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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Challenges Republicans to Join Democrats in Affirming the Right to Lifesaving Emergency Care for Women

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: Murray Leads Congressional Democrats in Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Affirm that EMTALA Requires Hospitals to Provide Emergency Stabilizing Care Including Abortion Care, Preempts Idaho’s Draconian Abortion Ban
    ICYMI: On Senate Floor, Murray Shines Spotlight On How Trump Abortion Bans are Killing Women in America
    ICYMI – FROM PROPUBLICA: Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother’s Death Was Preventable.
    ***WATCH: SENATOR MURRAY’S REMARKS HERE***
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP), spoke at a press conference in the Capitol with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) following introduction of her resolution which simply expresses the sense of the Senate that every patient has the basic right to emergency health care, including abortion care, regardless of where they live. Murray will seek unanimous consent to pass her resolution later this afternoon on the Senate floor and challenged Senate Republicans to join Democrats in affirming the basic right to lifesaving emergency care for women. Introduction of Murray’s resolution follows new reporting from ProPublica that makes plain that Republican abortion bans are preventing women from receiving lifesaving emergency health care and resulting in preventable deaths.
    “I really want to emphasize that—we are talking about women whose water breaks dangerously early, or who are experiencing uncontrollable hemorrhage, sepsis, or pre-eclampsia,” said Senator Murray at today’s press conference. “These are the patients we are saying doctors should treat under the basic right to emergency care. Today we are going to try and pass this resolution, and we are going to see if the Senate can come together with one voice, and tell women: we want to put your health first, we want to put your life first, we want to make sure you get the care you need in an emergency. It is a simple message—but sadly, it has become a necessary one. Now I don’t know if Republicans are going to let us pass this or not. Republicans sometimes talk about protecting the life of the mother, but frankly they have yet to lift a finger to ensure doctors can always do that.”
    “So we’ll see where they fall today, but even if they block this resolution—we are NOT going to stop fighting to protect women, to help everyone get the care they need, and, ultimately, to restore the reproductive rights Donald Trump ripped away,” said Senator Murray in closing.
    Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade over two years ago, nearly two dozen US states led by Republicans have passed, banned, or severely restricted access to abortion. These strict laws have created confusion around the treatment doctors can provide even when a pregnant patient’s life is in danger, as physicians fear that they may lose their medical license, be sued, or even charged with a felony if they perform life-saving emergency care. Despite the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act’s (EMTALA) requirements that Medicare-participating hospitals treat and stabilize pregnant patients in need of emergency medical care, women are being turned away from emergency rooms following the Dobbs decision.
    In Moyle v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court had the opportunity to reaffirm that federal law requires pregnant patients to have access to life-saving emergency care in every state, but instead, the Court dismissed the case and sent it back to the lower courts, effectively punting on making a decision on the case itself. While the litigation continues in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the health and lives of women remain at risk as uncertainty around emergency abortion care persists. 121 Congressional Republicans, including 26 Senators, filed an amicus brief arguing that EMTALA does not require hospitals to provide abortion care as emergency stabilizing care in order to save a patient’s life.
    Senator Murray is a longtime leader in the fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care and abortion rights, and she has led Congressional efforts to fight back after the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Murray has introduced more than a dozen pieces of legislation to protect reproductive rights from further attacks, protect providers, and help ensure women get the care they need; Murray has led efforts to push for passage of these bills on the floor multiple times. Senator Murray also co-leads the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would restore the right to abortion nationwide. This January, Murray led her colleagues in hosting a “State of Abortion Rights” briefing with women who have suffered firsthand from Republican abortion bans. On June 4th of this year, Senator Murray chaired a HELP Committee hearing titled “The Assault on Women’s Freedoms: How Abortion Bans Have Created a Health Care Nightmare Across America.” Recently, Murray also helped lead efforts to force Republicans on the record on votes to protect access to contraception and access to IVF (twice). Murray has also led her colleagues in raising the alarm about how a second Trump administration intends to wage an all-out assault on reproductive rights and abortion access in every state, as outlined in Project 2025.
    Senator Murray’s full remarks, as prepared,  are below:
    “Donald Trump has been loudly bragging about how he ended Roe v Wade. He’s been making the outrageous claim that everyone wanted that.
    “Meanwhile, Republicans have been totally ignoring the horror and heartbreak they have unleashed. Even as women and doctors are speaking out about it every day.
    “Here in America, in the 21st century, pregnant women are suffering and even dying not because doctors don’t know how to save them, but because doctors don’t know if Republicans will let them.
    “I spoke about this at length last week, but new reporting about the tragic deaths of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller tells the story with brutal clarity. There are children in Georgia today, who are growing up without a mother because of Republicans’ abortion bans.
    “And the painful reality is—these may be among the first stories reported in such detail, but they are most certainly not the only ones. The data shows in Texas, maternal deaths skyrocketed after Republicans enacted strict abortion bans.
    “How does anyone shrug that off? How does any Republican think the chaos their bans have caused will blow over?
    “No woman is going to forget when she was sent off to miscarry alone after her doctor said—look I know your life is in danger but I am not sure I am allowed to save you right now.
    “No husband is going to forget calling 911 in a panic, after finding his wife, bloody and unconscious.
    “No child is going to forget—for a single day of their life—the mother that was taken from them by Republican bans.
    “This cruelty is unforgettable—and unacceptable. Democrats will not let it become settled status quo. Americans will not let it.
    “And that’s why, last week I introduced a simple resolution which reaffirms the basic principle that: when you go to the ER, they should be allowed to treat you; when your life is in danger, doctors should be able to do their job; when you need emergency care—including an abortion—no politician should stop you from getting it.
    “That should not be controversial. Especially if everyone who talks about protecting the life of the mother seriously means it. After all—that is what emergency care is for—saving the life of the mother.
    “I really want to emphasize that—we are talking about women whose water breaks dangerously early, or who are experiencing uncontrollable hemorrhage, sepsis, or pre-eclampsia. These are the patients we are saying doctors should treat under the basic right to emergency care…
    “Today we are going to try and pass this resolution, and we are going to see if the Senate can come together with one voice, and tell women: we want to put your health first; we want to put your life first. we want to make sure you get the care you need in an emergency.
    “It is a simple message—but sadly, it has become a necessary one.
    “Now I don’t know if Republicans are going to let us pass this or not. Republicans sometimes talk about protecting the life of the mother—but frankly they have yet to lift a finger to ensure doctors can always do that. So we’ll see where they fall today.
    “But even if they block this resolution—we are not going to stop fighting to protect women, to help everyone get the care they need, and, ultimately, to restore the reproductive rights Donald Trump ripped away.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray Discusses Government Funding and Resolution Affirming Right to Lifesaving Emergency Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ***WATCH: SENATOR MURRAY’S REMARKS HERE***
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) at Senate Democrats’ weekly leadership press conference to discuss the path forward on government funding and to discuss her efforts to seek unanimous consent to pass her resolution affirming the right to lifesaving emergency care for women.
    Senator Murray’s full remarks as delivered are below:
    “After some completely unnecessary drama from House Republicans, we do now have a bipartisan compromise to avoid a shutdown, and we are working to get it passed in a timely way.
    “And, I should mention, the path forward, the way we got a bill we can actually pass, was exactly the way Leader Schumer and I have been calling for.
    “No poison pills, no bending over backward for the far right—a bipartisan compromise on a fairly straightforward CR, something all sides can agree on, so that we can avoid a government shutdown, and negotiate full year funding bills in a bipartisan way in order to tackle the many urgent issues left unaddressed.
    “We should all be very glad we won’t have a painful shutdown, but let’s also remember the pattern we saw play out here yet again, so that perhaps we can finally avoid another pointless repeat.
    “The simple trick here is just this: If you want to avoid a shut down—don’t focus on appeasing the people calling for a shutdown!“It’s really that easy. We have shown here in the Senate there is BIPARTISAN interest in writing serious funding bills. Vice Chair Collins and I passed 11 bills out of our Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support.
    “Compromise takes time and it takes hard work, but I think it has been proven this Congress, many times over, that the path of bipartisanship is far easier—and far and away more productive—than the dead end MAGA extremism House Republicans keep making their first priority.
    “So I hope once we get this CR passed, we can all skip that drama, get to the negotiating table, and cut to the chase to write serious, bipartisan full year funding bills that can get signed into law.
    “On another important issue: last week I introduced a simple resolution with Senate Democrats which reaffirms a very basic principle that when a woman needs emergency care—including abortion care to save her life—no politician should stop her from getting that.
    “But the reality is in America, Donald Trump’s abortion bans are killing women. The reality is that a majority of Senate Republicans actually signed onto a brief to the Supreme Court saying essentially, ‘No, we DON’T think doctors should be required to provide abortion care when a patient’s life is at stake.’
    “26 of them to be exact. Their brief rejected the idea—the basic medical reality—of abortion as stabilizing care.
    “You should ask every one of them, what concrete policy changes in federal law they would support to save the life of a mother whose doctors can’t treat her because of a Republican abortion ban.
    “We should all refuse to accept a status quo in America where pregnant women are dying not because doctors can’t save them, but because doctors don’t know if Republican politicians will let them.
    “Later this afternoon, on the Senate floor, I will put forward our resolution on emergency care and we’ll see if Senate Republicans will join Democrats in saying, ‘Yes, women have a right to get abortion care when their life is at stake.’
    “This should be the absolute bare minimum, but no matter what, Senate Democrats will hold Republicans accountable for the cruelty of these abortion bans and fight to fully restore the rights Donald Trump ripped away.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Announces $206 Million for Louisiana in Flood Mitigation from His Infrastructure Law

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    Grant Awarded
    Project Description
    $51,832,825.00
    Gretna Green Distributed Green Infrastructure Network
    $27,133,131.00
    St. John the Baptist Parish Elevation Project
    $20,202,674.00
    Diversion Culvert and Detention Pond
    $19,352,937.00
    JCK-20 Lively Bayou Upstream Detention
    $11,899,733.00
    Livingston Parish Elevations
    $11,257,052.00
    City of New Orleans Elevation Project
    $9,500,181.00
    City of Central – Shoe Creek Channel Improvements
    $8,982,520.00
    Jefferson Parish Elevation
    $5,701,592.00
    Draughan Creek Regional Detention Pond
    $4,997,088.00
    St. Tammany Parish Elevations
    $4,433,611.00
    Lafayette City Government Resilient Elevations
    $3,725,560.00
    Calcasieu Elevation and Acquisition
    $3,306,691.00
    East Baton Rouge Parish Elevation and Acquisition Project
    $2,456,972.00
    City of Mandeville Elevation Grant – Lake Shore Drive
    $2,406,855.00
    Terrebonne Parish Resilient Elevations
    $2,402,162.00
    Tangipahoa Parish Resilient Elevations of Flood-prone Properties
    $2,369,827.00
    City of Slidell Residential Elevations
    $2,133,967.00
    Jefferson Parish Severe Repetitive Loss Mitigation Reconstruction
    $1,803,675.00
    Jefferson Parish Elevation
    $1,800,180.00
    Lafourche Basin Levee District Stormwater Master Plan
    $1,689,895.00
    Ascension Parish Resilient Mitigation-Elevation Non Severe Repetitive Loss-Repetitive Loss Properties
    $1,083,772.00
    Ascension Parish Resilient Mitigation – Elevation of Severe Repetitive Loss/Repetitive Loss Properties 
    $981,964.00
    Rapides Area Planning Commission Resilient Mitigation – Elevations
    $928,588.00
    Acadia Parish – Elevations
    $835,760.00
    Iberia Parish Resilient Elevations
    $720,926.00
    St. Charles Parish Elevation Project
    $675,000.00
    Bossier City Drainage Master Plan Scoping
    $675,000.00
    St. Charles Parish Norco Drainage Project Scoping
    $501,565.00
    Vermilion Parish Acquisition Elevation
    $195,725.00
    City of Mandeville Elevation Grant – Lakeshore Drive
    $28,200.00
    City of Mandeville Mitigation Outreach

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Casey, Colleagues Push for Gecko Robotics-Navy Contract to Create Jobs in Southwestern PA, Protect National Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Pennsylvania Bob Casey
    Contract with Navy to help grow defense business in Southwestern PA, help meet Navy strategic needs
    Navy investments in Gecko Robotics’ advanced technologies to boost national and economic security against rising threats from China
    Members: “For the people of Southwestern Pennsylvania, this contract is critical. It will bring more than 150 jobs to the region directly. […] GSA must do better. The Nation’s security demands it”
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) led a bipartisan group of his colleagues in Congress in urging the General Services Administration (GSA) to expedite a U.S. Navy contract with Gecko Robotics to bolster national security amidst rising Chinese aggression and create jobs in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Navy’s pending $75 million contract with Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics has already been delayed many months, putting critical work on hold. When implemented, the contract will support ship maintenance and help ensure the Navy’s readiness against increasing maritime threats from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). This project will directly create 150 new jobs in Southwestern Pennsylvania and help grow defense business in the region to create future job opportunities.
    “For the people of Southwestern Pennsylvania in particular, this contract is critical. It will bring more than 150 jobs to the region directly. It will help grow Gecko Robotics’ defense business across other Navy platforms, other U.S. military services, and allied militaries, leading to further job growth. And, through workforce investments by Gecko Robotics, it will help traditional manufacturing workers in the area develop the advanced manufacturing skills and expertise necessary to compete in the global marketplace. GSA must do better. The Nation’s security demands it,” wrote the Members.
    The Navy’s pending $75 million Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to Gecko Robotics for automated vessel inspection and maintenance has been stalled many months, despite the contract’s strategic importance and prioritization by the Navy. When implemented, the contract will enable the reduction of ship maintenance backlogs by using Gecko Robotics’ robots and software. This critical investment will not only create 150 new defense manufacturing jobs, but it will strengthen the defense industrial base in Southwestern Pennsylvania, help transition traditional manufacturing workers to meet twenty-first century advanced manufacturing demands and create a pathway for future job creation. In a letter to GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan, the Members stressed the importance of maintaining a strong Navy in the face of rising Chinese aggression and urged the Administration to create an expedited timeline to implement this project.
    Full text of the letter is below and the signed PDF can be found HERE.
    Dear Administrator Carnahan:
    We write to bring to your attention a contracting delay with national security ramifications for the Nation’s naval and technological competitions against the People’s Republic of China (PRC). We respectfully request that you expedite issuance of the Navy’s pending $75 million Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to Gecko Robotics for automated vessel inspection and maintenance–from its delayed Q2 2025 start date up to Q1 2025. This contract stands not only to bolster our national and economic security in the face of increasing Chinese aggression, but to create jobs and grow Navy business in Southwestern Pennsylvania, a region long known for its industrious workforce and ingenuity.
    As stated in President Biden’s National Security Strategy, “the PRC is the only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the… power to do it.”  The United States military must prioritize the Chinese threat across all domains of the competition, including naval capacity and the adoption of advanced technologies.
    The growing buildup of the PRC’s navy continues to strengthen its chances of winning a potential future war against the United States, as larger fleets have won 89 percent of wars with significant naval combat. Today, this shifting balance allows China to more confidently project power despite U.S. counterefforts.  A competition against a state, China, controlling 230 times our shipbuilding capacity will require continued large-scale investments and a refocused strategy to address today’s threats.
    As part of the naval competition, the U.S. Navy must resolve its significant maintenance backlog and current inability, in the event of a conflict, to quickly repair damaged ships.  Even if the United States had a navy with more vessels that are more powerful and hold more powerful weapons, we still would lose a war if those vessels were “in disrepair, tied to the pier, or in dry-dock.”  Without this maintenance and repair capability, the U.S. Navy’s combat power has become only a fraction of its reported size. A 2023 GAO study confirmed this effect: Over the last decade across 10 different ship classes, hours of availability for operations and training have decreased as maintenance cannibalizations, delays, and costs have increased.
    Specifically, the United States must improve its naval maintenance planning processes, starting with a better understanding of its vessels’ condition.  Experts have recommended that the U.S. Navy “invest in integrated [information technology (IT)] systems to document ships’ material condition properly,” as traditional methods of assessment take longer, cost more, and provide a much poorer understanding of a vessels’ maintenance needs.
    The Navy has identified its maintenance backlog as a priority and begun to execute on developing a technological solution to address that priority. To meet its spring 2024 availability timelines, the Navy worked hard to award a $75 million IDIQ contract to Gecko Robotics. Based in Pittsburgh, Gecko Robotics uses robotic automation and digital baselines to help the military optimize maintenance processes and improve mission readiness. This contract would allow the Navy to move more quickly in addressing its maintenance backlog while saving taxpayer funds compared to existing vehicles.
    Despite the contract’s strategic importance and prioritization by the Navy, it has stalled with GSA. Based on the Navy’s efforts, in December of 2023, a member of GSA informed Gecko Robotics that, “I’m confident we’ll have a contract in place by the end of February [2024].” In March of 2024 though, GSA backtracked, telling the Navy it could not support the contract until July. In April, GSA signed the requisite interagency agreement with the Navy, but by June, delays had worsened, leading a different member of GSA to inform Gecko Robotics that, “I don’t have a time frame when we would start the project.” In August, our staff learned from GSA that it does not plan to award the contract until Q2 of 2025, one year after it had originally planned.
    We understand that GSA has faced staffing turnover and a changing acquisition strategy, but in the meantime, the Navy’s readiness has suffered and will continue to suffer. China is emboldened. While commercial demand for Gecko Robotics’ capabilities is high, another young company in similar circumstances might have already gone out of business due to these delays. Difficulties generating revenue from contract delays like this will deter less mission-driven, innovative companies from even entering the defense market.
    For the people of Southwestern Pennsylvania in particular, this contract is critical. It will bring more than 150 jobs to the region directly. It will help grow Gecko Robotics’ defense business across other Navy platforms, other U.S. military services, and allied militaries, leading to further job growth. And, through workforce investments by Gecko Robotics, it will help traditional manufacturing workers in the area develop the advanced manufacturing skills and expertise necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
    GSA must do better. The Nation’s security demands it. We respectfully request that you expedite issuance of the Navy’s IDIQ contract to Q1 of 2025. Thank you for your attention to our request. We appreciate your swift efforts to remedy this situation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: Leaders’ Summit of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug  Threats

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Today, President Biden hosted a Summit of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, which the President directed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to launch in June 2023, in order to mobilize international action to tackle the synthetic drug crisis.  In just over a year, the Global Coalition has grown to include 159 countries and 15 international organizations working together to disrupt the supply chain for fentanyl and other synthetic drugs; detect emerging drug threats; and prevent and treat through effective public health interventions. With the Summit as a motivating force, 11 core Coalition countries announced new initiatives that will advance the work of the Coalition, including efforts to disrupt the supply chain of fentanyl and enhance public health interventions.  These international commitments complement intensive work being done domestically, including an increased focus on coordinated disruption of drug trafficking networks and concerted efforts to make the opioid overdose reversal medication, naloxone, widely available over-the-counter. As a result of these efforts, we are starting to see the largest drop in overdose deaths in recorded history.  When President Biden and Vice President Harris came into office, the number of drug overdose deaths was increasing by more than 30% year over year.  Now, the latest provisional data released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics show an unprecedented decline in overdose deaths of 10% in the 12 months ending April 2024.  These aren’t just numbers – these are lives. Background on the Global Coalition The 159 countries and 15 international organizations that are now part of the Coalition are working together on three key lines of effort:
    Disrupt the supply chain for fentanyl and other synthetic drugs;
    Detect emerging drug threats; and
    Prevent and treat through effective public health interventions. 
    For the past year, three working groups and seven sub-working groups have met monthly to create detailed plans of action.  These working groups have made tangible progress, including implementing new efforts to increase seizures of synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals at ports of entry, sharing best practices with respect to the identification of emerging drug threats, and taking actions to schedule an increasing number of synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals, thus subjecting these drugs and chemicals to increased controls. 
    New Initiatives Being Announced
    At today’s Summit, 11 core countries announced new initiatives that will move the work of each of the Coalition’s core lines of effort even further:
    Australia, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom will lead new efforts to disrupt the supply of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs.  These efforts include the development of regional coalitions to disrupt the transit routes for illicit drugs, precursor chemicals, and associated equipment, protect against the diversion of chemicals for illicit use, and improve the detection and disruption of production sites.
    Italy and Ghana will lead new initiatives to detect emerging drug trends, to include Italy helping other Coalition countries to develop early warning systems to identify emerging drug patterns.
    Canada and the United Arab Emirates will work to prevent and treat the overdose epidemic, including by expanding public health interventions and making life-saving medications widely available.
    Core Coalition countries also signed a Coalition Pledge agreeing to take additional actions to regulate all relevant drugs and precursor chemicals, take needed steps to fill gaps in their own domestic authorities, expand public-private partnerships to more effectively combat the supply chain for illicit fentanyl, develop mechanisms to monitor real-time data on trends in illicit drug use, and expand access to treatment.  At the Summit, President Biden called on all other Coalition countries to likewise sign this pledge.
    Domestic Actions to Fight Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids
    Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has made disrupting the supply of illicit fentanyl and other synthetic drugs a core priority.  As part of their Unity Agenda for the Nation, President Biden and Vice President Harris have made it a priority to invest in public health and to tackle both the supply and demand for drugs.  And those efforts have paid off:
    Border officials have stopped more illicit fentanyl at ports of entry in the past two fiscal years than in the previous five fiscal years combined.  In the past 11 months, over 974 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl were seized at U.S. ports of entry.
    The Biden-Harris Administration deployed cutting-edge drug detection technology across our southwest border, adding dozens of new inspection systems, with dozens more coming online in the next few years.
    The Biden-Harris Administration has made naloxone, a life-saving opioid overdose reversal medication, widely available over the counter, and has invested over $82 billion in treatment – 40 percent more than the previous Administration.
    In 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order targeting foreign persons engaged in the global illicit drug trade, and the Administration has since sanctioned over 300 persons and entities under this authority, thereby cutting them off from the United States’ financial system.
    The Biden-Harris Administration has prosecuted dozens of high-level Mexican cartel leaders, drug traffickers, and money launderers, including Chapitos leader Nestor Isidro “El Nini” Perez Salas, and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación’s top chemical brokers—placing dangerous drug traffickers behind bars.  Just last week, the son of a fugitive Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación boss, Ruben “El Menchito” Oseguera, was convicted for his violent acts, including the deadly downing of a military helicopter in Mexico, in support of his father’s drug trafficking organization.
     In July, President Biden issued a new National Security Memorandum (NSM) calling on all relevant Federal departments and agencies to do even more to stop the supply of illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in our country.  The NSM directs increased intelligence collection, more intensive coordination and cooperation across departments and agencies, and additional actions to disrupt the production and distribution of illicit fentanyl.  And the Biden-Harris Administration has called on Congress to pass the Administration’s “Detect and Defeat” counter-fentanyl legislative proposal to increase penalties on those who bring deadly drugs into our communities and to close loopholes that drug traffickers exploit. As stated above, these measures are having an effect. Provisional CDC data show a 10% drop in overdose deaths in the 12 months leading up to April 2024 – the largest drop in overdose deaths in recorded history. Other International Engagements Under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, the United States has engaged around the world – both as part of the Coalition and in numerous bilateral and multilateral engagements – to spur global action in the fight against synthetic opioids. In early 2023, President Biden, together with the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada, directed the establishment a Trilateral Fentanyl Committee, and the Biden-Harris Administration engages regularly with both countries to tackle the supply chain for fentanyl. In November 2023, President Biden negotiated the resumption of counternarcotics cooperation with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), spurring the creation of a U.S. – PRC Counternarcotics Working Group that has led to increased cooperation on law enforcement actions and ongoing efforts to shut down companies that fuel illicit fentanyl and synthetic drug trafficking and cause deaths in the United States.   The United States and India have worked together to increase counternarcotics cooperation, including by signing a new Memorandum of Understanding and Framework for ongoing work to disrupt the supply of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs just this past week.  The Biden-Harris Administration has worked extensively with law enforcement partners across the globe to hold drug traffickers to account.  These partnerships pay dividends – including by generating support for extraditions that have enabled the United States to put dozens of cartel leaders, drug traffickers, and money launderers behind bars.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst on Biden’s Final UN Speech: Kamala Harris Owns His Policies of Chaos

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON – Following President Biden’s final address to the United Nations (UN), U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) blasted the Biden-Harris White House for sowing chaos around the world.
    She pointed out that, by allowing Iran’s president on American soil for the UN General Assembly, Biden and Harris are giving the murderous regime a platform on our homeland while ignoring its election interference, bounties placed on President Trump’s head, and targeting of Americans.

    Click here to watch Senator Ernst’s remarks.
    Background:
    Ernst has been a leading critic of the Biden-Harris administration’s decision to welcome the Iranian government to America and allow them to speak at the UN General Assembly.
    Last month, Senator Ernst urged President Biden to refuse visas for the oppressive dictators from Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela to prevent giving a microphone to the most evil leaders on Earth to promote their dangerous views.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Cramer: U.S. EDA Awards $675,000 to Support the Agricultural Production Industry in Baldwin

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration announced an award of $675,000 to Enhancing and Strengthening North Dakota Nonprofits and Communities in Minot, N.D. This award will help construct a regional processing facility for local foods, providing classrooms, kitchen facilities, warehouse space and more in Baldwin, N.D.

    The grant is expected to create 47 jobs and generate $1.8 million in private investment, according to grantee estimates.

    “North Dakota excels at value-added agriculture,” said U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND). “Investments like this drive innovation, boost economic development in our communities, and help families put food on the table. North Dakota stands to gain for many years to come as a result of the construction and use of this facility.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sullivan: Biden Downplays Failed Iran Policies & Global Chaos in Final UN Speech

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan

    09.24.24

    President mentions climate change three times more than Iran in remarks

    WASHINGTON—In an interview this morning with Harris Faulkner on Fox News Channel, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), the Republican Senate representative to the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, condemned the misguided foreign policy priorities highlighted in President Biden’s final speech to the UN on Tuesday. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed last weekend, Sen. Sullivan urged President Biden to use the speech as an opportunity to course correct on the administration’s failed appeasement policies toward Iran, which have emboldened the terrorist regime and its proxies and spread chaos throughout the world.

    “President Biden mentioned climate change six times and Iran just twice in his speech to the UN. If that’s not indicative of the Biden-Harris administration’s priorities, I don’t know what is,” said Sen. Sullivan. “What we’ve seen is chaos throughout the world. This is his last foreign policy speech. Americans and people around the world need to ask this question: Are Americans and our allies safer today than we were four years ago? The answer is absolutely not. One of the biggest areas in which this has been true, and is a failure of this administration, is the appeasement of Iran. Iran is the agent of chaos everywhere—and this administration has appeased Iran in every sphere.”

    Senator Sullivan has frequently criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s weakness exhibited toward Iran and pushed for a return to Trump-era sanctions aimed at re-establishing deterrence against Iran and its terrorist proxies.

    [embedded content]

    Click here or the image above to watch Sen. Sullivan’s interview.

    SULLIVAN: The Biden-Harris Administration has Appeased Iran in Every Sphere

    HARRIS FAULKNER: We don’t know what Kamala Harris’ foreign policy is going to be. We just saw the last speech by the sitting president, and it was not strong considering the breaking news right now. There is a war now across that line between Lebanon and Israel. If this is what we get under President Biden, what in the world would we get under Vice President Kamala Harris if she wins the White House?

    SENATOR SULLIVAN: It’s such an important question. You just saw the speech, right? Biden mentions climate change six times and Iran twice. If that’s not indicative of this administration’s priorities—Biden-Harris—I don’t know what is. What we’ve seen is chaos throughout the world. This is his last foreign policy speech. I think Americans and people around the world need to ask this question: Is America and our allies safer today than we was four years ago? The answer is absolutely not. And one of the biggest areas in which that has been true, and a failure of this administration, is the appeasement of Iran—that Iran is the agent of chaos everywhere. Your reporting right now is just showing that. They have appeased Iran in every sphere.

    As you mentioned, I think with Kamala Harris, it would be way worse. You have to compare the record of the Trump administration with regard to Iran where we reestablished deterrence, put them in a box, crushed them economically, killed their terrorist leaders, and launched a peace initiative with the Abraham Accords. It’s such a contrast in terms of records.

    …

    SULLIVAN: Trump-Era Sanctions Against Iran are the Most Effective Tools in Re-Establishing Deterrence

    FAULKNER: All right. I want to get to two things. First of all, Major General Ryder told us yesterday, and then filled in the blanks a little bit, saying, “Well, it’s a small number that they’re sending to the Middle East to shore up the 40,000 who are there.” Well, that’s anything less than 40,000. What is happening—you’re on Armed Services—what is happening that you can tell us that’s next for the United States in that region? And keeping in mind we have to back Israel.

    SULLIVAN: We 100 percent have to back Israel. One of the things that’s been so frustrating with this administration is that some of the most effective tools that we have in terms of backing Israel and in re-establishing deterrence with regard to Iran, aren’t necessarily military tools. Let me give you the best example. The Trump administration undertook maximum sanctions against the Iranian oil and gas industry.

    By the end of the Trump administration, Iran’s economy was in free-fall. They were exporting only about 200,000 barrels a day. They had about $4 billion in foreign reserves, which was nothing. The Biden-Harris administration comes in, day one, they stop enforcing these sanctions. What does that do? Iran is exporting almost 3 million barrels a day, has close to $100 billion in foreign reserves. What are they doing with that? They’re funding and equipping and training Hezbollah, the Houthis, Hamas.

    So a lot of this appeasement has been just reversing what the Trump administration did so well and you’re seeing the chaos all over the Middle East. Biden and Harris should at least reimpose these sanctions.

    SULLIVAN: Russian-Chinese Incursions into Alaska are a Sign of Weakness of Biden-Harris Administration

    FAULKNER: You broke some news with me in the hallway as we were coming to set. I want to just take a moment. Russia. We cannot take our eyes off Russia. You said a fourth incursion. What’s happening in Alaska?

    SULLIVAN: It’s actually 5. In the last two weeks, we’ve had five Russian bear bomber incursions into our ADIZ—our airspace. Our great men and women in the military have gone up and intercepted these aircraft. By the way, Harris, just about a month and a half ago, we had a joint Russian Chinese bear bomber incursion into the Alaska airspace. Strategic bombers with fighters. We had to go turn them around.

    But, again, this is showing the weakness of the Biden-Harris administration. This level of aggressiveness from the two biggest adversaries in my part of the world, Alaska, the Arctic, the North Pacific, is unprecedented. They’ve never done these kind of joint patrols. They’re doing it with regard to the Navy too in Alaska waters. We have a lot going on in terms of aggressiveness of our adversaries. The best way to address that is to regrow our military. This administration won’t do that.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sullivan, Grassley, & Colleagues Hold Biden-Harris Admin Accountable for Abuses in Unaccompanied Migrant Children Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan

    09.23.24

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) joined his Republican colleagues, led by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), in sending a letter urging President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to work with Congress to root out abuses in their administration’s unaccompanied migrant children program and stop the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s cover-up of the crisis. HHS has failed to comply with two out of three Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subpoenas and other information requests issued amid its investigation into more than 100 suspicious sponsors.

    More than 500,000 unaccompanied migrant children have crossed the southwest border under the Biden-Harris administration, while cartel trafficking activity surged an estimated 2,500 percent. Amid this crisis, the lawmakers note that the Biden-Harris administration limited background checks for sponsors of unaccompanied children, cut back on familial DNA testing at the border and decreased information sharing with law enforcement.

    The lawmakers are urging Biden and Harris to “make changes to [their] policies and procedures” in order to “end this public safety crisis.” They are specifically calling on the Biden-Harris administration to share information with law enforcement and Congress, fully cooperate with DHS’s child exploitation investigation and thoroughly respond to all congressional oversight requests, which they have so far refused to do.

    “[The Biden-Harris HHS] must stop its cover-up and cooperate with law enforcement and Congress to end this crisis and protect unaccompanied children and the American people,” the lawmakers concluded.

    Read the full letter HERE.

    Joining Sens. Sullivan and Grassley on the letter are Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), along with Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.),  John Thune (R-S.D.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Roger Marshall (R-Kans.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn, Grassley Lead Bicameral Colleagues in Calling Out Abuses in the Biden-Harris Unaccompanied Migrant Children Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) yesterday led 42 bicameral Republican colleagues in a letter urging President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to work with Congress to root out abuses in their administration’s unaccompanied migrant children program and stop the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s attempted cover-up of the crisis. More than 500,000 unaccompanied migrant children have crossed the southwest border under the Biden-Harris administration, while cartel trafficking activity surged an estimated 2,500 percent.

    “As a result of your open-borders policies, overseen by Vice President Harris, who was tasked with ‘stemming the migration’ at our border with Mexico, more than 500,000 unaccompanied alien children (UACs) have crossed the southwest border without a parent or guardian to provide care since you took office, a massive increase when compared to previous administrations,” reads the letter.

    “We request that you immediately instruct HHS Secretary Becerra to take urgent steps to this end: HHS must provide access to the UAC Portal, HHS’s system of record for UACs, to federal law enforcement, HHS’s Inspector General, and Congress, allowing them to quickly conduct investigations and oversee the UAC placement program, and to analyze data regarding suspicious UAC placements; it must fully cooperate with DHS’s HSI and other federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies seeking to locate children and investigate trafficking, smuggling, and other forms of child exploitation; and it must thoroughly respond to congressional oversight requests and instruct HHS’s contractors and grantees to do the same,” the lawmakers said.

    “[The Biden-Harris HHS] must stop its cover-up and cooperate with law enforcement and Congress to end this crisis and protect unaccompanied children and the American people,”the lawmakers concluded.

    Full text of the letter is here and below.

    Joining Senator Cornyn and Grassley on the letter are Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Ron Johnson (R-WI) and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), along with Sens. Mike Crapo (R-ID), Lindsey Graham (R-SC),  John Thune (R-SD), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Jim Risch (R-ID), John Hoeven (R-ND), Mike Lee (R-UT), Tim Scott (R-SC), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), James Lankford (R-OK), Steve Daines (R-MT), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), John Kennedy (R-LA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Braun (R-IN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Katie Britt (R-AL) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE). Additional co-signers in the House include Reps. Tom McClintock (R-CA), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Chip Roy (R-TX), Dan Bishop (R-NC), Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), Cliff Bentz (R-OR.), Ben Cline (R-VA), Barry Moore (R-AL), Russell Fry (R-SC), Harriet Hageman (R-WY), Wesley Hunt (R-TX), Laurel Lee (R-FL) and Michael Rulli (R-OH).

    September 23, 2024

    The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

    President of the United States

    The White House Washington, D.C.

    The Honorable Kamala D. Harris

    Vice President of the United States

    The White House Washington, D.C.

    President Biden and Vice President Harris:

    As a result of your open-borders policies, overseen by Vice President Harris, who was tasked with “stemming the migration” at our border with Mexico, more than 500,000 unaccompanied alien children (UACs) have crossed the southwest border without a parent or guardian to provide care since you took office, a massive increase when compared to previous administrations. These UACs often experience horrible sexual, physical, and emotional abuse on the journey and are victims of cartel trafficking and exploitation, a business that surged an estimated 2,500 percent from the Trump Administration to the middle of your term in 2022. Sadly, the suffering these children endure does not end at the border. Your Administration also fails them when they arrive in the United States by rushing them out of the custody of your Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) into the hands of unvetted sponsors who often continue to exploit and abuse them.

    Even as the trafficking business and the number of children entering the U.S. surged, HHS ORR cut back significantly on background checks and vetting procedures to speed up the process, despite knowing children were being trafficked through HHS ORR’s UAC program. Your Administration likewise continued Vice President Harris’s longtime priority of cutting back on information sharing between HHS ORR and law enforcement related to unaccompanied children and sponsors. When the Trump Administration implemented a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to provide for robust information sharing between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and HHS ORR, then-Senator Harris called this attempt to protect children and communities “outrageous.” She also introduced legislation in response to the Trump MOA that slashed funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement by $220 million. Her bill was so extreme it failed to allow HHS information to be used by DHS for immigration enforcement even for potential sponsors and household members with convictions or pending charges of child abuse, sexual assault, child pornography, or any other crime. Even House Democrats considered Harris’s approach too radical and added these exceptions to counteract the extreme nature of her legislative proposal. Their approach, unlike Harris’s, allowed HHS information to be used to deport child predators and those convicted of serious felonies. Given her stated policy priorities, it is no wonder your Administration later revoked the Trump Administration’s MOA, seriously hampering the work of law enforcement, and promulgated a final rule enshrining the bar on sharing such information with law enforcement officials.

    Your Administration further stripped Customs and Border Protection officials of their ability to conduct familial DNA testing, as was implemented by the Trump Administration to verify adults’ claims that they are related to children they bring across the border. This made the smuggling and trafficking of these kids that much easier. Early into your term, your Administration also canceled protections the Trump Administration proposed to provide post-release services for all children placed with sponsors, including in-person visits and extended follow-up after placement. These protections would have helped ensure children were safe. Instead, the actions of your Administration have been disastrous and now, HHS ORR is actively attempting to cover up the results of its egregious decisions. We call upon you to put an end to that cover-up.

    When Senator Grassley and Senator Cassidy, ranking members of the Senate Budget Committee and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, asked HHS ORR contractors and grantees whether they took necessary steps to protect children, HHS obstructed those inquiries, directing the entities not to respond. This included Southwest Key, which Senator Grassley asked, among other things, about its vetting of staff before they have access to minors. The Department of Justice has since sued Southwest Key for turning a blind eye to nearly a decade of child rape and sexual abuse by its staff. During this same time, HHS ORR provided Southwest Key with more than $3 billion to house UACs. These contractors and grantees receive large sums of taxpayer dollars, a lucrative business that has boomed during your Administration. Yet HHS ORR told them not to answer Congress when it asked whether basic protections were afforded to these kids. This is completely unacceptable.

    At the same time, since early 2023, the House Judiciary Committee has sought information on the total number of UACs HHS ORR has lost contact with after placement during your Administration. According to the New York Times, as of February 2023, ORR had been unable to contact at least 85,000 UACs after placement with sponsors, or roughly 34 percent of total UACs released up to that point in your term.  Applying the 34 percent figure to the most up-to-date number of 432,938 UACs the Administration has released to sponsors, we estimate ORR has been unable to contact nearly 150,000 UACs through Safety and Well-being calls after their release. When confronted by the House Judiciary Committee with an estimate based on the Times’s findings, ORR did not dispute it. Although the House Judiciary Committee twice subpoenaed HHS for internal agency data relating to the total number of UACs with whom it has lost contact after placement, HHS has refused to provide the subpoenaed data.

    Unfortunately, the cover-up does not end there. Recently, DHS informed Senator Grassley’s office that HHS ORR has not sufficiently complied with two out of every three subpoenas and other information requests that resulted from his referral of possible child trafficking rings across the U.S. to DHS in January. By not supplying the information law enforcement requested, ORR denied Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents critical information, including the last known addresses of children and sponsors and the identity of other household members. In part because of HHS ORR’s lack of cooperation, DHS has so far only been able to locate less than four percent of sponsors identified as investigative targets, and a similarly small number of UACs.

    At a recent Senate roundtable forum, “The Exploitation Crisis: How the U.S. Government is Failing to Protect Migrant Children from Trafficking and Abuse,” senators and members of the public heard from a panel with direct knowledge of this crisis. What the witnesses told the oversight panel was shocking. For example, HHS retaliated against one of the witnesses, Ms. Tara Lee Rodas, after she blew the whistle and tried to stop the placement of young children with a household in Ohio connected to the violent MS-13 gang. In addition, witnesses described how HHS and its contractors prioritized UAC placement speed over UAC safety by failing to verify the legitimacy of identity documents, failing to obtain criminal history from the countries of origin of UACs and sponsors, and failing to conduct legally required home studies for UACs who had endured sexual or other abuse. Other whistleblowers continue to come forward with similar information. Congress has the right to obtain information necessary to conduct oversight of these widespread failures to protect the lives of children without HHS standing in the way.

    HHS’s failure to ensure UACs are in appropriate placements and to adequately vet sponsors is harmful not only to the UACs, but also to American citizens. As the Attorney General under the Trump Administration recognized, the UAC program has for years suffered from exploitation by criminals, including “gang members who come to this country as wolves in sheep[’s] clothing” and “use th[e UAC] program as a means by which to recruit new members.” As the House Judiciary Committee’s oversight has shown, under Secretary Becerra’s leadership, HHS has ignored the potential criminality and gang affiliation of UACs.

    Indeed, as revealed in the House Judiciary Committee’s May 2023 interim report, in May 2022, HHS ORR released to a sponsor a UAC with a previous arrest record for “illicit association with MS13.” That UAC, released by your Administration, went on to brutally assault and murder 20-year-old American citizen Kayla Hamilton. Incredibly, HHS noted on several occasions to the House Judiciary Committee its focus on protecting the privacy of Kayla’s murderer. Although local police quickly identified Walter Javier Martinez as the primary suspect in the murder and expressed their concern about the threat he posed to society, according to new investigative reporting, Martinez was placed in a Maryland foster home with other children and enrolled in high school. Later, while in custody for murdering Kayla, the alien authored a letter in which he “admitted to committing [four] murders, [two] rapes, and additional other crimes.” Martinez has since been sentenced to more than 70 years in prison.

    Despite having released to a sponsor a UAC with gang tattoos and a history of “illicit association” with MS-13, HHS told the House Judiciary Committee that it does not have a policy to refer known or suspected gang members to the Justice Department for investigation or, where appropriate, prosecution. At the same time, ORR Director Robin Dunn Marcos, the HHS official in charge of the UAC program, admitted that, while HHS sometimes contacts the consulate or embassy of a UAC’s country of origin or last habitual residence to verify some documents or claimed familial relationships, HHS does not even request UACs’ criminal records. Troublingly, HHS has also admitted that it does not currently have any secure facilities “in-network”—that is, facilities designed for the secure placement of UACs who pose a danger to themselves or others or who have been determined to have a criminal record.

    An August 2024 House Judiciary Committee report highlighted yet another case of UAC criminality, detailing how Juan Carlos Garcia Rodriguez, a UAC from Guatemala released by your Administration, horrifically assaulted and murdered 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez. Maria’s father found “his daughter’s body wrapped in a trash bag and stuffed in a laundry basket that was put beneath her bed.” Garcia Rodriguez was encountered by Border Patrol after entering the U.S. illegally in El Paso in January 2023, smuggled to the U.S. border by a “guide” paid for by his parents. Despite being overheard commenting about his desire to run away while in HHS custody, HHS placed Garcia Rodriguez with an unrelated adult sponsor who had twice previously sponsored unrelated UACs. Unsurprisingly, shortly after the Biden-Harris Administration’s release of Garcia Rodriguez, he became one of the estimated 150,000 UACs with whom HHS has lost contact. Just months after HHS lost contact with Garcia Rodriguez, he ran away from his sponsor. Not long after his 18th birthday, and mere months after his release from HHS custody, Garcia Rodriguez, brutally assaulted and murdered Maria.

    This is not a partisan issue. It can and should bring us together, as we try to protect Americans and UACs placed in HHS ORR custody alike. Your Administration must make changes to its policies and procedures for UACs to end this public safety crisis. It must also take urgent steps to provide information to law enforcement and Congress, to reveal the crisis’s full scope. We request that you immediately instruct HHS Secretary Becerra to take urgent steps to this end: HHS must provide access to the UAC Portal, HHS’s system of record for UACs, to federal law enforcement, HHS’s Inspector General, and Congress, allowing them to quickly conduct investigations and oversee the UAC placement program, and to analyze data regarding suspicious UAC placements; it must fully cooperate with DHS’s HSI and other federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies seeking to locate children and investigate trafficking, smuggling, and other forms of child exploitation; and it must thoroughly respond to congressional oversight requests and instruct HHS’s contractors and grantees to do the same.

    HHS must stop its cover-up and cooperate with law enforcement and Congress to end this crisis and protect unaccompanied children and the American people. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

    Sincerely,

    /s/

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Johnson Joins Sen. Grassley in Calling Out Abuses in the Biden-Harris Unaccompanied Migrant Children Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson

    WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and 42 bicameral Republican colleagues in a letter urging President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to work with Congress to root out abuses in their administration’s unaccompanied migrant children program and stop the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s cover-up of the crisis. HHS has failed to comply with two out of three Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subpoenas and other information requests issued amid its investigation into more than 100 suspicious sponsors.

    Under the Biden-Harris administration, more than 500,000 unaccompanied migrant children have crossed the southwest border without a parent or guardian to provide care. Simultaneously, cartel trafficking activity surged an estimated 2,500 percent from the Trump administration to the middle of the Biden-Harris term in 2022. Amid this crisis, the lawmakers noted that the Biden-Harris administration limited background checks for sponsors of unaccompanied children, cut back on familial DNA testing at the border, and decreased information sharing with law enforcement.

    The lawmakers urged Biden and Harris to “make changes to [their] policies and procedures for UACs” in order to “end this public safety crisis.” They specifically called on the Biden-Harris administration to enhance information sharing with law enforcement and Congress, fully cooperate with DHS’s child exploitation investigation, and thoroughly respond to all congressional oversight requests.

    “[The Biden-Harris HHS] must stop its cover-up and cooperate with law enforcement and Congress to end this crisis and protect unaccompanied children and the American people,” the lawmakers wrote.

    Sens. Johnson and Grassley were joined by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.),  John Thune (R-S.D.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Kennedy (R-La.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Roger Marshall (R-Kans.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.).

    Additional co-signers in the House include House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), along with Reps. Tom McLintock (R-Ca.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Chip Roy (R-Texas), Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.), Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.), Ben Cline (R-Va.), Barry Moore (R-Ala.), Russell Fry (R-S.C.), Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), Laurel Lee (R-Fla.) and Michael Rulli (R-Ohio).

    Full text of the letter can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Historic Vote, Arctic Caucus Co-Chair Senator King Welcomes First Ambassador to the Arctic

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), co-chair of the Senate Arctic Caucus, today cast his vote for Michael Sfraga — currently serving as U.S. Arctic Research Commission Chair — to become the country’s first Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs, in a Senate vote of 55-36. Until Sfraga’s confirmation, the U.S. has been the only Arctic Nation that did not have a high-level official to represent the county in Arctic negotiations. With America now having formal diplomatic representation, it sends a clear signal to Arctic partners and foes that the country is fully invested in the High North as a strategic hotspot. The region is especially critical with regard to national security and deterrence efforts against known adversaries like China and Russia.

    “The Arctic is emerging as a region of enormous potential, and for far too long America has been on the sidelines — not demonstrating the level of commitment and attention shown by the other Arctic nations. That ends today,” said Senator King. “Not only is the High North drawing additional attention and investment by nations like Norway, Canada, and Russia, but China and India are also making moves in the region — investing millions in icebreakers and critical mineral research, laughably passing themselves off as ‘near Arctic nations.’ While the Arctic has long been considered a ‘zone of peace,’ America has not been represented by a Senate confirmed official bearing the title of ‘Ambassador.’ From now on, when there are conversations had about Arctic affairs, America finally will participate among equals. I thank my Arctic Caucus Co-Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) for her tireless work on this nomination, and now it’s time to truly get to work to advance and defend our Arctic interests.”

    Sfraga brings over 30 years of experience in Arctic issues, and was the founding director of the Polar Institute and served as the Director of the Global Risk and Resilience program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. As an Alaskan and trained geographer, his work has focused the changing geography of Arctic and Antarctic landscapes, as well as the rapidly changing economic, social, environmental and security implications of the region.

    As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and as Co-Chair of the U.S. Senate Arctic Caucus, Senator King is an advocate for Maine and America’s interests in the North Atlantic and Arctic region. Along with Caucus co-chair Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), King introduced the Arctic Commitment Act earlier last year to improve America’s posture and opportunities in the Arctic. He’s been calling for the appointment of an Arctic Ambassador since 2015, and has continued to press the Administration on the effort this year. King also recently laid out the challenges and opportunities of a warming arctic in an article in the Wilson Quarterly, and in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, he successfully secured the inclusion of provisions to increase America’s activity and opportunities in the Far North.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Rosen Announce Nearly A Million Dollars in Federal Funding for Nevada Law Enforcement

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    This Funding Will Be Used By Law Enforcement Agencies To Hire More Officers, Purchase Essential Equipment, And Invest In Officer Mental Health

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) announced nearly one million dollars in federal funding for law enforcement agencies across Nevada to help them hire more officers, purchase essential equipment, and invest in officer mental health. The funding for these awards is made through the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program, Tribal Resources Grant Program, and Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA), all of which offer various grant programs to support state, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies. Earlier this year, bipartisan legislation to expand the COPS Hiring Program was signed into law.

    “From hiring more police officers and purchasing new equipment to funding mental health programs, I’ll always fight to support our law enforcement,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “The COPS Office has a long history of helping keep our communities safe, and I’m proud of my work to bring as many of these resources as possible into the Silver State.”

    “Nevada law enforcement works around the clock to fight crime, respond to emergencies, and keep our communities safe. That’s why I’ve been working across the aisle in the Senate to support them with the federal resources they need to do their jobs effectively and maintain their well-being,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to announce this federal funding is coming to law enforcement agencies across our state to help hire more officers, purchase equipment, and improve officer mental health and wellness.”

    “I would like to thank Senator Rosen and our entire congressional delegation for their continued support in protecting the citizens and businesses of Sparks,” said Sparks Police Chief Chris Crawford. “This will allow the Sparks Police Department to build a team of officers to improve upon our crime reduction strategies.”

    “This grant will enhance the City’s ongoing commitment to providing vital mental health and wellness services to the men and women of the Henderson Police Department. We are grateful to Senator Rosen and the other members of Nevada’s congressional delegation for their support of our grant application and for this funding which will be used to assist officers and their families as they approach retirement and prepare to successfully transition from their law enforcement careers,” said Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero. “Studies have shown that police officers may be at a greater risk of experiencing challenges related to their mental well-being as they get ready to retire and this grant will help ensure we are offering those who serve and protect our community the full assistance they and their families need.”

    “The Lovelock Paiute Tribal Police Department is excited to announce that we have been selected and awarded the US DOJ COPS grant,” said Lovelock Colony Chief of Police Jeff G. Perry. “With the collaborative effort of our Tribal Police Department, Lovelock Paiute Tribal Council, Tribal Administrator, the grant award will be utilized to sufficiently staff 24-hour service to the Lovelock Indian Colony. This will increase safety efforts along with our proposed Lovelock Indian Colony Camera Program (LICCP). Our camera program will significantly reduce criminal activity and trespassing on the colony along with better staffing support towards future community policing services. These interactions will be positive and proactive in ways that build trust and cooperation among the residents and all who visit the Lovelock Indian Colony. Our proposal is to re-establish all components of the neighborhood watch program. Officers will again utilize teams, zones, area captains and area officers. In addition, this program will help to reduce the non-tribal criminal activity on the colony. Without this funding, we could not have achieved to operate at this capacity and continue our community-oriented policing efforts to greatly reduce criminal activity.”

    The awards are being distributed as follows:

    • $500,000 from the COPS Hiring Program for the Sparks Police Department to hire more officers.
    • $353,063 from the Tribal Resources Grant Program for the Lovelock Paiute Tribe to hire officers and invest in equipment.
    • $43,308 from the LEMHWA Program for the City of Henderson’s mental health and wellness projects for law enforcement officers.

    Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen have been advocating to ensure Nevada’s law enforcement community has the resources it needs. Last year, they announced more than $1 million in COPS funding for Nevada law enforcement and public safety. Last month, they also highlighted nearly $1 million in federal community project funding they secured to provide mental health training and support to thousands of firefighters, law enforcement officers, and first responders. Senator Cortez Masto’s bipartisan bills to combat the crisis of law enforcement suicide and provide mental health resources to police officers have been signed into law by presidents of both parties. Earlier this month, bipartisan legislation that Senator Rosen co-sponsored to fund family support and mental health services for law enforcement officers passed the Senate.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murkowski Welcomes Historic Confirmation for United States Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski

    09.24.24

    Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), co-chair of the Senate Arctic Caucus, welcomed the historic confirmation of the United States’ first Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs, Dr. Michael Sfraga. Senator Murkowski was the chief advocate for the creation of the position, which the State Department initiated in 2022. The Senate confirmed Dr. Sfraga’s nomination today.

    “Finally, we have officially joined the rest of the Arctic nations at the table after the Senate confirmed the United States’ first Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs. The need for this leadership in the Arctic has become even more urgent as we saw last night the fifth publicly reported incursion by Russian military aircraft in Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone in the last two weeks,” said Senator Murkowski. “Our new Ambassador will not only help America push back against our adversaries heightened aggression in the Arctic, but will be a critical resource in advocating for economic expansion in this increasingly vital region, committing to do everything in his power to protect American economic and security interests in the Arctic. I congratulate Dr. Michael Sfraga on his confirmation and look forward to the progress he will usher in.”

    Prior to today’s vote, Senator Murkowski spoke on the Senate floor regarding the importance of confirming Dr. Sfraga. A video of her remarks can also be found here.

    Read the full speech below:

    “Mr. President, I have come to the Floor to speak to the nomination of Dr. Mike Sfraga, an Alaskan, to be our nation’s very first Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs. 

    As the person who recommended Dr. Sfraga, I’ve come to the Floor to reiterate my strong support for his nomination, and to urge the Senate to ensure we are no longer the only Arctic nation that does not have an Arctic ambassador. 

    I want to speak to two specific considerations: why we need to focus on the Arctic, and why Dr. Sfraga is the right person for this important role. 

    First, the Arctic.  I won’t detail the entire history; I would just ask you to think about the past couple months alone. 

    On July 24, Russian and Chinese bombers flew a joint patrol for the first time off the coast of Alaska.  While the Russians regularly fly into our Air Defense Identification Zone, our “ADIZ” – I don’t ever recall hearing of the Chinese flying into the area, let alone on a joint mission.

    The day after Russia and China’s joint exercise, I would have told you that this escalation was the most disturbing thing we’d see this year.  But unfortunately, our adversaries quickly found a way to top that – upping the ante even further.

    On September 10, Russia began its massive, weeklong, worldwide Ocean-24 exercise with hundreds of warships, more than a hundred aircraft, and nearly 100,000 troops.  The exercise, the largest since the fall of the Soviet Union, also saw Chinese participation.  Between its start and end, NORAD and the Air Forces stationed in Alaska detected, tracked, and intercepted four different Russian incursions into the Alaska ADIZ. 

    In previous years, we’ve come to expect six or seven incursions a year.  So think about that: in just five days, our air defenses were tested almost as much as they tend to be tested in any given year.  We are now way ahead on publicly-reported intercepts this year—up to 10, with three months left.

    There has also been an unprecedented level of naval activity off the coast of Alaska.  During that same Russian exercise, the U.S. Coast Guard detected four Russian naval vessels 50 miles to the northwest of Point Hope in Alaska.  The vessels moved to avoid sea ice in the area during their exercise—which is accepted under international law–but that brought them 50 miles into the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.

    Hearing that, I can’t help but think back to when Russian warships chased Alaska fishermen out of an area within our EEZ back in August 2020.  And these are hardly isolated incidents.  Last August, the Coast Guard detected and shadowed a Russian intelligence ship operating off the Aleutians.  This past July, the Coast Guard detected and shadowed a Chinese Surface Action Group within our EEZ in the Bering Sea.

    I could also remind the Senate of the Chinese surveillance balloons that transited above Alaska and the Arctic last year. 

    I could remind the Senate of a lot more events and incidents that warrant greater attention, policy, and resources for the Arctic.  

    What I hope we can agree is that this an unprecedented time for the region.  Normally we think of the Arctic as “High North, Low Tension.”  But right now, it’s “High North, Rising Tension.”  And one thing that is absolutely missing is a Senate-confirmed diplomat, who will spend his or her time focused on Arctic issues, working with our allies, and engaging our adversaries. 

    The United States is alone in having inadequate diplomatic representation in the Arctic.  It’s not that no one at State Department is thinking about the region; it’s that no one, at a high level, is specifically tasked with and responsible for and empowered to lead the way. 

    So, we need an Arctic Ambassador.  When we established this position in August 2022, I hoped it would mark a more serious effort to lead and maintain a rules-based order in the region.  But it’s been two years, and only now are we able to confirm a highly capable, well-qualified individual to actually do that work. 

    Which brings me to Dr. Sfraga.  He was nominated in February 2023.  His nomination was favorably reported by the Foreign Relations Committee in March 2024.  And today, we have the chance to confirm him. 

    I would contend that there is no one better suited to be the first person in this role than Dr. Sfraga.  For all of the questions that some have raised about him, I would argue that we know exactly what we are getting. 

    Dr. Sfraga has dedicated himself to a career of service to the Arctic and our nation. 

    He is an accomplished geographer, researcher, and teacher, with a PhD from the University of Alaska.

    He helped establish the University of the Arctic, and co-created and co-led the State Department’s Fulbright Arctic Initiative. 

    He established the Polar Institute at the Wilson Center, which has become the “Arctic Public Square” for high-level conversations about the Far North. 

    And, he Chairs the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, which advises Congress and the President on international Arctic research.

    Dr. Sfraga has decades of experience, deep expertise, and strong relationships with Arctic leaders.  Our allies support him, our Arctic partners support him, Alaskans support him, and I support him.  He is clear-eyed about the strategic realities of the Arctic and the intentions of our adversaries.  He understands how to position the United States to lead in the Arctic and to protect our national security interests.  His vast experience means he knows how to handle Russia and China – across the interagency process and with allies and partners – through a position of strength.

    Some have argued that Dr. Sfraga’s past interactions with regional players disqualify him from serving in this role.  But remember: he’s an Alaskan.  We share a maritime border with Russia.  We used to have regular nonstop air service to Russia.  That’s our part of the world, and when relations were better, it wasn’t uncommon for Alaskans to visit and work with and know people who lived there.

    Dr. Sfraga has been criticized for attending international forums, but remember: he was hardly the only American or U.S. government official in attendance at these events.  He’s just the only one being criticized for it, even though his participation helped give us a voice at those events.

    I also find it fascinating that some have criticized Dr. Sfraga’s past language as advocating for a “competition-free” Arctic.  I can tell you: that is how we spoke about the region for a long time.  We strived to establish a rules-based order that would protect our people and maintain low tensions.  Even former President Trump called for a “competition-free” Arctic.

    The criticisms that Dr. Sfraga has faced are a great way to ensure that the United States never has an Arctic ambassador – or that we ultimately confirm an individual who has never been there, knows little about it, and won’t do anything to protect or advance our strategic interests. 

    To me, that would be a loss.  The Arctic is no longer an isolated, distant region.  It is a place of strategic importance, economic potential, and growing competition.  The United States must be prepared to lead – and that starts with representation.  Personnel is policy, and Dr. Sfraga is ready to take on this important role. 

    I urge the Senate to see through the attacks on Dr. Sfraga.  There is nothing in his past or in his file that is disqualifying.  We know exactly what we are getting; he has been a public figure, sharing his views of the Arctic, for years. 

    I thank those who have already offered their support for Dr. Sfraga, and would encourage the rest of my colleagues to be happy that we aren’t confirming yet another judge—but instead, a qualified Alaskan who can lead on Arctic matters from day one, at a time when that matters more than it has in decades. 

    I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting yes to confirm Dr. Sfraga and yield the Floor.”

    Background: Senator Murkowski is an internationally recognized leader on Arctic issues and is dedicated to strengthening America’s position as an Arctic nation. In October 2021, she and Senator Angus King (I-ME) introduced the Arctic Diplomacy Act to establish an Assistant Secretary of State for Arctic Affairs.

    Following Senator Murkowski’s persistent advocacy, the State Department announced in August 2022 that “the President plans to elevate the Arctic Coordinator position by appointing an Ambassador-at-Large for the Arctic Region, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate. The Ambassador-at-Large for the Arctic Region will advance U.S. policy in the Arctic, engage with counterparts in Arctic and non-Arctic nations as well as Indigenous groups, and work closely with domestic stakeholders, including state, local, and Tribal governments, businesses, academic institutions, non-profit organizations, other federal government agencies and Congress.”

    Dr. Mike Sfraga is the first nominee for the new Ambassador-At-Large position. His official biography from the U.S. Arctic Research Commission appears below.

    “Dr. Michael Sfraga was the founding director of the Polar Institute and served as the director of the Global Risk and Resilience Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. He currently serves as chair and distinguished fellow in the Polar Institute, where his scholarship and public speaking focus on Arctic policy.

    “An Alaskan and a geographer by training, his work focuses on the changing geography of the Arctic and Antarctic landscapes, Arctic policy, and the impacts and implications of a changing climate on political, social, economic, environmental, and security regimes in the Arctic.

    “Sfraga served as distinguished co-lead scholar for the U.S. Department of State’s inaugural Fulbright Arctic Initiative from 2015 to 2017, a complementary program to the U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council; he held the same position from 2017 to 2019. He served as chair of the 2020 Committee of Visitors Review of the Section for Arctic Science (ARC), Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, and currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Council of the Finnish Institute for International Affairs. Sfraga previously served in several academic, administrative, and executive positions at the University of Alaska, including vice chancellor, associate vice president, faculty member, department chair, and associate dean. Sfraga earned the first PhD in geography and northern studies from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Remarks by President  Biden at the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats | New York,  NY

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    1:57 P.M. EDT
    THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  To all the — my fellow leaders from nations around the world, thank you for being here.  It makes a big difference.
    A couple of years ago, a father who I got to meet from a small town here in the United States wrote me a letter about his daughter.  Her name was Courtney.  She was bright and smart, she had a laugh that was contagious, and wanted to travel the world.  But in high school, she became addicted to pills. 
    Her father eventually brought her to a treatment facility, but his insurance company wouldn’t cover the cost.  They said, quote, “It wasn’t a matter of life and death.”
    A month later, Courtney died from a fe- — fentanyl overdose.  She was just 20 years old — 20 years old. 
    In his letter that he wrote to me, he described life without his child.  He said, and I quote, “There is no greater pain.”  “There is no greater pain.”
    I told him I know what it’s like, having lost several children myself — two children.  There is no greater pain.  They still live in your heart, but there’s no greater pain.
    Ladies and gentlemen, that’s why we’re here. 
    Too many people all across our nation have stories like this.  Too many families have suffered unbearable pain and unbearable loss. 
    Opioids are the deadliest drug threat in our history.  I’ve been working on drug control for a long, long time — since the days I was a senator, but this is the deadliest of them all.
    For years, too little has been done to beat this threat here at home and around the world. 
    In fact, before I came to office, overdose deaths in our country were increasing by more than 30 percent year over year. 
    But when I became president, I made beating the opioid endemic [epidemic] a central part of the Unity Agenda, something that our entire nation could rally around and has. 
    For over the last four years, we’ve turned that agenda into action.  My administration made Nal- — excuse me, Na- — made Naloxone, a lifesaving overdose reversal medicine, available over the counter.  You can purchase it over the counter for the first time.  We invested over $80 billion across 50 states to expand access to addiction treatment and support.  I issued an executive order that cut cartel leaders off from fina- — our financial system, including issuing 300 sanctions.  And I’ve deployed hundreds of advanced X-ray ou- — machines to stop the threat of pills and powder coming across our border. 
    Because I want to be clear: This is — this is a national security threat. 
    In July of this year, I signed a national security memorandum.  It officially recognized that fact, that it is a national security threat.  It calls on every part of our government to do more to stop fentanyl and protect our homeland from this threat. 
    But as all of you know, this a global challenge and it requires a global solutions. 
    So, we established the Tri- — the Trilateral Fentanyl Committee with Canada and Mexi- — and Mexico to stop narcotics from crossing our border. 
    I reignited counternarcotics cooperation with China to increase law enforcement cooperation and tackle the supply chains of precursor chemicals and pill presses. 
    And I directed my team to build this coalition — this Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drugs.  As all of you here know, this coalition now has, as the secretary of State said, 150 nations as part of it. 
    The result of these efforts: More fentanyl has been seized at our border in the last two years than the previous five years combined — in the previous five years combined.  Nearly 60,000 pounds of fentanyl have been seized.  That’s enough to kill every single American many times over. 
    Dozens of major cartel leaders and traffickers are now behind bars. 
    And I’m proud to announce, for the first time in five years, overdose deaths are actually coming down across America.  The latest data shows a 10 percent drop.  That’s the largest decrease on record. 
    Folks, this matters.  These aren’t just facts and figures.  They’re families — families who don’t have to bear the loss of a child, a parent, a spouse — families who are kept whole. 
    But there are too many that are still dying.  There’s so much more that needs to be done. 
    So, my message today is very simple: We can’t let up.  We cannot let up.
    Drug manufacturers and cartels continue to adapt their practices, develop new chemicals, move fast to evade our efforts.  We have to move faster.
    They continue to exploit the global supply chains to expand their networks.  We’ve got to cut them off. 
    They continue to fuel violence, corruption, and instability.  We’ve got to protect our people and our communities. 
    So, that’s why I’m calling on every nation here to commit to our new global coalition pledge.  This lays out the action we must all take to seize more drugs, stop more cartels, save more lives. 
    I also want to thank the leaders here who are stepping up and launching a new initiatives today to advance coalition efforts all across three key — key areas.  First, disrupting supply chain, including production and distribution of illicit — of illicit drugs.  Secondly, detecting emerging drug threats and increasing information sharing across all our countries.  And thirdly, preventing more deaths by treating more people through public health interventions, increased access to lifesaving medications.
    It’s possible.  It’s about disrupt, detect, prevent, and treat. 
    Together, we’re making it clear: Enough is enough is enough. 
    Let me close with this.  As leaders, we all have one solemn responsibility: protect our people from harm. 
    Together, through this coalition, I believe we can do just that.  We can disrupt the cycle of violence and instability that drug cr- — traffickers create.  We can get our people the care they need and deserve.  We can save lives, but only — but only if we come together and work together.  The choice is ours. 
    And I believe there can be only one answer: We can, we will, and we must. 
    So, thank you all for being here.  Let’s get to work.
    And I want to — you to hear from other leaders in this room as well. 
    So, thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)  
    2:04 P.M. EDT

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Scott Details Plan for the Future of Small Businesses and the American Economy at Punchbowl Event

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott

    WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Punchbowl’s Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman for a fireside chat detailing his plans to restore the nation’s economy and increase economic freedom. Their discussion covered how to strengthen and develop the workforce, the future of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the success of Senator Scott’s Opportunity Zones initiative, and more.

    Click here to watch the full discussion.

    Excerpts from Senator Scott’s remarks can be found below:

    On strengthening and developing the workforce…
    “If you just start with the net effect of having a job: your life is better; your community gets better; your family is better. And [when] you look at what the hurdles are for business owners you say, ‘I’m going to take a calculated chance, not a risk, but a calculated chance on hiring someone without the skills to do the job well.’ If we can lower the hurdles, i.e., the cost of hiring that person, then the more the more likely the employer is to bring more people into the workforce.”

    “If we’re going to help people get better jobs, [we have] to focus on our K through 12 education system. The truth of the matter is, the closest thing to magic in America is a good education. And unfortunately, today, communities [that are] the poorest communities, whether it’s the inner city, like Chicago or a rural part of Iowa; those kids today are less educated than they need to be to meet the needs of our very, very diverse workforce. And so, what we need to do is make sure that we’re focusing our attention on K through 12 education and providing parents with a choice [so] that the kid has a better chance to succeed.”

    On extending the TCJA tax incentives…
    “Whether you look at this proposal or, at least, his comments around exempting tips from taxation or overtime from taxation or Social Security from taxation; all these issues really calibrate our focus on everyday working Americans and looking for ways to make sure that we’re taking in the consideration the folks who are struggling paycheck to paycheck and looking for ways to meet the moment.”

    On Opportunity Zones…
    “But specifically, you create more working class jobs. And without doing that, you’re actually going to starve the bottom of the food chain economically. Where I grew up in that, that’s a terrible concept, because some of the most talented people that I know lived in neighborhoods that I lived in, but never had access to opportunity. And so focusing on how to bring opportunities back to those neighborhoods as we did through my Opportunity Zone legislation, is incredibly important.”

    “[My Opportunity Zone legislation] brought over $84 billion into the poorest communities; majority minority communities that have seen 8% wage growth, 60% increase in the property values. And about 70% of the people believe it was owning their own property, which means only less than a 5% gentrification rate. So, we were able to make people’s lives better, make communities stronger, and attract more jobs for folks who can’t really afford the transportation to get to them.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER ANNOUNCES $3.2+ MILLION IN FED FUNDING FOR BINGHAMTON & ELMIRA FIRE DEPARTMENTS TO HELP TRAIN AND HIRE NEW FIREFIGHTERS TO KEEP THE SOUTHERN TIER SAFE

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer

    Schumer Created SAFER Program, Which Helps Staff Fire Departments Across Upstate NY, And Along With AFG Is Local Fire Depts’ Main Lines Of Fed Funding; When Programs Were On Chopping Block Last Year, Schumer Stood With Southern Tier Firefighters To Push To Successfully Re-Authorize Program 

    Funding Will Help Binghamton Fire Department Hire And Train 8 New Firefighters & Elmira Fire Department Hire A New Firefighter For Every Shift For Three Years 

    Schumer: Fed $$ Are Helping Southern Tier Firefighters Staff Up!

    U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced $3,202,296 in federal funding for the Binghamton Fire Department and the Elmira Fire Department to train and hire new firefighters in the Southern Tier. This federal funding was administered through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program, which the senator fought hard to successfully preserve and fund earlier this year.

    “Across the Southern Tier, brave firefighters risk their lives on the frontlines every day rushing to danger to protect our communities,” said Senator Schumer. “This $3.2+ million will help the Binghamton and Elmira Fire Departments train and hire new firefighters to keep the Southern Tier safe. I stood with firefighters across Upstate NY to push for the reauthorization of the SAFER program because I know how important it is for our first responders to be prepared. I’m grateful that the SAFER program is continuing to deliver results for Upstate NY and help Southern Tier fire departments staff up.”

     “The City of Elmira and the Elmira Fire Department are beyond grateful and excited to be awarded the FY 2023 SAFER Grant. With rising calls and additional strain on department resources, this grant will allow the department to add additional staff to operate safely and effectively. We are hoping to use the additional staff to add a rescue truck to our first due response. This apparatus would offer additional specialized tools and equipment, a quicker response, and cut down on wear and tear on our larger apparatus. I would like to thank Senator Schumer as well as many other local representatives that sent letters of support and who continue to support the FEMA grants to help local fire departments cope with new regulations, rising costs, and additional call volume,” said Elmira Fire Chief Andrew Mallow.

    “This critical federal funding will allow the City of Binghamton to hire more firefighters, reduce overtime costs and strengthen the department. It’s been many years since Binghamton received this kind of funding support for firefighter staffing and it will make an immediate impact on our community’s public safety. We’re pleased that Binghamton was awarded in a highly-competitive process, with a thanks to our federal lawmakers – especially Senator Chuck Schumer – for advocating to secure the resources our fire department deserves,” said City of Binghamton Mayor Jared M. Kraham.

    The awards include $1,836,624 for the Binghamton Fire Department and $1,365,672 for the Elmira Fire Department. The Binghamton Fire Department will use this funding hire up to 8 new firefighters and help bring their firefighter staffing closer to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, creating a safer environment for firefighters. Every year, the Department struggles fiscally with overtime and retirements and is constantly chasing staffing requirements. This funding will bring ease in their ability to hire. The Elmira Fire Department plans on using this much needed funding to add one firefighter to each of its four shifts for a period of three years, for up to 4 new firefighters. It has been over 10 years since the Elmira Fire Department secured funding from the SAFER program, and now they will be more equipped to assist the community.

    Schumer, who helped create the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) & SAFER programs, said that since their inception, these programs have delivered almost $700 million to firefighters across the Empire State. This includes $27,009 for the Elmira Fire Department and $68,181 for the Binghamton Fire Department announced in July for protective gear, training, and supplies through the AFG program.

    When the AFG & SAFER programs were on the chopping block last year, Schumer stood with Southern Tier firefighters to fight to save this program. Earlier this year Schumer announced they were successful and applauded the signing of the bipartisan Fire Grants and Safety Act, which extends the AFG and SAFER programs, to help keep firefighters and communities safe. Schumer explained that the AFG and SAFER programs have been a lifeline for fire departments across the state and have become essential to their continued operations. Fire departments, especially those in Upstate New York, often face budget shortfalls and extremely high costs that mean they cannot purchase the modern equipment they need to combat emergencies and keep firefighters safe. Schumer said that AFG and SAFER grants have positively benefited fire departments in every corner of Upstate New York. Thanks to Senator Schumer and his colleagues’ Fire Grants and Safety Act, NY firefighters will continue to receive the federal support they need to purchase lifesaving equipment and hire more firefighters throughout Upstate NY.

    The AFG and SAFER grant programs are both administered by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide competitive funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to purchase essential equipment and help them increase the number of trained, “front line” firefighters available in their communities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: September 23rd, 2024 Heinrich Applauds House Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Accelerate U.S. Microchip Manufacturing Projects

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    Bipartisan legislation to expedite microchip plant construction now heads to President’s desk

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) applauded the House of Representatives passage of the Building Chips in America Act, legislation he cosponsored to streamline federal permitting processes for microchip manufacturing projects while maintaining bedrock protections for clean air and clean water. The bill, which had previously passed the Senate twice — first as part of the Senate NDAA and again as a standalone legislation — now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

    The legislation is led by U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). Alongside Heinrich, the bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators is Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).  

    “Two years ago, I was part of the conference committee that finalized what eventually became the CHIPS and Science Act. I fought hard to pass this bill to spark a made-in-America manufacturing renaissance in New Mexico and across the country, and that’s exactly what’s happening,” said Heinrich. “This bill to speed up construction of microchip projects will build on the momentum we’ve created, strengthen our supply chain and national security, and solidify New Mexico as one of the best places in America to manufacture advanced technologies — helping to create hundreds of new, good-paying jobs that New Mexicans can build their families around. I’m pleased that this bill is now headed to the President’s desk to be signed into law.”

    “This is a major step forward for our economy and national security,” said Kelly. “By preventing unnecessary delays in the construction of microchip manufacturing facilities, this bill will help maximize our efforts to bring this industry back to America, creating thousands of good-paying jobs and strengthening our supply chains. I’m grateful to my colleagues in both chambers for their bipartisan work to get this done, and I look forward to seeing it signed into law.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: September 24th, 2024 Heinrich, N.M. Delegation Push for House RECA Vote

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    PHOTOS

    WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) joined advocates for a press conference calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to hold a vote on a Senate-passed bill that would strengthen the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). It has been over five months since Heinrich helped secure Senate passage of RECA.

    Heinrich has reintroduced legislation to extend and expand RECA since his first Senate term, starting in 2013.

    Heinrich urges House Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) legislation at a press conference in the Capitol on September 24, 2024.

    “Now that the Senate has passed an extension and long overdue expansion of RECA, Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans must finally take up this critical legislation,” said Heinrich. “It is long overdue for Congress to finally amend RECA to include Tularosa Downwinders, all of the uranium miners exposed to radiation in service to our national defense, and all Americans who were directly impacted by our nation’s nuclear testing program. The federal government has a moral responsibility to correct this injustice.”

    Find pictures of Heinrich speaking at the press conference here.

    Heinrich recently pressed Speaker Mike Johnson to immediately take up the Senate-passed and fully comprehensive RECA extension in bipartisan, bicameral letter. The letter, led by Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), said in part: “We urge action immediately to strengthen the RECA program before its impending sunset in June 2024. The United States government exposed these Americans to radiation as part of our national security efforts through World War II and the Cold War. It is long past time that RECA is strengthened to give these Americans their recognition and compensation. Their livelihoods, often devastated by the long-term consequences of radiation exposure, depend on your leadership and commitment to rectifying past injustices. Let us honor the commitment we made to these citizens by ensuring they receive the support and recognition they so rightly deserve.” Read the full letter here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Wicker Introduce Resolution Commemorating the 30th Anniversary Of the Eradication Of Polio In The Americas

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    09.24.24

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) today introduced a resolution commemorating the 30th anniversary of the eradication of polio in the Americas, in which the World Health Organization (WHO) certified the region as being “polio-free” on September 29, 1994.  Nearly 60,000 children in the United States were reported to have polio in 1952, with more than 20,000 cases of paralysis.  The polio vaccine was discovered at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania by Jonas Salk and his research team between 1952 and 1953.  The resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).

    “Polio is a cruel disease, one that has historically caused considerable pain here in the United States, and abroad,” Durbin said. “But thanks to the effort of groups like Chicago’s Rotary International, today, polio remains endemic in only two countries worldwide: Afghanistan and Pakistan.  The complete worldwide eradication of polio is imminently achievable.  I’m pleased to introduce this resolution with my colleague, Senator Wicker, recognizing the important achievements we have made and urging a sustained commitment to finally eradicate this disease once and for all.”

    “We are closer than ever to eliminating polio – thanks in part to consistent U.S. investments over the last 30 years. I will continue working to build on this momentum and strengthen eradication-initiatives, especially in Afghanistan and Pakistan,”Wicker said.

    “The Shot@Life campaign thanks Senators Durbin and Wicker for introducing this bipartisan Resolution and for their longstanding leadership in the fight to end polio,” said Cara Ciullo, Senior Director for Shot@Life.  “The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a critical leader in the global effort to ensure children everywhere have access to polio vaccinations.  U.S. government support for these activities protects vulnerable children and strengthens global health security, keeping Americans safe at home and abroad.”

    “Rotary is delighted to see this resolution highlighting progress toward ending polio,” said Michael McGovern, Chair of Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee. “While we celebrate the fact that the Americas have been polio free for more than a generation, we can’t become complacent. Polio anywhere is a risk everywhere. A polio free world is Rotary’s top priority and we are grateful for continued US leadership toward that shared goal.”

    In the resolution, the Senators highlight Rotary International, an international association founded in 1905 in Chicago, Illinois, and now headquartered in Evanston, Illinois, which has made eradicating polio globally one of its top priorities.  Rotary International has been a key contributor to reducing outbreaks of polio worldwide, including contributing more than $2.7 billion in the global fight against polio.  Since 1988 the number of cases of polio around the world has been reduced by 99 percent, as a result of the efforts and support from Rotary International, WHO, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Foundation, the United States, and other national governments.

     Text of the resolution can be found here.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Questions Witnesses During Senate Judiciary Committee On Supreme Court Ruling In Donald Trump Immunity Case

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    09.24.24

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “‘When the President Does It, that Means It’s Not Illegal’: The Supreme Court’s Unprecedented Immunity Decision.”  The hearing explored the ramifications of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. United States.  Durbin began by questioning Mary McCord, Executive Director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, a Visiting Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, and a former Department of Justice (DOJ) official about the Supreme Court majority opinion in Trump v. United States, which established a framework for determining presidential immunity.  In the framework, the justices stated that there is no immunity for unofficial acts; but evidence of immunized official conduct is inadmissible to secure convictions for prosecutable conduct, such as unofficial acts.

    “Professor McCord, as a former prosecutor, could you walk us through what prosecutors need to establish to successfully secure convictions, and exactly how this prohibition on evidence in Trump v. United States would prevent prosecutors from doing so?”  Durbin asked.

    Professor McCord responded that a prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt “every element of the offense charged.”  The majority’s opinion in Trump v. United States will hamstring prosecutions of conduct that the opinion does not immunize by prohibiting the introduction of evidence of official acts that would “help secure [a President’s] conviction, even on charges that purport to be based only on [their] unofficial conduct.”  In Professor McCord’s response, she referenced Justice Barrett’s concurrence, which argued that, “[t]he Constitution, of course, does not authorize a President to seek or accept bribes…[y]et excluding from trial any mention of the official act connected to the bribe would hamstring the prosecution.”

    Durbin continued, “Justice Barrett went on to argue that the majority’s concern that ‘allowing into evidence official acts for which the President cannot be prosecuted may prejudice the jury’ is already addressed by the rules of evidence, which ‘are equipped to handle that concern on a case-by-case basis.’  Do you agree with that?”

    Professor McCord responded that she agreed.  She continued to say, “that includes when evidence might be prejudicial than probative.”

    Durbin then asked Philip Lacovara, a former Deputy Solicitor General of the United States for criminal and national security matters and Counsel to the Watergate special prosecutor, about finding the basis of presidential immunity in the Constitution. 

    Mr. Lacovara replied that “this is one of the great ironies of the decision by Chief Justice Roberts.”  He continued to say, “it’s not just a question of not being able to find authority in the text of the Constitution—any form of immunity… for commission of crimes by a president—the Constitution clearly says the opposite.  The president is subject to impeachment… [the] text [of the Constitution] goes onto to say, ‘but the party convicted, that includes the president, should nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgement, and punishment according to law.’”  He states that the framers of the Constitution clearly demonstrated that the president is subject to the normal course of law. 

    Durbin concluded the hearing by stating, “Holding a hearing on the Supreme Court decision is almost routine in this committee… History will judge that it was the right thing to do in light of the gravity of this decision.  And secondly, questioning the ethics of the Supreme Court happens to be our responsibility under the Constitution.”

    Video of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.

    Audio of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.

    Footage of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here for TV Stations.

    On July 1, the Supreme Court’s rightwing supermajority ruled that not just Donald Trump—but also future presidents—may be immune from abusing the levers of government to overturn an election or engage in other misconduct. The Court held in a misguided 6-3 decision that “the nature of Presidential power entitles a former President to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority. And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts.”

    Durbin previously condemned the ruling and announced this hearing, describing the decision as “judicial activism unmoored from the text of the Constitution and intentions of our framers” that “Congress cannot turn a blind eye to.”

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hirono, Chu Lead CAPAC Members to Urge OMB to Support SPD 15 Implementation Efforts for AANHPI Communities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Mazie K. Hirono
    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) led 7 of their colleagues in sending a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young on Statistical Policy Directive 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (SPD 15), urging OMB to take additional action to assist federal agencies in effectively incorporating its revised standards to SPD 15. OMB’s revised standards to SPD 15 include changes that will help to expand demographic reporting requirements and ensure that diverse communities are better reflected in federal datasets. By implementing increased data disaggregation through these revisions, federal agencies would be able to better understand more communities, including the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities that encompass over 70 ethnicities.
    “Federal data on race and ethnicity is a crucial resource for identifying and addressing inequity,” wrote the Members. “While SPD 15 could be a tremendous asset to our communities, we are concerned with how federal agencies will implement the revised standards.”
    The letter urges OMB to work directly with federal agencies to provide them with the necessary resources and guidance to produce detailed inventories on their data collections, and to share these data inventories in a centralized manner, as recommended by over 100 AANHPI advocacy groups that have weighed in on the issue. The letter further requests clarification on what a “sufficient justification” would be to exclude an agency from detailed demographic reporting requirements.
    “OMB plays a critical role in ensuring both the quality and consistency of federal datasets, and the updated SPD 15 is a significant step in improving federal data collection processes,” the lawmakers concluded. “In all, greater transparency and stronger guidance will help federal agencies fulfill the ideals of SPD 15 while providing greater opportunity for community accountability.”
    Senator Hirono has long advocated on behalf of the AANHPI communities in Hawaii, the U.S., and the Pacific Island nations and territories, working to ensure that all communities are accounted for and supported. Just last year, Senator Hirono reintroduced the All Students Count Act of 2023, legislation that would require more comprehensive and equitable disaggregation of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) student data in K-12 schools, helping to ensure that AANHPI student groups are better accounted for and supported by schools across the country.
    In addition to Senator Hirono and Representative Chu, the letter was signed by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Representatives Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Jill Tokuda (D-HI), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), and Mark Takano (D-CA).
    The full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Director Young:
    Thank you for your continued commitment to advancing racial equity and supporting underserved communities in the United States. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, our country has taken important steps toward promoting an inclusive society where everyone has opportunities to succeed. We write today regarding OMB’s recent revisions to “Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity” (SPD 15) – dated March 28, 2024. We commend OMB for revising these standards, which will help to expand demographic reporting requirements and ensure that diverse communities are better reflected in federal datasets, and thank the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) and other OMB officials for discussing the revisions with Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), on July 31, 2024. In order to ensure that these standards are fully implemented in a manner that supports our communities, we strongly urge OMB to comply with statutory mandates and take additional action to assist federal agencies in effectively and efficiently incorporating the revised standards.
    Federal data on race and ethnicity is a crucial resource for identifying and addressing inequity. However, since SPD 15 was last updated in 1997, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) advocacy groups have raised concerns over SPD 15’s overly-broad minimum reporting categories, which obfuscate the diverse experiences of over 70 ethnic groups under the AANHPI umbrella. Due to distinct histories and particular experiences with violence and persecution, for example, only 14% of Bhutanese Americans, 19% of Laotian Americans, and 22% of Burmese Americans have obtained a bachelor’s degree—half the rate of all Asian Americans and lower than the overall population.
    Accurate and comprehensive data on race and ethnicity is necessary for ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of our communities. We applaud the 2024 SPD 15 for requiring federal agencies to collect new and more detailed racial and ethnic information, such as “Chinese,” “Nigerian,” and “Native Hawaiian,” by default. This will help illuminate areas of need within particular ethnic and racial communities and allow policymakers to allocate resources appropriately.
    While SPD 15 could be a tremendous asset to our communities, we are concerned with how federal agencies will implement the revised standards. A recent report from AAPI Data, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), and Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) detailed concerning gaps in the updated SPD 15’s rollout, including the absence of an existing inventory of all federal agency data collections—a requirement of The OPEN Government Data Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-411)— to assist federal agencies in implementing the revised standards. SPD 15 also allows federal agencies to apply for an exception to its new detailed demographic reporting requirements, but does not set a clear standard for what OIRA should consider a “sufficient justification” to grant an exception. In all, greater transparency and stronger guidance will help federal agencies fulfill the ideals of SPD 15 while providing greater opportunity for community accountability.
    OMB plays a critical role in ensuring both the quality and consistency of federal datasets, and the updated SPD 15 is a significant step in improving federal data collection processes. In order to ensure SPD 15 is implemented in an effective way, we urge OMB to work directly with federal agencies to ensure they have the necessary resources and guidance to produce detailed inventories on their data collections, and to share these data inventories in a centralized manner, as recommended by over 100 AANHPI advocacy groups that have weighed in on the issue. Without such inventories, there is no reasonable way to account for all the data collections taking place within the federal government, and to fully understand whether these collections are in compliance with SPD 15.
    Thank you for your consideration on this important matter. We look forward to receiving your response.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hirono, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Support Survivors of Sexual Assault on Campus

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Mazie K. Hirono
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in introducing legislation to support survivors of sexual assault on college campuses. The Survivor Outreach and Support on Campus Act, or S.O.S. Campus Act, would require that every college and university that receives federal funding have an independent advocate dedicated to campus sexual assault prevention and response.
    “As we continue working to ensure that our students are safe on campus, the S.O.S. Campus Act would help to ensure that survivors of sexual assault at colleges and universities receive the treatment and support they deserve,” said Senator Hirono. “All students deserve to be safe and supported on campus and I will keep fighting to combat sexual violence and ensure that survivors can access much-needed medical, legal, and mental health resources.”
    Sexual violence and harassment on college campus is heavily underreported, in part due to shortcomings in existing reporting structures. After a change to Title IX under the Trump administration, many universities experienced a drastic decrease in the number of sexual assaults being reported. The Association of Title IX Administrators estimated that upwards of 90% of sexual misconduct cases are handled “informally” and without formal protections and guidance for survivors. 
    The S.O.S. Campus Act would require campuses to have an independent advocate to conduct public information campaigns on sexual assault prevention and ensure that survivors of sexual assault have access to:
    Emergency and follow-up medical care,
    Guidance on reporting assaults to law enforcement,
    Medical forensic or evidentiary exams,
    Crisis intervention, ongoing counseling, and assistance throughout the process, and
    Information on their legal rights.
    Local rape crisis centers and other community-based organizations are currently providing many of these services in communities and on campuses around the nation. The legislation recognizes the importance of these partnerships by requiring that universities either consult with or partner with these organizations to ensure that survivors can access the services they need.
    Full text of the legislation is available here.
    Senator Hirono has been a strong advocate for making sure survivors of campus sexual assault have the resources they need to be supported. Earlier this Congress, she reintroduced the Patsy T. Mink and Louise M. Slaughter Gender Equity in Education Act (GEEA), which, like the S.O.S. Campus Act, would provide additional resources for colleges and universities to support survivors. Specifically, GEEA would create an Office for Gender Equity (OGE) within the U.S. Department of Education (ED) that would, among other things, be responsible for providing Title IX coordinators with annual trainings, detailed information, and best practices about Title IX compliance. ED’s OGE would also be responsible for administering a new $160 million grant program to provide resources for colleges and universities, K-12 schools, and other entities to comply with Title IX.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Introduces AI Civil Rights Act to Eliminate AI Bias, Enact Guardrails on Use of Algorithms in Decisions Impacting People’s Rights, Civil Liberties, Livelihoods

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Bill Text (PDF) | Section by section (PDF)
    Washington (September 24, 2024) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, introduced his Artificial Intelligence (AI) Civil Rights Act, comprehensive AI civil rights legislation which will put strict guardrails on companies’ use of algorithms for consequential decisions, ensure algorithms are tested before and after deployment, help eliminate and prevent bias, and renew Americans’ faith in the accuracy and fairness of complex algorithms. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) is a cosponsor on the bill.
    “Whether on the Senate floor or around the dining room table, artificial intelligence is the hottest topic of the year. But these complex algorithms have a darker side as well — one that has real consequences for everyday people, especially marginalized communities,” said Senator Markey. “I am introducing the Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act to ensure that the AI Age does not replicate and supercharge the bias and discrimination already prevalent in society today. Make no mistake: we can have an AI revolution in this country while also protecting the civil rights and liberties of everyday Americans, we can support innovation without supercharging bias and discrimination, and we can promote competition while safeguarding people’s rights.
    I am grateful for the support of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and many other advocates who have been essential partners in this fight for fair and equitable AI. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that any AI regulation includes strong and enforceable civil rights protections.”
    “While AI can improve decision-making across various sectors, systemic biases in AI algorithms disproportionately impact marginalized communities,” said Senator Hirono. “This legislation would help to protect Americans against biased algorithms and mitigate discrimination perpetuated through AI, helping to secure the civil rights and liberties of all Americans.”
    In particular, the AI Civil Rights Act:
    Regulates algorithms involved in consequential decisions, such as those that impact people’s rights, civil liberties, and livelihoods, including employment, banking, health care, the criminal justice system, public accommodations, and government services;
    Prohibits developers and deployers from offering, licensing, or using covered algorithms that discriminate based on protected characteristics or that cause a disparate impact;
    Requires developers and deployers of covered algorithms to complete independently audited pre-deployment evaluations and post-deployment impact assessments to identify, evaluate, and mitigate any potential biased use or discriminatory outcomes;
    Requires developers and deployers to mitigate any harms identified by the pre-deployment evaluations and impact assessments and ensure that any covered algorithm performs reasonably well and is consistent with its publicly-advertised purpose;
    Increases transparency around the use of covered algorithms in consequential decisions, including providing individuals a right to appeal an algorithmic decision to a human decision-maker; and
    Authorizes the Federal Trade Commission, state attorneys general, and private individuals to enforce the Act.
    The AI Civil Rights Act is endorsed by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Free Press Action, UnidosUS, NAACP,  American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Public Citizen, Access Now, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJ, Brennan Center for Justice, Fight for the Future, National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), Common Cause, National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), The Trevor Project, National Council of Negro Women, Encode Justice, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Accountable Tech, the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), Color of Change, and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE).
    “Algorithmic justice is a civil rights issue. Just as the struggles of the civil rights movement gave rise to groundbreaking civil rights laws, the harms resulting from the unregulated use of AI and other algorithmic tools demand passing new legislation now,” said Damon Hewitt, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “The AI Civil Rights Act is first-of-its-kind legislation that takes a comprehensive approach to regulating AI across sectors. It prioritizes protecting Black communities and other people of color from discrimination, bias, and rampant AI abuse. The civil rights bill of the future is right here, and we are proud to endorse it.”
    “After a flurry of AI bills being introduced by this Congress — with many omitting any mention of civil rights or safeguards — it’s refreshing to see Senator Markey take a unique and necessary approach. The AI Civil Rights Act is comprehensive, touching on everything from employment to housing and education and setting a standard for other pieces of AI legislation to address real-world harms. Rather than reflect Big Tech talking points and the urge to ‘move fast and break things,’ this bill recognizes that innovation must include all of us,” said Koustubh “K.J.” Bagchi, vice president of The Leadership Conference’s Center for Civil Rights and Technology.
    “The AI Civil Rights Act is the bold, innovative policy we need today to ensure a just tomorrow for us all. The premise is simple: the AI tools and systems used at the most critical decision points in our lives – mediating our access to homes, employment, healthcare, and opportunities –should be demonstrated to be accessible and fair before being unleashed on the American public. With this technologically sophisticated bill, anchored in enduring American commitments to freedom, Senator Markey ushers in a new day for civil rights and digital equity,” said Alondra Nelson, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress and former Acting Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
    “It is vitally important that technological development serves the public interest. A key part of this is ensuring that those who develop and deploy technology, including advanced AI systems that impact people’s civil rights and opportunities, are held to a duty of care. The AI Civil Rights Act provides a detailed and practical approach to ensuring that we can continue to benefit from safe innovation in technology,” said Suresh Venkatasubramanian, former White House AI Advisor and co-author of the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights.
    “AI products are now making their way into the lives of real people at an unfathomable scale – impacting everything from our experience at work to our ability to access benefits. It is crucially important in this moment that we do what we can to protect the vulnerable populations most impacted by these systems. Even in the hyped rush to adopt AI technology, we cannot permit anything to interfere with our hard-earned civil rights,” said Deborah Raji, researcher, UC Berkley.
    “Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering every corner of our lives — from access to education, healthcare and insurance to decisions made by the courts, police, and immigration officials — with far too little public input or recourse when these systems cause real-world bias or harm,” said Craig Aaron, President and Co-CEO of Free Press Action. “The AI Civil Rights Act is a serious step toward addressing these urgent issues and enabling federal regulators to keep up with these evolving technologies. It prohibits the use, sale, or promotion of algorithmic decision-making systems that discriminate or cause disparate impact on the basis of race, sex, religion, or disability. This legislation would require those designing and deploying AI tools to conduct audits for potential harms and publicly share the results. Ensuring new tools and technologies aren’t used to exacerbate discrimination must be a top priority for policymakers. We applaud Senator Markey and the co-sponsors of this legislation for their leadership.”
    “AI systems—which already today impact consumer credit, law enforcement, immigration, housing, and health care decisions—can be unfair in any direction, and in multiple directions at once, because the systems generate predictions based on inferences from complex data sets. Assessing the fairness of the inputs to systems and the outcomes is an essential check—or we risk models that senselessly bind our futures to our often-problematic past. We simply cannot afford to implement systems first and check them later, nor would that approach be consistent with a multicultural democracy that strives to achieve opportunity for all,” said Laura MacCleery, Senior Policy Director, UnidosUS. “By mandating pre- and post-deployment testing, minimum transparency standards, and human alternatives to AI decision-making, this legislation establishes essential steps to help make the uses of AI both accountable and legitimate. We commend Senator Markey for his continued leadership in this ongoing effort to keep emerging technologies fair and responsible—not just in name but in practice. This Act is an excellent foundation for the checks and balances we will need to harness AI’s potential while protecting civil rights and promoting fairness.”
    “The AI Civil Rights Act is a benchmark for AI legislation; it avoids sensationalist claims about AI, while providing real protections from civil rights harms that are happening already. The emerging world of AI is complex, and Sen. Markey has set the bar for legislation ensuring that AI is fair and equitable. We look forward to continuing to refine and champion these protections and working with Congress for passage,” said Cody Venzke, Senior Policy Counsel, ACLU.
    “Artificial intelligence systems are being developed and deployed in opaque and unaccountable ways that are harming individuals and exacerbating biases. Senator Markey’s Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act of 2024 puts critical guardrails in place to ensure automated decision-making is fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory. EPIC is proud to support this legislation,” said Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).
    “With the AI industry launching products that will make decisions on key aspects of our lives, such as unemployment insurance, Congress must install guardrails to prevent violations of our rights. The AI Civil Rights Act is necessary legislation that addresses the growing need to protect civil rights in an era where AI systems are increasingly shaping critical decisions in areas such as employment, housing, and access to services. By setting rigorous standards for the development, deployment, and auditing of AI technologies, the Act installs pertinent guardrails so that these powerful models will not perpetuate discrimination or harm marginalized communities. Public Citizen commends Senator Markey for his leadership in advancing this vital piece of legislation,” said Lisa Gilbert, Co-President, Public Citizen.
    “Secretive algorithms developed by the private sector can easily fuel discriminatory surveillance, policing, and immigration enforcement,” said Faiza Patel, senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. “The AI Civil Rights Act is a significant step towards ensuring that the private sector undertakes adequate and transparent due diligence to mitigate AI’s most profound risks to civil liberties and rights.”
    “Access Now is proud to support the AI Civil Rights Act, a crucial step in holding algorithmic decision-making accountable at every stage,” said Willmary Escoto, U.S. Policy Counsel, Access Now. “This bill prioritizes human rights by enforcing transparency, accountability, and remedies for those harmed by AI. We commend Senator Markey for championing equity, privacy, and justice, and urge Congress to advance this critical legislation.”
    “When it comes to AI regulation, the AI Civil Rights Act is right to prioritize civil rights protections coupled with requirements to test and provide transparency. We desperately need AI policies that are rooted in human rights, free expression, and addressing the most immediate harms to the most marginalized people. It’s clear that AI is exacerbating problems with discrimination and bias, but those problems are being hidden behind layers of tech hype, trade secrets, and a focused but familiar campaign to tell legislators and everyday people alike that we aren’t smart enough to grapple with the realities of emerging technology. This is a lie that is being weaponized to allow AI’s supercharged harms to run rampant. This bill is an important step toward putting risky and harmful AI projects and their shady sycophants back in their place. Human rights and accountability should come before tech profits,” said Lia Holland, Campaigns and Communications Director, Fight for the Future.
    “AI inherently poses risks for voters, as biased algorithms can perpetuate discrimination and lead to disparate outcomes,” said Ishan Mehta, Director for Media and Democracy, Common Cause. “We commend Senator Markey for his bill to create important and strong safeguards for AI systems, which will promote equity and accessibility.”
    “The Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act is our generation’s moonshot for democracy in the digital age. It ensures that as machines learn, America’s values aren’t forgotten. This isn’t just about regulating technology; it’s about safeguarding the very fabric of our society for generations to come. With this Act, we’re not just keeping pace with AI – we’re encoding fairness and equal opportunity into the DNA of our technological future,” said Sunny Gandhi, VP of Political Affairs, Encode Justice.
    “The AI Civil Rights Act must become law to ensure that people are not denied work or career advancement because of biased algorithms ingrained in artificial intelligence systems. Whether it’s a journalist who covers marginalized communities or a first-time screenwriter whose voice is not a common tone, we cannot let employers weaponize AI as cover to discriminate against people based on race, religion, age or other protected characteristics,” said Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, President of the Writers Guild of America, East.
    “Organizations developing and deploying AI tools should have to prove to the public that their tools aren’t harmingful before they are allowed to release these tools. We’re glad to see Senator Markey taking these steps to prioritize citizen’s rights over profits for multinational corporations,” said Timnit Gebru, Founder and Executive Director of Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (DAIR).
    While artificial intelligence has already begun to revolutionize certain industries, the federal government must be committed to combating potential side effects of this emerging technology. Senator Markey has called on the federal government to hold Big Tech accountable, investigate AI, and stop algorithmic injustice. On September 17th, 2024, Senator Markey and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) sent a letter to Shalanda Young, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, demanding that all federal agencies that use AI for consequential decisions establish or maintain a civil rights office to establish additional safeguards to prevent algorithmic discrimination.
    In December 2023, Senator Markey introduced the Eliminating Bias in Algorithmic Systems (BIAS) Act to ensure that every federal agency that uses, funds, or oversees artificial intelligence (AI) has an office of civil rights focused on combatting AI bias and discrimination. In October 2023, he and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) applauded the Biden administration for heeding their call to incorporate the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights into its AI Executive Order. In July 2023, Senator Markey and Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07) reintroduced their Algorithmic Justice and Online Platform Transparency Act to ban discriminatory algorithms and improve transparency on social media platforms.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lankford Objects to Democrats’ Partisan Push to Extreme Advance Extreme Abortion Agenda, Jeopardizing Health Care for Women

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford
    CLICK HERE to watch Lankford’s remarks on YouTube.
    CLICK HERE to watch Lankford’s remarks on Rumble.
    WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK), chair of the Senate Values Action Team, went to the Senate floor to object to Senate Democrats’ attempts to force a vote on their extreme abortion agenda.
    He objected to a resolution falsely stating the Senate believes women lack access to life saving care, and that doctors face criminal prosecution for caring for their patients. During a Senate FinanceCommittee hearing today, he called out Democrats’ fearmongering on abortion and warned that it may discourage women from receiving health care.
    Excerpts
    Lankford Challenges Fearmongering Rhetoric:  This resolution itself, and the wording that it has in this resolution, says it’s sense of the Senate that every person has the basic right to emergency health care, including abortion care. I’m going to be very, very specific on this. We had a hearing today in the Finance Committee where this same subject was addressed. We had OBGYNs from both perspectives on this, those that perform abortions and those that have a moral objection to it. We had a very good argument to be able to lay some facts out, to be able to walk through this with two sets of attorneys that were there to be able to walk through the law. Here’s what became very clear during that conversation in this morning in that open hearing.
    There is no state in America in which a woman faces persecution or prosecution for having an abortion. No state criminalizes miscarriage. No state criminalizes removing an ectopic pregnancy. No state prohibits life saving care for the mother. No state requires a woman to be actively dying in order for her doctor to care for her. We heard story after story about doctors being concerned that they may face this because they’re hearing political rhetoric—political rhetoric like Vice President Harris in a speech that she said recently where she said, ‘Women were being arrested and facing prosecution for experiencing miscarriages.’ That is not true.
    So all of this rhetoric that is being put out there is making doctors afraid, but it was very clear from the conversation in law that none of those things are actually true. Every physician, prior to the Dobbs decision, when there were limitations on abortion across the country, and post Dobbs decision when every single state is making those decisions, allowed physicians in an E.R. to be able to make lifesaving decisions for the mother and the child. Every doctor has already the ability to be able to make that decision, to be able to protect the life of the mother. They have the protections to be able to do that. So this is a false claim that somehow that what happened in the Dobbs decision and what’s happening in states is limiting, that it’s actually the political rhetoric that’s making people afraid.
    Democrats’ Abortion-On-Demand Obsession Endangers Women: What also came out during the hearing this morning was the very real risk of chemical abortions. That we’ve recently had tragic situations where women use the chemical abortion pills that they’re being told are ‘as safe as Tylenol,’ and then it has life threatening and in some cases, recently, life taking consequences. Chemical abortion pills are not Tylenol, yet they’re being sold as that. And what we’re seeing is more and more cases of the diminishing of ‘This is no big deal to be able to end this pregnancy’ when they haven’t seen a doctor, because the Biden Administration is now saying ‘You don’t have to see a physician’ so the woman doesn’t know if she has an ectopic pregnancy or not. If she takes the chemical abortion pill while she has an ectopic pregnancy, she is at risk.
    But the Biden Administration is saying ‘You don’t have to go see a doctor. They can just mail it to you. It’s just as safe as a Tylenol.’ When it’s not. They’re also not being tested for their blood type to be able to make sure this doesn’t affect future pregnancies during this chemical abortion. And they’re not also determining by a sonogram how far along the mom is in this process, because there are limitations to this where it becomes more and more dangerous.
    All those things are restrictions that used to be there, that the Biden Administration has taken away to say, ‘No, we want more people to have access to chemical abortions,’ but it’s making it more dangerous for women. And we have seen that recently. So we want to engage in a conversation about how can we actually put some of those basic, humane, doctor-requested restrictionsin there to make sure that we’re protecting the lives of all those women. That’s a better conversation for us to be able to have.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen, Moran Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Veterans Translate Military Certifications to Civilian Jobs

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced legislation to provide every transitioning servicemember with documentation outlining their military certifications and qualifications to use when applying for a job. The bipartisan Translating Military Skills into Civilian Jobs Act would establish a military training and competency record to ensure that every servicemember has a record of the training, certifications, and qualifications they achieved during their time in the military, so that when they transition, they can provide that record to employers to determine if their qualifications meet the job requirements. Currently, too many veterans are forced to spend time and money earning the same certifications for civilian jobs that the military already trained them to do. 
    “The men and women of our military earn valuable skills and certifications during their service that should more easily qualify them for a wide array of high-demand civilian jobs when they transition into veteran status,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to introduce bipartisan legislation to provide every transitioning servicemember with a record detailing their training, certifications, and qualifications earned through their service so that they can more easily start their civilian careers. I’ll keep working across party lines to support our veterans.”
    “Military service provides servicemembers and veterans with unique skills that make them valuable employees to any company,” said Sen. Moran. “This legislation would make certain every servicemember leaves the military with a document outlining the training and qualifications they achieved during their service, to assist in the job search and their life after service.”
    Senator Rosen has been leading bipartisan efforts to deliver for Nevada’s veterans. Earlier this month, she helped pass bipartisan legislation to allocate billions of dollars for PACT Act benefits. She also introduced bipartisan legislation to permanently maintain a helpline for veterans to obtain information and assistance with VA services. Senator Rosen secured funding to increase access to affordable housing for veterans, continue building Nevada’s first national veterans cemetery in Elko, and increase funding for veteran’s access to telehealth in the last bipartisan government funding package.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Manchin Announces $45.7 Million For West Virginia Opioid Prevention Programs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Joe Manchin

    September 24, 2024

    Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $45,774,615 from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) State Opioid Response grant program for the West Virginia Department of Human Services. This program supports substance use disorder education and prevention efforts statewide.

    “With the highest rate of overdose death out of every state in the country, we must have an all-hands-on-deck approach to combatting the drug epidemic in West Virginia. This more than $45 million investment will strengthen substance use disorder prevention efforts and support individuals and families who continue to struggle with addiction,” said Senator Manchin. “As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have also worked to ensure West Virginia gets its fair share of federal support, by ensuring a 15 percent set aside in opioid funding for states with the highest rate of drug overdose. I am proud to secure this essential funding and I will continue to fight for resources to prevent overdoses and save lives, families and communities across the Mountain State.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen Leads NH Delegation in Welcoming $60 Million in Tax Credits for Community Development to Support Small Businesses and Spur Economic Growth

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Lebanon, NH) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, announced with U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) that Mascoma Community Development, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mascoma Bank of Lebanon, was awarded $60 million in New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) to incentivize development in underserved communities.

    “Underserved communities and small businesses often struggle to get the capital they need to grow, which is why this investment is key to the overall economic success of our state. I’m glad to see this award going to Mascoma Community Development to help ensure small businesses and entrepreneurs working to develop these communities have the resources they need to succeed,” said Senator Shaheen. “I look forward to continuing to support programs that provide development opportunities, create jobs and grow our economy in communities across New Hampshire.”

    “Investing in Granite State businesses and ensuring that they have access to the capital that they need is a key way to help our local economy thrive,” said Senator Hassan. “This federal funding will promote development and growth in the Upper Valley and throughout New Hampshire, and I will keep supporting programs that help create jobs and invest in our state.”

    “Small businesses and local entrepreneurs are the backbone of New Hampshire’s economy and way of life,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “These resources heading to Mascoma Community Development will go a long way toward uplifting our Main Street businesses and the communities they serve, and I look forward to seeing the benefit the New Market Tax Credit program continues to have on New Hampshire’s economic growth.”

    “Investments into our communities and small businesses are helping develop local economies, create more good-paying jobs, and strengthen our quality of life,” said Congressman Pappas. “These funds will incentivize economic development in New Hampshire’s underserved communities to ensure no city or town is left behind. I’ll continue to advocate for programs that help our state, small businesses, and communities grow and thrive.”

    This award is provided by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund), which promotes development in low-income urban and rural communities by investing in mission-driven financial institutions. Senators Shaheen and Hassan have been strong supporters of the CDFI Fund and NMTC and have long advocated for sufficient funding and a permanent NMTC program to support economic growth.

    Tax credit allocations awarded to Community Development Entities (CDE), such as Mascoma Community Development, enable CDEs to raise additional capital to invest in low income and distressed communities in return for tax credits. The total tax credit provided to investors equals 39 percent of the original investment and is spread over a seven-year period.

    Historically, NMTC Program awards have generated $8 of private investment for every $1 invested by the federal government. Through the end of fiscal year 2023, NMTC Program award recipients deployed more than $66 billion in investments in low-income communities and businesses, supporting more than 894,000 jobs and the construction or rehabilitation of nearly 259.5 million square feet of commercial real estate.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Disaster Declaration for the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama  Nation

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists for the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and ordered federal aid to supplement the Tribal Nation’s efforts in the areas affected by wildfires from June 22 to July 8, 2024.
    The President’s action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals for the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation.
    Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
    Federal funding also is available to the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the wildfires.
    Lastly, Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation.
    Ms. Tonia Pence of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. 
    Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the Tribal Nation and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
    Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or by using the FEMA App. Anyone using a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, can give FEMA the number for that service. 
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Rallies with Congressional Leaders and RECA Advocates from Across the Country: Pass RECA Now

    US Senate News:

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

    Tuesday, September 24, 2024

    Today U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) held a press conference with House lawmakers and victims of nuclear contamination across America – including those from the St. Louis and St. Charles, Mo., areas – to push the House to pass their Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) in an effort to provide justice and compensation for those who have been harmed by the federal government’s decades of negligence.
    “The wait has been too long, and it has been too cruel, and there is no need to wait any longer,” said Senator Hawley. “The Senate is proof that we can pass this bill. We passed it with nearly 70 votes, and we have the votes in the House. We have the votes. We’ve counted them, we have them. We have a majority; we could pass it on suspension. This could pass in the House. We need the House to put this bill on the floor.”
    Watch the full press conference by clicking here or on the image above. 
    Background
    Senator Hawley has been the leading voice in the fight to secure just compensation for radiation victims in Missouri—and across the nation.  
    In March, the Senate passed—for the second time—Senator Hawley’s legislation to reauthorize and expand RECA by a strong bipartisan vote of 69-30.
    Days before that vote, he sent a letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers General Scott Spellmon and Colonel Andy Pannier, blasting the Corps for its deliberate concealment of cleanup efforts in the St. Louis area after new disturbing reports detail more radioactive contamination in residents’ homes. 
    Senator Hawley brought Dawn Chapman—co-founder of the grassroots advocacy group “Just Moms” in St. Louis and longtime advocate for victims of nuclear contamination in the region—as his guest to the 2024 State of the Union address. 
    In February, Senator Hawley sent a letter to his Republican colleagues in the Senate, urging them to reauthorize RECA. 
    Following its first Senate passage in July of 2023, Senator Hawley’s RECA reauthorization was later stripped from that year’s NDAA by congressional leadership.

    MIL OSI USA News –