten, even if President Trump has tried to absolve insurrectionists of their crimes.”

    “I was on the House floor, preparing myself and my colleagues for the mob to overrun the Capitol. President Trump’s pardons of these rioters, many of whom attacked policemen—my friends—is a gross misuse of power,” said Senator Gallego. “We must support law enforcement, not the ones who attacked them and tried to take our democracy.”

    “These criminals used flagpoles, fire extinguishers and bear spray to assault the police securing the Capitol on January 6. No one who assaults a police officer should be given a ‘get out of jail free card’ from the President,” said Senator Heinrich.

    “Instead of focusing on steps to strengthen our economy, lower costs, or make communities safer, Donald Trump’s day one priority was pardoning over 1,500 people who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 in an attempt to overturn an election, including those convicted of assaulting police officers,” said Senator Kaine. “These deeply offensive pardons are a slap in the face of the law enforcement community—including five Virginians who died after protecting the Capitol that day—the Constitution, the rule of law, and our democracy. I’m joining together with my colleagues to introduce legislation to formally condemn these shameful pardons.”

    “We will never forget the truth of what happened on January 6: A violent mob attacked our democracy, our Capitol, and the brave men and women of the Capitol Police who were defending it, ” said Senator Klobuchar. “These officers deserve our respect, not the release and pardoning of those who assaulted them. Over the last four years, I have led hearings to examine the events leading up to the attack and have worked with Democrats and Republicans to ensure Capitol Police officers have our full support moving forward. The release of and pardons for those who assaulted them is simply wrong.”

    “The pardons that President Trump granted to insurrectionists who desecrated our Capitol and threatened our democracy on January 6 are not only condemnable – they are disrespectful of the law enforcement who show up every day to protect and serve us. When Republicans say they ‘back the blue,’ they are lauding the very violent criminals who left our officers back and blue on that day. Anyone who supports these pardons is supporting crime and violence,” said Senator Markey. 

    “I condemn in the strongest terms President Trump’s disgraceful pardon of more than 1,000 criminals, many of them violent, who overran the U.S. Capitol, desecrated the seat of our democracy, and assaulted law enforcement in their failed attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power,” Senator Ossoff said.

    “President Trump’s decision to pardon the people who attacked the U.S. Capitol and violently assaulted law enforcement officers, in an effort to overturn a free and fair election, is a clear abuse of power. A President’s allies should never receive special treatment when they’ve committed serious, violent crimes – crimes intended to undermine our democracy. To give these attackers a clean slate not only undermines the rule of law, it emboldens their extreme ideological views and it further erodes Americans’ trust in our government,” said Senator Peters.

    “These pardons were a slap in the face of the Capitol Police who stand up everyday to protect members of Congress.  They have our back; we should have theirs.  Failing to condemn the pardons of the criminals who attacked the Capitol would be a shameful betrayal of these dedicated officers,” said Senator Reed.

    “It’s unconscionable that one of President Trump’s first actions in office was to pardon criminals who violently attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021,” said Senator Rosen. “A number of these convicted felons attacked police officers and injured them. It should not be a partisan issue to fully condemn these actions and President Trump’s pardons.”

    “Pardoning those who were convicted of assaulting police officers who were doing their duty during the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol is reckless and dangerous,” said Senator Shaheen. “No elected official, especially the President of the United States, should ever do anything that would justify, condone or excuse politically motivated violence. I hope all my colleagues will join us in supporting this resolution to condemn pardons for those found guilty of assaulting police officers on January 6, 2021.”

    “President Trump’s day one agenda was letting violent criminals who beat police officers out of prison. These are people who planned an insurrection, assaulted police officers with metal batons, fire extinguishers, wooden planks, and even admitted to these crimes and pled guilty in court. The brave Capitol Police officers who put themselves in danger to protect our democracy deserve better. We can’t let what actually happened on January 6th, 2021 be rewritten and whitewashed,” said Senator Smith.

    “On January 6, many rioters attacked our Capitol and assaulted, bludgeoned, and bloodied Capitol Police officers and officers from the District of Columbia. Donald Trump’s pardons of these convicted criminals are sickening – they are a gross insult to the brave officers who did their duty and a betrayal of all of law enforcement. I urge our Republican colleagues to join us in sending a simple message: celebrating criminals convicted of beating police officers is unacceptable,” said Senator Van Hollen.

    According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, approximately 1,572 defendants have been federally charged with crimes associated with the attack of the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. This includes approximately 598 charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement agents or officers or obstructing those officers during a civil disorder, including approximately 171 defendants charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer. As proven in Court, the weapons used and carried on Capitol grounds during the January 6th attack include firearms; OC spray; tasers; edged weapons, including a sword, axes, hatchets, and knives; and makeshift weapons, such as destroyed office furniture, fencing, bike racks, stolen riot shields, baseball bats, hockey sticks, flagpoles, PVC piping, and reinforced knuckle gloves.

    Among others, the individuals who assaulted law enforcement officers and were granted full, unconditional pardons by President Trump this week include:

    • Taylor James Johnatakis, of Kingston, Washington, was convicted of three felonies in November 2023, including assaulting officers. Prosecutors said that he “coordinated a violent assault on a line of police officers defending” the Capitol and that video shows he “used a metal barricade to attack officers head on and grabbed one officer to prevent him from defending himself against other attacking rioters.”
    • Julian Khater, who assaulted a U.S. police office—Brian Sicknick—and later pled guilty to assaulting a police officer with a dangerous weapon.
    • Robert Palmer, who attacked police with a fire extinguisher, a wooden plank, and a pole.
    • Tyler Bradley Dykes of Bluffton, South Carolina, who was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for stealing a police riot shield and twice using it against officers. He pleaded guilty to two felony counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers.
    • Devlyn Thompson, who hit a police officer with a metal baton.
    • Andrew Taake, of Houston, Texas, who was sentenced to a little more than six years for assaulting law enforcement officers with bear spray and a metal whip.
    • Christopher Quaglin, who federal prosecutors said “viciously assaulted numerous officers” and was one of the most violent rioters, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.
    • David Dempsey, who, according to prosecutors, “was one of the most violent rioters,” and received 20 years in prison. Prosecutors also said Dempsey had a “very significant history of arrests and convictions” prior to the January 6th attack.
    • Daniel Rodriguez, of Fontana, California, who plunged a stun gun into the neck of Washington Police Officer Michael Fanone multiple times.
    • Ryan Nichols, of Longview, Texas, who assaulted officers with pepper spray, and later on Jan. 6, at his hotel room, he called for additional violence.
    • Howard Richardson, of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, who struck a police officer three times with a flagpole, hard enough to break the flagpole.
    • Robert Sanford, from Chester, Pennsylvania, who hit two police officers in the head with a fire extinguisher and threw a traffic cone at another officer.
    • Jonathan Munafo, of Albany, New York, who punched a police officer, stole the officer’s riot shield, and struck a Capitol office window with two poles.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, McGovern, Lawmakers Blast Trump’s Inaction on High Egg Prices

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    January 27, 2025
    Lawmakers lay out six executive actions that could lower costs.
    “We urge you to make good on your campaign promise to lower food prices for American families.”
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) led 19 of their colleagues, writing to President Donald Trump, pushing him to take meaningful steps to lower the prices of eggs and other groceries—a problem he largely ignored during his entire first week in office. 
    During his campaign for president, Mr. Trump repeatedly promised he would lower food prices “immediately” if elected. Trump even told the press, “I won on groceries.” But during his first week, he instead focused on attempting to end birthright citizenship, firing inspectors general, and pardoning January 6 attackers, including those who assaulted Capitol police officers. 
    “Your sole action on costs was an executive order that contained only the barest mention of food prices and not a single specific policy to reduce them,” wrote the lawmakers. “You have tools you can use to lower grocery costs and crack down on corporate profiteering, and we write to ask if you will commit to using those tools to make good on your promises to the American people.”
    “To make food more affordable, you should look to the dominant food and grocery companies that have made record profits on the backs of working families who have had to pay higher prices,” continued the lawmakers. 
    For example, last year a Kroger executive admitted in federal court that the company raised the price of eggs and milk “significantly higher than the cost of inflation” in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, a federal court found that the country’s largest egg producers had engaged in a price-fixing conspiracy in the mid-2000s as well. Now, egg producers and grocery stores may leverage the current avian flu outbreak as an opportunity to further constrain supply or hike up egg prices to increase profits.
    “If you are indeed committed to lowering food prices, we stand ready to work with you,” wrote the lawmakers. 
    The lawmakers laid out six recommendations for executive actions to lower prices by encouraging competition and fighting price-gouging at each level of the food supply chain:
    Encourage the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prohibit exclusionary contracting by dominant firms in the food industry, making it harder for major retailers and food brands to shut out smaller suppliers and drive up prices at smaller stores.
    Encourage the FTC to issue guidance on potential violations of the Robinson Patman Act and Section 5 of the FTC Act within the food industry and take enforcement action where merited. 
    Work with the USDA to increase the number of government contract recipients that are very small businesses and to ensure that government contracting considers the long-term costs of food sector consolidation. 
    Help the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FTC scrutinize, and where appropriate, block mergers and acquisitions in the food and agricultural sectors.
    Encourage the DOJ to prosecute actors in the agricultural and food sectors for price-fixing and other anticompetitive behavior.
    Direct the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and FTC to form a joint task force to investigate food price manipulation throughout the supply chain. 
    “Americans are looking to you to lower food prices. Instead of working to lower their grocery bills, however, you have used the first week of your administration on attempting to end birthright citizenship, pardoning individuals who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, and renaming a mountain,” concluded the lawmakers. “We urge you to make good on your campaign promise to lower food prices for American families.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Votes for Disaster Aid Package to Support Vermont’s Flood-Impacted Communities 

    US Senate News:

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

    Welch-championed disaster package will support Vermont’s flood-impacted communities, fund the government
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tonight, the U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive disaster aid package shaped by U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), which will help states like Vermont recover from extreme weather and climate disasters by delivering more than $100.4 billion of relief. The American Relief Act, 2025 will also fund the government through March 14, 2025. It now goes to President Biden’s desk for his signature. 
    Senator Welch released the following statement after the vote: 
    “As I said in the days after Vermont’s catastrophic flooding in July 2023 and again in July 2024, it is the federal government’s job to stand up and help our neighbors when—through no fault of their own—a disaster hits. Senator Sanders, Congresswoman Balint and I have worked with our colleagues in other disaster-impacted states, across the aisle, and across the Capitol to get comprehensive disaster aid to President Biden’s desk. This bill will help communities in Vermont recover stronger and more resiliently than before the floods—and help so many other communities across America that are also recovering from extreme weather disasters.  
    “This bill will help Vermont’s homeowners get the buyout they’re waiting for, farmers and small businesses access the assistance they need, and provide communities flexible recovery funding. It will replenish FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, rebuild our highways and bridges, reimburse states for the repairs made after storms, and so much more. It will also, importantly, keep the government funded—something that shouldn’t be up for debate, and shouldn’t be used as a political football in the 11th hour. 
    “I promised we would not abandon Vermonters. I promised we would do everything possible to help Americans who were caught in the path of terrible storms. I’m proud that a bipartisan group of my colleagues found a way to work together, through the chaos of the past week, to get this over the finish line for families counting on this relief. I look forward to President Biden signing our bill for flood-impacted Vermonters.”  
    Senator Welch and the Vermont Congressional Delegation have advocated for disaster aid funding since Vermont’s catastrophic floods of July 2023. It contains many of his top priorities for the State: dedicated help for Vermont’s flood-impacted farmers, flexible spending through the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Relief fund, money for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, and support for businesses through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), among so much more. 
    In addition to helping disaster victims the bill will fund the will also fund the government through March 14, 2025, extend portions of the Farm Bill, help farmers with emergency economic assistance, and renews some expiring public health and Medicare programs. 
    Senator Welch spoke on the Senate floor last night about the need to work together to pass disaster aid for Vermont and communities across America. Watch Senator Welch’s remarks here:  

    Background on the Comprehensive Disaster Aid in the Continuing Resolution:   
    $100.4 billion in disaster aid:   

    $29 billion will fund FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) 
    More than $33 billion is dedicated to supporting agriculture, which includes:   

    $21 billion for disaster assistance to farmers and producers, including dedicated funding set aside via block grants for Vermont disaster victims who experiences crop, timber, livestock and on-farm infrastructure losses for 2023-2024;   
    $920 million for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program, to provide financial assistance to support debris removal and watershed restoration;  
    $362.5 million for the Rural Disaster Assistance Fund, to allow USDA Rural Development to quickly and flexibly address disasters-related needs using its existing programs, tailored to the specific needs of affected communities; and  
    $25 million in commodity assistance, which can help states with nutrition assistance.  

    The disaster aid funding also includes other funding:  

    $12 billion in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Relief funds to help communities recover with flexible funding;   
    $8 billion for the Federal Highways Administration emergency relief to reimburse states impacted by natural disasters; and  
    $2.25 billion for SBA loans. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Statement on Senate Passage of Social Security Fairness Act She Cosponsored

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Over 43,000 public sector employees in Washington state are affected by provisions the law will repeal
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on Senate passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, legislation she cosponsored that will restore full Social Security benefits for law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other public servants by repealing two provisions of current law—the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO)—that unfairly reduce the Social Security benefits that public employees receive. Over 43,000 people in Washington state are affected by the WEP and GPO provisions. The Social Security Fairness Act previously passed the House and, after passing the Senate 76-20 tonight, heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
    “In Washington state and across the country, public servants including teachers, police officers, and local government workers are not receiving the full Social Security benefits they’ve earned through years of hard work—putting people in tough financial situations when they retire. This legislation will fix a fundamental unfairness in our current law and ensure that public service employees who work so hard to make our communities better can count on the retirement security they have earned and deserve. I’ve pushed for years to eliminate these two provisions that wrongfully penalize public employees—I’m thrilled the Senate was finally able to pass this bill and look forward to seeing it signed into law.”
    Senator Murray has advocated for years for the repeal of the WEP and GPO and has an extensive record of protecting Social Security benefits and fighting to secure essential funding for the SSA. In August, under Murray’s leadership as Chair, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its Fiscal Year 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act which includes $14.7 billion for the SSA—a $509 million increase over Fiscal Year 2024. Millions of Americans rely on Social Security and have earned benefits over lifetimes of work. Half of seniors rely on Social Security for most of their income and a quarter of seniors rely on Social Security for at least 90% of their income.   
    At a Budget Committee hearing in September, Senator Murray outlined how House Republican proposals over the years would undermine benefits overall, and undermine the SSA’s ability to help get those benefits to people. At another Senate Budget Committee hearing last July, Senator Murray outlined Democratic efforts to protect benefits, and strengthen Social Security’s long term financial footing while contrasting that with efforts from GOP leaders to slash funding. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chair Murray Statement on Senate Passage of Disaster Relief Package and CR

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on final passage of the disaster relief package and CR that cleared the Senate in an 85-11 vote.
    “Tonight, we prevented a needless shutdown before the holidays and finally delivered much-needed relief to help communities that have been struck by disasters all across the country. I worked hard to get these resources across the finish line—and to ensure that we meet the wide range of urgent needs across the country—because there are so many people still reeling from hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, flooding, and more that are counting on us to act. This relief will make such a critical difference for folks who have lost it all and are simply working to get their feet back underneath them.
    “But let’s be very clear: it should never have taken this long or required this much chaos to get this done, and the only reason it did is because House Republicans chose chaos and chose to be dragged around by the richest man in the world.
    “Bottom line: our government should not hang on the whims of an unelected billionaire and our policy should not be dictated by someone who has shown an incredible indifference over the last few days about working families’ lives. Whether or not we lurch toward a devastating shutdown that costs us money, hurts families, and sets back our economy should not depend on whether Elon Musk has the self-control to think for two seconds and do basic fact-checking before mistaking the most obvious Twitter trolls for policy experts. The American people want—and deserve—better than the chaos we got this week thanks to Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and House Republicans.”
    Senator Murray has been pushing to approve additional disaster relief funding for well over a year—and negotiated the bipartisan disaster relief package passed today. In November, she chaired a full committee hearing on the president’s updated disaster relief request, at which she again underscored the need to finally pass a robust disaster relief package, noting it has been one of the longest stretches in her memory that Congress has failed to provide such relief.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Designation of Funding as Emergency Requirements in Accordance with Section 21304 of the American Relief Act,  2025

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Dear Mr. Speaker:   (Dear Madam President:)
    In accordance with section 21304 of the American Relief Act, 2025 (H.R. 10545; the “Act”), I hereby designate as emergency requirements all funding (including the transfer and repurposing of funds) so designated by the Congress in the Act pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as outlined in the enclosed list of accounts.
    The details of this action are set forth in the enclosed memorandum from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
                                  Sincerely,
                                  JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement from President Joe  Biden on Federal Death Row  Commutations

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    I’ve dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system.
    Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole. These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my Administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.
    Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss.
    But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice President, and now President, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level. In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: President  Biden Takes Action to Protect American Workers and Businesses from China’s Unfair Trade Practices in the Semiconductor  Sector

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    A resilient and secure supply of foundational semiconductors is critical to U.S. national and economic security.  These semiconductors are essential to key sectors of the U.S. economy, powering cars, medical devices, critical infrastructure, key aerospace and defense systems, and the goods and services we rely on every day.
    The People’s Republic of China (PRC) routinely engages in non-market policies and practices, as well as industrial targeting, of the semiconductor industry that enables PRC companies to significantly harm competition and create dangerous supply chain dependencies in foundational semiconductors.  
    Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking additional action to protect American workers and businesses from the PRC’s unfair trade practices in the semiconductor sector and support a healthy domestic industry for foundational semiconductors. 
    These actions include:
    Launching a Section 301 investigation to examine the PRC’s targeting of foundational semiconductors.
    The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is launching a Section 301 investigation to examine the PRC’s targeting of foundational semiconductors (also known as legacy or mature node chips) for dominance and the impact on the U.S. economy.
    In addition, the investigation will initially assess the impact of the PRC’s acts, policies, and practices on the production of silicon carbide substrates or other wafers used as inputs into semiconductor fabrication.
    PRC semiconductors often enter the U.S. market as a component of finished goods. This Section 301 investigation will examine a broad range of the PRC’s non-market acts, policies, and practices with respect to the semiconductor sector, including to the extent these semiconductors are incorporated as components into downstream products for critical industries like defense, automotive, medical devices, aerospace, telecommunications, and power generation and the electrical grid. 
    Awarding and catalyzing billions of dollars in semiconductor manufacturing projects across the country.
    The Biden-Harris Administration has championed efforts to ensure more chips are made in America by American workers, in particular through CHIPS and Science Act funding, which allocates at least $2 billion for mature semiconductors.  This was a key part of President Biden’s vision for renewing American economic leadership and a vibrant American industrial base.
    The United States is investing across the semiconductor supply chain—including the upstream materials critical to chip manufacturing such as silicon carbide and wafers.  To date, the Department of Commerce has catalyzed billions of dollars in private sector investments that will serve the American auto and defense industries, including the Texas Instruments projects in Texas and Utah, the GlobalFoundries projects in Vermont and New York, and the Bosch project in California.  Many of these investments also include supply agreements with customers across critical infrastructure industries to maximize the predictability, volume, and quality of domestically manufactured chips needed to power complex technology.  These investments are compounded and sustained by this Administration’s 48D Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit, which will provide up to a 25% tax incentive for the manufacturing of semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and wafer production.
    Reducing national security risks in federal supply chains.
    Semiconductors are key components of U.S. critical infrastructure that have many military applications. It is vital that federal agencies procure secure and trusted chips. 
    To clean up federal procurement of semiconductors, the Biden-Harris Administration is:
    Implementing a statutory provision in the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2023 that prohibits executive agencies from procuring or obtaining products and services that include chips from certain Chinese fabs and other entities of concern.
    Releasing a Request for Information (RFI) to gauge the best ways for government contractors to scale up their use of domestically manufactured chips, particularly for critical infrastructure.  The RFI intends to solicit commercial ideas from industry that may inform future policymaking in support of the government-wide effort to leverage existing manufacturing capacity.
    Issuing guidance to help the Federal Government – the world’s largest buyer – organize its demand for domestic semiconductors so that agencies can mitigate the risk posed by undue dependence on foreign manufacturing, limited competition, and possible higher manufacturing costs.  This effort includes agencies developing strategies to dual or multiple source semiconductors, increasing transparency for critical infrastructure supply chains, and providing the government’s demand for the products and services that use these chips.
    Prioritizing supply chain resilience and bolstering our toolkit to address non-market policies and practices.
    President Biden made supply chain resilience a Day One priority in his Administration.  The first-ever U.S. Government Quadrennial Supply Chain Review, published on December 19, provides an in-depth assessment of the United States’ critical supply chains, actions taken over the last four years to make each supply chain more resilient, and necessary steps to increase U.S. resilience in the future. 
    The Review includes a comprehensive strategy to respond to non-market policies and practices because they pose a significant challenge in critical industries covered in the supply chain report.  The strategy details the types of comprehensive action necessary to combat non-market policies and practices, including procurement policies. 
    Working with our partners around the world to strengthen cooperation on semiconductor supply chains and address shared concerns about China’s unfair practices.
    Semiconductor supply chains are critical not only to the United States but to all of our allies and partners.  The Biden-Harris Administration has closely consulted with allies and partners on promoting economic resilience and addressing the PRC’s non-market practices in the semiconductor supply chain, including through the following efforts:
    The State Department launched the CHIPS and Science Act’s International Technology Security and Innovation (ITSI) Fund, which has thus far partnered with eight countries – Costa Rica, Panama, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Kenya, the Philippines, and Mexico – to promote semiconductor supply chain development, security, and diversification.
    The Department of Commerce announced the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Agreement Relating to Supply Chain Resilience with 13 diverse partner countries across the Indo-Pacific, led by the United States, to coordinate more resilient supply chains for semiconductors and other industries.
    Within the G7, the United States has championed efforts to bolster economic resilience and address harmful market distortions and global excess capacity in key sectors resulting from non-market policies and practices.   This led to the establishment of mechanisms to jointly monitor and respond to these detrimental practices, including in the semiconductor sector.  
    President Biden recognizes the benefits for our workers and businesses from strong alliances and a rules-based international trade system based on fair competition.  The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to collaborate with allies and partners on this critical issue in the coming days and weeks.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: President  Biden Commutes the Sentences of 37 Individuals on Death  Row

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Today, President Biden announced that he is commuting the sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row. Those individuals will have their sentences reclassified from execution to life without the possibility of parole.
    President Biden has dedicated his career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system. He believes that America must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level, except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder – which is why today’s actions apply to all but those cases. When President Biden came into office, his Administration imposed a moratorium on federal executions, and his actions today will prevent the next Administration from carrying out the execution sentences that would not be handed down under current policy and practice.
    This historic clemency action builds on the President’s record of criminal justice reform. The President has issued more commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms. Earlier this month, the President announced clemency for approximately 1,500 Americans – the most ever in a single day – who have shown successful rehabilitation and a commitment to making communities safer. This included sentence commutations for nearly 1,500 individuals who were placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and who have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities, as well as 39 pardons for individuals who were convicted of non-violent crimes. President Biden is also the first President ever to issue categorical pardons to individuals convicted of simple use and possession of marijuana, and to former LGBTQI+ service members convicted of private conduct because of their sexual orientation.
    The President’s criminal justice record has transformed individual lives and positively impacted communities, especially historically marginalized communities. In the coming weeks, the President will take additional steps to provide meaningful second chances and continue to review additional pardons and commutations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Priorities for Vermont’s Flood-Impacted Communities to Become Law as Part of Bipartisan Water Resources Development Act 

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the biennial, bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2024 was advanced by the Senate. The bill contains several of U.S. Senator Peter Welch’s (D-Vt.) priorities for flood-impacted communities. It now heads to President Biden’s desk for his signature.  
    “The Water Resources Development Act will help repair and strengthen Vermont’s flood-impacted infrastructure, protect our watersheds, and make our communities more resilient to extreme weather. Now more than ever, we need to support the Army Corps of Engineers as they work with our communities and the State to protect our communities from flooding,” said Senator Welch. “I look forward to President Biden signing this bipartisan bill, and I thank my colleagues Bernie and Becca for their partnership in getting these Vermont-focused priorities over the finish line.” 
    The Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA 2024) authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform vital projects including flood control, water navigation, and ecosystem restoration. Senator Welch’s priorities for Vermont in the bill include: 

    Lowering the Non-Federal Cost-Share of the Lake Champlain Watershed Environmental Assistance Program for Vermont: With this legislation, the cost share will be 10% non-federal for underserved communities, down from 35%. This change will make the program more affordable to the towns that most need it.  

    Lowering the State of Vermont Cost-Share for Work on the Waterbury, Wrightsville, and East Barre Dams: The cost share for the three dams would be lowered to roughly 7.1% non-federal, down from 35% for East Barre and Wrightsville. (This cost share adjustment was achieved for Waterbury in the 2022 WRDA reauthorization.) Wrightsville’s dam was nearly breached in the July 2023 floods, and this change will make projects on these three dams more affordable for the state of Vermont in the future.  

    Authorizing a New Flood Control Study of the Winooski River: This bill will authorize a new flood control study of the Winooski River watershed, which would examine how to make the Winooski River and neighboring communities along the river more resilient to future floods and other climate change-fueled natural disasters.   

    Reauthorizing the Aquatic Plant Control Program: The Aquatic Plant Control Research Program is valuable to Vermont’s efforts to combat the spread of water chestnut, a nonnative plant that has threatened to disrupt ecosystems and water access in Lake Champlain. Reauthorization ensures the state can continue using the program in years to come.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chair Murray Statement on Government Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on the path forward to fund the government:

    “I’m ready to stay here through Christmas because we’re not going to let Elon Musk run the government. Put simply, we should not let an unelected billionaire rip away research for pediatric cancer so he can get a tax cut or tear down policies that help America outcompete China because it could hurt his bottom line. We had a bipartisan deal—we should stick to it. The deal that was already agreed to would responsibly fund the government, offer badly needed disaster relief to communities across America, and deliver some good bipartisan policy reforms.

    “The American people do not want chaos or a costly government shutdown all because an unelected billionaire wants to call the shots—I am ready to work with Republicans and Democrats to pass the bipartisan deal both sides negotiated as soon as possible.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Proclamation to Implement the United  States-Israel Agreement on Trade in Agricultural Products and for Other  Purposes

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
         1.  On April 22, 1985, the United States and Israel entered into the Agreement on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Israel (USIFTA), which the Congress approved in section 3 of the United States–Israel Free Trade Area Implementation Act of 1985 (the “USIFTA Implementation Act”) (Public Law 99-47, 99 Stat. 82 (19 U.S.C. 2112 note)).  Section 4(b) of the USIFTA Implementation Act provides that, whenever the President determines that it is necessary to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions with respect to Israel provided for by the USIFTA, the President may proclaim such withdrawal, suspension, modification, or continuance of any duty, or such continuance of existing duty-free or excise treatment, or such additional duties, as the President determines to be required or appropriate to carry out the USIFTA.  In order to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions with respect to agricultural trade with Israel, on July 27, 2004, the United States entered into an agreement with Israel concerning certain aspects of trade in agricultural products during the period January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2008 (United States-Israel Agreement Concerning Certain Aspects of Trade in Agricultural Products (the “2004 Agreement”)).     2.  In Proclamation 7826 of October 4, 2004, the President determined, pursuant to section 4(b) of the USIFTA Implementation Act and consistent with the 2004 Agreement, that, in order to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions with respect to Israel provided for by the USIFTA, it was necessary to provide duty-free access into the United States through December 31, 2008, for specified quantities of certain agricultural products of Israel.  Each year from 2008 through 2023, the United States and Israel entered into agreements to extend the period that the 2004 Agreement was in force for 1-year periods to allow additional time for the two governments to conclude an agreement to replace the 2004 Agreement.  To carry out the extension agreements, the President in Proclamations 8334 of December 31, 2008; 8467 of December 23, 2009; 8618 of December 21, 2010; 8770 of December 29, 2011; 8921 of December 20, 2012; 9072 of December 23, 2013; 9223 of December 23, 2014; 9383 of December 21, 2015; 9555 of December 15, 2016; 9687 of December 22, 2017; 9834 of December 21, 2018; 9974 of December 26, 2019; 10128 of December 22, 2020; 10326 of December 23, 2021; 10509 of December 23, 2022; and 10692 of December 29, 2023, modified the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) to provide duty-free access into the United States for specified quantities of certain agricultural products of Israel, each time for an additional 1-year period.  On October 31, 2024, the United States entered into an agreement with Israel to extend the period that the 2004 Agreement is in force through December 31, 2025, and to allow for further negotiations on an agreement to replace the 2004 Agreement.  Pursuant to section 4(b) of the USIFTA Implementation Act, I have determined that it is necessary, in order to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions with respect to Israel provided for by the USIFTA, to provide duty-free access into the United States through the close of December 31, 2025, for specified quantities of certain agricultural products of Israel, as provided in Annex I of this proclamation.    3.  Proclamation 10053 of June 29, 2020, implemented the Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA) with respect to the United States and, pursuant to section 103 of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act (the “USMCA Implementation Act”) (Public Law 116-113, 134 Stat. 11, 15-17 (19 U.S.C. 4513)), incorporated in the HTS the tariff modifications and rules of origin necessary or appropriate to carry out the USMCA.    4.  In order to provide generally for the preferential tariff treatment being accorded under the USMCA, to set forth rules for determining whether goods imported into the customs territory of the United States are eligible for preferential tariff treatment under the USMCA, to provide tariff-rate quotas with respect to certain originating goods of Canada, and to provide certain other treatment to originating goods for purposes of the USMCA, Proclamation 10053 modified the HTS as set forth in Annex I of Publication 5060 of the United States International Trade Commission (the “Commission”), entitled “Modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to Implement the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement” (Publication 5060), including by adding general note 11.  Proclamation 10053 further modified the HTS to reflect the termination of tariff treatment under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), as set forth in Annex III of Publication 5060, including by deleting general note 12.     5.  In order to implement the initial stage of duty reduction provided for in the USMCA, to provide for future staged reductions in duties for originating goods provided for in the USMCA, and to provide tariff-rate quotas with respect to certain goods provided for in the USMCA, Proclamation 10053 modified the HTS as set forth in Annex II of Publication 5060.      6.  A technical error was made in the modifications to U.S. note 3(d) to subchapter II of chapter 98 of the HTS, and certain references to general note 12 were inadvertently not modified.  I have determined that additional modifications to the HTS are necessary or appropriate to provide for the intended tariff treatment under the USMCA, including certain technical or conforming changes within the tariff schedule.      7.  Proclamation 7987 of February 28, 2006, implemented the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) with respect to the United States and, pursuant to section 201 of the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the “DR-CAFTA Act”) (Public Law 109-53, 119 Stat. 462, 467 (19 U.S.C. 4001 note)), incorporated in the HTS the tariff modifications and rules of origin necessary or appropriate to carry out certain provisions of the DR-CAFTA.      8.  A rule of origin under the DR-CAFTA, found in general note 29 to the HTS, contains a reference to general note 12.  Proclamation 10053 deleted general note 12 but omitted a conforming change to the reference in general note 29.  I have determined that an additional modification to the HTS is necessary or appropriate to reflect this conforming change.     9.  Section 602 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260, 134 Stat. 1182, 2152-54), made technical corrections to other laws, including replacing certain references to the NAFTA with references to the USMCA in sections 112 and 113(b) of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (the “AGOA”) (title I of Public Law 106-200, 114 Stat. 251, 258-265 (19 U.S.C. 3721, 3722(b))), as amended by the Africa Investment Incentive Act of 2006 (title VI of Public Law 109-432, 120 Stat. 2922, 3190-94), and in sections 212(a), 213(b), and 213A(b) of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (the “CBERA”) (title II of Public Law 98-67, 97 Stat. 369, 384-85, 388 (19 U.S.C. 2702(a)(1), 2703(b), 2703a(b))), as amended by the United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (title II of Public Law 106-200, 114 Stat. 251, 275-288), the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act of 2006 (title V of Public Law 109-432, 109 Stat. 2922, 3181-87), and the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act of 2008 (subtitle D of Public Law 110-234, 122 Stat. 923, 1527-47).    10.  I have determined that additional modifications to the HTS are necessary or appropriate to provide for the intended tariff treatment under the AGOA and the CBERA, including certain technical or conforming changes within the tariff schedule.    11.  Section 104(c) of the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 (the “TPEA”) (Public Law 114–27, 129 Stat. 362, 365 (19 U.S.C. 2466a note)) authorizes the President to proclaim modifications that may be necessary to add the special tariff treatment symbol “D” in the “Special” subcolumn of the HTS for each article classified under a heading or subheading with the special tariff treatment symbol “A” or “A” in the “Special” subcolumn of the HTS.  Pursuant to section 104(c) of the TPEA, Proclamation 9466 of June 30, 2016, modified the HTS to add the special tariff treatment symbol “D” in the HTS as set forth in Annex III of that proclamation.     12.  The modifications to the HTS authorized in Proclamation 9466 included certain technical errors.  I have determined that additional modifications to the HTS are necessary or appropriate to provide for the intended tariff treatment under the AGOA, as authorized by section 104(c) of the TPEA, including certain technical or conforming changes within the tariff schedule.     13.  Proclamation 6763 of December 23, 1994, implemented, with respect to the United States, the trade agreements resulting from the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations, including Schedule XX-United States of America, annexed to the Marrakesh Protocol to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (Schedule XX), that were entered into pursuant to sections 1102(a) and (e) of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (the “1988 Act”) (Public Law 100-418, 102 Stat. 1107, 1126 (19 U.S.C. 2902(a) and (e))), as amended by Public Law 103-49, 107 Stat. 239, and approved in section 101(a) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (the “URAA”) (Public Law 103-465, 108 Stat. 4809, 4814–15 (19 U.S.C. 3511(a))).      14.  Pursuant to the authority provided in section 111 of the URAA (19 U.S.C. 3521) and sections 1102(a) and (e) of the 1988 Act (19 U.S.C. 2902(a) and (e)), Proclamation 6763 included the staged reductions in rates of duty that the President determined to be necessary or appropriate to carry out the terms of Schedule XX.     15.  Section 1205(a) of the 1988 Act (102 Stat. 1150 (19 U.S.C. 3005(a))) directs the Commission to keep the HTS under continuous review and to periodically recommend to the President such modifications to the HTS as the Commission considers necessary or appropriate to accomplish the purposes set forth in that subsection.     16.  Pursuant to sections 1205(c) and (d) of the 1988 Act (102 Stat. 1150-51 (19 U.S.C. 3005(c) and (d))), in 2010, 2015, and 2021, the Commission recommended modifications to the HTS to conform the HTS to amendments made to the International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System and the Protocol thereto (the “Convention”).     17.  Section 1206(a) of the 1988 Act (102 Stat. 1151 (19 U.S.C. 3006(a))) authorizes the President to proclaim modifications to the HTS based on the recommendations of the Commission under section 1205 of the 1988 Act if the President determines that the modifications are in conformity with United States obligations under the Convention and do not run counter to the national economic interest of the United States.     18.  Proclamation 8771 of December 29, 2011, Proclamation 9549 of December 1, 2016, and Proclamation 10326 of December 23, 2021, modified the HTS pursuant to section 1206 of the 1988 Act to conform the HTS to the amendments to the Convention.  However, the HTS modifications authorized in Proclamation 8771, Proclamation 9549, and Proclamation 10326 each included certain technical errors.     19.  Proclamation 8771 incorrectly modified the column 2 rate of duty for subheadings 0401.40.25 and 0401.50.25, and the “General” subcolumn rate of duty for column 1 and the column 2 rate of duty for subheading 6505.00.01.  I have determined that additional modifications to the HTS are necessary or appropriate to provide for the intended tariff treatment.     20.  Proclamation 9549 and Proclamation 10326 each created certain new subheadings with the special tariff treatment symbol “A” or “A” in the “Special” subcolumn of the HTS, but omitted the special tariff treatment symbol “D”.  I have determined that additional modifications to the HTS are necessary or appropriate to provide for the intended tariff treatment under the AGOA, including certain technical or conforming changes within the tariff schedule.    21.  Proclamation 10326 also included technical errors with respect to other subheadings.  I have determined that additional modifications to the HTS are necessary or appropriate to provide for the intended tariff treatment, including the tariff treatment previously proclaimed in Proclamation 6763.    22.  In Proclamation 9705 of March 8, 2018, pursuant to section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (the “Trade Expansion Act”) (Public Law 87-794, 76 Stat. 872, 877 (19 U.S.C. 1862)), the President concurred with the finding of the Secretary of Commerce that steel articles, as defined in clause 1 of Proclamation 9705 (as amended by clause 8 of Proclamation 9711 of March 22, 2018), are being imported into the United States in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States, and decided to adjust the imports of steel articles by imposing a 25 percent ad valorem tariff on such articles imported from all countries except Canada and Mexico.  Proclamation 9740 of April 30, 2018, and Proclamation 9759 of May 31, 2018, modified the HTS to provide quotas with respect to steel articles imported from certain countries.  Proclamation 10328 of December 27, 2021, Proclamation 10356 of March 31, 2022, Proclamation 10406 of May 31, 2022, and Proclamation 10691 of December 28, 2023, modified the HTS to provide tariff-rate quotas with respect to steel articles imported from certain countries.     23.  On July 1, 2024, the Commission, in cooperation with the interagency Committee for Statistical Annotation of Tariff Schedules, implemented certain changes in 10-digit statistical reporting categories of the HTS under section 484(f) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (ch. 497, 46 Stat. 590, 723 (19 U.S.C. 1484(f))), as amended by section 637 of the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (Public Law 103-182, 107 Stat. 2057, 2202).  I have determined that certain conforming amendments to the HTS are necessary in order to ensure the maintenance of duty rates, quotas, and tariff-rate quotas for steel articles under tariff categories that were modified.    24.  Section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (the “Trade Act”) (Public Law 93-618, 88 Stat. 1978, 2073 (19 U.S.C. 2483)), authorizes the President to embody in the HTS the substance of the relevant provisions of that Act, and of other acts affecting import treatment, and actions taken thereunder, including the removal, modification, continuance, or imposition of any rate of duty or other import restriction.      NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including but not limited to section 4(b) of the USIFTA Implementation Act, section 104(c) of the TPEA, section 1206(a) of the 1988 Act, section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, and section 604 of the Trade Act, do proclaim that:      (1)  In order to implement tariff commitments under the 2004 Agreement through December 31, 2025, the HTS is modified as set forth in Annex I of this proclamation.    (2)  The modifications and technical rectifications to the HTS made by Annex I of this proclamation shall enter into effect on the applicable dates set forth in Annex I of this proclamation.    (3)  In order to make the modifications and technical rectifications to the HTS described in paragraphs 3 through 24 of this proclamation, the HTS is modified as set forth in Annex II of this proclamation.  These modifications and technical rectifications shall enter into effect on the applicable dates set forth in Annex II of this proclamation.    (4)  Any provisions of previous proclamations and Executive Orders that are inconsistent with the actions taken in this proclamation are superseded to the extent of such inconsistency.    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand thistwentieth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.
                            JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Amendments to Executive Orders Relating to Certain Certificates and  Badges

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
         By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:
         Section 1.  Amendments to Executive Order 12793, as Amended.  Executive Order 12793 of March 20, 1992 (Continuing the Presidential Service Certificate and the Presidential Service Badge), as amended by Executive Order 13286 of February 28, 2003 (Amendment of Executive Orders, and Other Actions, in Connection With the Transfer of Certain Functions to the Secretary of Homeland Security), is further amended by:
         (a)  Amending section 1 to read as follows:
         “Section 1.  Presidential Service Certificate.  The Presidential Service Certificate (Certificate) is hereby continued, the design of which accompanies and is hereby made a part of this order.  The Certificate shall be awarded in the name of the President of the United States to members of the United States Uniformed Services who have been assigned to the White House Office; to military units and support facilities under the administration of the White House Military Office; or to other direct support positions within the Executive Office of the President (EOP).  The Certificate shall be awarded by the Secretary of the military department concerned, or, when the Coast Guard is not operating as a service in the Navy, by the Secretary of Homeland Security, and, in the case of members of the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service, by the Secretary of Commerce or the Secretary of Health and Human Services, respectively.  The Certificate shall not be issued to any member who is issued a Vice Presidential Certificate, or similar EOP Certificate, for the same period of service.  Such assignment must be for a period of at least 1 year, subsequent to January 21, 1989.”; and
         (b)  Amending section 2 to read as follows:
         “Sec. 2.  Presidential Service Badge.  The Presidential Service Badge (Badge) is hereby continued, the design of which accompanies and is hereby made a part of this order.  The Badge shall be awarded to those members of the United States Uniformed Services who have been granted the Certificate and shall be awarded in the same manner in which the Certificate has been given.  The Badge shall be worn as a part of the uniform of those individuals under such regulations as their respective Secretaries may severally prescribe.”.
         Sec. 2.  Amendments to Executive Order 11926, as Amended.  Executive Order 11926 of July 19, 1976 (The Vice Presidential Service Badge), as amended by Executive Order 13286 and by Executive Order 13373 of March 10, 2005 (Amendments to Executive Order 11926 Relating to the Vice Presidential Service Badge), is further amended by:
         (a)  Amending section 1 to read as follows:
         “Section 1.  There is established a Vice Presidential Service Badge to be awarded in the name of the Vice President of the United States of America to members of the United States Uniformed Services who have been assigned to duty in the Office of the Vice President for a period of at least 1 year subsequent to December 19, 1974, or who have been assigned to perform duties predominantly for the Vice President for a period of at least 1 year subsequent to January 20, 2001, in the implementation of Public Law 93-346, as amended, or in military units and support facilities to which section 1 of Executive Order 12793 of March 20, 1992, as amended, refers.”;
         (b)  Amending section 2 to read as follows:
         “Sec. 2.  The Vice Presidential Service Badge may be awarded, upon recommendation of the Vice President’s designee (with the concurrence of the Director of the White House Military Office in the case of personnel in military units or support facilities to which section 1 of Executive Order 12793, as amended, refers), by the Secretary of the military department concerned, or, when the Coast Guard is not operating as a service in the Navy, by the Secretary of Homeland Security, to military personnel of their respective services who have been assigned to duty in the Office of the Vice President and, in the case of members of the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service so assigned, by the Secretary of Commerce or the Secretary of Health and Human Services, respectively.”;
         (c)  Amending section 4 to read as follows:
         “Sec. 4.  Upon award, the Vice Presidential Service Badge may be worn as a part of the uniform of an individual both during and after their assignment to duty in the Office of the Vice President.”; and
         (d)  Amending section 6 to read as follows:
         “Sec. 6.  Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 1 and 2 of this order, any member of the United States Uniformed Services, who has been assigned to duty in the Office of the Vice President, or who has been assigned to perform duties predominantly for the Vice President, in the implementation of Public Law 93-346, as amended, or in military units and support facilities to which section 1 of Executive Order 12793, as amended, refers, is authorized, unless otherwise directed by the Director of the White House Military Office in the case of personnel in military units and support facilities to which section 1 of Executive Order 12793, as amended, refers, to wear the Vice Presidential Service Badge on their uniform commencing on the first day of such duty and thereafter while assigned to such duty.”.
         Sec. 3.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
    (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
    (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
         (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
         (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
                                 JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
    THE WHITE HOUSE,
        December 20, 2024.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 2024 Amendments to the Manual for Courts-Martial, United  States

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
         By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including chapter 47 of title 10, United States Code (Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. 801-946a), and in order to prescribe additions and amendments to the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, prescribed by Executive Order 12473 of April 13, 1984, as amended, it is hereby ordered as follows:
         Section 1.  Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V of the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, are amended as described in the Annex attached to and made a part of this order.
         Sec. 2.  With this order, I hereby prescribe regulations for the randomized selection of qualified personnel as members of a court-martial to the maximum extent practicable, pursuant to section 543 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, Public Law 117-263 (10 U.S.C. 825(e)(4)).
         Sec. 3.  Except as provided in sections 4 and 5 of this order, these amendments shall take effect on the date of this order, subject to the following:
         (a)  Nothing in these amendments shall be construed to make punishable any act committed or omitted prior to the date of this order that was not punishable when committed or omitted.
         (b)  Nothing in these amendments shall be construed to invalidate any nonjudicial punishment proceeding, restraint, preliminary hearing, referral of charges, trial in which arraignment occurred, or other action begun prior to the date of this order, and any such nonjudicial punishment proceeding, restraint, preliminary hearing, referral of charges, trial in which arraignment occurred, or other action may proceed in the same manner and with the same effect as if these amendments had not been prescribed.
         Sec. 4.  The amendments to Rule for Courts-Martial (R.C.M.) 908(c)(3), R.C.M. 1205(a), and R.C.M. 1209(a)(1) shall take effect on December 22, 2024, subject to the following:
         (a)  Nothing in these amendments shall be construed to make punishable any act committed or omitted prior to the effective date that was not punishable when committed or omitted.
         (b)  Nothing in these amendments shall be construed to invalidate any nonjudicial punishment proceeding, restraint, preliminary hearing, referral of charges, trial in which arraignment occurred, or other action begun prior to the  effective date, and any such nonjudicial punishment proceeding, restraint, preliminary hearing, referral of charges, trial in which arraignment occurred, or other action may proceed in the same manner and with the same effect as if these amendments had not been prescribed.
         Sec. 5.  The amendment to R.C.M. 503(a)(1) shall take effect on December 23, 2024, subject to the following:
         (a)  Nothing in this amendment shall be construed to make punishable any act committed or omitted prior to the effective date that was not punishable when committed or omitted.
         (b)  Nothing in this amendment shall be construed to invalidate any nonjudicial punishment proceeding, restraint, preliminary hearing, referral of charges, trial in which arraignment occurred, or other action begun prior to the  effective date, and any such nonjudicial punishment proceeding, restraint, preliminary hearing, referral of charges, trial in which arraignment occurred, or other action may proceed in the same manner and with the same effect as if this amendment had not been prescribed.
                                 JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
    THE WHITE HOUSE,
        December 20, 2024.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray, Rep. Smith, Rep. Jayapal Call for U.S. Led Investigation Into the Death of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and U.S. Representatives Adam Smith (D, WA-09) and Pramila Jayapal (D, WA-07), released the following joint statement urging the Biden Administration to immediately launch an investigation into the fatal shooting of U.S. Citizen Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi in the West Bank:

    “On September 6, Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi was fatally shot in the West Bank while she was peacefully participating in a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the Palestinian village of Beita. Since then, we have requested an independent, thorough, credible, and transparent investigation into what happened that day to both better understand the circumstances of her death and ensure that if any laws were broken those who were responsible are held to account.

    “This week, Ms. Eygi’s family came to D.C. to discuss the challenges they’ve faced and the questions they still have about what happened. The lack of answers they have received is unacceptable.

    “We call on Israel to complete their investigation and release their report on the cause of her death. Secretary Blinken must insist on the release of any Israeli investigation results. We also continue to urge the U.S. Department of Justice to initiate an independent, U.S.-led investigation into Ms. Eygi’s death. If the Justice Department isn’t going to investigate, then the State Department should release their own findings and seek accountability.

    “Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government have exacerbated tensions in the West Bank with their promotion of rapid Israeli settlement expansion. This dangerous situation in the West Bank has claimed the lives of far too many civilians, including Ms. Eygi.

    “We applaud the sanctions that President Biden has imposed thus far on extremist Israeli settlers, including the settler organization Amana. Clearly, more must be done. The policies of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government undermine the viability of a Palestinian state and Israel’s security, violate the rights of Palestinians living in the West Bank, and put the region at even greater risk of further destabilization.

    “It is time for the Biden Administration to thoroughly investigate the shooting of Ms. Eygi.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the Proposed Legislation to Fund the  Government

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    A government shutdown heading into the holidays would mean service members and air traffic controllers go to work without pay, essential government services for hardworking Americans would be paused, and economic disruption would occur. 
    Following an order by President-elect Trump, yesterday Republicans walked away from a bipartisan deal and threatened to shut down the government at the 11th hour in order to pave the way to provide tax breaks for billionaires. This revised legislation does not do that. 
    While it does not include everything we sought, it includes disaster relief that the President requested for the communities recovering from the storm, eliminates the accelerated pathway to a tax cut for billionaires, and would ensure that the government can continue to operate at full capacity. President Biden supports moving this legislation forward and ensuring that the vital services the government provides for hardworking Americans – from issuing Social Security checks to processing benefits for veterans — can continue as well as to grant assistance for communities that were impacted by devastating hurricanes.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Discusses Increasing Support for Ag Community in Confirmation Hearing with Brooke Rollins 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) questioned Brooke Rollins, President Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) during her confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (Ag). During the hearing, Senator Tuberville asked about Rollins’ plans to bolster global competitiveness of the American agriculture industry, improve federal forest management, and increase support for natural disaster assistance programs.
    As Alabama’s voice on the Senate Ag Committee, Senator Tuberville is committed to ensuring Alabama’s farmers, foresters, and producers have a seat at the table in the Trump administration.
    Excerpts from Senator Tuberville’s remarks can be found below, and his full remarks can be viewed on YouTube or Rumble.

    TUBERVILLE OPENING REMARKS
    TUBERVILLE: “Mrs. Rollins, who would have ever known? Thirty years ago, I’m a young coach at Texas A&M, and you’re Student Body President.”
    ROLLINS: “That’s true.”
    TUBERVILLE: “First time we ever met.”
    ROLLINS: “And we sat next to each other in lots of meetings. That’s exactly right.”
    TUBERVILLE: “And look where we’re at now, huh?”
    ROLLINS: “I know, I know. It’s an amazing thing.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Congratulations. Congratulations.”
    ROLLINS: “Thank you, sir. Thank you.”
    ON ROLLINS’ PLANS TO BOLSTER COMMODITY PRICES
    TUBERVILLE: “You’re going to be awesome. But I don’t want to sugar coat this because my farmers back home are hurting.”
    ROLLINS: “Yes sir.”
    TUBERVILLE: “We’re in trouble. Our farmers are in trouble. Small farmers [are] selling right and left. I’ve got a bill on the floor—actually I dropped it yesterday—about keeping foreign adversaries from buying our farmland. We’re selling it right and left. But I don’t blame them because they can’t make a profit.”
    ROLLINS: “Mhm.” 
    TUBERVILLE: “Row croppers in my state of Alabama are really getting killed. Cotton farmers last year—the input cost was about $400 an acre. They might of got a $100 an acre out of their crop last year. That’s the reason we had to do a supplemental right before Christmas. My phone was ringing off the wall. We have got to help our farmers, but they hate handouts. I’ll tell you that right now—they hate it because they want to do their own work. So I’m glad you understand that—being from Texas, you understand it.” 
    ROLLINS: “Yes sir. Yes sir.”
    TUBERVILLE: “It is a dire problem. And it’s not going to get fixed overnight. I’m looking forward to seeing who your team is going to be around you. […]
    So, we have to get input costs down. That’s not your job. Six, seven years ago, a cotton picker cost six or seven hundred thousand [dollars] in Alabama. Today, it’s $1.5 million.”
    ROLLINS: “Yes sir.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Fertilizer’s gone sky high after the Ukraine war. I mean, it’s embarrassing to where we’ve got. There’s a $45-billion-trade deficit in ag. $45 billion. And the only way that we can get commodity prices back up is handle that trade deficit though, that being said, we need dialogue. If confirmed, will you commit on doing dialogue with President Trump and the people around ag to get our farmers an opportunity to have a better price for their crop?”
    ROLLINS: “Yes, I will, Senator. I so look forward to that. I think one of the things I read recently that only 43% of our ag producers are net-income positive. That is unsustainable. We have to find a better way and it can’t come always through government subsidies. We’ve got to expand the market, we’ve got to figure out input costs. One of President Trump’s top priorities was food inflation. Well, this comes before food inflation because this itself will drive the cost of food down if we do our jobs and if we’re able to produce for our ag community the way that, Coach, I believe that we can working together.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Yeah, what we don’t want to happen is what’s happened to our drug industry. You know, we found in COVID, we look around [thinking] how do we keep people, get people healthy, and all the drugs are made in China. We’re going to end up in the same situation if we don’t wake up and smell the roses. It’s going to happen. Again, people are selling right and left and you can’t blame them. Our small farms are going to end up being corporations like the packing houses. We only got what, like three companies now that are meat packers—and one of them’s owned by China. We’re headed in a direction of unknowns, and it’s going to take leadership from your office back on the right track.”
    ON ROLLINS’ PLAN TO IMPROVE FEDERAL FORESTS
    TUBERVILLE: “Our forest industry in my state—$36 billion a year [in economic benefits]. With the USDA Forest Service under your purview, what priorities do you have for the health of our forests across the country? Not just in Alabama, but we have to continue that to make sure we have healthy wood because it is something that we’re very proud of.”
    ROLLINS: “I know that’s really important to Alabama and many of the other states that are represented here and across the United States Senate. My commitment is to hire an “A++” team. We’ve already announced our Undersecretary Mike Boren for this position. I have great faith in his leadership. He is a businessman, and I think bringing to the table—hopefully with a quick confirmation process from all of you—he will bring to the table a team that will take our great firefighters in the forest service and hopefully, realign and reorganize in a way that makes the forest service—including forest management—more productive, more efficient, more effective, so that we don’t have the issues that we’ve had in these last number of years and especially for our great producers in your state and other states.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Key word: forest management—[two key] words. We’ve got to manage our forests, do it the right way. The American people across the country that are not in this business don’t—they shouldn’t have to pay for the mistakes that we make.”
    ROLLINS: “Correct.”
    TUBERVILLE: “We’re broke. We’re $36 trillion in debt, and it’s getting worse every day. We’re printing $80,000 a second, by the way, and we can’t sustain that. [The] government is way too big.”
    ON GIVING SWIFT, FAIR, NATURAL DISASTER RELIEF TO FARMERS
    TUBERVILLE: “Disaster relief. Disaster relief. If we’ve had problems with tornadoes or floods or whatever in my state, it takes at least three years at times to get any kind of disaster relief. Three years. And you know as well as I do, farmers borrow money from banks for a crop, and those bankers are looking around going, ‘Where’s our money?’ ‘Well, we’re waiting for disaster relief.’ The bankers shouldn’t have to deal with that, nor should the farmers. But, I think there has to be a better plan for that at the end of the day. And again, I’m throwing all your problems out to you, probably don’t want to hear that, but we got a lot of problems that need to be fixed.”
    ROLLINS: “Well Senator—Coach—I believe that you and I have had a conversation with our Commander in Chief, and the fact that it is taking three years to get relief will be unacceptable to him. It is unacceptable to me, and I look forward to working with you to ensure that we do better—much much better than that.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Good luck.”
    ROLLINS: “Thank you, sir. Thank you.”
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 01/23/2025 Blackburn, Van Hollen, Colleagues Introduce the Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act as U.S. Withholds Funding to WADA

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Representatives John Moolenar (R-Mich.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) released the following statements after introducing the Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act. This legislation would permanently provide the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) the authority to withhold up to the full amount of membership dues to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) if the organization fails to operate as a fair and independent actor to ensure athletes are competing in drug-free Olympic and Paralympic Games.
    The U.S. is currently withholding funding from WADA after new details emerged about the agency’s complicity in covering up the wrongdoing of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug before the 2021 Olympics. WADA has threatened to remove the U.S. from a position on its Executive Committee for withholding funding.
    “Since details of the Chinese doping scandal emerged, the World Anti-Doping Agency has tried to intimidate advocates for fair play at every single turn, and its officials have also stonewalled and lied to Congress,” said Senator Blackburn. “My colleagues and I have a message for WADA, the IOC, and any other international organization who tries to strong arm the United States: we are calling your bluff, and we won’t be silenced in our mission to promote fair play in sports. There must be real oversight and accountability at WADA, and that starts by passing this legislation.” 
    “Both our Olympians and the public should have confidence that all athletes competing in the Olympic Games are held to the same standards. But for too long we’ve lacked that assurance, due to WADA’s failure to provide transparency and accountability when it comes to enforcing anti-doping measures,” said Senator Van Hollen. “Our bipartisan, bicameral bill will help restore faith that athletes from around the world are playing on a fair and level field and ensure the integrity of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
    “This bipartisan legislation builds on the U.S. funding freeze for WADA by delivering substantive accountability and reform,” said the Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Representative Moolenaar. “Athletes deserve a fair and level playing field, and this bill ensures transparency and supports clean competition in international sports.”
    “Athletes and spectators across the globe must be able to trust that we have a level playing field for all levels of sports, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said the Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the CCP, Representative Krishnamoorthi. “Our Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act will help free the sports world from performance-enhancing drugs by ensuring anti-doping standards are properly enforced, thereby protecting the integrity of the highest levels of competition for clean athletes around the world.”
    Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) also co-sponsored this legislation.

    ENDORSEMENTS:

    This legislation is endorsed by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Joel Rosinbum, and Greta Neimanas.
    “Athletes can wait no longer for change at WADA. Now is the moment. We thank the U.S. Government for protecting the rights of athletes and fair sport by withholding funding from WADA to encourage accountability. We also commend Senator Marsha Blackburn, and the many other champions of clean sport in Congress, for the reintroduction of the Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act. Passage of this legislation will be especially important since the U.S. is hosting many major events over the next decade, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 and 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games.” – Travis Tygart, CEO, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency
    “As part of the Team USA Athletes Commission leadership team, I’m proud to support this important legislative effort. Fair play is the foundation of sport, and every athlete deserves to compete on a level playing field. The Restoring Confidence in WADA Act is a positive step toward meaningful reform, but real change requires a global commitment to clean sport. We need every nation that values fairness to step up and do their part, alongside WADA, to ensure our athletes can trust the integrity of their competitions.” – Joel Rosinbum, Team USA Athletes’ Commission Leadership Member
    “I am grateful that members of Congress are supporting Team USA athletes by introducing the Restoring Confidence in WADA Act. For far too long, WADA has been inefficient and, as of late, incapable of ensuring fair competition and clean sport, with the Russian ice skating and Chinese swimming scandals as the most recent examples. The ONDCP should be empowered to push for much-needed reforms within WADA and be able to withhold the United States’ financial contributions to WADA until they implement change.” – Greta Neimanas, Paralympian and Team USA Athletes’ Commission Leadership Member

    BACKGROUND:

    Last year, reporting revealed that more than two dozen Chinese swimmers tested positive for performance enhancing drugs one month before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The Chinese Anti-Doping Agency secretly cleared the swimmers of the doping.
    When WADA learned of these positive tests, the agency chose not to intervene or require China to follow WADA rules. Over a dozen of these swimmers competed in the 2021 Olympic Games, winning several medals, including gold.
    Last summer, new reporting revealed two additional Chinese swimmers – including one who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics – tested positive in 2022 for a banned drug but were secretly cleared of doping by Chinese authorities.

    RESTORING CONFIDENCE IN THE WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY ACT:

    The Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act would allow the ONDCP to withhold up to the full amount of membership dues to WADA. The U.S. is the WADA’s greatest contributor, which makes this a powerful tool. 
    The bill would also authorize ONDCP to use all available tools to ensure that WADA fully implements all governance reforms, including a proper conflict-of-interest policy, and that independent athletes from the United States and other democratic countries, or representatives of such athletes, have a decision-making role on WADA’s Executive Committee and governing bodies.
    Click here for bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Budd, Tillis Applaud Trump Executive Action Supporting Lumbee Recognition

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ted Budd (R-North Carolina)
    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senators Ted Budd (R-NC) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) issued statements applauding President Donald Trump for signing a Presidential Memorandum stating that “it is the policy of the United States to support the full Federal recognition, including the authority to receive full Federal benefits, of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.”
    The memorandum also directs the Secretary of the Interior to, within 90 days, “submit to the President a plan to assist the Lumbee Tribe in obtaining full Federal recognition through legislation or other available mechanisms, including the right to receive full Federal benefits.”
    Senator Budd said in a statement:
    “I would like to thank President Trump for keeping his promise to the more than 60,000 members of the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina who have waited decades for federal recognition. Today’s action underscores the urgent need to pass the Lumbee Fairness Act, which Senator Tillis and I reintroduced earlier this month. We will continue to work with the president, the Interior Department, and my congressional colleagues to get this bill passed and signed into law.”
    Senator Tillis said:
    “I applaud President Donald J. Trump’s executive order to prioritize the Lumbee Tribe’s fight for full federal recognition and the federal benefits they have long been denied. In September 2024, President Trump made a promise to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina to right the historical wrongs of the Indian Termination Era, and today’s executive order is a major step to correcting that wrong. I remain committed to working with President Trump and the North Carolina Congressional Delegation in a bipartisan, bicameral manner to pass the Lumbee Fairness Act to ensure the Lumbee Tribe’s federal recognition is secure and free from legal obstacles.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy, Daines champion bill to stop small business tax hike, protect Tax Cuts and Jobs Act deductions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

    WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, today joined Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) in introducing the Main Street Tax Certainty Act to make permanent the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act 199A deductions for small businesses.

    “More than 230,000 small businesses in Louisiana will face tax hikes if the deductions we passed in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expire. The Main Street Tax Certainty Act will help make sure that the backbone of America’s economy continues to provide good-paying jobs to our communities,” said Kennedy. 

    “As the son of a contractor, I’ve seen firsthand the hard work it takes to keep a small business flourishing—especially as Americans are still grappling with the effects of Joe Biden’s inflation. It’s absolutely crucial that we pass this legislation to prevent a 20 percent tax increase for hardworking Montanans and I’ll keep fighting for ways to support Montana small businesses, which provide the majority of jobs in our state,” said Daines.

    In 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act became law. The law, under section 199A, provides a special tax deduction for millions of America’s small businesses. The 199A deductions are set to expire on Dec. 31, 2025 unless Congress acts.

    Most businesses in the U.S. are considered “pass-through,” which means their income flows through the business onto the owners or members. These profits are taxed as individual income rather than at the corporate rate. The Main Street Tax Certainty Act would permanently provide a 20% tax deduction for pass-through businesses, including sole-proprietorships, S-Corporations, partnerships and limited liability corporations.

    Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.) also cosponsored the legislation.

    The full text of the legislation is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy introduces bill to crack down on rogue prosecutors who refuse to keep Americans safe

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

    WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced the Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act, which would require district attorneys (DAs) in many large jurisdictions to annually report information on their handling of certain serious crimes to the U.S. Attorney General. Under the bill, DA’s offices that do not report this data risk losing priority funding for their districts.

    The bill would specifically require DAs in jurisdictions with more than 360,000 people to submit an annual report disclosing data on, among other things, the number of cases referred to them for crimes including murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault and burglary, and the number of these cases that the DA’s office dropped.

    “American families deserve good prosecutors to keep them safe by enforcing the law, but too many district attorneys cater to far-left activists. The Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act would hold rogue prosecutors accountable for refusing to punish criminals and protect innocent Americans,” said Kennedy.

    The bill would help correct a nationwide trend of DAs who decline to prosecute serious crimes. In recent years, a multimillion-dollar project has worked to hamstring effective policing in major cities by empowering soft-on-crime prosecutors.

    Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) cosponsored the bill.

    “With crime on the rise in Democrat-led cities across the nation, it is imperative that these Soros-backed prosecutors work, do their jobs and get these violent offenders off our streets, instead of allowing career criminals to run rampant in our community. Catch-and-release is enough of a disaster on the Texas-Mexico border. The last thing we need is to institute it in our courts. I’m proud to stand with Sen. Kennedy and our colleagues to demand transparency about this abdication of professional responsibility,” said Cruz.

    Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) introduced the legislation in the House of Representatives.

    “Over the last few years, we’ve seen a disturbing trend in big-city district attorneys working to keep dangerous criminals on our streets rather than behind bars. Look no further than my city of New York where Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg released a ‘Day One’ memo initially directing his staff to not prosecute certain crimes, downgrade other felony charges filed by police, and no longer seek sentences of life without parole. The same type of woke policies have been enacted by progressive DAs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, and voters have had enough. With prosecutors refusing to prosecute and governors only enabling their leniency, Congress has a responsibility to step in and arm the public with the information they need to make informed decisions at the ballot box,” said Malliotakis. 

    The bill’s text is available here.

    Kennedy first introduced the bill in the 118th Congress in Feb. 2024.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tillis, Budd Applaud President Trump’s Executive Order to Promote Federal Recognition of the Lumbee Tribe

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis

    WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, North Carolina Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd applauded President Trump’s signing of an executive order directing the U.S. Department of Interior Secretary to pursue all options to finally grant the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina with full federal recognition: 

    “I applaud President Donald J. Trump’s executive order to prioritize the Lumbee Tribe’s fight for full federal recognition and the federal benefits they have long been denied,” said Senator Tillis. “In September 2024, President Trump made a promise to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina to right the historical wrongs of the Indian Termination Era, and today’s executive order is a major step to correcting that wrong. I remain committed to working with President Trump and the North Carolina Congressional Delegation in a bipartisan, bicameral manner to pass the Lumbee Fairness Act to ensure the Lumbee Tribe’s federal recognition is secure and free from legal obstacles.” 

    “I would like to thank President Trump for keeping his promise to the more than 60,000 members of the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina who have waited decades for federal recognition,” said Senator Budd. “Today’s action underscores the urgent need to pass the Lumbee Fairness Act, which Senator Tillis and I reintroduced earlier this month. We will continue to work with the president, the Interior Department, and my congressional colleagues to get this bill passed and signed into law.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Risch Introduces Bill to Ban Critical Race Theory in U.S. History and Civics Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho James E Risch

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) introduced today the Protect Equality and Civics Education (PEACE) Act to prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars to promote politically divisive concepts, such as Critical Race Theory, through the U.S. Department of Education’s American History and Civics Education program.

    The PEACE Act codifies the Trump administration’s definition of “divisive concepts” as outlined in the 2020 Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping, ensuring our education standards reflect America’s founding principles and reject extreme ideology. 

    “For too long, the radical left has tried to rewrite American history and indoctrinate future generations with their woke agenda,” said Risch. “My PEACE Act ensures taxpayer dollars are not used to promote Critical Race Theory or subject students to a divisive and misguided political agenda.”

    “Teaching children they are inherently ‘bad’ or ‘good’ based on conditions they cannot control is destructive and unproductive,” said Crapo. “Schools should get back to quality education that will allow the next generation of leaders to thrive.”

    “It’s disgraceful that the Biden Administration spent the last four years using taxpayer money to force their radical, woke agenda onto our kids. I appreciate the work of my colleagues to put an end to this nonsense so the next generation can learn how to think, instead of what to think, and focus on preparing for success after graduation,” Sheehy said.

    “Rather than focusing on the safety and prosperity of our nation, the Biden administration spent the last four years funding and forcing far-left ideology on students across the United States,” said Lummis. “I am proud to join my colleagues to combat this radical agenda in our public schools and focus on quality education.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Moran Questions Brooke Rollins, Nominee to be the Secretary of Agriculture

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas – Jerry Moran

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today questioned Brooke Rollins, President Trump’s nominee to be the Secretary of Agriculture, during a Senate Committee on Agriculture hearing.

    “It has been described here the dangerous and dramatic circumstances that farmers and ranchers find themselves in across the country – it is certainly true in Kansas,” said Sen. Moran. “We have the same difficulties that everybody else has across the country with high input costs and low commodity prices, but I would add that almost 80 percent of the counties in Kansas are in a drought, and so you add to those problems that we can’t grow a crop.”

    Sen. Moran raised the importance of quickly administering the disaster and economic assistance passed by Congress in December and emphasized the need for transparency on how the assistance will be distributed so famers will be in a better position to financially plan for the planting season. 

    Sen. Moran also highlighted to Mrs. Rollins the importance of passing a new Farm Bill, the need to have USDA employees in office, the Farm to Fly Act, the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas, and important research at land-grant universities across the United States.

    Click HERE to Watch Sen. Moran’s Questions

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Citing Waffling on Commitment to Hanford Cleanup Agreement, Cantwell Votes Against Advancing Trump’s DOE Nominee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    01.23.25
    Citing Waffling on Commitment to Hanford Cleanup Agreement, Cantwell Votes Against Advancing Trump’s DOE Nominee
    In committee hearing last week, DOE nominee Chris Wright fell short of pledging to honor the negotiated Hanford cleanup agreement
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a longtime member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, voted against advancing the nomination of Chris Wright, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), to consideration by the full Senate.
    In a committee markup today, Sen. Cantwell cited an exchange with Wright during a hearing last week – when she questioned him on whether he’d pledge to uphold the newly negotiated agreement between the State of Washington, DOE, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that directs cleanup of the Hanford nuclear site in the Tri-Cities, and he fell short of giving a concrete answer.
    “I voted for the last Trump Energy Secretary nominee and appreciated working with him. The first thing he said when he came here is ‘Hanford and cybersecurity are going to be his number one priorities,’ and I believed him, and he carried through on that commitment,” Sen. Cantwell said.
    “I understand Mr. Wright has enthusiasm for DOE’s role in the national laboratories, and he testified about Hanford having given this country quite a mess and it needed to be cleaned up. However, his commitment to the Tri-Party Agreement and upholding it was unsatisfactory.  This is such a big issue for the State of Washington,” she continued. “I hope maybe between now and the floor [vote], I might get a stronger commitment on this, on the Tri-Party Agreement. [It’s] essential for my state to have that commitment.”
    The negotiated agreement, which includes the Tri-Party Agreement, spells out how the State of Washington, the DOE, and the EPA must cooperate to ensure that cleanup of the radioactive nuclear waste at Hanford remains in compliance with federal law.
    Sen. Cantwell has long championed Hanford clean-up and played a leading role in overseeing the DOE’s cleanup efforts, fighting numerous Administration proposals to cut Hanford budgets. 
    Throughout the first Trump administration, Sen. Cantwell repeatedly led the charge in opposing drastic cuts to the Hanford budget, and in 2020 she led a successful effort to defeat a provision in the annual National Defense Authorization Act that could have diverted billions in funding from ongoing clean-up projects.
    In January 2021, at the nomination hearing for former Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Sen. Cantwell secured a pledge to fully fund Hanford cleanup from the nominee. Secretary Granholm visited the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland and the Hanford site with Sen. Cantwell in August 2022 and they discussed the need for increased and sustained funding.
    Video of today’s committee markup is available HERE, audio HERE, and a transcript HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Join Colleagues to Introduce Bill to Award Congressional Gold Medals to Members of the “Miracle on Ice” Olympic Hockey Team

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) joined their colleagues to introduce the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act, legislation to award three Congressional Gold Medals to members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team to recognize the 45th anniversary of their extraordinary achievement at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games.
    “A team that made us believe in miracles,” said Senator Klobuchar. “With 12 players and the legendary head coach Herb Brooks being native Minnesotans, we are working across the aisle to award the 1980 Olympic hockey team the Congressional Gold Medal.”
    “The ‘Miracle on Ice’ hockey game was an upset that nobody saw coming – but one that showcases the strength and resilience of Americans in the face of adversity,” said Senator Smith. “More than half of the team was from Minnesota, so I am proud to cosponsor this legislation to honor the achievement and the contributions to American pride by those Minnesotans.”
    In February 1980, the United States Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team defeated the Soviet Union 4-3 in the first game of the medal round of the 1980 Winter Olympic men’s hockey tournament in Lake Placid, New York. Team USA, including 12 hockey players born in Minnesota and coached by University of Minnesota championship winning hockey coach Herb Brooks, defied expectations by defeating the four-time Olympic champion Soviet Union team in a game referred to as the “Miracle on Ice.” At a time when the United States was struggling with rampant stagflation, high gas prices, hostages held in Iran, and increased tensions with the Soviets after their invasion of Afghanistan, the Miracle on Ice was a welcome reprieve and a critical moment for American patriotism. Following the stunning victory against the Soviets, the Americans beat Finland 4-2 to secure the gold.
    The three awards will be displayed at the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado, and the Lake Placid Olympic Center in New York. 
    The bill was led by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND). Additional cosponsors of the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act include U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Curtis (R-UT), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Gary Peters (D-MI). House cosponsors include U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Lisa McClain (R-MI-09), and Bill Keating (D-MA-09). 
    Click here for bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lankford Calls for Protections for Survivors of Botched Abortions, Stands for Life

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford
    CLICK HERE to view and CLICK HERE to download the full press conference.
    CLICK HERE to view the clip and CLICK HERE to download the clip.
    WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK), Republican Conference Vice Chair and Chairman of the Senate Values Action Team, hosted a press conference to call attention to the need to protect newborns who survive abortions by requiring they receive care from health care practitioners. Senators Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Roger Marshall, MD (R-KS) spoke alongside abortion survivors Melissa Ohden and Josiah Presley.
    Lankford led 46 Senators in introducing the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act last week, but the bill was blocked by Senate Democrats yesterday. 
    Excerpt:
    For all the conversation about, that this is not real. Her name is Melissa. His name is Josiah. And there are many, many, many more that are out there, that have survived. But many more were never given the option to be able to survive. So I say to my Democratic colleagues, which one of these people don’t matter? I think they all do, and I think each person is valuable. 

    MIL OSI USA News –