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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Announces More Than $1.3 Million for Airport Improvements Across Maine

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that five Maine airports will receive a total of $1,326,261 to support important infrastructure improvements. The funding comes from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Fiscal Year 2025 Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG) program, made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Job Act (IIJA). Senator Collins was one of 10 senators who?negotiated the IIJA, which provided $15 billion for airport improvements nationwide.

    “Maine’s airports are vital pieces of our state’s transportation network that promote job creation and economic development. Throughout our state, airports play a critical role not only in carrying residents and visitors, but also in facilitating medical services for those in rural communities during emergencies when seconds count,”?said Senator Collins. “These significant investments will allow airports across Maine to make much-needed improvements to their infrastructure.”

    Specifically, the funding has been allocated as follows: 

    1. Belfast Municipal Airport (BST) – $389,500 to construct a new double pump fuel facility, which will assist the airport to be as self-sustaining as possible by generating revenue.
    1. Bethel Regional Airport (0B1) – $340,100 to update the existing airport master plan study and to construct a new 500-foot taxi lane west of the existing apron to provide airfield access to a non-exclusive hangar development area.
    1. Millinocket Municipal Airport (MLT) – $317,970 to extend Taxiway D an additional 670 feet to serve the hangar development area.
    1. Eastport Municipal Airport (EPM) – $150,821 to rehabilitate the existing 1,575 square foot non-revenue generating parking lot at non-primary airport to extend its useful life.
    1. Central Maine Regional Airport (OWK) – $127,870 to reconstruct the existing Taxiway A edge lighting with LED and to reconstruct the runway end identifier lights system and precision approach path indicator system for Runway 15/33.

    Since joining the Appropriations Committee in 2009, Senator Collins has helped to secure more than $1 billion in competitive transportation grants for the State of Maine.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren Demands Answers on Trump’s Potential Contract with Shadowy Humanitarian Group, Urges More Aid to Gaza Through Responsible Partners

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    June 20, 2025

    Letter follows reports that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is considering giving GHF $500 million despite concerns about its funding sources, neutrality, basic competence in providing aid, and more

    “It is critical that the United States stop the humanitarian disaster in Gaza. But that must be done through funding professional humanitarian organizations.”

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to the Secretary of State and the United States Agency for International Aid (USAID), U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) raised her concerns about the Department of State’s reported plan to give $500 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). 

    “Reports of deadly violence against starving Palestinians connected with the GHF’s aid network are deeply troubling, as are reports of the organization’s ties to the Israeli government, and the lack of financial transparency regarding its donors, and its new connections – via its executive director – to the Trump administration and campaign,” said Senator Warren. 

    In May 2025, the World Health Organization and its partners determined that “Nineteen months into the conflict, the Gaza Strip is still confronted with a critical risk of Famine,” with over 2 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity. This includes 71,000 cases of acute malnutrition among children and 17,000 pregnant women who will “need treatment for acute malnutrition.”

    Before the blockade in March 2025, food aid was distributed in Gaza at 400 locations through experienced humanitarian organizations, many of whom worked in the region for decades. After the blockade was partially lifted in May, the Israeli government only allowed aid to resume under a distribution network managed by the newly-created GHF. 

    From the beginning, GHF limited distribution of aid to four hubs in southern Gaza, under the watch of private security contractors. Additionally, it agreed to let the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to take position up to 1000 feet of GHF distribution sites, where it attacks Gazans who step out of the zone designated for waiting for aid collection. In its first three weeks of operation, more than 200 people seeking aid were killed and thousands wounded near GHF distribution sites. 

    Senator Warren also raised concerns about the GHF’s funding and ownership. Humanitarian groups typically report clear expenditure reports and disclosure requirements surrounding all aid distribution. GHF has, to date, refused to disclose its funding sources or its total budget. Israeli media recently reported that around $200 million was quietly reapportioned from the Israeli government’s budget towards the aid effort in Gaza and another $100 million came from an anonymous “Western European nation”.

    “This raises questions around the lack of impartiality, and neutrality, of GHF’s operations in Gaza,” said Senator Warren. 

    GHF’s leadership has also been marked by turmoil. The founder and first executive director of the GHF, Jake Wood, quit hours before the organization was supposed to start distributing aid on May 26th, claiming “it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.” He was replaced by Reverend Johnnie Moore, who served as co-chair for President Trump’s presidential campaign’s evangelical advisory board. 

    Just three months after the launch of the organization, the GHF’s Swiss affiliate was shut down by Switzerland’s government for “not fulfilling various legal obligations.” 

    “It is critical that the United States stop the humanitarian disaster in Gaza. But that must be done through funding professional humanitarian organizations,” wrote Senator Warren. 

    “The questions surrounding GHF – its funding sources and connection to the Trump Administration, its use of private contractors, its ability to serve and be seen as a neutral entity, its abandonment by its founders, and its basic competence in providing aid – must be answered before the State Department commits any funding to the organization,” concluded Senator Warren. 

    Senator Warren asked the State Department and USAID to provide clarity on its potential plans to use GHF, how the agencies plan to measure success for the distribution of aid, and their plans to ensure contractors follow U.S. law when distributing aid by July 2, 2025. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn, Colleagues Introduce Resolution Recognizing Juneteenth

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
    News
    June 18, 2025
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), who successfully led the effort in Congress to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, introduced a bipartisan Senate resolution along with 31 of his Senate colleagues recognizing Juneteenth Independence Day. Text is below, and you can view the full resolution here.
    “Whereas news of the end of slavery did not reach the frontier areas of the United States, in particular the State of Texas and the other Southwestern States, until months after the conclusion of the Civil War, more than 21⁄2 years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863;
    Whereas, on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and the enslaved were free;
    Whereas African Americans who had been slaves in the Southwest celebrated June 19, commonly known as “Juneteenth National Independence Day,” as inspiration and encouragement for future generations;
    Whereas African Americans from the Southwest have continued the tradition of observing Juneteenth National Independence Day for more than 150 years;
    Whereas Juneteenth National Independence Day began as a holiday in the State of Texas and is now a Federal holiday that is celebrated in all 50 States and the District of Columbia as a special day of observance in recognition of the emancipation of all slaves in the United States;
    Whereas Juneteenth National Independence Day celebrations have been held to honor African-American freedom while encouraging self-development and respect for all cultures;
    Whereas the faith and strength of character demonstrated by former slaves and the descendants of former slaves remain an example for all people of the United States, regardless of background, religion, or race;
    Whereas slavery was not officially abolished until the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States in December 1865; and
    Whereas, over the course of its history, the United States has grown into a symbol of democracy and freedom around the world: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate—
    (1)   commemorates June 19, 2025, as “Juneteenth National Independence Day;”
    (2)   recognizes the historical significance of Juneteenth National Independence Day to the United States;
    (3)   supports the continued nationwide celebration of Juneteenth National Independence Day to provide an opportunity for the people of the United States to learn more about the past and to better understand the experiences that have shaped the United States; and
    (4)   recognizes that the observance of the end of slavery is part of the history and heritage of the United States.”
    Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Tim Scott (R-SC), John Hoeven (R-ND), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Todd Young (R-IN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Jim Justice (R-WV), Katie Britt (R-AL), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined the resolution.
    Background:
    Sen. Cornyn has been a leader in introducing a resolution honoring Juneteenth each year since 2011. In 2021, Sen. Cornyn’s legislation to establish Juneteenth as a federal holiday was signed into law. He also authored a bill with the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) for a federal study of a National Emancipation Trail from Galveston to Houston, following the path of slaves freed on June 19, 1865 to spread the news, which was signed into law in 2020.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn, Luján, Gonzales Bill to Expand, Preserve Big Bend National Park Passes Senate Unanimously

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
    HOUSTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) released the following statements after the Big Bend National Park Boundary Adjustment Act, which would authorize the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) to acquire around 6,100 acres of land along the western boundary of the park, passed the Senate unanimously:
    “There is no better example of Texas’ natural beauty and vibrant wildlife than Big Bend National Park, and I’m glad the Senate has passed our bill unanimously so that all Americans can continue to enjoy it,” said Sen. Cornyn.
    “Big Bend National Park is one of the many treasures in the Southwest,” said Sen. Luján. “I’m proud that the Senate passed our bipartisan legislation to expand Big Bend National Park. This expansion will allow the National Parks Service to conserve the ecosystem along the Terlingua watershed for years to come.”
    “Big Bend National Park is a natural treasure unlike any other,” said Rep. Gonzales. “With the Senate passage of the Big Bend National Park Boundary Adjustment Act, we are one step closer to improving the National Park Service’s ability to preserve and protect critical habitats, history, and geology at Big Bend for generations to come. I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to move this legislation through the U.S. House of Representatives.” 
    Background:
    The Big Bend National Park Boundary Adjustment Act would authorize the limited expansion of Big Bend National Park by:
    Authorizing the NPS to acquire approximately 6,100 acres of land adjacent to Terlingua Creek along the western boundary of the park;
    Clarifying that the NPS may only acquire land within the expansion site through donation or exchange;
    And explicitly prohibiting the use of eminent domain or condemnation, thereby protecting private property rights.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 06/20/2025 Blackburn, Luján Call for Investigation into Spotify for Forcing Subscribers into Higher-Priced Subscriptions Without Their Consent

    US Senate News:

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

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) sent a letter to Andrew Ferguson, Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), requestingan investigation into Spotify for converting premium subscriptions into higher-priced bundled subscriptions without consumers knowledge or consent:

    Americans Depend on a Healthy, Well-Functioning Market Built on Fair Prices and Compensation Through Music Royalty System

    “Millions of Americans who love and pay for music depend on a healthy, well-functioning market built upon fair prices and compensation through the music royalty system. We have serious concerns about Spotify’s recent move to convert all of its premium music subscribers into different—and ultimately higher-priced—bundled subscriptions without their knowledge or consent. These actions harm consumers and could deeply damage the marketplace and the music royalty system. We urge the FTC to investigate the impact of Spotify’s recent actions, to take steps to protect Americans from being forced into subscriptions without notice or choice, and to safeguard the music marketplace.”

    Spotify Has Forced Americans into Higher-Priced Bundled Subscriptions Without Their Knowledge or Consent

    “Tens of millions of Americans pay monthly fees for access to Spotify’s premium, ad-free, subscription music service through its ‘Premium Plans.’ The royalty rates that Spotify and other digital music service providers must pay songwriters and music publishers reside in federal regulations set by the Copyright Royalty Board. Current regulations allow digital music providers to pay a lower music royalty rate if their paid music subscription offering is bundled with other legitimate product offerings. Seeing an opportunity, Spotify has exploited this regulation by converting all Premium Plan music subscribers into a new, bundled subscription offering without consumers’ consent or any notice. Spotify’s intent seems clear—to slash the statutory royalties it pays to songwriters and music publishers. Not only has this harmed our creative community, but this action has also harmed consumers.”

    Spotify’s Bundled Plans Are Apparently Aimed at Boosting Its Profits While Lowering Royalties to Creators

    “Spotify’s Audiobook Access plan and the bundled Premium Plans are apparently aimed at increasing the company’s profits while lowering royalty payments to the creative community. Specifically, it seems clear that Spotify’s audiobooks service is set at an artificially high price for the purpose of gaming federal regulations and deeply cutting music royalty payments. For example, Spotify has priced its Audiobook Access plan with 15 hours of listening time per month from a limited catalog of 200,000 audiobooks at $9.99/month. In contrast, Spotify’s music-only Basic Plan—which includes unlimited hours of listening from a catalog of over 100 million songs—is priced only a dollar more. Under the regulations, the higher the Audiobooks Access plan is priced, the lower the music royalty Spotify must pay.”

    Click here to read the full letter. 

    RELATED

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Kaine, Scott Urge EPA to Reinstate Funding for Canceled Community Resilience Grants

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner, Tim Kaine (both D-VA), and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin urging the agency to reverse its decision to terminate two major Community Change Grants in Virginia. The canceled grants – approximately $40 million – would have supported dozens of community projects aimed at strengthening flood resilience, reducing pollution, and improving energy efficiency in Hampton and across Southwest Virginia.

    The grants, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), were intended to support projects that increase resilience to major weather events, reduce pollution, and build community capacity.

    The City of Hampton received $20 million in federal funding to address severe flood risk in the Aberdeen Gardens neighborhood. That funding would have advanced 51 projects ranging from stormwater infrastructure upgrades and rain garden construction to stream restoration efforts and improved public health protections for an area where over 22 percent of properties fall within FEMA-designated flood zones.

    United Way of Southwest Virginia and the University of Virginia’s College at Wise also received nearly $20 million in federal funding to support flood-resilient housing, the construction of a community center and flood shelter in Dickenson County, and energy efficiency upgrades at childcare centers in eight counties in Southwest Virginia. These investments would have delivered long-term savings, improved disaster readiness, and supported vulnerable Appalachian communities hit hard by extreme weather in recent years.

    In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “We are deeply concerned that the EPA no longer considers community resiliency, environmental conservation, and economic development to be administration funding priorities.”

    They continued, “EPA’s decision to terminate these grants will leave communities in Virginia less resilient, less prosperous, and more vulnerable to extreme weather-related disasters. We urge you to reinstate this critical funding for communities throughout Virginia.”

    Sens. Warner, Kaine, and Rep. Scott have long advocated for resiliency efforts in Virginia, championing legislation and funding to help communities strengthen infrastructure against extreme weather. The senators were strong supporters of the Inflation Reduction Act, which authorized the Community Change Grants program to help historically neglected and underserved communities address flooding, pollution, and climate vulnerabilities.

    The lawmakers have also continuously stood up against the Trump administration’s efforts to cancel necessary federal funding for Virginia’s communities. Most recently, Sens. Warner, Kaine, and Rep. Scott wrote to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to reverse the cancellation of critical infrastructure funding for the Commonwealth. 

    Text of the letter is available here and below.

    Dear Administrator Zeldin:

    We write regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to terminate approximately $40 million in funding intended to prevent localized pollution and mitigate the effects of flooding in Hampton, Virginia, and to support economic development, enhance resilient infrastructure, and lower energy costs across seven counties in Southwest Virginia. We strongly urge you to reverse this decision that will impact efforts to improve resiliency, environmental conservation, energy efficiency, and economic outcomes in communities across the Commonwealth.

    The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provided approximately $2 billion to EPA to establish the Community Change Grants Program. Congress intended this funding to be used to support projects that increase community resilience, reduce pollution, and build community capacity. In 2024, EPA selected 105 projects, including two projects in Virginia.

    The City of Hampton, Virginia, was awarded just over $20 million to address significant flood risk in the historic Aberdeen Gardens neighborhood. In a locality where 22 percent of properties are in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas, the city and their nonprofit partner, Wetlands Watch, planned to leverage federal funding to advance 51 projects to update stormwater infrastructure, initiate stream-restoration projects, and construct community rain gardens. These projects were intended to mitigate flood risk, lessen the financial burden of flooding on the neighborhood’s residents, and improve environmental and public health outcomes.

    The United Way of Southwest Virginia and the University of Virginia were awarded nearly $20 million to fund eight projects across the Virginia coalfields. Funding would have supported the construction of flood-resilient housing infrastructure in Buchanan County and a new community center and flood shelter in Dickenson County, two communities that have been devastated by flooding and extreme weather in recent years. Additionally, the grant would support energy efficiency upgrades at childcare facilities in eight counties, enabling thousands of dollars of energy cost savings to go towards childcare worker salaries.

    In terminating these grants, EPA wrote to awardees that, “the objectives of the award are no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities.” We are deeply concerned that the EPA no longer considers community resiliency, environmental conservation, and economic development to be administration funding priorities. EPA’s decision to terminate these grants will leave communities in Virginia less resilient, less prosperous, and more vulnerable to extreme weather-related disasters. We urge you to reinstate this critical funding for communities throughout Virginia. 

    Thank you for your attention to this letter. We look forward to your response.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Warner, Coons, Schumer, Murray, Reed Statement on President Trump’s Actions in the Middle East

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
    WASHINGTON – Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA), Ranking Senate Defense Appropriator Chris Coons (D-DE), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Appropriations Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), and Senate Armed Services Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) today released the following statement as President Trump considers taking additional action in the Middle East:
    “Intensifying military actions between Israel and Iran represent a dangerous escalation that risks igniting a broader regional war. Iran poses a risk to the United States and our allies and must not be allowed to attain a nuclear weapon. The United States stands firm in our support for the continued defense of Israel, our partner and ally. Our commitment to Israel remains ironclad and we urge the administration to defend Israel against the barrage of Iranian airstrikes, including through the provision of additional air defense capabilities. We urge President Trump to prioritize diplomacy and pursue a binding agreement that can prevent a nuclear-armed Iran and reduce the risk to our diplomats, our service members, and the hundreds of thousands of Americans living in the Middle East.
    “As President Trump reportedly considers expanding U.S. engagement in the war, we are deeply concerned about a lack of preparation, strategy, and clearly defined objectives, and the enormous risk to Americans and civilians in the region. Iran has signaled that it would retaliate against American personnel if the United States participates in military strikes. More than 40,000 U.S. servicemembers are stationed in more than a dozen countries around the Middle East, all within striking distance of Iran and its proxies.
    “We are alarmed by the Trump administration’s failure to provide answers to fundamental questions. By law, the president must consult Congress and seek authorization if he is considering taking the country to war. He owes Congress and the American people a strategy for U.S. engagement in the region. We need a clear, detailed plan outlining the goals, risks, cost, and timeline for any proposed mission, as well as how he will ensure the safe evacuation of Americans in harm’s way all across the region. We demand immediate, detailed answers on these and other urgent matters to determine the way forward, including:
    What more needs to be done to resupply and bolster the defense of Israel and our interests in the region? What additional resources are required to maintain and supplement those defenses? 
    What is the Intelligence Community’s current assessment of Iran’s nuclear program, its leaders’ intent, and its capabilities? Following nearly a week of Israeli strikes, what remains of Iran’s conventional military capabilities and nuclear enrichment?
    What would be the objective of U.S. military intervention against Iran? President Trump has called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” – what does that mean?
    If there was a military intervention, what would be the estimated scope and duration of any such campaign? How many U.S. servicemembers would be involved? What resources and munitions would be required? What would such an operation cost?
    What would be the risk to U.S. forces across our bases in the region, both today and in the long term, and what steps is the administration prepared to take to protect our servicemembers?
    How many American citizens reside in Israel and surrounding countries, and what is the U.S. plan to facilitate evacuations?
    What constitutional or statutory authority would underpin this intervention?
    “Congress is an equal partner in preserving and defending U.S. national security around the world, and Congress has not provided authorization for military action against Iran – we will not rubberstamp military intervention that puts the United States at risk. Our foremost duty is to safeguard American citizens wherever they reside and to protect our troops serving on the front lines. The United States cannot sleepwalk into a third war in as many decades. Congress has a critical role to play in this moment.” 
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy, Grassley, Republicans Introduce Legislation to Keep Communities Safe from Violent Criminals

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and a group of Republican colleagues introduced the Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act to strengthen violent crime statutes and help prevent future crime. The bill would address ambiguity and conflicting court decisions by clarifying penalties for violent offenses like carjacking, robbery, and kidnapping.
    “Violent criminals should be kept far away from our families and children. While Republicans work to ensure they are, Democrats are silent on this issue. America is a country of law and order. Time to act like it,” said Dr. Cassidy.
    “Under the Biden-Harris administration, our nation saw a massive spike in violent crime. As the Trump administration works to clean up the previous administration’s mess, Congress has a duty to resolve any legal ambiguities that may weaken our ability to hold criminals fully accountable,” said Senator Grassley. “Our bill includes several modest, but meaningful, reforms to tamp down on future crime and ensure justice is served.”
    Among other provisions, the Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act would:

    Resolve conflicting circuit court decisions that have resulted in a higher burden to charge violent offenses;
    Clarify that an attempt or conspiracy to commit an offence involving physical force meets the legal definition of a violent crime;
    Increase the statutory maximum penalty for carjacking and remove a duplicative intent requirement needed to charge a carjacking offense;
    Clarify that attempted bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery are punishable under the current bank robbery statute;
    Outlaw the marketing of candy-flavored drugs to minors; and
    Establish a new category of violent kidnapping offences, allowing for greater penalties for violent kidnapping.

    Cassidy and Grassley were joined by U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), James Lankford (R-OK), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Susan Collins, (R-ME), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Jim Risch (R-ID) in introducing the legislation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy, Grassley, Republicans Introduce Legislation to Keep Communities Safe from Violent Criminals

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and a group of Republican colleagues introduced the Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act to strengthen violent crime statutes and help prevent future crime. The bill would address ambiguity and conflicting court decisions by clarifying penalties for violent offenses like carjacking, robbery, and kidnapping.
    “Violent criminals should be kept far away from our families and children. While Republicans work to ensure they are, Democrats are silent on this issue. America is a country of law and order. Time to act like it,” said Dr. Cassidy.
    “Under the Biden-Harris administration, our nation saw a massive spike in violent crime. As the Trump administration works to clean up the previous administration’s mess, Congress has a duty to resolve any legal ambiguities that may weaken our ability to hold criminals fully accountable,” said Senator Grassley. “Our bill includes several modest, but meaningful, reforms to tamp down on future crime and ensure justice is served.”
    Among other provisions, the Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act would:

    Resolve conflicting circuit court decisions that have resulted in a higher burden to charge violent offenses;
    Clarify that an attempt or conspiracy to commit an offence involving physical force meets the legal definition of a violent crime;
    Increase the statutory maximum penalty for carjacking and remove a duplicative intent requirement needed to charge a carjacking offense;
    Clarify that attempted bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery are punishable under the current bank robbery statute;
    Outlaw the marketing of candy-flavored drugs to minors; and
    Establish a new category of violent kidnapping offences, allowing for greater penalties for violent kidnapping.

    Cassidy and Grassley were joined by U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), James Lankford (R-OK), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Susan Collins, (R-ME), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Jim Risch (R-ID) in introducing the legislation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner & Kaine Decry GOP Plan’s Devastating Impact on Rural Virginia Communities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today issued the following statement slamming congressional Republicans’ bill that would devastate rural communities across Virginia by gutting Medicaid and accelerating hospital closures:

    “The big GOP plan is a direct threat to families in rural Virginia who rely on Medicaid to access care and keep their community hospitals open. This bill would strip health care from thousands of Virginians, gut funding for struggling rural hospitals, and undo decades of progress. Almost forty percent of kids in rural Virginia are covered by Medicaid. Without that lifeline, families would face impossible choices, and many local hospitals wouldn’t survive. For rural Virginia, this bill might mean the difference between a hospital that’s five minutes away and one that’s 50. It is a slap in the face to the health care workers, parents, and local leaders doing everything they can to keep their communities afloat. We refuse to stand by while Republicans gamble with Virginians’ lives.”

    Small towns and rural areas in Virginia have the highest rates of Medicaid coverage. According to research by the Georgetown Center for Children and Families:

    • 37.9 percent of children in Virginia’s small towns and rural areas rely on Medicaid/CHIP for their coverage, compared to 30 percent in metro/urban areas;
    • Among Virginia adults younger than 65, 18.9 percent of those in small towns and rural areas get their coverage through Medicaid/CHIP, compared to 13.7 percent in metro areas; and
    • Among seniors, 11.7 percent of those living in Virginia’s small towns and rural areas were covered by Medicaid, compared to 10.7 percent in metro/urban areas.

    Nearly half – 47 percent – of rural births in the U.S. are covered by Medicaid, as are 65 percent of nursing home residents in rural counties.

    Almost half of rural hospitals nationwide are already operating at a financial loss, according to the American Hospital Association. The GOP’s proposed Medicaid cuts would push already-struggling rural hospitals further toward financial collapse, particularly in areas like Southwest and Southside Virginia. Detailed data from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill concluded that Republican health care cuts could place more than 300 rural hospitals across the U.S. – including six hospitals in Southwest and Southside Virginia – at disproportionate risk of closure, conversion, or service reductions.

    Since the Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid in Virginia, the uninsured rate has fallen dramatically, and rural hospitals have seen a critical infusion of funds to help keep their doors open. The GOP’s plan to give giant tax cuts to the ultra wealthy while slashing Medicaid and other investments threatens to reverse that trend.

    Warner and Kaine have long championed Medicaid expansion and rural health infrastructure, including broadband-enabled telehealth services and rural hospital stabilization programs. They have pledged to fight the GOP plan as long as Republicans in Congress continue to insist on gutting vital programs in order to pay for tax breaks for the richest Americans, noting that the GOP bill would strip health insurance from more than 302,000 Virginians, cut SNAP benefits, raise energy costs for Virginia households, jeopardize more than 20,000 Virginia jobs, raise taxes on minimum wage workers while giving the richest 0.1% a $188,000 tax cut, make tax filing more expensive, and explode the deficit, among other devastating impacts to Virginia families.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Questions Energy Secretary Why DOE is Spiking Clean Energy Projects, Increasing Electricity Costs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    06.20.25
    Cantwell Questions Energy Secretary Why DOE is Spiking Clean Energy Projects, Increasing Electricity Costs
    Cantwell presses Secretary Wright on whether DOE will renege on $1B promised for PNW green hydrogen hub On hydropower, Secretary acknowledges to Cantwell that “hydro has been a great resource for this country” that is “quite beneficial to our electricity grid”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, pressed U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright on whether the Trump Administration is attempting to roll back hydrogen production investments secured and awarded under the Biden Administration — including a $1 billion grant awarded to the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association in 2023 to become a one of seven Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs, as well as a 2022 tax credit aimed at spurring more investment in clean hydrogen production called 45V.  The budget reconciliation bill passed last month by the House of Representatives eliminates the hydrogen credit, as would the proposal released earlier this week by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID).
    Sen. Cantwell: “I actually think getting rid of the tax credits that we have, some of the other ones, broadly, are going to lead to electricity increased cost. And so, can I get you to tell me about the hydrogen hubs, whether you believe you support the hydrogen hubs and moving forward on this?”
    Wright: “So, we put together, as I’m sure you’ve heard, and we’ve published it on the website, this project review process. We have a cross-functional team that evaluates every project. We’re going through 500 projects.”
    Sen. Cantwell: “But is that data call a way to kill the projects? Or no, you really believe in funding some?”
    Wright: “Oh, absolutely. No, we are funding plenty of projects right now, and we don’t stop funding any project. We’re funding all of the existing projects right now, and when we evaluate them – no, plenty of projects will pass. Plenty of projects will pass. Other projects we’ll say, “Hey, can you modify it this way to make it much more beneficial?” Some projects will be modified, and some projects will be ended. “
    Video of their Q&A is HERE; a transcript is HERE.
    Hydrogen is a clean fuel that, when consumed in a fuel cell, produces no dirty emissions — only water. Hydrogen can be produced from existing power resources, such as solar and hydropower.
    Sen. Cantwell helped secure the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) program and other key hydrogen investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) during consideration in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee in July 2021, where she is a senior member, and push for its successful passage through the Senate. The H2Hubs program designated up to $7 billion in competitive grants to establish between six and 10 regional clean hydrogen hubs across the United States. These networks of hydrogen producers, consumers, and local connective infrastructure were meant to help accelerate the use of hydrogen as clean energy and work toward achieving former President Biden’s goal of a 100 percent clean electrical grid by 2035 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
    In October 2023, with support from the region’s Congressional delegation led by Sen. Cantwell, the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association received a $1 billion grant through the H2Hubs program. With continued federal support, the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association will be able to build out a robust network of hydrogen suppliers and off-takers in both the western and eastern parts of Washington and Oregon, as well as parts of Montana. Clean hydrogen can support decarbonization efforts already being made in the transportation, industrial, and agricultural sectors, as well as the rapidly expanding zero-carbon aviation sector being pioneered in the Pacific Northwest.
    In 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, which included the 45V hydrogen production tax credit to incentivize projects that produce clean hydrogen power. In July 2024, Sen. Cantwell joined a group of colleagues in sending a letter urging then-Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to issue guidance on 45V eligibility that capitalizes on the “opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions faster and enhance our energy security, while strengthening our economy, creating thousands of jobs, and combating the climate crisis.” The budget bill currently being negotiated in the House and the Senate would drastically shorten the timeline for projects to qualify for the 45V credits – requiring them to begin construction by Jan. 1, 2026 rather than the previous deadline of Jan. 1, 2033 – and cut funding for the H2Hubs program. The Trump Administration is also currently reviewing the remaining H2Hubs financing.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Urges Trump to Finally Bring TikTok Under U.S. Ownership: “We Are Allowing This National Security Issue to Fester”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    06.20.25

    Cantwell Urges Trump to Finally Bring TikTok Under U.S. Ownership: “We Are Allowing This National Security Issue to Fester”

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, delivered a speech on the Senate floor urging President Donald Trump to follow the law as passed by Congress and ensure TikTok is sold to a U.S. company so that America’s enemies will no longer be able to weaponize TikTok to spread their propaganda and turn the world against the United States. In her remarks, Sen. Cantwell cited studies that revealed an alarming rise in anti-Semitic content on TikTok.  

    Yesterday, President Trump announced that he would extend a June 19 deadline for ByteDance, the Chinese-owned company that owns TikTok, to sell the app. His extension – the third of its kind – would push the divestment date to mid-September.  Earlier today, he signed an Executive Order to extend the deadline until September 17, 2025  

    “I rise to express my concerns about reports that President Trump is going to again extend the deadline for getting TikTok out of the control of ByteDance and the Chinese government. Concern because that means that again, we are going to allow this national security issue to fester and to continue on, maybe for several more months,” she said.

    “I’m concerned that these extensions of the TikTok deal are illegal. Note that Congress passed this law, and the president extending the deadline to allow them to continue to operate in the United States under the control of ByteDance and the Chinese government is not what Congress intended,” Sen. Cantwell continued.

    “Simply put, we cannot continue to allow foreign adversaries to control technology that can fuel domestic and political polarization and civil unrest. We need the president to follow the law that Congress passed — bring TikTok under U.S. ownership.”

    Video of her floor speech is HERE; a transcript is HERE.

    In January 2025, following the Supreme Court’s 9-0 decision to uphold the law requiring the sale of TikTok, Sen. Cantwell issued a statement urging the administration to “find a solution to shut the Chinese government backdoor, improve the platform, and help content creators earn more revenue for their work.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Warren Gains Commitment from Hegseth to Follow Supreme Court Orders on Deploying Troops to American Cities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    June 20, 2025

    Trump has already ordered 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to L.A.

    Hegseth: “We’ve got contingencies and plans for any number of capabilities should governors be unable…to actually secure (their) own federal agents in their cities.”

    Video of Exchange (YouTube)

    Washington, D.C. – At a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pressed Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on her concerns with President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles despite state and local officials’ objections. 

    On June 7, President Trump announced he was deploying the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles (L.A.). As of April 2025, the Department of Defense reported there are about 167,951 Marines, 451,024 soldiers in the Army, and 433,000 members of the National Guard. About 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been sent to L.A., including about 500 National Guard troops who have been trained to accompany Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on immigration operations.

    Senator Warren questioned Secretary Hegseth on the deployment of troops to Los Angeles over state and local officials’ objections, citing President Trump’s threat to deploy ICE agents to other cities, and whether troops would be deployed to cities like Chicago and New York if the President ordered it. Secretary Hegseth refused to answer whether he would send more Marines to other cities if President Trump ordered it. Senator Warren also asked for an analysis of the number of troops that can be deployed domestically without undermining readiness internationally, but Secretary Hegseth avoided providing specific numbers.

    On June 12, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that the Guard deployment was illegal and violated the 10th Amendment, as the protests in LA “fall far short of a rebellion” that would authorize the President to call them up for federal service.

    Secretary Hegseth committed that he would follow Supreme Court orders if they ruled for troops to be removed from American cities, saying, “If the Supreme Court rules on a topic, we will abide by that.” 

    Last week, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made remarks during a press conference, saying, “We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate the society from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city.” Senator Warren criticized Secretary Noem’s comments, highlighting that both the mayor and the governor were democratically elected by a majority of voters in the city. 

    “This is un-American, and it makes us unsafe. I wish our Republican colleagues would speak up,” concluded Senator Warren.

    Transcript: Hearings to examine the President’s proposed budget request for fiscal year 2026 and the Future Years Defense Program for the Department of Defense
    Senate Armed Services Committee
    June 18, 2025

    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So, President Trump has deployed the National Guard and then the U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, over the objections of state and local officials, saying that the troops are needed to support immigration detention operations that are being carried out by ICE. On Sunday night, the president threatened to deploy ICE agents to other cities around the country that he sees as “the core of the Democrat power center,” specifically mentioning Chicago and New York. 

    Secretary Hegseth, if the President wanted to deploy Marines to Chicago and New York City like he did in Los Angeles, would you carry out that order, even if the local governors and mayors objected?

    Honorable Peter B. Hegseth, Secretary of Defense: Well, Senator, because Governor Newsom was unwilling to address protecting federal law enforcement agents in Los Angeles, President Trump had all the authorities, and the Defense Department happily supported defending our ICE agents in the conduct of their job. They have the right as Americans to be able to do their job without being attacked by mobs, and we will protect them in that process. And if others needed it, we would provide that.

    Senator Warren: I know that you heard my question, so you would be willing to send troops if the President ordered it to Chicago, New York City, is that right? 

    Secretary Hegseth: Well, thankfully, New York City, unlike California, unlike Gavin Newsom, is willing to step up and address the issue with their local law enforcement.

    Senator Warren: I will take that as a yes. How about if the President says he wants to send troops to 15 cities? Would you be willing to do that?

    Secretary Hegseth: Senator, I don’t accept your hypothetical, because it’s—

    Senator Warren: That’s a hypothetical. That’s the question. You’re the Secretary of Defense, would you send troops to 15 cities? If the President thought it, said, “Do it.” Would you do it? 15 cities?

    Secretary Hegseth: Again, Senator, it’s a complete hypothetical, lacking any context at all. 

    Senator Warren: Look, you’re the Secretary of Defense —

    Secretary Hegseth: I refuse to box myself in based on questioning, on a hypothetical.

    Senator Warren: Well, you can refuse, but you’re here asking for a trillion dollars, and I want to know how you’re going to spend it. And so my question is, if Donald Trump tells you to send troops to 15 American cities, are you going to spend the money and send the troops?

    Secretary Hegseth: Thankfully, we’re spending money on securing our southern border. A way the previous administration abandoned and allowed 21 million illegals to enter our country. So defending our homeland is a real, serious priority under this administration, and we’re doing it.

    Senator Warren: I understand the question about defense. Secretary Hegseth, about 4000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been sent to LA. Is there a number of troops deployed to American cities over the objections of governors and mayors, at which you would be concerned that we are undermining our national defense? 

    Secretary Hegseth: Senator, we’ve spent two decades guarding other people’s borders. We think at the Defense Department it’s about time we shore up ours. 

    Senator Warren: So, that’s my question. Is there a number at which sending those troops to Los Angeles or Chicago or New York starts to undermine our ability to defend ourselves around the globe? Is there a number?

    Secretary Hegseth: Senator, we look at capabilities and readiness around the globe all the time, and we’re quite satisfied with our capabilities to defend the homeland, and we’ll provide more if and when it’s necessary. 

    Senator Warren: So, you are satisfied with our capabilities? Let me just ask, have you actually done the analysis and figured out how many troops you can deploy domestically before you start to undermine readiness around the world? Have you done that analysis? 

    Secretary Hegseth: Yes, ma’am. 

    Senator Warren: Then would you let the rest of us in on it? We are the Senate Armed Services Committee, and you’re here to ask for a trillion dollars. What’s the number?

    Secretary Hegseth: We’ve got contingencies and plans for any number of capabilities should governors be unable, as Governor Gavin Newsom has been, to actually secure his own federal agents in their cities.

    Senator Warren: But can you give us a ballpark on what that number is? How many troops can you deploy domestically before you start to cut into our readiness internationally?

    Secretary Hegseth: As I said, previous administrations deployed our National Guard all around the globe in numbers far beyond what we were capable of supporting, so limited contingencies inside the United States to protect federal law enforcement is doable. 

    Senator Warren: You have a number, but you’re just not going to tell us? So, let me ask you one more question, if the Supreme Court orders you to remove troops from American city streets. Will you do so?

    Secretary Hegseth: Can you repeat the question, please? 

    Senator Warren: Yes. If the Supreme Court orders you to remove troops from American cities. Will you do so? 

    Secretary Hegseth: As I’ve said, Senator, I don’t believe district courts should determine national security policy, but if the Supreme Court rules on a topic, we will abide by that. 

    Senator Warren: Okay. You know, during her press conference last week, Secretary Noem said, “We are staying here to liberate the city from its mayor and its governor,” people who were elected by a majority of voters. Secretary Hegseth is saying he is ready to deploy more troops and won’t tell us what the implications are for our national defense. This is un-American, and it makes us unsafe. I wish our Republican colleagues would speak up.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Statement on Ninth Circuit Court Ruling Regarding Trump’s Deployment of the National Guard

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla Statement on Ninth Circuit Court Ruling Regarding Trump’s Deployment of the National Guard

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals stayed an emergency district court order and allowed President Trump to temporarily retain control of the federal guard in California, while rejecting the President’s assertion that he can take control of National Guard units without oversight or accountability to the courts.
    “Trump’s unnecessary and counterproductive deployment of the California National Guard over the will of the Governor and without coordination with local law enforcement only served to inflame tensions in Los Angeles. The court’s decision strongly reaffirms that the Guard can only be deployed in clearly defined circumstances — not as a political weapon against Californians at the sole discretion of Donald Trump.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed, Schumer, Murray, Warner, Coons Joint Statement on President Trump’s Actions in the Middle East

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee joined with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA), and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Ranking Member Chris Coons (D-DE) in issuing the following joint statement as President Trump considers taking additional action in the Middle East:

    “Intensifying military actions between Israel and Iran represent a dangerous escalation that risks igniting a broader regional war. Iran poses a risk to the United States and our allies and must not be allowed to attain a nuclear weapon. The United States stands firm in our support for the continued defense of Israel, our partner and ally. Our commitment to Israel remains ironclad and we urge the administration to defend Israel against the barrage of Iranian airstrikes, including through the provision of additional air defense capabilities. We urge President Trump to prioritize diplomacy and pursue a binding agreement that can prevent a nuclear-armed Iran and reduce the risk to our diplomats, our service members, and the hundreds of thousands of Americans living in the Middle East.

    “As President Trump reportedly considers expanding U.S. engagement in the war, we are deeply concerned about a lack of preparation, strategy, and clearly defined objectives, and the enormous risk to Americans and civilians in the region. Iran has signaled that it would retaliate against American personnel if the United States participates in military strikes. More than 40,000 U.S. servicemembers are stationed in more than a dozen countries around the Middle East, all within striking distance of Iran and its proxies.

    “We are alarmed by the Trump administration’s failure to provide answers to fundamental questions. By law, the president must consult Congress and seek authorization if he is considering taking the country to war. He owes Congress and the American people a strategy for U.S. engagement in the region. We need a clear, detailed plan outlining the goals, risks, cost, and timeline for any proposed mission, as well as how he will ensure the safe evacuation of Americans in harm’s way all across the region. We demand immediate, detailed answers on these and other urgent matters to determine the way forward, including:

    •           What more needs to be done to resupply and bolster the defense of Israel and our interests in the region? What additional resources are required to maintain and supplement those defenses?

    •           What is the Intelligence Community’s current assessment of Iran’s nuclear program, its leaders’ intent, and its capabilities? Following nearly a week of Israeli strikes, what remains of Iran’s conventional military capabilities and nuclear enrichment?

    •           What would be the objective of U.S. military intervention against Iran? President Trump has called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” – what does that mean?

    •           If there was a military intervention, what would be the estimated scope and duration of any such campaign? How many U.S. servicemembers would be involved? What resources and munitions would be required? What would such an operation cost?

    •           What would be the risk to U.S. forces across our bases in the region, both today and in the long term, and what steps is the administration prepared to take to protect our servicemembers?

    •           How many American citizens reside in Israel and surrounding countries, and what is the U.S. plan to facilitate evacuations?

    •           What constitutional or statutory authority would underpin this intervention?

    “Congress is an equal partner in preserving and defending U.S. national security around the world, and Congress has not provided authorization for military action against Iran – we will not rubberstamp military intervention that puts the United States at risk. Our foremost duty is to safeguard American citizens wherever they reside and to protect our troops serving on the front lines. The United States cannot sleepwalk into a third war in as many decades. Congress has a critical role to play in this moment.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Collins, Reed Lead Bipartisan Group of Appropriators Urging Trump Admin. to Reverse Closure of Job Corps Centers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Jack Reed (D-RI), a leading Democrat on the committee, led a bipartisan group of Appropriations Committee members in sending a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, urging the DOL to reverse its decision to begin the closure of Job Corps Centers nationwide.

    Joining Senators Collins and Reed in signing the letter were U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), John Boozman (R-AR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).

    “The sudden announcement that the Department of Labor began the process of closing all Job Corps Centers on May 29, 2025, will harm students and local economies in every state across the nation,” the nine Senators wrote. “We urge you to retract this announcement and to faithfully implement the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Full-Year Continuing Resolution Act, which President Trump signed into law and which includes $1,760,155,000 for Job Corps.”

    “Job Corps has helped millions of young people, ages 16 to 24, many of whom face significant economic and social challenges, develop the skills and resilience they need to succeed in work and in life through intensive education, training, and support services in a residential setting since its creation in 1964,” they continued. “The sudden closure of Job Corps Centers not only puts young people’s lives at risk, but local communities will pay a steep price, especially the thousands of individuals who work at the Centers and will lose their livelihoods.”

    “Abruptly canceling contracts for the nation’s Job Corps Centers will leave students and communities in the lurch and will undermine opportunities for young people to get education and training to succeed in valuable trades. While we would be pleased to work with you to improve the Job Corps program to do even more to serve our young people and address growing workforce needs, it is essential that you faithfully implement the program in accordance with the FY 2025 Continuing Resolution and reopen all Job Corps Centers,” the Senators concluded.

    The complete text of the letter can be read here.

    In April, Senator Collins sent a letter to Secretary Chavez-DeRemer urging the DOL to lift the halt on enrollment at Loring and Penobscot Job Corps Centers in Maine. Last month, Senators Collins and Reed sent a separate letter to Secretary Chavez-DeRemer requesting that the DOL provide information on the Job Corps’ contracts, background check processing, and evaluation plan.

    Also last month, at a hearing to review the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the DOL, Senator Collins urged Secretary Chavez-DeRemer to reverse the Department’s halt of new enrollment at Maine’s two Job Corps Centers and the proposed elimination of the Job Corps program altogether. During the hearing, Senator Collins spoke about Adais Viruet-Torres, a graduate of the Loring Job Corps Center and later Husson University who overcame homelessness and now works as a nurse practitioner.

    A long time champion of Job Corps, Senator Reed questioned U.S. Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer at a May 22 hearing about the Trump Administration’s efforts to terminate Job Corps.  Senator Reed helped launch Exeter Job Corps Center in Rhode Island, which has a capacity for 185 students, with rolling admissions throughout the year.  Exeter Job Corps Center employs a staff of about 85 and offers vocational training in 6 trades, a GED program, and two high school diploma programs.  Reed recently led a rally to help save Job Corps.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed Works to Block House-Passed Rescissions Package That Would Claw Back $9.4 billion for Humanitarian Aid, NPR, PBS

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – After the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed the Trump Administration’s rescissions package to claw back $9.4 billion in previously enacted federal funding from humanitarian aid, international development, public health, NPR, and PBS last week, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is working in the U.S. Senate to try to halt these shortsighted cuts.  But Senator Reed says it will be a difficult path because rescission bills only require a simple majority and Senate Republicans currently have a 53-47 majority.

    Last Thursday, the House voted 214 to 212 to claw back the funds, with all but four House Republicans supporting the measure and all Democrats opposing.  Six Republicans initially opposed the package, endangering the bill’s passage since all Democrats present voted against it.  However, two Republican holdouts were pressured into flipping their votes at the last minute.

    The rescissions package eliminates all federal support — $1.1 billion — for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the next two years, targeting PBS, NPR, and small, local public radio and TV stations nationwide, threatening children’s educational programming, and jeopardizing emergency alert coverage.  The bill also seeks to cut $8.3 billion from international development, global democracy, and humanitarian programs which support America’s national security, promote global peace, and prevent global health crises from reaching our shores, including funds for peacekeeping and refugee assistance; the Democracy Fund; USAID global health programs; UNICEF; the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); and the UN Women and Child Fund.

    The package has been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.  Senator Reed, a leading Democrat on the committee, stated:

    “These shortsighted cuts undermine U.S. national security and global leadership.  The soft power we project through lifesaving humanitarian aid, international peacekeeping, and public health funds makes America safer and helps us effectively counter adversaries and advance U.S. interests without having to engage militarily. 

    “Meanwhile, the cuts to PBS and NPR undermine efforts to ensure that all Americans have access to unbiased news, educational programs,  and diverse broadcasts that are not available through commercial media.

    “At a time when President Trump is raising prices on consumers with his costly tariffs and ripping away health care from millions of Americans to fund bigger tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, this rescissions package will do nothing to help average Americans, but it will make our country less secure and less connected.

    “In the Senate, it takes 60 votes to pass appropriations bills.  By definition, these bills are the product of bipartisan compromise and address the broad interests of the American people.  If Senate Republicans ram this recissions package through on a partisan basis, they will undermine this process and surrender to this administration’s desire for them to simply be a rubberstamp.  

    “I will continue working on a bipartisan basis to oppose these reckless cuts and I am hopeful we can build bipartisan consensus on a better way forward that puts American interests first.”

    Congress has the power to rescind funds that the federal government has not yet spent, and it routinely does so, on a bipartisan basis, during the regular appropriations process so these resources can be wisely reallocated.  The president may also formally recommend cuts (rescissions), which Congress, if it chooses to, can consider on an expedited basis with only a simple majority required to adopt them.  In order to make cuts under this process, Congress must act within 45 days of receiving the president’s formal recommendations.  Congress has the option not to act on the president’s request.  The president may also send more than one package of proposed rescissions, and this administration has vowed to do so if this first package passes.

    The White House’s official transmission of the rescission package on June 3 started a 45 day clock for Congress to act. 

    While the Senate Appropriations Committee has the opportunity to review and alter the President’s rescission proposal, any Senator may seek to bring all or part of the proposal to the Senate floor 25 days after referral to the Appropriations Committee.

    White House budget director Russell Vought, the head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is scheduled to testify about the rescissions package before the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 25. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Case You Missed It: PHOTOS: Capito Participates in Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for new Rehabilitation Science and Athletics Center at the University of Charleston

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a leader on the Senate Appropriations Committee, participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Rehabilitation Science and Athletics Center at the University of Charleston in Charleston, W.Va.

    The newly renovated center, which is located inside a portion of Gorman Hall, will house UC’s new occupational and physical therapy programs with modern labs, as well as study rooms, meeting spaces, a classroom, offices, visitor locker rooms and weight rooms for student athletes. In September 2023, Senator Capito advocated for and secured a Congressionally Directed Spending award for this project.

    “The Morrison Rehabilitation Science and Athletics Center is a remarkable example of what can be accomplished when federal support, private philanthropy, and strong institutional leadership come together around a shared goal: to invest in the future of our students and in the health and wellness of our communities,” Senator Capito said. “This newly renovated facility will play a vital role in preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals and student athletes. I’m grateful to President Roth, the Board, and all the generous donors who helped bring this vision to life.”

    “This is an exciting moment for the University of Charleston, and we could not have done it without Senator Capito’s support,” UC President Marty Roth said. “The federal funding she secured played a major role in bringing the Morrison Center to life. This facility will have a lasting impact not just for our students but for the future of healthcare in West Virginia, as it is designed to meet the growing demand for occupational and physical therapists across the region and nation. We are incredibly thankful for her commitment to higher education and to the health and well-being of our communities.” 

    Photos from yesterday’s event are below:

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) participates in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Morrison Rehabilitation Science and Athletics Center in Charleston, W.Va. on Thursday, June 19, 2025.

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) participates in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Morrison Rehabilitation Science and Athletics Center in Charleston, W.Va. on Thursday, June 19, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman Continues Leadership on Senate 4-H Caucus

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, will continue championing 4-H as a leader of the bipartisan Senate 4-H Caucus. The senator returns to serve as co-chair of the caucus in the 119th Congress and is joined by Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to lead efforts to promote the program in the Senate.

    4-H is a youth developmental program of the Cooperative Extension System of land-grant universities and is the largest youth development organization in the country. It provides experiences for nearly six million young people through hands-on projects in health, science, agriculture and civic engagement. In Arkansas, more than 120,000 young people participate in 4-H programs annually.

    “4-H is instrumental in preparing students for the future. I’ve witnessed the benefits and positive impact it has on young people, including my three daughters who were active members and state record book winners. I’m proud to support this organization whose influence in developing the next generation of leaders is undeniable, and I look forward to working with members of this caucus to promote and celebrate 4-H,” said Boozman. 

    This week, Boozman met with Arkansas 4-Hers who are attending the organization’s Citizenship Washington Focus conference.

    Boozman and Arkansas 4-H participants met in his Washington, D.C. office.

    In the House, the bicameral caucus will be led by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-15) and Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02) as well as Congressmen Sanford D. Bishop (GA-02) and Andy Harris (MD-01).

    For more on Boozman’s leadership of the Senate Agriculture Committee, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Outlining Maine Economic Benefits of Foreign Students, Senator King Urges Secretary of State Rubio to Reconsider Harmful Pause

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) called on the State Department to reinstate student visa programs for the benefit of Maine schools and the state’s local economy. In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, King outlined the immediate impact of revoking student visas on schools in Maine like Thornton Academy, the University of New England (UNE), Foxcroft Academy, College of the Atlantic and the University of Maine (UMaine) System.

    Senator King began, “I write to underscore the critically harmful impacts that the Department of State’s decision to pause new visa interviews for international students, as well as the Department’s threats to revoke visas of Chinese students, are having on schools across the state of Maine.”

    “These actions are deterring international families from sending their students to the U.S.—the tuition of which contributes significantly to the revenue of secondary schools and institutions of higher education in Maine. Thornton Academy, which functions as the public high school for students in Saco, and its neighboring towns in Maine, has already seen a loss of $120,000 in revenue due to the withdrawal of Chinese education programs from their summer camp. Thornton Academy anticipates a potential annual loss of $6.6 million should the Administration’s policy remain in place—a loss of one third of the school’s annual budget for employee salary payments,” King continued.

    King concluded, “International students studying at schools in Maine are subsidizing the cost of local education, saving taxpayers money, and providing Maine students with unmatched opportunities. These are not funds coming from the pockets of our community, the taxes of our businesses, or from the federal government. These are funds brought in from outside of the United States and used to the benefit of all our students both domestic and international.

    King has long supported the impact and contributions of international students. Earlier this year, he introduced legislation to streamline the bureaucratic process for international students to obtain legal status and bolster the United States’ STEM labor force. 

    The full text of the letter can be found here and below.

    +++

    Dear Secretary Rubio:

    I write to underscore the critically harmful impacts that the Department of State’s decision to pause new visa interviews for international students, as well as the Department’s threats to revoke visas of Chinese students, are having on schools across the state of Maine.

    These actions are deterring international families from sending their students to the U.S.—the tuition of which contributes significantly to the revenue of secondary schools and institutions of higher education in Maine. Thornton Academy, which functions as the public high school for students in Saco, and its neighboring towns in Maine, has already seen a loss of $120,000 in revenue due to the withdrawal of Chinese education programs from their summer camp. Thornton Academy anticipates a potential annual loss of $6.6 million should the Administration’s policy remain in place—a loss of one third of the school’s annual budget for employee salary payments. College of the Atlantic, a small liberal arts college in Bar Harbor, Maine, projects a loss of thirty five percent of their net tuition due to these policies. These are just a few examples—schools across Maine report that real and projected reductions in international student enrollments, and the corresponding loss of revenue associated with their tuition, will almost certainly result in staff layoffs. These layoffs will not only harm students but also have a damaging ripple effect on our local economies.

    The non-monetary contributions of these students to Maine communities cannot be overstated. Our state university system hosts students from 85 countries. Foxcroft Academy, a day and boarding school in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, hosts about 20% of its entire student population from countries around the world. These students bring diverse cultures and perspectives to their new communities and create an opportunity for all Maine students to consider the world with a far greater exposure than otherwise possible.

    Not only does Maine benefit from these students, but the education that they receive in our state has also taken them far—international students who studied in Maine have participated in global academic competitions, become published authors, and have even become professors themselves. The Administration has yet to provide a compelling reason for its decision to rob our communities of this worthwhile exchange.

    International students studying at schools in Maine are subsidizing the cost of local education, saving taxpayers money, and providing Maine students with unmatched opportunities. These are not funds coming from the pockets of our community, the taxes of our businesses, or from the federal government. These are funds brought in from outside of the United State and used to the benefit of all our students both domestic and international.

    I urge you to reconsider the Department of State’s policies regarding international student visa pauses and revocations, for the benefit of Maine and the entire nation.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Warren Press RFK Jr. on “Dangerous War on Vaccines,” Reckless Decision to Slash HHS Vaccine Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    June 19, 2025
    RFK Jr. cut hundreds of millions of dollars for bird flu, HIV vaccine development
    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) wrote to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., pressing him on his recent reckless decisions to slash funding for critical vaccine development. In May, the Trump Administration announced that it would cut off millions of dollars that the federal government had committed to the development of the critical bird flu vaccine, and HHS abruptly ended an over-$250 million program to develop an AIDS vaccine.
    “This is a grievous mistake that threatens to leave the country unprepared for what experts fear might be the next pandemic – and there appears to be no rationale for this decision other than your ill-informed and dangerous war on vaccines,” wrote the Senators.
    In January, HHS championed the development of new vaccines to make sure “Americans have the tools they need to stay safe.” Now, the RFK Jr.-led HHS is ripping those tools away — tools which would save lives and save billions in health care costs over time.
    An HHS spokesperson indicated that the decision to cut funding for the bird flu vaccine was made following a “rigorous review.” Another senior HHS official claimed that the decision to slash funding for the HIV vaccine was made after a “review by N.I.H. (National Institutes of Health) leadership.” HHS has made neither review available to the American public.
    “You have failed to justify either of these moves to (ruin) vaccine research,” continued the Senators. “This is just the latest example that calls into question your commitment to ‘radical transparency.’”
    “The public has little reason to trust your judgment or your review of the science surrounding vaccines or any aspect of public health,” concluded the Senators.
    The Administration also recently released its “Make America Healthy Again” report, containing numerous references and citations that were fully fabricated. RFK Jr. himself has long peddled anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and spread harmful misinformation.
    The lawmakers requested copies of the “rigorous review” that resulted in the termination of funding for the bird flu vaccine and the “review by N.I.H. leadership” that prompted the termination of funding for AIDS vaccine research. The lawmakers also requested a detailed description of the process by which HHS decided to end these contracts, including whether it was based on a recommendation by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) officials.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Peoria, Duckworth Joins Illinois Health Care Advocates and Medicaid Recipients to Condemn GOP Efforts to Gut Medicaid

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    June 19, 2025

    [PEORIA, IL] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined Peoria-area health care advocates, Medicaid recipients and their families to call out the Trump Administration and Republican’s dangerous, relentless attempts to slash Medicaid with their Big, Beautiful Betrayal. Duckworth spoke in support and defense of the millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid including pregnant women, children with disabilities as well as people in nursing homes—and demanded that Republicans put their constituents’ lives ahead of Trump’s ego by working with Democrats to protect the critical basic needs program. Photos from the press conference are available on Senator Duckworth’s website.

    “Republicans told us in Project 2025 that they’d come for Medicaid—and this is one of the rare times the GOP is actually keeping its word,” Duckworth said. “Make no mistake: there’s no way to pay for Trump’s $4 trillion tax break for billionaires without putting it on the backs of Americans who are already struggling to pay the bills. As Republicans threatened health care for 16 million Americans—including 3.4 million Illinoisans—to appease Trump and his billionaire buddies, I’ll keep working with Illinois health care advocates to protect and defend Medicaid.”

    “In Illinois, Medicaid covers over half of all births—and in many rural areas, that number is even higher. For thousands of pregnant people, Medicaid is the difference between accessing prenatal care or going without it. The proposed cuts to Medicaid would jeopardize maternal health and endanger the lives of mothers and babies across our state,” said Chi Chi Okwu, Executive Director, EverThrive Illinois.

    “Children and families—especially those with complex medical needs or in rural communities—already face so many barriers to care. The proposed changes to the Medicaid program would only widen the care gap for children,” said Michele Beekman, MD, FAAP, Secretary, Executive Committee of the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

    “In Illinois, Medicaid is not just a program; it is a lifeline that embodies our commitment to compassion and justice, ensuring that our most vulnerable citizens, including those with disabilities, our children, and working families, have access to the healthcare and support they need to thrive. It is our duty to protect this essential safety net for the sake of our collective humanity,” said Samantha Alloway, Executive Director, The Arc of Illinois.

    “Hospital leaders are doing everything they can to preserve access to care, protect jobs, and remain anchors in their communities. But make no mistake—Medicaid cuts erode that foundation. We need policies that invest in rural health, not undermine it,” said Tracy Warner, Executive Director, Illinois Critical Hospital Network.

    Last month, Duckworth joined Caring Across Generations’ 24-hour Capitol Hill vigil to call out Donald Trump and Elon Musk for their heartless, relentless attempts to slash Medicaid funding.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 06/19/2025 VIDEO: Blackburn Blasts Democrats’ Efforts to Obstruct ICE with Former Acting ICE Director on ‘Unmuted with Marsha’

    US Senate News:

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

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released a new episode of ‘Unmuted with Marsha’ blasting the Democrats’ efforts to obstruct the lawful operations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that keep Americans safe by removing criminal illegal aliens from our communities. 

    Senator Blackburn spoke with Former Acting ICE Director Jonathan Fahey about the alarming increase in threats against ICE agents, how her REMOVE Act would expedite deportations of criminal illegal aliens, and how her Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act would protect law enforcement officers from being targeted by criminal gangs like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua.

    Click here to watch this episode of ‘Unmuted with Marsha.’

    “People do not want Tren de Aragua, MS-13, violent gangs in their neighborhoods and communities. They not only want them out; they want them out fast. They just don’t want them there. But I have found it so interesting that these mayors – whether it is Nashville, L.A., Boston, Chicago – that they are fighting against ICE, and in Nashville, we even do the doxxing of our Homeland Security investigators and our ICE agents. The law is you cannot be here illegally. There is a proper way to come – a legal way – and you cannot commit crimes when you are here in our country. That is a violation of the law,” said Senator Blackburn.

    RELATED

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI from the NYPost: FBI Emails Obtained by Grassley ‘Expose Biden DOJ’s Obsession with Piling on Trump Charges’

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    Miranda Devine: FBI emails revealed to The Post expose Biden DOJ’s obsession with piling on Trump charges
    June 18, 2025
    New York Post

    Internal FBI emails reveal that rogue agents and prosecutors in the Biden DOJ were looking for ways to pile on new criminal charges against Donald Trump over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — this time over his involvement with the J6 prisoner choir, based on a single partisan news article.

    The 2023 emails obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and revealed exclusively to The Post are an example of the nitpicking malice of anti-Trump lawfare that tainted special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation, during Joe Biden’s presidency.

    “Can we do some work to nail down Trump’s role in this,” writes prosecutor JP Cooney to DOJ colleagues on March 8, 2023, in an email with the subject line “J6 Prisoner Choir/DJT” and an attached Forbes.com article titled “Trump Collaborates On Song With Jan. 6 Defendants.”

    Cooney was a deputy special counsel who worked on both the Robert Mueller and Smith get-Trump special counsel investigations.

    ‘Agent Zero’

    “According to this Forbes article, Trump recorded the Pledge of Allegiance at MAL [Mar a Lago] and Kash Patel [now FBI director] and Ed Henry [a former Fox News host] were also involved,” Cooney wrote in the email chain.

    “The profits are routed to an LLC run by Henry, and proceeds are intended for families of incarcerated J6 defendants — but there is apparently a vetting process that excludes families of defendants who assaulted police officers.

    “I asked Ahmed [likely prosecutor Ahmed Baset, who was fired earlier this month] to preserve this last night. I’ll talk to Maria/Erin and Julia about doing some follow up here to nail down Trump’s role.”

    Cooney also instructed colleagues to look at starting “some process on Ed Henry’s LLC,” presumably a legal process such as a subpoena, search warrant or other court-authorized actions to gather evidence.

    His email was forwarded to eight agents and DOJ staff, including notorious anti-Trump FBI Special Agent Walter Giardina, who responded two days later to say he was investigating the claims in the Forbes article about Trump and the J6 prisoner choir: “Esther and I are working on this today. We’re going to put together our findings at 2 and get something to you shortly after that.”

    Giardina was “Agent Zero” in a lot of overzealous FBI actions involving Trump and his allies, including the investigation of Trump White House adviser Dr. Peter Navarro on contempt of Congress charges for refusing to appear before the House committee investigating the J6 riot.

    It was Giardina’s FBI team that arrested Navarro as he was about to board a plane at Reagan National Airport in 2022, put him in leg irons and threw him in jail instead of simply issuing a summons for him to come to court, as the federal judge overseeing the case later said while criticizing the heavy-handedness.

    Giardina was also significantly involved in Operation Crossfire Hurricane (the debunked Russia collusion investigation against Trump), Mueller’s investigation and cases involving Trump allies Dan Scavino and Roger Stone, as well as the Hillary Clinton emails case.

    According to Grassley, Giardina was an “initial recipient of the Steele Dossier” and falsely claimed that the bogus Clinton campaign smear sheet against Trump was corroborated as “true.”

    Giardina also “electronically wiped the laptop he was assigned while working for Special Counsel Mueller outside of established protocol for record preservation, raising the possibility that he destroyed government records.”

    Whistleblown away

    Whistleblowers have told Grassley that Giardina “openly stated his desire to investigate Trump, even if it meant false predication,” because of his hostility to the past and future president.

    Grassley believes this email chain is another “clear example” of how the federal law enforcement apparatus was weaponized to try to “get Trump” at all costs.

    “Instead of focusing on DOJ and FBI’s core law enforcement responsibilities,” Grassley told The Post, “partisan prosecutors and agents were surfing the web to find any shred of information they could use to spin another baseless case against Trump. Their actions are a disservice to Americans, who pay their salaries and depend on DOJ and FBI to keep them safe…”

    Read the rest HERE.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall, Warnock, & Gallego Introduce Legislation Promoting Fatherhood Engagement

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) joined Senators Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia) and Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) introduced The Dads Matter Act of 2025, which would direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to raise awareness about father inclusion and engagement and to provide state-level guidance aimed at strengthening the role of fathers in supporting healthy mothers and babies.
    “As an OBGYN for more than 25 years, I know firsthand the challenges facing mothers, and how important a stable support system can be to both pediatric and maternal health outcomes,” said Senator Marshall. “Fathers play such a critical role in their households, and I am proud to support legislation that champions their role as providers, spouses, and caregivers.”
    “Georgia’s maternal mortality rate is a crisis that we must address with every tool at our disposal. That includes redoubling our efforts to uplift the role of fathers in keeping their family healthy during pregnancy and early childhood,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “Now is the time to spread awareness about the critical role of fathers in improving maternal health outcomes and creating thriving families and communities.” 
    “Too many women in Arizona die from pregnancy-related causes. This bill helps reverse this trend by recognizing that engaged fathers are part of the solution,” said Senator Gallego. When dads show up, maternal health outcomes are better, babies are healthier, and families are stronger.”
    The Dads Matter Act of 2025 would also direct HHS to issue guidance to states to incentivize maternity care providers to offer training and education to health care professionals about the benefits of including and engaging fathers in the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum process. Additionally, it would direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit a report to Congress that describes the results and effectiveness of this legislation. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall & Baldwin Introduce Bill to Strengthen Rail Supply & Improve Freight Rail Services for American Farmers & Businesses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) joined Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) in reintroducing the Reliable Rail Service Act, which addresses unreliable service and high rail shipping costs for farmers and manufacturers and aims to strengthen our rail supply chains. It ensures major freight railroads deliver reliable service at reasonable rates, enabling American businesses to get products to market more efficiently.
    “Kansas’s farmers and ranchers depend upon reliable transport of their world-class goods to the rest of the country, and Class 1 railroads are not meeting expectations – this is a disservice to hard-working Kansans,” said Senator Marshall. “This bill lays out reasonable requirements for rail carriers to meet these important obligations, and I look forward to working with Senator Baldwin on getting this to the finish line.”
    “Across the Badger State, our farmers, small businesses, and manufacturers rely on rail service to get their products to market and make ends meet,” said Senator Baldwin. “But when rail service is unreliable, it puts their livelihoods on the line, disrupts supply chains, and drives up costs for hardworking Wisconsin families. That’s why I am proud to work with my Republican colleague to once again introduce our Reliable Rail Service Act and help level the playing field for Wisconsin workers, grow our Made in Wisconsin economy, and keep costs down for consumers.”
    The Reliable Rail Service Act is supported by members of the agricultural industry, labor organizations, energy producers, and manufacturers who know firsthand how poor service, significant disruptions, and sky-high prices are impacting their businesses and prices for consumers.
    Click here to read the full text of the bill.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall & Baldwin Introduce Bill to Strengthen Rail Supply & Improve Freight Rail Services for American Farmers & Businesses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) joined Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) in reintroducing the Reliable Rail Service Act, which addresses unreliable service and high rail shipping costs for farmers and manufacturers and aims to strengthen our rail supply chains. It ensures major freight railroads deliver reliable service at reasonable rates, enabling American businesses to get products to market more efficiently.
    “Kansas’s farmers and ranchers depend upon reliable transport of their world-class goods to the rest of the country, and Class 1 railroads are not meeting expectations – this is a disservice to hard-working Kansans,” said Senator Marshall. “This bill lays out reasonable requirements for rail carriers to meet these important obligations, and I look forward to working with Senator Baldwin on getting this to the finish line.”
    “Across the Badger State, our farmers, small businesses, and manufacturers rely on rail service to get their products to market and make ends meet,” said Senator Baldwin. “But when rail service is unreliable, it puts their livelihoods on the line, disrupts supply chains, and drives up costs for hardworking Wisconsin families. That’s why I am proud to work with my Republican colleague to once again introduce our Reliable Rail Service Act and help level the playing field for Wisconsin workers, grow our Made in Wisconsin economy, and keep costs down for consumers.”
    The Reliable Rail Service Act is supported by members of the agricultural industry, labor organizations, energy producers, and manufacturers who know firsthand how poor service, significant disruptions, and sky-high prices are impacting their businesses and prices for consumers.
    Click here to read the full text of the bill.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall & Baldwin Introduce Bill to Strengthen Rail Supply & Improve Freight Rail Services for American Farmers & Businesses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) joined Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) in reintroducing the Reliable Rail Service Act, which addresses unreliable service and high rail shipping costs for farmers and manufacturers and aims to strengthen our rail supply chains. It ensures major freight railroads deliver reliable service at reasonable rates, enabling American businesses to get products to market more efficiently.
    “Kansas’s farmers and ranchers depend upon reliable transport of their world-class goods to the rest of the country, and Class 1 railroads are not meeting expectations – this is a disservice to hard-working Kansans,” said Senator Marshall. “This bill lays out reasonable requirements for rail carriers to meet these important obligations, and I look forward to working with Senator Baldwin on getting this to the finish line.”
    “Across the Badger State, our farmers, small businesses, and manufacturers rely on rail service to get their products to market and make ends meet,” said Senator Baldwin. “But when rail service is unreliable, it puts their livelihoods on the line, disrupts supply chains, and drives up costs for hardworking Wisconsin families. That’s why I am proud to work with my Republican colleague to once again introduce our Reliable Rail Service Act and help level the playing field for Wisconsin workers, grow our Made in Wisconsin economy, and keep costs down for consumers.”
    The Reliable Rail Service Act is supported by members of the agricultural industry, labor organizations, energy producers, and manufacturers who know firsthand how poor service, significant disruptions, and sky-high prices are impacting their businesses and prices for consumers.
    Click here to read the full text of the bill.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall’s Office Offers Assistance to Kansans in Israel

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    SALINA, KS – On Thursday, Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) announced his office’s assistance in helping any Kansan in Israel safely evacuate to the U.S. The Senator’s office has previously helped Americans safely evacuate. 
    “My office has successfully helped Americans escape from other, dangerous situations in foreign nations, and we stand ready to do the same in Israel,” Senator Marshall said.
    Any Kansans with family or loved ones in Israel are asked to email EvacHelp@marshall.senate.gov or call (785)829-9000.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall’s Office Offers Assistance to Kansans in Israel

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    SALINA, KS – On Thursday, Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) announced his office’s assistance in helping any Kansan in Israel safely evacuate to the U.S. The Senator’s office has previously helped Americans safely evacuate. 
    “My office has successfully helped Americans escape from other, dangerous situations in foreign nations, and we stand ready to do the same in Israel,” Senator Marshall said.
    Any Kansans with family or loved ones in Israel are asked to email EvacHelp@marshall.senate.gov or call (785)829-9000.

    MIL OSI USA News –