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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven, Burgum Discuss Need for Oil, Gas, Coal & Critical Mineral Production to Support U.S. Energy Dominance

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    06.13.25

    WASHINGTON – At a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this week, Senator John Hoeven discussed with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum efforts to advance U.S. energy dominance, including:

    • Unlocking the potential of taxpayer-owned oil, gas and coal reserves.
    • Increasing critical mineral production on federal lands.
      • Hoeven pointed to the development of Talon Metals’ minerals processing facility, which is being developed in North Dakota and will support a secure, fully-domestic supply chain for battery production.

    Hoeven stressed the importance of such activities in supporting local economies, while generating revenues for the federal government to help fund priorities and reduce the debt and deficit. Accordingly, Hoeven has been working with Burgum to provide regulatory relief and roll back burdensome rules at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

    “Taxpayer-owned lands and minerals are a real strategic and economic asset to our nation, but only if we have a regulatory process in place that actually allows the multiple uses that Congress has mandated for these acres, including energy production,” said Hoeven. “Doing so is not only important to local economies, but is essential to our efforts to make the U.S. truly energy dominant. We’re going to get there by providing regulatory relief and certainty for our energy and critical mineral producers, and that’s exactly what I’m working to accomplish with Secretary Burgum.”

    Providing Regulatory Relief

                In particular, Hoeven is working to rescind two Biden-era regulations at the BLM that threaten to severely limit access to vast areas of minerals and energy resources – the Public Lands Rule and the Resource Management Plan (RMP) for North Dakota. The Public Lands Rule would overhaul the management of more than 245 million acres of taxpayer-owned lands and establish “conservation leases” to lock away federal lands and minerals. At the same time, the RMP for North Dakota would close off leasing to 45 percent of potential federal oil and gas acreage and nearly 99 percent of federal coal acreage in the state.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven, Burgum Discuss Need for Oil, Gas, Coal & Critical Mineral Production to Support U.S. Energy Dominance

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    06.13.25

    WASHINGTON – At a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this week, Senator John Hoeven discussed with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum efforts to advance U.S. energy dominance, including:

    • Unlocking the potential of taxpayer-owned oil, gas and coal reserves.
    • Increasing critical mineral production on federal lands.
      • Hoeven pointed to the development of Talon Metals’ minerals processing facility, which is being developed in North Dakota and will support a secure, fully-domestic supply chain for battery production.

    Hoeven stressed the importance of such activities in supporting local economies, while generating revenues for the federal government to help fund priorities and reduce the debt and deficit. Accordingly, Hoeven has been working with Burgum to provide regulatory relief and roll back burdensome rules at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

    “Taxpayer-owned lands and minerals are a real strategic and economic asset to our nation, but only if we have a regulatory process in place that actually allows the multiple uses that Congress has mandated for these acres, including energy production,” said Hoeven. “Doing so is not only important to local economies, but is essential to our efforts to make the U.S. truly energy dominant. We’re going to get there by providing regulatory relief and certainty for our energy and critical mineral producers, and that’s exactly what I’m working to accomplish with Secretary Burgum.”

    Providing Regulatory Relief

                In particular, Hoeven is working to rescind two Biden-era regulations at the BLM that threaten to severely limit access to vast areas of minerals and energy resources – the Public Lands Rule and the Resource Management Plan (RMP) for North Dakota. The Public Lands Rule would overhaul the management of more than 245 million acres of taxpayer-owned lands and establish “conservation leases” to lock away federal lands and minerals. At the same time, the RMP for North Dakota would close off leasing to 45 percent of potential federal oil and gas acreage and nearly 99 percent of federal coal acreage in the state.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven Working with Interior Secretary, USFS Chief to Improve Grazing Access on Federal Lands

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    06.13.25

    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven this week outlined priorities to improve access to federal lands for grazers in discussions with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Chief Tom Schultz. During hearings of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Interior Appropriations Committee, respectively, Hoeven:

    • Outlined the need to streamline the process for issuing grazing permits.
    • Discussed efforts to update the Little Missouri National Grassland Travel Management Plan.
      • Hoeven secured a commitment from Schultz to work with North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring and local grazing associations during this process.
      • The senator stressed the importance of ensuring the plan works for grazers, who need reliable access to federal lands for their operations.
      • To this end, Hoeven also urged Schultz to work with him on making section line rights-of-way available so ranchers can access their cattle in the Little Missouri National Grasslands.
    • Encouraged Schultz to continue working with him on better managing pests in the national grasslands, including prairie dogs and noxious weeds.
      • Hoeven highlighted his previous work with USFS Deputy Chief Chris French on efforts to address noxious weeds on the Dakota Prairie Grasslands and urged Schultz to maintain these efforts.

    “We’ve had a tremendous partnership with USFS Deputy Chief French who has worked with us to address our priorities for the national grasslands, like noxious weed control. This week’s hearings were an opportunity to keep these initiatives moving forward, ensure these federal acres are properly managed and improve access for grazing,” said Hoeven. “Importantly, Chief Schultz has committed to consult with our grazers and Ag Commissioner Goehring as the Travel Management Plan for the Little Missouri National Grassland is updated. That’s a critical part of our work to make sure we have rancher-friendly policies in place that strengthen access to the vast federal acreage in North Dakota.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven Working with Interior Secretary, USFS Chief to Improve Grazing Access on Federal Lands

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    06.13.25

    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven this week outlined priorities to improve access to federal lands for grazers in discussions with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Chief Tom Schultz. During hearings of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Interior Appropriations Committee, respectively, Hoeven:

    • Outlined the need to streamline the process for issuing grazing permits.
    • Discussed efforts to update the Little Missouri National Grassland Travel Management Plan.
      • Hoeven secured a commitment from Schultz to work with North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring and local grazing associations during this process.
      • The senator stressed the importance of ensuring the plan works for grazers, who need reliable access to federal lands for their operations.
      • To this end, Hoeven also urged Schultz to work with him on making section line rights-of-way available so ranchers can access their cattle in the Little Missouri National Grasslands.
    • Encouraged Schultz to continue working with him on better managing pests in the national grasslands, including prairie dogs and noxious weeds.
      • Hoeven highlighted his previous work with USFS Deputy Chief Chris French on efforts to address noxious weeds on the Dakota Prairie Grasslands and urged Schultz to maintain these efforts.

    “We’ve had a tremendous partnership with USFS Deputy Chief French who has worked with us to address our priorities for the national grasslands, like noxious weed control. This week’s hearings were an opportunity to keep these initiatives moving forward, ensure these federal acres are properly managed and improve access for grazing,” said Hoeven. “Importantly, Chief Schultz has committed to consult with our grazers and Ag Commissioner Goehring as the Travel Management Plan for the Little Missouri National Grassland is updated. That’s a critical part of our work to make sure we have rancher-friendly policies in place that strengthen access to the vast federal acreage in North Dakota.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Durbin Join Padilla, Entire Senate Democratic Caucus in Demanding Trump Remove Military Forces From Los Angeles

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    June 14, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) abd U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in demanding that President Trump immediately withdraw all military forces from Los Angeles and cease all threats to deploy the National Guard or active-duty service members to American cities. 

    The letter comes after Trump’s unprecedented move to federalize and deploy the California National Guard without the consent of the California Governor and mobilize U.S. Marine Corps elements, deploying approximately 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles amid unrest created by the President’s indiscriminate and intentionally inflammatory immigration enforcement raids across the region. The first 200 Marines arrived at the Los Angeles Federal Building yesterday, marking the first time in more than 30 years that the Marines have been deployed in the United States.

    Trump deployed these military personnel without the request or support of Governor Newsom, manufacturing a crisis and repeatedly escalating the conflict in order to create a spectacle. The federalizing of California’s National Guard marked the first time the Guard had been deployed without a Governor’s consent since 1965.

    “We write to express deep concern over your decision to deploy the National Guard and United States Marine Corps to Los Angeles without consultation or coordination with the Governor and local leaders,” wrote the Senators. “This unilateral action represents an alarming abuse of executive authority, continues to inflame the situation on the ground, and undermines the constitutional balance of power between the federal government and the states. We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles unless their presence is explicitly requested by the Governor and local leaders.”

    The Senators slammed the deployment of military personnel as an abuse of power that undermines state and local leadership, interferes with critical law enforcement operations and wastes military resources and taxpayer dollars. They also expressed concern for the dangerous precedent Trump’s misguided deployment of military forces could set for mobilizing military personnel to other cities across the country.

    “For the federal government to deploy military forces into American cities without consulting the Governor and local leaders is a dangerous misuse of federal power that has actively disrupted local law enforcement efforts to maintain peace and order,” continued the Senators. “Deploying military personnel should always be a last resort – not a first step – and should only occur when local law enforcement makes a specific request for such federal resources. The decision to use military personnel to create a spectacle has escalated tensions on the ground and created confusion among local law enforcement. Significantly, it also pulls military assets away from other critical missions and is a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

    “We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles in recent days and to cease any further threats of deploying National Guard or active-duty military personnel into American cities absent a request from the Governor,” concluded the Senators. “Respect for our Constitution and for our civilian law enforcement demands nothing less.”

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

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    June 14, 2025

    Dear President Trump,

    We write to express deep concern over your decision to deploy the National Guard and United States Marine Corps to Los Angeles without consultation or coordination with the Governor and local leaders. This unilateral action represents an alarming abuse of executive authority, continues to inflame the situation on the ground, and undermines the constitutional balance of power between the federal government and the states. We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles unless their presence is explicitly requested by the Governor and local leaders.

    For the federal government to deploy military forces into American cities without consulting the Governor and local leaders is a dangerous misuse of federal power that has actively disrupted local law enforcement efforts to maintain peace and order. Deploying military personnel should always be a last resort – not a first step – and should only occur when local law enforcement makes a specific request for such federal resources. The decision to use military personnel to create a spectacle has escalated tensions on the ground and created confusion among local law enforcement. Significantly, it also pulls military assets away from other critical missions and is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

    We are particularly concerned by the precedent that this ill-conceived deployment of military personnel to Los Angeles sets for other cities and states. Governors are the Commanders in Chief of their National Guards when operating within state borders. As Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said last year when serving as Governor of South Dakota, “If Joe Biden federalizes the National Guard, that would be a direct attack on states’ rights.”

    We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles in recent days and to cease any further threats of deploying National Guard or active-duty military personnel into American cities absent a request from the Governor. Respect for our Constitution and for our civilian law enforcement demands nothing less.

    Sincerely,

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Durbin Join Padilla, Entire Senate Democratic Caucus in Demanding Trump Remove Military Forces From Los Angeles

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    June 14, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) abd U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in demanding that President Trump immediately withdraw all military forces from Los Angeles and cease all threats to deploy the National Guard or active-duty service members to American cities. 

    The letter comes after Trump’s unprecedented move to federalize and deploy the California National Guard without the consent of the California Governor and mobilize U.S. Marine Corps elements, deploying approximately 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles amid unrest created by the President’s indiscriminate and intentionally inflammatory immigration enforcement raids across the region. The first 200 Marines arrived at the Los Angeles Federal Building yesterday, marking the first time in more than 30 years that the Marines have been deployed in the United States.

    Trump deployed these military personnel without the request or support of Governor Newsom, manufacturing a crisis and repeatedly escalating the conflict in order to create a spectacle. The federalizing of California’s National Guard marked the first time the Guard had been deployed without a Governor’s consent since 1965.

    “We write to express deep concern over your decision to deploy the National Guard and United States Marine Corps to Los Angeles without consultation or coordination with the Governor and local leaders,” wrote the Senators. “This unilateral action represents an alarming abuse of executive authority, continues to inflame the situation on the ground, and undermines the constitutional balance of power between the federal government and the states. We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles unless their presence is explicitly requested by the Governor and local leaders.”

    The Senators slammed the deployment of military personnel as an abuse of power that undermines state and local leadership, interferes with critical law enforcement operations and wastes military resources and taxpayer dollars. They also expressed concern for the dangerous precedent Trump’s misguided deployment of military forces could set for mobilizing military personnel to other cities across the country.

    “For the federal government to deploy military forces into American cities without consulting the Governor and local leaders is a dangerous misuse of federal power that has actively disrupted local law enforcement efforts to maintain peace and order,” continued the Senators. “Deploying military personnel should always be a last resort – not a first step – and should only occur when local law enforcement makes a specific request for such federal resources. The decision to use military personnel to create a spectacle has escalated tensions on the ground and created confusion among local law enforcement. Significantly, it also pulls military assets away from other critical missions and is a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

    “We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles in recent days and to cease any further threats of deploying National Guard or active-duty military personnel into American cities absent a request from the Governor,” concluded the Senators. “Respect for our Constitution and for our civilian law enforcement demands nothing less.”

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

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    June 14, 2025

    Dear President Trump,

    We write to express deep concern over your decision to deploy the National Guard and United States Marine Corps to Los Angeles without consultation or coordination with the Governor and local leaders. This unilateral action represents an alarming abuse of executive authority, continues to inflame the situation on the ground, and undermines the constitutional balance of power between the federal government and the states. We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles unless their presence is explicitly requested by the Governor and local leaders.

    For the federal government to deploy military forces into American cities without consulting the Governor and local leaders is a dangerous misuse of federal power that has actively disrupted local law enforcement efforts to maintain peace and order. Deploying military personnel should always be a last resort – not a first step – and should only occur when local law enforcement makes a specific request for such federal resources. The decision to use military personnel to create a spectacle has escalated tensions on the ground and created confusion among local law enforcement. Significantly, it also pulls military assets away from other critical missions and is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

    We are particularly concerned by the precedent that this ill-conceived deployment of military personnel to Los Angeles sets for other cities and states. Governors are the Commanders in Chief of their National Guards when operating within state borders. As Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said last year when serving as Governor of South Dakota, “If Joe Biden federalizes the National Guard, that would be a direct attack on states’ rights.”

    We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles in recent days and to cease any further threats of deploying National Guard or active-duty military personnel into American cities absent a request from the Governor. Respect for our Constitution and for our civilian law enforcement demands nothing less.

    Sincerely,

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth: “Trump’s Birthday Parade Is Nothing More Than an Ego Boost for a Known Draft Dodger”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    June 13, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today issued the following statement ahead of Donald Trump further politicizing our military by diverting $25 to $45 million of Army resources in order to throw himself a birthday parade:

    “Donald Trump’s birthday parade has nothing to do with celebrating the Army’s 250th birthday—it’s to stroke his own ego and make taxpayers foot the bill.

    “If he truly cared about celebrating the Army and our Soldiers, Trump could spend the tens of millions of taxpayer dollars he’s spending on this autocratic show of bravado toward long-term investments in our servicemembers that would actually help military families struggling to make ends meet—like covering the costs of child care, reimbursing tuition or expanding food assistance so they can put food on the table. If you asked any servicemember to list a thousand things they need, I bet an extravagant military parade to celebrate a known draft dodger’s birthday wouldn’t make the cut.

    “Whether it’s this obscene misuse of our military, deploying our servicemembers against their fellow Americans in California or the violent attempt to silence Senator Alex Padilla, our nation is witnessing the very democracy our troops swore an oath to defend look more and more like an authoritarian regime with each passing day. Republicans must grow a spine and stand up for our servicemembers and our Constitution—before it’s too late.”

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Condemns Trump’s Militarization of Los Angeles, Extreme Immigration Enforcement on Face the Nation, State of the Union

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Padilla Condemns Trump’s Militarization of Los Angeles, Extreme Immigration Enforcement on Face the Nation, State of the Union

    Padilla speaks out on rise in political violence and Trump’s polarizing rhetoric

    Watch the full Face the Nation Interview here.
     
    Watch the full State of the Union interview here.

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined CBS’ “Face the Nation” and CNN’s “State of the Union” to discuss the unprecedented militarization of Los Angeles and his forcible removal from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s press conference, where he was thrown to the ground and handcuffed after simply trying to ask a question. Padilla condemned the Trump Administration’s cruel immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles, utilizing unnecessary and excessive actions to repeatedly escalate tensions across the region.

    Senator Padilla set the record straight against blatant Republican disinformation on his forcible removal, highlighting that he was already in the high-security building for a scheduled oversight meeting with the general in charge of the military presence in Los Angeles and was escorted into the briefing room by law enforcement.  

    Key Excerpts — CBS’ “Face the Nation”:

    On his attempt to ask Secretary Noem a question:

    • “The reason I was at the press conference, I was at a scheduled briefing with representatives of Northern Command just a couple doors down the hall in the same federal building when I learned of the press conference, my briefing delayed because the folks I was supposed to meet with were at that press conference. So I asked if we could listen in. I was escorted over, and that’s what I was doing.”
    • “Why? Because for months and months, whether it’s in committee, the Secretary herself testifying and not providing substantive answers to questions, other representatives of the department, formal letters and inquiries that we’ve submitted, doing my job as a Senator to get information as part of our oversight and accountability responsibility. So to be able to ask a question of the Secretary directly when they offered the meeting after the incident, I took it, but sadly, no, nothing substantive, nothing informative.”
    • “When I had the audacity to try to ask a question, as a Senator, of a cabinet secretary, that’s what happened. And you saw the response, everybody’s seen the video. It wasn’t about me, right? If that’s how this Administration responds to a Senator with a question, don’t just imagine what they’re capable of, but what they are doing when the cameras are not there, to people without a title like United States Senator, that cruel disrespectful treatment of so many people who deserve much better.”

    On the unprecedented deployment of military personnel to Los Angeles and the Trump Administration’s broken promise to target violent criminals:

    • “Among other things, their justification for the federalization of the National Guard, not only not necessary, but counterproductive as we’ve seen this last week in Los Angeles.”
    • “And also just truth. You know, for all the talk about the focus and targeting of violent criminals, if that’s all the Trump Administration was doing, there would be no debate. There is no disagreement on that. But as you’re hearing more and more stories of undocumented, long-term residents of the United States who are otherwise law abiding, working hard, paying taxes, raising families and, frankly, working in jobs that under the first Trump Administration, when the COVID pandemic hit, were deemed essential. Workers in restaurants, in agricultural fields, in health care, construction, etc. — that’s who’s being targeted now, and that’s why there’s so much fear and terror in communities, not just in Los Angeles, but throughout the country.”

    On Trump’s sudden order to reduce ICE enforcement and what broader immigration reform looks like:

    • “Let’s hope there’s more to follow because they’re responding to what I and others have been saying for months, and what’s frankly, years, going back to the first Trump Administration.”
    • “The State of California, the most populous state in the nation, the most diverse state in the nation, home to more immigrants than any state in the nation, mostly documented, some undocumented. This is the same California that is the largest economy of any state in the nation, fourth largest economy in the world, not despite the immigrant population, but thanks to the contributions of so many immigrants as a workforce, as consumers, and as entrepreneurs.”
    • “So again, focus on the dangerous, violent criminals. No disagreement there, but the folks who are otherwise law abiding, taxpaying, and enriching communities. There’s got to be a better way, a pathway towards legalization, a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, farm workers, and others.”

    On the Trump Administration’s harmful rhetoric and rising political violence, including the tragic Minnesota killings:

    • “Look a lot of questions, a lot of concerns. I work directly with both the U.S. Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms, and they’re doing what they need to do to ensure the safety of members of Congress.”
    • “But I also think it’s more than appropriate to step back and say, why are tensions so high, not just in Los Angeles, but throughout the country? And I can’t help but point to the beginning of not just the first Trump term, but the beginning of the campaign, the tone with which the President launched his first campaign for president, served throughout his first term, and continues in this term. For a cabinet secretary, during a press conference, to not be able or be willing to de-escalate a situation when I was trying to ask a question — that’s just indicative of the tone of this [Administration].”

    Video of Senator Padilla’s full “Face the Nation” interview is available here.

    Key Excerpts — CNN’s “State of the Union”:

    On why he felt the need to speak up:

    • “Surprise, surprise, no substance came from that press conference, just political attacks. You know, when I heard the Secretary, not for the first time in that press conference, talk about the needing to liberate the people of Los Angeles from their duly elected Mayor and Governor, it was at that moment that I chose to try to ask a question.”
    • “If all the Trump Administration was doing was truly focusing on dangerous, violent criminals, as they suggest, there would be no debate. There would be no disagreement. But we’ve seen story after story after story of hardworking women and men, maybe undocumented, but otherwise law abiding, good people being subject to the terror that the … immigration enforcement operations is subjecting the people to, I needed to speak up. I needed to try to get the information from the Secretary that they’ve refused to provide in hearing after hearing.”

    On Republican disinformation that Sen. Padilla tried to “manufacture a viral moment” and that nobody knew who he was at the press conference:

    • “Nothing could be further from the truth. Again, what are the odds? I was in a federal building a couple of doors down awaiting a briefing from Northern Command, because I still believe the federalization of the National Guard troops and deployment in Los Angeles was not only unlawful, unjustified, but counterproductive. It’s what’s escalated the tensions in Los Angeles.”
    • “I was escorted during my entire time in that building, from showing up in the building, going through security screening, escorted by an FBI agent and a National Guard member to the conference room where I was awaiting a briefing. … They escorted me over to the press conference. They opened the door for me, and they stood next to me while I was listening for the entire time. And then, of course, once I was forcibly removed and handcuffed.”

    On Secretary Noem and President Trump’s failed leadership:

    • “I do think there’s some serious questions, how does the Cabinet Secretary not know the Senator from California when she steps foot into Los Angeles? She came through the Senate for confirmation at one point. And certainly, how does the Secretary of Homeland Security not know how to de-escalate a situation? It’s because she can’t, or because they don’t want to, and it sets the tone — Donald Trump and Secretary Noem have set the tone for the Department of Homeland Security and the entire Administration in terms of escalation and extreme enforcement actions.”

    Video of Senator Padilla’s full “State of the Union” interview is available here.

    Senator Padilla has been outspoken in calling out the ICE raids in Los Angeles and Trump’s misguided deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marine Corps. Yesterday, Padilla led the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in demanding that President Trump immediately withdraw all military forces from Los Angeles and cease all threats to deploy the National Guard or active-duty servicemembers to American cities. Earlier this week, Padilla and Schiff demanded answers regarding the Trump Administration’s decision to deploy approximately 700 Marines to Los Angeles. Padilla has spoken at a spotlight hearing and on the Senate floormultiple times to blast President Trump for manufacturing a crisis by launching indiscriminate ICE raids across Los Angeles and deploying the National Guard and active-duty servicemembers to the region.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Speaks at Eastport Municipal Airport Community Day Celebration

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for individual photos.

    Eastport, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins delivered remarks at the inaugural Airport Community Day at Eastport Municipal Airport. The event was held to celebrate the completion of major upgrades to the airport, including a new terminal and runway, as well as lighting and infrastructure improvements. Elected officials—including State Senator Marianne Moore, State Representative Artie Mingo, Eastport City Council President Billy Boone, and Eastport City Manager Brian Schuth—and dozens of local residents were in attendance for the celebration.

    Senator Collins also spoke at the groundbreaking held at the airport in 2020 when construction began on these airport improvements.

    “Eastport Municipal Airport helps connect Downeast Maine to the world. Just as important, and to the benefit of those not fortunate enough to live here, it connects the world to Downeast Maine,” said Senator Collins during her remarks. “Maine’s smaller airports are vital pieces of our state’s infrastructure that promote job creation, tourism, and economic development throughout the surrounding communities. That is why, as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, one of my greatest priorities is to ensure that Maine’s transportation needs are met.”

    Nearly $7 million in federal funding for the project was awarded to Eastport in 2019 and 2024. This funding was made possible by the $1 billion in supplemental Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds provided in 2019 and $5 billion in Airport Terminal Program (ATP) funds provided in 2024 that Senator Collins secured as Chair of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee and as one of 10 senators who negotiated the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Both the AIP and ATP supplemental funding streams were specifically designed to support small and non-primary airports like Eastport Municipal Airport.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Speaks at Eastport Municipal Airport Community Day Celebration

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for individual photos.

    Eastport, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins delivered remarks at the inaugural Airport Community Day at Eastport Municipal Airport. The event was held to celebrate the completion of major upgrades to the airport, including a new terminal and runway, as well as lighting and infrastructure improvements. Elected officials—including State Senator Marianne Moore, State Representative Artie Mingo, Eastport City Council President Billy Boone, and Eastport City Manager Brian Schuth—and dozens of local residents were in attendance for the celebration.

    Senator Collins also spoke at the groundbreaking held at the airport in 2020 when construction began on these airport improvements.

    “Eastport Municipal Airport helps connect Downeast Maine to the world. Just as important, and to the benefit of those not fortunate enough to live here, it connects the world to Downeast Maine,” said Senator Collins during her remarks. “Maine’s smaller airports are vital pieces of our state’s infrastructure that promote job creation, tourism, and economic development throughout the surrounding communities. That is why, as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, one of my greatest priorities is to ensure that Maine’s transportation needs are met.”

    Nearly $7 million in federal funding for the project was awarded to Eastport in 2019 and 2024. This funding was made possible by the $1 billion in supplemental Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds provided in 2019 and $5 billion in Airport Terminal Program (ATP) funds provided in 2024 that Senator Collins secured as Chair of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee and as one of 10 senators who negotiated the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Both the AIP and ATP supplemental funding streams were specifically designed to support small and non-primary airports like Eastport Municipal Airport.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar, Emmer Lead Entire Minnesota Congressional Delegation in Joint Statement on Politically-Motivated Shooting

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)

    MINNEAPOLIS – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and U.S. Representative Tom Emmer (R-MN) released the following joint statement from the entire Minnesota Delegation, including Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Representatives Brad Finstad (R-MN), Angie Craig (D-MN), Kelly Morrison (D-MN), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), and Pete Stauber (R-MN):

    “Today we speak with one voice to express our outrage, grief, and condemnation of this horrible attack on public servants. There is no place in our democracy for politically-motivated violence. We are praying for John and Yvette’s recovery and we grieve the loss of Melissa and Mark with their family, colleagues, and Minnesotans across the state. We are grateful for law enforcement’s swift response to the situation and continued efforts.”  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall: God Bless the United States Army, and God Bless President Trump

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Senator Marshall Joins Fox and Friends to Discuss the Celebrations for the 250th Birthday of the United States Army
    Washington – On Saturday morning, live from the site of the U.S Army’s 250th Birthday Parade, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) joined Joey Jones on Fox and Friends to discuss the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, the importance of celebrating the Army’s rich history of service, and his family ties to the Army.

    Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full interview.
    Highlights from the interview include:
    On the current state of the Israel and Iran conflict:
    “Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East – we need to stand beside them. At the same time, I want all the listeners to understand that the Iranian regime was just a week away from having nuclear warheads. President Trump gave them a 60-day warning. On day 61, Israel took things into their own hands. We pray for peace, we pray for the Iranian people, but we cannot tolerate a terrorist group having a nuclear warhead.”
    On what should happen next for the United States regarding the conflict:
    “Being from Kansas, I’m a big Eisenhower fan, and President Eisenhower said, “I hate war as only a soldier who’s lived it can, with all its brutality and futility.” Joey, you’ve seen what that war is like as well. I think when you’ve served, you hate war more than anybody else. I want to project peace through strength, that was another President Eisenhower saying as well, so let’s project peace through strength. Pray for peace every day, and I’m just so grateful for all the military people willing to fight for our freedoms to keep the peace, but make us safe as well. And a big shout-out to all those soldiers in harm’s way right now in the Middle East.”
    On the planned counterprotests around the country for June 14:
    “Certainly, their obsession has become psychosis. I would just come and invite some of the people to meet some of the people that I had the privilege of giving a Capitol tour to last night. Soldiers from the Big Red One, the First Infantry Division – this division had 12,000 people who made the ultimate sacrifice, 12,000 people from one division. 1.3 million people from the army have made the ultimate sacrifice, another 1.5 million people injured in war, so just come and tell them thanks for that right to get out here and protest. God bless all of them, God bless President Trump. Let’s celebrate the Army’s birthday today.”
    On the penalties for those who burn American flags:
    “I’m all for it. Unfortunately, I grew up during the Vietnam era, and that’s when the flag burning started. Again, my dad served, my brother served, someone from every generation of my family since the Civil War, and to see them burn the flag, it’s just a kick in the gut to all of us who served.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Leads Entire Senate Democratic Caucus in Demanding Trump Remove Military Forces From Los Angeles

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla Leads Entire Senate Democratic Caucus in Demanding Trump Remove Military Forces From Los Angeles

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) led the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in demanding that President Trump immediately withdraw all military forces from Los Angeles and cease all threats to deploy the National Guard or active-duty servicemembers to American cities.

    The letter comes after Trump’s unprecedented move to federalize and deploy the California National Guard without the consent of the California Governor and mobilize U.S. Marine Corps elements, deploying approximately 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles amid unrest created by the President’s indiscriminate and intentionally inflammatory immigration enforcement raids across the region. The first 200 Marines arrived at the Los Angeles Federal Building yesterday, marking the first time in over 30 years that the Marines have been deployed in the United States.

    Trump deployed these military personnel without the request or support of Governor Newsom, manufacturing a crisis and repeatedly escalating the conflict in order to create a spectacle. The federalizing of California’s National Guard marked the first time the Guard had been deployed without a Governor’s consent since 1965.

    “We write to express deep concern over your decision to deploy the National Guard and United States Marine Corps to Los Angeles without consultation or coordination with the Governor and local leaders,” wrote Padilla and the entire Democratic Senate Caucus. “This unilateral action represents an alarming abuse of executive authority, continues to inflame the situation on the ground, and undermines the constitutional balance of power between the federal government and the states. We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles unless their presence is explicitly requested by the Governor and local leaders.”

    The Senators slammed the deployment of military personnel as an abuse of power that undermines state and local leadership, interferes with critical law enforcement operations, and wastes military resources and taxpayer dollars. They also expressed concern for the dangerous precedent Trump’s misguided deployment of military forces could set for mobilizing military personnel to other cities across the country.

    “For the federal government to deploy military forces into American cities without consulting the Governor and local leaders is a dangerous misuse of federal power that has actively disrupted local law enforcement efforts to maintain peace and order,” continued the Senators. “Deploying military personnel should always be a last resort – not a first step – and should only occur when local law enforcement makes a specific request for such federal resources. The decision to use military personnel to create a spectacle has escalated tensions on the ground and created confusion among local law enforcement. Significantly, it also pulls military assets away from other critical missions and is a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

    “We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles in recent days and to cease any further threats of deploying National Guard or active-duty military personnel into American cities absent a request from the Governor,” concluded the Senators. “Respect for our Constitution and for our civilian law enforcement demands nothing less.”

    The Trump Administration has consistently utilized excessive force and aggressive tactics in its immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles and across the country. This pattern of unnecessary violence was evident on Thursday when Senator Padilla was forcibly removed from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s press conference, thrown to the ground and handcuffed after simply trying to ask a question.

    The legality of Trump’s federalizing of California’s National Guard without the Governor’s consent is currently being disputed in federal court. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a stay to pause a lower court’s ruling, which had returned command of the California National Guard to Governor Newsom.

    The district court ruled that the President did not follow the statutorily mandated procedure necessary to deploy the National Guard and ordered him to return control of the Guard to California. The Court ruled that Trump violated the 10th Amendment and 10 USC 12406, the provision that authorizes the President to federalize the Guard in the event of insurrection or rebellion. The court held that California was also likely to prevail on the merits of its suit — there was no rebellion or insurrection, and local, county, and state law enforcement were fully capable of enforcing the law.

    “At this early stage of the proceedings, the Court must determine whether the President followed the congressionally mandated procedure for his actions. He did not. His actions were illegal—both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith,” wrote the court.

    “We’re talking about the president exercising his authority, and the president is, of course, limited to his authority,” the court continued. “That’s the difference between a constitutional government and King George. It’s not that a leader can simply say something, and it becomes it.”

    In addition to Senator Padilla, the letter to President Trump was signed by the entire Senate Democratic Caucus, including Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear President Trump,

    We write to express deep concern over your decision to deploy the National Guard and United States Marine Corps to Los Angeles without consultation or coordination with the Governor and local leaders. This unilateral action represents an alarming abuse of executive authority, continues to inflame the situation on the ground, and undermines the constitutional balance of power between the federal government and the states. We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles unless their presence is explicitly requested by the Governor and local leaders.

    For the federal government to deploy military forces into American cities without consulting the Governor and local leaders is a dangerous misuse of federal power that has actively disrupted local law enforcement efforts to maintain peace and order. Deploying military personnel should always be a last resort – not a first step – and should only occur when local law enforcement makes a specific request for such federal resources. The decision to use military personnel to create a spectacle has escalated tensions on the ground and created confusion among local law enforcement. Significantly, it also pulls military assets away from other critical missions and is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

    We are particularly concerned by the precedent that this ill-conceived deployment of military personnel to Los Angeles sets for other cities and states. Governors are the Commanders in Chief of their National Guards when operating within state borders. As Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said last year when serving as Governor of South Dakota, “If Joe Biden federalizes the National Guard, that would be a direct attack on states’ rights.”

    We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles in recent days and to cease any further threats of deploying National Guard or active-duty military personnel into American cities absent a request from the Governor. Respect for our Constitution and for our civilian law enforcement demands nothing less.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar Statement on Fatal Shooting in Minnesota

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar
    MINNEAPOLIS – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement:
    “John and I are devastated and heartbroken by the horrific murders of Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, as well as the horrific attack on Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
    Melissa Hortman was a good friend and we started in politics at the same time and I still remember the two of us going door to door in her first legislative campaign. She was a true public servant to the core, dedicating her life to serving Minnesotans with integrity and compassion. As Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, she led efforts to protect women’s rights, invest in clean energy, and secure free school lunch for kids. She was beloved by her colleagues. 
    I want to thank the brave law enforcement officers who are working in real time to protect Minnesotans and ensure there is accountability for these horrific crimes.
    Let me be absolutely clear: this was an act of targeted political violence, and it was an attack on everything we stand for as a democracy. We must all condemn it. And we must refuse to be a country where anyone is silenced by threats or violence. 
    To Melissa’s and Mark’s family, Melissa’s colleagues in the Minnesota Legislature, and everyone mourning across our state: I grieve with you. And I will honor their legacy not just in words, but through action — by protecting our democracy, by standing up to hate, and by continuing the work they so passionately believed in.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Welch Statement on Escalation of Conflict in the Middle East 

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today released the following statement in response to the escalation of armed conflict in the Middle East: 
    “Like many around the world, I am alarmed by the latest escalation of armed conflict in the Middle East. Israel’s attack on Iran, and the subsequent counterattacks against Israel by the Iranian regime, risk destroying the nuclear negotiations led by the Trump Administration which offer the best hope for a lasting solution to Iran’s nuclear program. This escalation could ignite a regional war, which would be catastrophic for the people of the Middle East, as well as the United States.   
    “We must continue to lead with diplomacy. We must avoid getting dragged into this conflict and work across nations to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. President Trump said he wanted to end wars in the Middle East. I urge him to stand up for the safety of American troops and American interests and use his influence as president to stop this from escalating further.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Paul, Grassley Renew Bipartisan Fight to Expand Access To Hearing Services Through Medicare

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    June 13, 2025
    Hearing loss affects over 50 million Americans and particularly affects older Americans, with nearly one in three people between the ages of 65 and 75 and around half of adults 75 or older reporting difficulty hearing. 
    Text of the Bill (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) led their colleagues in reintroducing the bipartisan Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act, legislation to ensure that seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare are able to access a full range of hearing and balance health care services provided by licensed audiologists.
    Currently, audiologists are classified as non-physician health care professionals that are trained in the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of individuals with hearing, balance, and related disorders. Although Medicare already covers various hearing health services, it currently does not recognize audiologists as providers, and they will only receive Medicare reimbursement for a limited set of tests to diagnose hearing or balance disorders—provided that patients first obtain an order from a physician or nurse practitioner. 
    “Outdated Medicare rules are preventing seniors from accessing the vital services audiologists provide,” said Senator Warren. “We’re introducing this bill because older Americans and people with disabilities deserve access to the full range of care they need.”
    The Medicare Audiologist Access Improvement Act of 2025 would reclassify audiologists as “practitioners” in the Medicare program, allowing Medicare beneficiaries to receive hearing and balance health care services from licensed audiologists.
    “The Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act removes needless government barriers so Americans can access hearing care directly and affordably,” said Dr. Rand Paul. “It shows that when Congress focuses on practical solutions, we can work across the aisle to improve health care.”
    “I’m proud to have helped improve access to high-quality and affordable hearing aids through the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Act in 2017. However, millions of Americans are affected by hearing loss, and more work needs to be done to reduce barriers. “I’m glad to join my colleagues in introducing this bill to expand access and allow more seniors and individuals with disabilities to get help from a trained audiologist,” said Senator Grassley.
    The legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Angus King (I-Maine).
    “Senior citizens deserve access to high quality audiology care and services they need,” said Senator Booker. “Too many patients suffering from hearing problems struggle to access care because current Medicare rules limit the range of services available. This legislation will remove barriers to accessing audiology care, expand the treatments available, and allow more audiologists to participate in Medicare.”
    “Too many Granite Staters suffering from hearing loss are met with bureaucratic barriers when trying to access the care that they need. Roughly one in every three adults between the ages of 65 and 75 experience hearing loss – and yet, they struggle to get care because Medicare does not recognize audiologists as providers,” said Senator Shaheen. “It’s past time we cut through this red tape to expand Medicare and ensure that older adults and Granite Staters with disabilities have access to the health services provided by audiologists. That’s why I’m proud to work across the aisle to introduce bipartisan legislation that does exactly that.”
    “Excessive red tape has made it increasingly difficult for more than 70,000 Vermonters who experience hearing loss and need access to audiology services. Outdated Medicaid rules make it harder for folks in every state to receive the crucial care audiologists provide,” said Senator Welch. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in reintroducing this bipartisan legislation to make it easier for seniors and folks with disabilities to get the audiology care they need.”
    The Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act is supported by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the Academy of Doctors of Audiology, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the American Academy of Audiology, the Hearing Loss Association of America, the Hearing Industries Association, the Vestibular Disorders Association, the American Tinnitus Association, the National Rural Health Association, and the National Association of Rural Health Clinics.
    “The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association thanks Senators Warren, Paul, and Grassley for their continued leadership to ensure seniors have more streamlined and robust access to hearing and balance care provided by audiologists,” said ASHA 2025 President Bernadette Mayfield-Clarke, Ph.D., CCC-SLP. “ASHA looks forward to supporting their efforts to remove unnecessary bureaucratic barriers that unfairly penalize seniors and prevent them from accessing critical hearing and balance care in a timely and cost-effective manner.”
    The American Academy of Audiology’s President Patricia Gaffney, AuD, MPH, stated, “The leadership of these three dedicated senators in advancing audiologic access nationwide reinforces the vital work audiologists do every day to improve hearing and balance health care. For patients, this legislation represents a meaningful step forward—ensuring timely access to the essential services needed for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of hearing and vestibular disorders.”
    “ADA applauds Senator Warren, Senator Paul, and Senator Grassley for championing the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act (MAAIA) to remove red tape so that seniors and individuals with disabilities have streamlined access to crucial hearing and balance healthcare services,” said Amyn Amlani, Ph.D., president of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA). “Eliminating burdensome pretreatment order requirements and classifying audiologists as Medicare practitioners will allow patients to receive timely, evidence-based care that improves communication, reduces fall risks, and enhances overall quality of life.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar Statement on EPA’s Renewable Volume Obligations Announcement

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement on the EPA’s new Renewable Volume Obligations (RVO) standards.

    The recently announced blending levels under the Renewable Fuel Standard advances the bipartisan efforts Senator Grassley and I have led to increase the blending of homegrown biofuels, including ethanol and biomass-based diesel. As farmers continue to face the headwinds of uncertain trade and across-the-board tariffs, domestic biofuel production remains a critical market for our farmers. I have long pushed back against the flagrant abuse of Small Refinery Waivers. Any gallons waived by legitimate waivers must be accounted for in the final RVOs.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Hosts Fireside Chat on AI and Civil Rights with Massachusetts Advocates, Community Leaders

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Washington (June 13, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today hosted a fireside chat with Massachusetts advocates and community leaders to discuss artificial intelligence (AI), civil rights, and the Senator’s AI Civil Rights Act, the most comprehensive AI civil rights legislation introduced in Congress. The legislation, which Senator Markey introduced last year, would put strict guardrails on companies’ use of algorithms for consequential decisions, ensure algorithms are tested before and after deployment, help eliminate and prevent bias, and renew Americans’ faith in the accuracy and fairness of complex algorithms.

    Participants discussed the civil rights issues already developing in Massachusetts communities—from housing to hiring algorithms—and the necessity of passing the AI Civil Rights Act to build a just digital world for all.

    “Today’s discussion provided powerful evidence of the risks AI poses for marginalized communities and workers in Massachusetts and across the country. I remain committed to fighting for a just digital future and that starts by protecting those who are most affected by these emerging technologies,” said Senator Markey. “That is why I authored the AI Civil Rights Act. My legislation would protect the public’s civil rights and liberties during the development and deployment of algorithms that make critical life decisions for individuals on everything from housing to health care. We need to chart a path forward for AI that protects civil rights, empowers workers, and promotes innovation rooted in accountability.”

    “The threat of AI to unions and labor organizing comes from the imbalance of control and access to information between management and workers – a dynamic the labor movement has long battled,” said Chrissy Lynch, Massachusetts AFL-CIO President. “Robust notification systems and knowledge that one’s sensitive information, including biometric data, is being accessed by an employer should be a baseline for all workplace-based AI and other algorithmic technologies. Workers need a voice in how these tools are developed and implemented, and workers need to be at the table when policy decisions are being made that affect their livelihood and wellbeing.”

    “In the current political climate, having this bill is crucial because it serves as a safeguard against the erosion of civil rights and racial justice gains that are being challenged or rolled back,” said Rahsaan Hall, President and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.

    “The dangers from artificial intelligence aren’t a future problem—they are here now. Today, corporations are using algorithmic systems to manipulate prices, decide who gets a job or a loan, conduct surveillance of our labor and political expression, and artificially inflate already sky high rents. Even worse, these technologies can be used to secretly discriminate against us based on our race, religion, gender, and other protected characteristics. The ACLU is proud to stand with Senator Markey as he fights for legislation to ensure technology works for all people, strengthens rather than undermines our democracy, and is never used to discriminate against us because of who we are or where we come from,” said Kade Crockford, Director of the ACLU MA Technology for Liberty Project.

    “Artificial intelligence technology is already being used nationwide to discriminate,” said Armani White, Co-Founder of Reclaim Roxbury. “Right here in Boston, it is being used by companies to gouge prices for renters. We are overdue on artificial intelligence oversight and regulation.”

    Senator Markey first introduced the AI Civil Rights Act in September 2024. This week, Senator Markey announced plans to file an amendment to the Senate reconciliation bill to block Republicans’ attempt to prevent states from regulating artificial intelligence (AI) for the next 10 years. Last week, Senator Markey convened a virtual roundtable with advocates to discuss the impacts this ban would have on communities across the country. On June 3, Senator Markey delivered remarks on the Senate floor opposing the provision in the House-passed reconciliation bill that would prevent states from regulating AI for the next ten years.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker Condemns GEO Group, DHS Mismanagement of Delaney Hall ICE Detention Facility

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    NEWARK, N.J. – This afternoon, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement:

    “The conditions at the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark are untenable. With serious security lapses, numerous reports of mistreatment by staff of detainees, complaints of persistent food shortages, and a troubling lack of transparency from facility administrators, it’s clear that GEO Group has shown it cannot—or will not—operate Delaney Hall humanely or safely. I have long opposed privately owned and operated immigration detention facilities because they are mired by rampant abuse and neglect of those in their care. After spending millions of dollars in upgrades it continues to be a house of horrors. The consequences of GEO’s mismanagement, and the Department of Homeland Security’s resistance to Congressional oversight, are borne by my neighbors in Newark and those detained at Delaney Hall. The Department of Homeland Security has a duty to work with Congress to address the problem, take immediate action to improve the conditions at Delaney Hall, and ensure the proper and fair treatment of those detained.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand Statement On Israel-Iran Conflict

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

    Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

    “The situation in the Middle East is extremely serious and I am closely monitoring ongoing developments. I will always support Israel’s right to defend itself. Iran is the foremost sponsor of terrorism in the world, and it must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. With Iranian retaliation already occurring and likely to continue, I am praying for the Israeli people, as well as for American troops, personnel and citizens throughout the Middle East. I will remain in close contact with our intelligence and national security community as this situation evolves.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Durbin Join Luján, Warnock and Blunt Rochester in Slamming Secretary Kennedy’s Decision to Gut Nation’s Vaccine Advisory Committee and Replace Them with Vaccine Skeptics

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    June 13, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and 17 of their Senate colleagues in condemning U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s decision to gut the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and appoint several members to the committee with a documented history of anti-vaccine ideology and peddling misinformation. In the letter, the lawmakers raise the alarm on the dangers of gutting the ACIP and urge Secretary Kennedy to immediately reappoint the members of the committee he fired.

    “We are deeply concerned by your decision to fire every member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP),” the Senators wrote. “This unprecedented action will strip Americans of the ability to make informed decisions about the benefits and risks of vaccinations — the complete opposite of ‘radical transparency’ and ‘good science.’” 

    The Senators raised the alarm on the recent appointment of several members to the committee, “We are troubled by your recent announcement to appoint several members to the committee who have a documented history of anti-vaccine ideology and peddling misinformation. We urge you to restore legitimacy to this historically non-partisan, science-based, and data-driven committee and immediately reinstate the members of ACIP you have baselessly fired.”

    “ACIP is a longstanding, trusted national source of science- and data-backed advice and guidance on the use of vaccines to prevent and control disease. Members that serve on this committee must undergo extensive vetting and disclose any conflicts of interest. Firing every member of the committee just before their next meeting scheduled for June 25-27 eliminates the advisory board’s ability to debate and make well-informed recommendations, putting American lives at risk,” continued the Senators.

    “We urge you to immediately reappoint the members of the committee that you fired and remove those that you have recently appointed that have a documented history of peddling misinformation or undermining vaccine confidence,” the Senators concluded. 

    Last week Duckworth also slammed Kennedy and HHS for announcing changes to CDC’s recommended vaccine schedule that would dramatically limit access to COVID-19 vaccines for millions of pregnant women and children, needlessly endangering their health.

    In addition to Duckworth, Durbin, Luján, Warnock and Blunt Rochester, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Peter Welch (D-VT).

    Read the full letter on the Senator’s website or below:

    Dear Secretary Kennedy,

    We are deeply concerned by your decision to fire every member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). This unprecedented action will strip Americans of the ability to make informed decisions about the benefits and risks of vaccinations — the complete opposite of “radical transparency” and “good science”. We are troubled by your recent announcement to appoint several members to the committee who have a documented history of anti-vaccine ideology and peddling misinformation. We urge you to restore legitimacy to this historically non-partisan, science-based, and data-driven committee and immediately reinstate the members of ACIP you have baselessly fired.

    ACIP is a longstanding, trusted national source of science- and data-backed advice and guidance on the use of vaccines to prevent and control disease. Members that serve on this committee must undergo extensive vetting and disclose any conflicts of interest. Firing every member of the committee just before their next meeting scheduled for June 25-27 eliminates the advisory board’s ability to debate and make well-informed recommendations, putting American lives at risk. This reckless move is also happening as our nation faces the largest measles outbreak in over 30 years.

    This decision appears to be a deliberate effort to repopulate the committee with anti-vaccine demagogues and continue pushing vaccine misinformation to the American people. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, over 80 percent of parents with children under age 18 report that their children receive routine immunizations; however, a divide based on political ideology is growing. The reality is that most Americans trust the science behind vaccines — but through inaccurate information and politicization, you are eroding the trust in vaccines.

    This is just one action of many that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recently taken to undermine vaccine confidence in the United States. Just over two weeks ago, HHS reversed the CDC recommendations on COVID-19 vaccination. This decision was made without the consultation of ACIP or CDC, narrowing recommendations to exclude healthy pregnant people despite pregnancy increasing the risk for severe infection. Just a day later, HHS announced the termination of a contract with Moderna to develop a bird flu vaccine despite warnings of a future pandemic from infectious disease doctors and public health professionals. These deliberate efforts to sow doubt in the safety and efficacy of vaccines have real consequences — people will die.

    In addition to advising everyday Americans on their health decisions, ACIP recommendations also influence whether insurance will cover certain vaccines, making them accessible to insured Americans. Furthermore, ACIP determines the vaccine recommendations for the Vaccines for

    Children program, which ensures underinsured and uninsured children across the nation can access vaccines at no cost. Without these recommendations, vaccines will become out of reach for far too many Americans. These actions contradict your written responses to questions for the record from the Senate Finance Committee, in which you said “yes” in response to a question about your commitment to ensure there are no financial barriers to accessing safe and effective vaccines.

    Vaccines are safe and effective and have significantly reduced, and in some cases entirely eliminated, disease. With recent scientific advances in mRNA technology, vaccines are becoming easier and faster to produce in addressing today’s public health crises. It is critical that ACIP maintains its ability to develop science- and data-driven recommendations on vaccination without interference from anti-vaccine ideology.

    Patient safety and transparency is at the heart of ACIP — Americans deserve the ability to make informed decisions about their health. You are stripping Americans of the freedom to choose by your recent appointments to the committee by centering anti-vaccine ideology.  Therefore, we demand that you recuse your personal views on vaccines and restore the ACIP. We urge you to immediately reappoint the members of the committee that you fired and remove those that you have recently appointed that have a documented history of peddling misinformation or undermining vaccine confidence.

    Sincerely,

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of DACA Anniversary, Rosen Joins Push to Urge Trump Administration to Resume Processing DACA Applications

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senate Democratic colleagues in urging U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to resume processing applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, following a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that limited a nationwide injunction to only Texas.
    “[Dreamers] are American in every way but their immigration status,” wrote the Senators. “Many only know this country as their home, and they contribute every day to this great nation by paying taxes and serving in critical roles, such as police officers, teachers, and nurses. Americans overwhelmingly support providing Dreamers a path to citizenship, and in December 2024, President Trump stated that he supported protections for Dreamers to remain in the United States.”
    “Consistent with this statement, we implore you to use your authority at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume processing initial applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and provide such protections for Dreamers immediately,” they continued. “Pursuant to the order, in Texas, DACA must resume as a limited program providing protection from deportation for current DACA recipients, but without access to work authorization or driver’s licenses as part of those renewals. This order went into effect on March 11, giving USCIS the authority to start processing initial DACA applications from states other than Texas. However, nearly three months later, USCIS has not made any public announcement on whether new DACA applications will be processed; nor has the agency begun processing initial applications that have been pending with the agency for years. We urge you to begin processing these DACA applications immediately, consistent with the Fifth Circuit decision and existing regulations, and to ensure Dreamers eligible to file initial DACA applications can do so as soon as possible.”
    Senator Rosen has been outspoken in her strong support for immigrant communities, including DACA recipients and their families. This week, she took to the Senate floor to mark the thirteenth anniversary of the DACA program and deliver a forceful defense of Nevada’s Dreamers in light of the Trump Administration’s attacks on immigrant communities across the country. In a committee hearing last year, Senator Rosen raised concerns over the significant application delays impacting DACA recipients. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: June 13th, 2025 N.M. Delegation Demands Trump Administration Restore Digital Equity Grants That Help New Mexicans Connect to the Internet

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    Passed by Congress, the Digital Equity Act Provides Funding to Help Connect Americans in Tribal, Rural, and Urban Communities to the Internet;

    Trump Administration is Blocking Over $8 Million in Funding Appropriated by Congress to Expand Broadband Access and Digital Resources in New Mexico

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee, and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) demanded U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and National Telecommunications and Information Administration Acting Administrator Adam Cassady immediately reverse the decision to abruptly terminate the Digital Equity Act grant programs that help New Mexicans access the internet. In the letter, the lawmakers highlight how Digital Equity Act grant programs help provide reliable broadband access and digital resources across New Mexico and call on the Trump administration to restore funding appropriated by Congress for this vital program.

    “We write to express our opposition to your attempts to abruptly terminate the Digital Equity Act grant programs and urge you to immediately restore these funds awarded for digital inclusion efforts in New Mexico. The cessation of these funds will have an outsized impact on New Mexico where the digital divide is vast and remains a defining barrier to opportunity,” wrote the lawmakers.

    The lawmakers highlighted the importance of Digital Equity Act grant programs to connect New Mexicans to reliable broadband access, “With the administration’s attempt to terminate these programs, New Mexico expects to lose the majority of the over $8 million it had been awarded to support efforts to address the significant challenges to providing reliable broadband access and digital resources across our state. This funding is essential to serving 1,939,000 people in New Mexico who continue to face significant challenges in securing and maintaining internet connectivity.”

    “Ending these grants is like abandoning a bridge when it is only halfway built – it leaves communities stranded and in the digital dark, with opportunity just out of reach. We urge the Department of Commerce to reverse this decision immediately and restore funding appropriated by Congress for this vital program,” the lawmakers concluded.

    Read the full letter here or below:

    Dear Secretary Lutnick and Acting Administrator Cassady:

    We write to express our opposition to your attempts to abruptly terminate the Digital Equity Act grant programs and urge you to immediately restore these funds awarded for digital inclusion efforts in New Mexico. The cessation of these funds will have an outsized impact on New Mexico where the digital divide is vast and remains a defining barrier to opportunity.

    Passed by Congress and signed into law under the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, the grants provide a one-time infusion of $2.75 billion to close the digital divide in Tribal, rural and urban communities, support telemedicine, cybersecurity, and AI education programs, strengthen connections between loved ones, and allow people to acquire the digital skills and necessary technology to participate in the digital economy regardless of their ZIP Code. The programs created by these grants would fund tested and proven strategies like digital navigator programs that provide tailored digital skills training that meet the unique needs of seniors, veterans, low-income families, Tribal and rural communities, people with disabilities, and other historically underserved groups.

    With the administration’s attempt to terminate these programs, New Mexico expects to lose the majority of the over $8 million it had been awarded to support efforts to address the significant challenges to providing reliable broadband access and digital resources across our state. This funding is essential to serving 1,939,000 people in New Mexico who continue to face significant challenges in securing and maintaining internet connectivity. This funding, that has been needlessly stalled, would have expanded workforce development, improved online safety, cybersecurity and privacy training, and several other training programs.

    Permanently terminating these funds will exacerbate the difficulties for individuals and families to use the internet to improve their lives and fully participate in an increasingly digital world. Ending these grants is like abandoning a bridge when it is only halfway built – it leaves communities stranded and in the digital dark, with opportunity just out of reach. We urge the Department of Commerce to reverse this decision immediately and restore funding appropriated by Congress for this vital program.

    We appreciate your attention to this urgent matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Q&A: 23andMe

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    Q: Why did you convene a Judiciary Committee hearing about 23andMe?

    A: More than 15 million Americans are customers of 23andMe, a genetic testing company whose services include analyzing one’s DNA to provide ancestry information and insights on inherited genes that may reveal predispositions for certain health conditions, including some cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Customers submit a saliva sample to begin the direct-to-consumer genetic testing service. Earlier this year, 23andMe filed for bankruptcy, opening a can of worms exposing consumer privacy and national security implications. Because 23andMe is not a health care company, federal health privacy laws don’t apply to customers’ sensitive genetic data. Even though the company suggests that its privacy policy protects consumers’ data, 23andMe and its successor company can unilaterally change that privacy policy at any time. So, the potential sale of the company raises serious concerns about genetic privacy and what happens to that information, including the genomic profile and saliva specimen of each customer. Since its founding in 2006, the company that was once valued at $6 billion has suffered financial hardship, due in part to a massive data breach impacting millions of customers.

    As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over bankruptcy and certain privacy laws, I called a hearing to gather testimony from the head of the company, as well as bioethics, bankruptcy and national security experts. Consumers deserve to know how their genomic data is going to be used, and Americans deserve protection from foreign threats. As the company seeks court approval to sell its assets in the bankruptcy process, 23andMe, its creditors and shareholders want the highest price for the sale of the company. Make no mistake, potential buyers are after the genetic data of 15 million customers. The fewer restrictions there are on the company’s assets, the more they’re worth. Just consider if this sensitive information should get into the hands of a foreign adversary or potentially be used against an individual as blackmail or when applying for life insurance, health insurance or employment. Before the genetic information of Americans is sold, they ought to be able to decide whether, when and how their data is used. What’s more, the data privacy issues reach far beyond the 15 million Americans who submitted their saliva for genetic analysis. The genomic data would span across family tree lines, meaning the trove of data being mined would involve an exponentially larger pool of people. That’s why it’s imperative this sensitive information doesn’t get into the hands of bad actors.

    Q: What’s your takeaway from the witness testimony?

    A: During my questioning, I focused on the vulnerabilities to national security, particularly stemming from China. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is pursuing aggressive development of AI, biotech and computing to conduct mass surveillance, boost its military capabilities and dominate the bioeconomy. We heard about the CCP’s use of genetic tests to track, target and oppress Uyghur Muslims and how 23andMe’s American customer base would provide a genetic diversity trove of data that could be an attractive target for the CCP. They should never be allowed to get their hands on it. Considering strong evidence showing COVID-19 was created in a Chinese lab, as well as Chinese nationals smuggling dangerous biological pathogens into the United States just this past month, the  weaponization of biologics and military application of genomic data are no longer far-fetched fantasies of science fiction. American genetic data must be protected.

    Currently, no federal privacy or bankruptcy laws protect genomic data. I’m cosponsoring the bipartisan Don’t Sell My DNA Act to protect sensitive genetic data during corporate bankruptcy proceedings. Notably, it would require affirmative consumer consent prior to the use, sale or lease of genetic information. Policymakers must take steps to safeguard consumer privacy and prevent foreign adversaries and bad actors from obtaining sensitive genetic information. As an outspoken watchdog in the U.S. Senate to hold China accountable for its intellectual property and espionage policies, I’ve long worked to screen its foreign investments, combat the CCP’s influence at U.S. colleges and protect U.S. farmland. I’ll continue working to advance policies that safeguard the sensitive genetic data of Americans.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed Statement on Trump’s Military Parade

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    PROVIDENCE, RI – Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed, a West Point graduate and former U.S. Army paratrooper who served in the 82nd Airborne, issued the following statement:

    “The U.S. Army and our military personnel are worthy of celebration and recognition each and every day.  They have our unwavering gratitude and support. 

    “As a proud Army veteran, I, like all Americans, understand that the strength of our military is its people – generations of brave men and women who defend our nation and stand a post for freedom.  They are not props.  They serve the American people and deserve principled policy, leadership, and action that demonstrates our support for them and matches their enduring sacrifice.

    “While this parade is a reminder that a president gets to give the military its marching orders, it’s really a demonstration of how this president prioritizes his own image above the needs of the American people, particularly those in uniform, whom he has frequently ridiculed. 

    “Given the chaotic state of affairs – with Marines deployed in Los Angeles, President Trump threatening to “have troops everywhere” within the United States, and unfolding attacks in the Middle East — locking down the nation’s capital to parade tanks and military hardware through the streets is not an appropriate way to honor servicemembers.  That sounds like something an isolated, insecure despot would do for his own aggrandizement.  

    “Our military has important missions to accomplish.  The tens of millions of dollars expended for this event could be better allocated to improve the lives and readiness of our servicemembers and their families.

    “I think we should be celebrating the Army’s 250th anniversary, but doing it in the dignified way that the Army itself had originally planned, which was an appropriate, right-sized, static celebration on the Mall and a fitting salute to the generations of brave Americans who have served and continue to serve our nation with great courage and distinction.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warnock, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Georgians from Payment Scams

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Warnock, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Georgians from Payment Scams

    The Task Force for Recognizing and Averting Payments Scams (TRAPS) Act, would create a task force to combat the growing issue of payment scams

    A champion of consumer protections, Senator Reverend Warnock has a long history of combating payment scams, including fighting to protect students and seniors

    Senators Reverend Warnock: “Scams and financial schemes continue to target Georgians’ bank accounts, especially our seniors who work their entire lives to build savings”

    Washington, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Mike Crapo (R-ID) Mark Warner (D-VA), and Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced the bipartisan Task Force for Recognizing and Averting Payments Scams (TRAPS) Act. The legislation would create a task force to combat the growing issue of payment scams. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that losses to fraud have soared 25 percent over the last year to $12.5 billion nationwide.

    “Scams and financial schemes continue to target Georgians’ bank accounts, especially our seniors who work their entire lives to build savings,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “The Task Force for Recognizing and Averting Payments Scams (TRAPS) Act better equips law enforcement and regulators to fight back and provide much-needed protection for fraud victims, and helps prevent scams before they happen.”

    Payment scams occur when a scammer induces a victim, usually under false pretenses to voluntarily send them money. The Senators’ legislation would bring together industry, law enforcement, financial regulators and telecommunication regulators to decide best practices for identifying and preventing future scams.

    Specifically, the TRAPS Act would:

    1.    Create a task force, chaired by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and composed of the prudential regulators, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Department of Justice and representatives from industry. 

    2.    Direct the task force to examine the payments landscape and compile a report to recommend legislative and regulatory changes, including best practices to coordinate state, local and federal efforts.

    3.    Require the task force to update the report annually for three years.

    The TRAPS Act is supported by AARP, Early Warning Services, Electronic Transactions Association, GoWest Credit Union Association, American Bankers Association, Consumer Bankers Association, National Bankers Association, the Defense Credit Union Council and America’s Credit Unions.

    “Criminals continue to target vulnerable Americans through creative ways to trick them out of their hard-earned money,” said Senator Crapo.  “We can–and should–better equip law enforcement and regulators with the tools to go after scammers and prevent scams before they happen.”

    “The evolving sophistication of financial scams emphasizes the urgent need for unified and proactive defense,” said Senator Warner. “The TRAPS Act will bridge the gap between law enforcement, regulators and the financial industry in order to better protect Americans’ financial welfare and hold those who prey on hard-working individuals accountable.”


    “Combatting the global rise in fraud starts with making certain federal regulators and law enforcement agencies are coordinating effectively to address these threats,”     said Senator Moran.  “Establishing a task force to promote inter-agency cooperation on preventing payment scams and other fraud is yet another step in protecting the financial security of Kansans.”

    Senator Warnock has long been a champion of consumer protections and ensuring our nation’s seniors aren’t taken advantage of financially. During a Senate Again Committee hearing, Senator Warnock highlighted the need for government agencies to increase efforts to better protect seniors from Artificial Intelligence (AI) scams. Senator Warnock also introduced a consumer protection bill aiming to restore the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) longstanding authority to return money to consumers victimized by illegal scams, fraud, and other deceptive practices.

    The bill text for the TRAPS Act is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warnock, Cassidy Bring Bipartisanship, Southern Flair to Capitol Hill for National Seersucker Day

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Warnock, Cassidy Bring Bipartisanship, Southern Flair to Capitol Hill for National Seersucker Day

    Senator Reverend Warnock teamed up with Senator Bill Cassidy to host National Seersucker Day at the U.S. Capitol on June 12
    Senator Warnock returned as National Seersucker Day Co-Chair for the second year
    Senator Warnock: “In hard times, people need reminders of our common humanity. That we can show up with joy and still do serious work. And as a Senator for all Georgians, it does not hurt when that reminder is rooted in a uniquely Southern tradition”
    ICYMI from GQ: The Story Behind the US Senate’s Quirkiest Tradition, Seersucker Thursday

    Above: Senator Warnock sporting his seersucker suit on the steps of the U.S. Capitol

    Official U.S. Senate photo by Ryan Donnell

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) commemorated the 12th annual National Seersucker Day. Last year, Senator Cassidy announced Senator Warnock as his new co-chair to replace the late Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who served as co-chair for the bipartisan tradition from 2015 until her death in 2023. Celebrating the history and heritage of seersucker suits in the United States, for years the annual observance has brought senators from both sides of the aisle together in fellowship and serves as a reminder of the virtues of bipartisanship for lawmakers in Washington. The Senators also led a resolution recognizing National Seersucker Day.  

    “Celebrating more than just a fashion statement, National Seersucker Day is a wonderful, bipartisan tradition with Southern roots that helps unite Americans through our shared love of comfortable summer clothing,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “In hard times, people need reminders of our common humanity. That we can show up with joy and still do serious work. And as a Senator for all Georgians, it does not hurt when that reminder is rooted in a uniquely Southern tradition.”

    “Today, we celebrate National Seersucker Day and the light-hearted tradition of bringing a little Louisiana charm to Capitol Hill,” said Dr. Cassidy. “There’s no better way to beat the heat than with a seersucker suit. It’s a distinctly New Orleans invention, and I’m proud to share it with my colleagues every year.”

    Seersucker suits were first popularized in the United States by a New Orleans businessman in the early 1900s. The material, originally from India, is a lighter, more breathable fabric that provides additional air flow in warmer weather compared to classic wool suits—historically making them ideal for wearing during the Washington D.C.’s muggy summer months. Seersucker is typically made of cotton, which is one of Georgia’s most important agricultural crops, with roughly 3,500 family farms producing cotton throughout the state.

    The National Seersucker Day Resolution can be found HERE.

    Read more about Senator Warnock’s leadership on National Seersucker Day in GQ:

    It’s been a hectic time in American politics, to say the least, but even the most devoted CSPAN junkies might have missed Resolution 254 when it hit the Senate floor at the end of May. The resolution was interesting, for one thing, because at a time when lawmakers can’t seem to agree on whether grass is green or water is wet, its co-sponsors were Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, and Senator Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat. More notable, though, is the resolution’s focus: seersucker suits.

    Yesterday in the Capitol, a dozens-strong group of senators and their staffers suited up in the puckered fabric to continue the tradition. With all of the weighty issues facing the nation’s legislators, it might seem odd to devote time and energy to cosplaying as Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird, but Seersucker Day is more than just an excuse to dress up like a 1930s Southern lawyer. “Seersucker Day here in the Capitol is a time to bring a little levity to a place that takes itself very seriously, sometimes perhaps too seriously,” explains Warnock over a Zoom call from his DC office. “In a moment when the country and our politics are so divided, it’s a show of bipartisan connection. And I like the fact that it’s rooted in a style and a tradition that’s based in the South, where I was born and raised, and where I now serve.”

    “I’m from Savannah, Georgia, and if it’s July or August, you don’t just feel the heat; you wear it,” says Warnock. “[Seersucker] comes from that. It’s a nice, cool cotton, and it represents the style and charm of the South. For me, seersucker goes right along with big front porches and iced tea.”

    Warnock, who has served as the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta since 2005, is clearly someone who understands the power of good tailoring, but he’s hesitant to talk about his Seersucker Thursday fit in much detail (with the exception of his socks, which are printed with pictures of his kids). He prefers instead to muse on the deeper significance of style, and the many ways in which Black Americans have redefined over the last century. “I come from the Civil Rights activist tradition, and so when I think of style, I don’t just think of clothes,” Warnock says. “I think about jazz and the blues, the syncopated rhythms of marginalized people, disrupting the normal flow of things and adding some different harmonies and nuance to the American story.”

    In today’s climate, when bipartisan goodwill and well-dressed politicians are both in critically short supply, it’s more valuable than ever. “It’s a nod to the connections that we have with one another across partisan lines, ideological lines, racial lines,” says Warnock. “That alone is a reason to keep this going.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Speaks at Northern Light Health Rural Dementia Training Project

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
    Published: June 13, 2025

    Click HERE and HERE for individual photos.
    Orono, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins delivered remarks at the Northern Light Health Maine Rural Dementia Training Project at the University of Maine. More than 100 medical professionals from across the state were in attendance for the all-day program, which trains rural medical professionals, caregivers, and social workers to care for patients with dementia in outpatient and hospital-based settings. Maine, being one of the oldest and most rural states in the nation, faces a high prevalence of age-associated cognitive disorders and limited access to dementia specialists.
    “Far too many of us know the pain of having a loved one stricken by dementia, including Alzheimer’s. I’ve seen it in my own family, and I understand how devastating these diseases can be,” said Senator Collins during her remarks. “In our large rural state, it can be difficult to secure an accurate, early diagnosis and a plan for care. That’s why I worked hard to secure funding for this important training program to help ensure families across Maine can access the care they need.”
    Last year, through her role on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins secured more than $1.3 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for Northern Light Acadia Hospital to create Rural Dementia Training Project.
    This week, Senator Collins delivered remarks at the 2025 Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) Advocacy Forum in Washington. In her remarks, Senator Collins highlighted her successful legislative efforts to advance Alzheimer’s research, prevention, and treatment. In the 118th Congress, there were 1,868 standalone health care bills introduced in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Of those bills, only 15 passed both chambers and were signed into law. U.S. Senator Susan Collins led or co-led 5 of those 15 bills to passage with strong bipartisan support, and 3 of those 5 bills dealt directly with brain health. Those bills were the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, and the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Cramer: FAA Awards $2.3 Million for Projects at North Dakota Airports

    US Senate News:

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

    BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced an award of $2,325,638 through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) for projects at several airports across North Dakota. The funding will be distributed to the following:

    • $940,880 for the Minot International Airport to replace existing snow removal equipment including one carrier vehicle with front blade, undercarriage blade, and rear mounted deicing attachments.
    • $900,000 for the Jamestown Regional Airport Authority to reseal 5,219 feet of the existing Runway 4/22 pavement and joints, and to reseal 1,706 feet of the existing Taxiway E pavement to extend its useful life.
    • $300,000 for the Gwinner Municipal Airport Authority to reseal 4,266 square yards of the existing East Apron pavement and joints, to reseal 9,605 square yards of existing the West Apron pavement and joints, and to reseals 5,220 feet of the existing Runway 16/34 pavement and joints. 
    • $184,758 for the Bottineau Municipal Airport Authority to do design work on its project seeking to reconstruct 200 square feet of its existing terminal.

    The FAA’s AIP provides funding to airports nationwide for planning, capital, and safety enhancement projects.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PHOTOS: Capito Addresses West Virginia Boys State and Girls State

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) joined participants of the American Legion Mountaineer Boys State at Jackson’s Mill in Weston, W.Va. Afterwards, she traveled to Elkins, W.Va. to address the participants of the Rhododendron Girls State at Davis and Elkins College. 

    “Boys State and Girls State are events I look forward to participating in every year. I am always so encouraged by the enthusiasm, leadership, citizenship, and patriotism exemplified by these young women and men. I’m grateful to the American Legion’s continued commitment to instilling the values we hold dear in West Virginia’s young people and helping them learn the lessons and skills that will equip them to be the leaders of tomorrow,” said Senator Capito.

    Photos from the events are included below:

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) addresses American Legion Mountaineer Boys State participants at Jackson’s Mill in Weston, W.Va. 

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) meets with outgoing Boys State governor Haden Hodge, whom she nominated to the U.S. Air Force Academy. 

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) addresses Rhododendron Girls State participants at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, W.Va. 

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) meets with Rhododendron Girls State participants at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, W.Va. 

    MIL OSI USA News –