NewzIntel.com

Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley-Led HALT Fentanyl Act to Become Law

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    WASHINGTON – The Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives today by a vote of 321-104, sending the legislation to President Trump’s desk for signature. The bipartisan and bicameral legislation, led by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), will permanently classify illicit, fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I. 

    “Today, Congress secured a major victory in the fight against fentanyl by sending the HALT Fentanyl Act to President Trump’s desk,” Grassley said. “Despite tens-of-thousands of Americans dying from fentanyl overdose each year, Democrats refused to pass this commonsense bill when they controlled Congress and the White House. I’m proud to see Republicans take real action to combat the fentanyl crisis, advance life-saving research and support our brave men and women in blue.” 

    Download bill text HERE and a fact sheet HERE. 

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    Background:

    The HALT Fentanyl Act was introduced by Grassley, Cassidy and Heinrich in January, advanced by the Senate Judiciary Committee in February and passed by the Senate in March. 

    The bipartisan bill is supported by over 40 major advocacy groups, including a coalition of over 200 impacted family groups, and law enforcement organizations representing over a million officers. Learn more about the bill’s widespread support HERE. 

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Discusses Trade Deals, 45Z and Tax Cut Extensions with Treasury Secretary Bessent

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    WASHINGTON – During a Senate Finance Committee hearing today, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the committee, questioned Department of the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about the importance of finalizing trade deals to provide certainty and the need for Treasury to work with Congress and farmer-led organizations to get 45Z regulations right for farmers. Grassley also talked about the importance of extending the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts for the middle-class and strengthening the pro-growth reforms that incentivize business investment.

    Video and excerpts from Grassley’s questions follow.

    [embedded content]

    VIDEO

    On Trade Certainty:

    “I’ve made clear that I support President Trump’s goals of getting better trade deals for U.S. producers. I’ve heard from many industries and businesses in Iowa. Each one of them [is] in a very unique position due to the tariffs, but all express one common concern – and that’s the need for certainty around trade.

    “I’ve spoken with several Trump administration officials and nominees about the importance of finalizing two or three deals to provide some certainty around trade. So, would you agree that trade deals need some certainty and that at the same time, provide fair market access for U.S. goods would benefit the economy and provide much needed markets?”

    On 45Z Regulations and Farmers:

    “The Senate Finance Committee has been working on what will soon be the 45Z Clean Fuels Production Tax Credit. Implementing this credit properly is important for the biofuels industry and especially for farmers.

    “The Biden administration failed to meaningfully address 45Z regulations. They put some out for comment, but not much beyond that. But the regulations it released for the 40B Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) credit demonstrated that Treasury officials in that administration knew nothing about farming.  

    “Prior to issuing rules governing 45Z, we need everyone in the Trump administration to take some time to learn a thing or two about how farming works. So, this is kind of a question of working ahead, looking after the president signs this bill, and regulations are going to be written on 45Z. Would you be willing to work with congressional colleagues, farmer-led organizations and even this senator to make sure that we get regulations under 45Z that work for farmers?”

    Extending 2017 Trump Tax Cuts:

    “The 2017 tax law provided tax relief across all incomes with a focus on the middle-class. Just as important, the law included pro-growth reforms to incentivize business investment, boosting production and leading to higher wages.

    “A study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found the 2017 law boosted investment 20 percent. What will making the 2017 tax law permanent mean in terms of economic growth, job creation and wage growth?”

    -30-?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz: Trump’s Authoritarian Tactics Meant To Distract From Unpopular, Unfair Republican Tax Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON — In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) condemned President Donald Trump’s use of authoritarian tactics in response to protests in Los Angeles and exposed Republican efforts to push through an unpopular bill that slashes health care and food assistance in order to fund tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy.

    “If you heard that a leader of a foreign country was sending armed soldiers into his own cities, you would correctly call it authoritarian behavior,” said Senator Schatz. “The fact that this is happening right here in the United States against fellow citizens at the direction of the president does not make it less dangerous.”

    Schatz warned that these distractions are deliberately timed to shift public attention away from a Republican-led legislative package, saying, “Trump does what he always does. He creates a spectacle out of nowhere in order to distract people from what is actually happening. They are cutting Medicaid. They are slashing nutritional assistance for children and families. They are jacking up everyone’s health insurance premiums and energy bills.”

    Schatz continued, “We can still kill this bill. What we need across the country is a bunch of people saying, ‘Don’t cut Medicare. Don’t cut Medicaid. Don’t cut food assistance. And certainly don’t use all of those cuts to provide resources to the wealthiest people to have ever walked the planet.’ We’re going to fight as hard as we can. We’ve only got 47 votes. We need four Republicans to say enough is enough.”

    The full text of Senator Schatz’s remarks is below. Video is available here.

    If you heard that a leader of a foreign country was sending armed soldiers into his own cities, you would correctly call it authoritarian behavior. If you heard them say that the bar for unleashing troops on their own civilians is “what I think it is”, you’d put them in a long line of dictators throughout history and the world. The fact that this is happening right here in the United States against fellow citizens at the direction of the president does not make it less dangerous.

    But here’s the thing: the price of everything is going up under Donald Trump, and instead of doing anything about that, Republicans are racing to pass a deeply unpopular bill that would cut taxes for billionaires by throwing 16 million people off of health insurance.

    And so, Trump does what he always does. He creates a spectacle out of nowhere in order to distract people what from what is actually happening, which is they are cutting Medicaid. They are slashing nutritional assistance for children and families. They are jacking up everyone’s health insurance premiums and energy bills. And the reason they’re doing all of this is to take the money that they have saved (and by “saved” I mean really taken from you: food, electricity, health care) and providing the biggest tax cut to the wealthiest individuals who have ever walked the planet.

    So yes, we are witnessing a dangerous Rubicon being crossed in real time, and anyone on any side of the political aisle who believes that we ought to be a nation of laws needs to call this what it is: creeping authoritarianism. But what is also true is that this is actually a distraction meant to deflect people’s attention from a really unpopular piece of legislation.

    Because here’s what’s going to happen if Republicans pass this bill. Anyone making $4 million a year or more will get a very nice tax break, and the more you make the more you’ll get. So if you’re a millionaire, you get close to $70,000. But if you’re a billionaire, you’re looking at $300,000.

    Now, if you’re wondering, “Well, what about me? I’m not a billionaire or a millionaire. What do I get?” Well, next to nothing Next to nothing. Worse than that, you’re going to be subsidizing these enormous tax cuts with cuts to your benefits and services 16 million Americans, including 60,000 people in the state of Hawai‘i, will lose coverage through Medicaid because of these cuts, meaning even when people get really sick, they’re going to avoid going to the hospital and buying medication because they cannot afford it. And then they’re going to turn to emergency care because they have no choice.

    Tens of millions of people will see their insurance premiums and co-pays go up by hundreds of dollars every single month. I promise you, no one asked for this in the last election. A lot of people voted for Donald Trump for various reasons, but no one wants their premium support to go away. No one wants their monthly health care bill to go away. No one wants electricity shortages. No one wants nutritional assistance to be cut all for people making more than $4 million a year.

    And tucked into this bill is also a whole bunch of special interest nonsense. For instance, it prevents judges from holding people accountable for violating court order for violating court orders It defunds the ability to enforce a court order. Another provision gives people buying gun silencers a $200 tax break. And here’s what I think about this: these are individual provisions that will offend and may not even survive the Senate process, but here’s what it shows. It shows they’re going for all the marbles. It shows they think this is their one chance to pass all of their special interest hobby horse. A tax credit for silencers? Like, who’s asking for that? Even strong second amendment people are not like complaining about how expensive silencers are, and they need a subsidy for that.

    Donald Trump and the Republicans are behaving as if there is no tomorrow, and they’re going for all the marbles. The bad news for the rest of us who aren’t millionaires or billionaires is that we’re going to be stuck with the short end in every way imaginable, in terms of our health, our finances, and our quality of life. Trump will continue to try to distract us all, but make no mistake: every day we’re not talking about this bill and how terrible it is and how unfair it is and how economically stupid, it is a good day for Donald Trump. And every day, every moment that we are all talking about what a miserable piece of legislation this is is a good day for us and a good day for the American people.

    We can still kill this bill. It felt like this right before we blocked them from repealing the Affordable Care Act. It looked like they had the votes. It looked like it was inevitable. They had the trifecta. It was about to happen. And then people rose up in every part of the country and said, “Please, don’t do this to me. Please don’t do this to me.” And so what we need across the country is a bunch of people saying, “Don’t cut Medicare. Don’t cut Medicaid. Don’t cut food assistance, and certainly don’t use all of those cuts to provide resources to the wealthiest people to have ever walked the planet.”

    We’re going to fight as hard as we can. We’ve only got 47 votes. We need four Republicans to say enough is enough.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz Presses Secretary Hegseth, Defense Leaders On Use Of Military Against Protesters, Demands Transparency On Foreign Gift Of Luxury Plane

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON – At a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) challenged Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine on President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to respond to protests in Los Angeles. He also questioned the administration’s acceptance of a luxury aircraft from the government of Qatar to be used as Air Force One.

    “Is the United States being invaded by a foreign nation?” Schatz asked General Caine. “Is there a rebellion somewhere in the United States?”

    General Caine responded, “I do not see any state-sponsored folks invading,” adding, “There’s definitely some frustrated folks out there.”

    Senator Schatz asked Secretary Hegseth, “Did you just potentially mobilize every Guard everywhere and every service member everywhere? I mean, create the framework for that?”

    Hegseth replied that the order was intended in part to help the administration “get ahead of a problem” if protests expanded to other areas.

    Schatz also raised questions about the Defense Department’s recent acceptance of a luxury airplane from the Qatari government to replace Air Force One, asking, “Did the Department of Defense initiate the conversation with the Qataris? How did that go?”

    Hegseth said, “I would have to go back and review it, but we’ve been a part of the ongoing conversation.”

    “I think it kind of matters who is asking, doesn’t it?… If we’re going to disagree, let’s disagree with the same set of facts,” said Senator Schatz. “Let’s have the documentation on the Qatari aircraft.”

    A video of the exchange is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz Condemns Forcible Removal Of U.S. Senator Alex Padilla By Federal Agents

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) spoke on the Senate floor after U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was manhandled by federal agents for asking a question at a public press conference in his home state with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

    “This is the stuff of dictatorships,” said Senator Schatz. “There is no context that justifies this action.”

    Senator Schatz continued, “As Trump’s Department of Homeland Security raises the stakes and continues with a series of provocations to justify increasingly authoritarian actions, we have two obligations. One is to establish that, as a legislative branch, we are not going to stand for this. And the other is those people who are peacefully protesting be very disciplined this weekend. Be very peaceful this weekend. If we are going to win, we need to maintain the high ground. And I don’t mean we, blue; we, Democrats. I mean we, Americans, who believe in this system of government. I have never, ever – other than January 6 – been so outraged at the conduct of an administration.”

    A transcript of Senator Schatz’s remarks are below. Video is available here.

    You know, I’ve given a lot of speeches on this floor, and this is the least prepared but the most clear I will ever be. This is the stuff of dictatorships. It is actually happening. A United States Senator was manhandled, shoved to the ground, and cuffed. He identified himself, “I’m Senator Alex Padilla.” That should be enough. That should be enough. A United States Senator who is, by the way, protected by the Speech and Debate Clauses of the Constitution of the United States and a specific statute that allows him to oversee immigration facilities, and he says, “I’m a senator, and I have a question.”

    And to Chris Murphy’s point they said, “Well, he was being disrespectful.” Being disrespectful is legal. Being disrespectful is American. Being disruptive is okay if it’s just using your words and not your body. This is the stuff of dictatorships, and the thing that is making me most terrified is I see zero Republicans, except for the presiding officer, in this chamber. And I understand if it’s not a member of your own party, you want some context. There is no context that justifies this action. Alex Padilla is not required to be impeccable in every single way in order to exercise his responsibilities as an American and as one of the two that represents California in the United States Senate.

    This is the stuff of dictatorships. One of the officers who throws him to the ground, as he’s clearly complying, cuffs him face down on the carpet, and they say there’s no recording in here. It’s a damn press conference. It’s for recording! They didn’t want to hear his speaking.

    And if the internet got it accurately, the Secretary was there and delivering her remarks within earshot the whole time. She has command authority over those agents, who were arresting a leader in the legislative branch. This is not something on the internet for us to argue about. We all know what we saw. We all know what we saw.

    I remain hopeful that Leader Thune and other Republicans can walk us back from the brink, but I am not so sure anymore. As Trump’s Department of Homeland Security raises the stakes and continues with a series of provocations to justify increasingly authoritarian actions, we have two obligations. One is to establish that, as a legislative branch, we are not going to stand for this. And the other is those people who are peacefully protesting be very disciplined this weekend. Be very peaceful this weekend. If we are going to win, we need to maintain the high ground. And I don’t mean we, blue; we, Democrats. I mean we, Americans, who believe in this system of government.

    I have never, ever – other than January 6 – been so outraged at the conduct of an administration.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warnock Pushes New Effort to Strengthen Mental Health Resources in Schools

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Today, Senator Reverend Warnock reintroduced the Advancing Student Services in Schools Today (ASSIST) Act to establish a new grant program to hire and retain mental health providers in schools

    Senator Warnock has long been an advocate for strengthening mental health resources and for expanding Medicaid, which would provide mental health resources to millions who fall in the health care coverage gap

    Senator Reverend Warnock: “We know the importance of treating our mental health just as we treat our physical health: free from stigma, which is why the ASSIST Act is so important. We must do everything we can to provide our students with the tools to battle the mental health epidemic”

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) reintroduced the Advancing Student Services in Schools Today (ASSIST) Act. The legislation would increase federal Medicaid funding for school-based mental health services and establish a grant program at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to hire and retain mental health professionals in schools, helping increase mental health services, resources, and accessibility.

    “We know the importance of treating our mental health just as we treat our physical health: free from stigma, which is why the ASSIST Act is so important. We must do everything we can to provide our students with the tools to battle the mental health epidemic,” said Senator Warnock. “As the father of two young children, I understand why schools must have the resources to ensure students can learn and grow in their classrooms.”

    “Our students are the next generation of leaders, innovators, and community builders. Yet, our nation is in the midst of a mental health crisis, with alarming increases in youth suicide and overdose rates,” said Senator Luján. “As more high school students report feeling sadness and loneliness, we have a responsibility to act. That’s why I’m proud to introduce the Advancing Student Services in Schools Today Act to ensure students have access to the mental health care they need and deserve.”

    “Children across the United States are facing a historic mental health crisis — nearly half of all adolescents have experienced a mental health disorder in their lifetimes,” said Senator Padilla. “As a father of three school-aged boys, I understand the importance of investing in mental health resources at our schools so that our children do not have to suffer in silence. As Republicans threaten cuts to critical Medicaid services, the ASSIST Act would make sure the federal government does its part in funding school support systems that help keep our students healthy and successful.”

    “Instead of ripping health care away from children to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy and well-connected, Congress should ensure that children can access the mental and behavioral health care they need,” said Representative Kathy Castor, who is introducing companion legislation in the House of Representatives. “Medicaid plays a critical role in children’s mental health, bolstering school-based services that benefit all students. Making care convenient for kids is key to improving mental health outcomes and reducing substance use disorders among youth, an issue that has been growing for decades. I hear from students, parents, teachers and health care providers across Florida that the significant shortage of mental and behavioral health professionals is delaying or preventing our neighbors from receiving the care they need. I’m proud to co-lead the ASSIST Act with Senator Raphael Warnock which will help remove cost barriers for providers to care for children in our schools with a sustainable funding stream. This commonsense legislation is an example of a policy that Congress should be focusing on, and will make a real difference in keeping our students safe, healthy, engaged and on the right track to a successful future.”

    Under this new initiative, schools will be able to apply for federal grants that will provide new funding for mental health and substance use disorder care services. Schools will also be eligible for increased federal Medicaid funding for these services, through the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP). This FMAP boost would cover 90% of the expenses toward hiring and training mental health and substance use disorder care providers in schools and school-based health centers—potentially increasing the pay for these mental health professionals. Additionally, because this competitive grant program would be funded through Medicaid, it would be less vulnerable to cuts in the annual government funding process. This consistent funding stream would help keep mental health professionals in schools, allowing them to build stronger relationships with students and the school’s broader community.

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2023, 40% students had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Tragically, 20% of students seriously considered attempting suicide, and nearly 1 in 10 attempted suicide. This alarming data highlights the need for better behavioral health services for students, particularly in the school setting, where those services are more accessible.

    Senator Warnock has long prioritized increasing mental health services for students, young people, and adults, highlighting the need to remove any and all stigma associated with mental health care. Senator Warnock has also long fought to expand Medicaid, in part for the increased accessibility to mental healthcare. Most recently, Senator Warnock published a newreport, “Healthy People, Healthy Economy” that found that placing bureaucratic red tape between working people and their health care will lead to hospital closures, job loss, and economic slowdown. In 2021, Senator Warnock introduced a package of legislation supporting mental health care. The slate of five bills aimed to improve and expand access to mental health care for all Georgians and Americans. The legislative package, which included the ASSIST Act, also included the Improving Access to Tele-Behavioral Health Services Act, the Crisis Counseling Act, the Behavioral Health Coordination and Communication Act, and the Behavioral Health Resolution.

    In addition to Senator Warnock, the ASSIST Act is cosponsored by Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Tina Smith (D-MN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    The bill text for the ASSIST Act is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warnock Demands Transparency from HHS Secretary Kennedy After Abruptly Firing Scientists from CDC’s Vaccine Safety Board

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Warnock Demands Transparency from HHS Secretary Kennedy After Abruptly Firing Scientists from CDC’s Vaccine Safety Board

    Senators Reverend Warnock, Luján, and 20 Senators pressed HHS Secretary Kennedy about the sudden firing of every member of the ACIP

    The unprecedented action threatens the health of all Americans and hurts the legitimacy of the historically non-partisan board

    Senator Warnock voted against Secretary Kennedy to lead HHS, the agency that oversees the CDC, due to concerns over disturbing comments and long-held beliefs of Kennedy that would threaten health care costs, quality, and access for millions of Georgians and Americans

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) led 21 Senate colleagues in demanding answers from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his sudden decision to fire every member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). In a letter sent to Secretary Kennedy, Senators Warnock, Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and 20 other Senate colleagues stressed the importance of protecting ACIP’s longstanding reputation as a trusted national authority on the use of vaccines to prevent and control disease.

    “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,”     the Senators said.

    “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,”     the Senators continued.

    At the conclusion of the letter, the Senators pressed for greater transparency and emphasized the immediate risk Kennedy’s decision has on Americans’ public health.

    “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,” the Senators closed.

    Earlier this year, Senator Warnock voted against Secretary Kennedy to lead HHS, the agency that oversees the CDC, due to concerns over disturbing comments and long-held beliefs of Kennedy that would threaten health care costs, quality, and access for millions of Georgians and Americans. Since the CDC and its employees became a target of this administration, Senator Warnock has led several efforts defending their employment and the crucial role they play in keeping the nation safe. This includes joining them at a rally, delivering a floor speech opposing Secretary Kennedy’s nomination, demanding answers from administration nominees at Congressional hearings, and more.

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

    Read the full letter     HERE, and the text is 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.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: REMARKS: Senator Coons condemns assault of Senator Padilla by administration in fiery floor speech

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) gave a speech on the Senate floor defending his friend and colleague U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) shortly after Senator Padilla was violently forced out of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press conference, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed in his hometown of Los Angeles.

    “If a Senator of the United States who identifies himself as a senator – in at least the video I just saw – gets handled this way, gets thrown to the ground and handcuffed, what is happening to those who have no such title or voice, if this gentle and decent and caring man is treated this way, what is happening along the margins, in the dark spaces, in the places we cannot see?” said Senator Coons. “So Mr. President, I call on my Republican friends and colleagues to look hard at this moment and say, ‘what comes next?’”

    A transcript of Senator Coons’ comments is available below.

    WATCH HERE.

    Senator Coons: Mr. President, having just viewed a video of my friend and colleague, Senator Alex Padilla, being manhandled, thrown to the ground and handcuffed, after identifying himself as Senator Alex Padilla and attempting to ask a question of the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, in Los Angeles, I am shaken, I am angry, and I am gravely concerned about our path forward in this body and our nation.

    Democracy is a gift hard won and hard earned by the sacrifice of millions who have served, fought, and died. Some in moments of tumult and challenge on the beaches of Normandy, on the fields of Gettysburg. From the very beginning of our nation to this moment, millions of Americans have stepped forward and said, I will risk it all so that my children and those I do not know can live free lives, knowing the burdens of tyranny, knowing what it meant to live under the heel of a king, our forefathers risked everything.

    In nations around the world that I have visited on your behalf as a senator, people yearning for freedom, and people recently free, have come and spoken about how much the American example means to them. Earlier this year, I was at a global security conference, concerned about what was happening in our nation, about our division and the dialogue, and I heard three young parliamentarians from other countries talk about how hard they were working.

    Part of our job, Mr. Speaker, as senators is to ask hard questions, is to pose challenges, is to test the cabinet of the President, to visit federal facilities, to ask questions that are sometimes uncomfortable or unwelcome. Just this week, I was at three committee hearings and had three members of the cabinet in front of me. Did they want to answer my questions? Probably not. But they did.

    If a Senator of the United States who identifies himself as a senator – in at least the video I just saw – gets handled this way, gets thrown to the ground and handcuffed, what is happening to those who have no such title or voice, if this gentle and decent and caring man is treated this way, what is happening along the margins, in the dark spaces, in the places we cannot see?

    So Mr. President, I call on my Republican friends and colleagues to look hard at this moment and say, ‘what comes next?’ What comes next? Are we to be at risk of arrest if we threaten to ask a question or deign to interrupt? Is our very service here as senators hanging in the balance? In this moment, as we all learn more of the facts of what happened in Los Angeles, the future of what will happen here in our country and in the world will wait on your answer.

    Was this an over-response? Was this a misuse of force? Was this a disrespect of the very Senate itself? Is this a moment when, as our founders who wrote the Federalist Papers dreamed, my colleagues in the Senate will show their loyalty to the role, to the check and balance, to the independence of the Senate more than they will show their loyalty to their party and their president and demand an answer, an apology, and a different path forward.

    Or is this a moment when all of us will watch this video of our friend, a member of the Judiciary Committee; a representative – a senator – of Los Angeles in the state of California, being roughly mishandled, and say, ‘too bad, at least it wasn’t me.’ If we answer this moment with silence, we will be damned, and our children and the world will say they didn’t really mean it.

    The members of my family who served in the U.S. military knew that signing on that line meant being willing to give everything, and I believe, and have been told, that they understood that service to be in service of freedom; not in service of any particular president or party, any particular state or moment, but in service of democracy.

    Democracy is a fragile flower, and around the world, people look to what we do to know what they should do. There are petty, tinpot dictators, authoritarians, and strong men around the world who will watch this video and be encouraged and think this is the way to silence their critics.

    I can’t imagine a member of this chamber who knows Alex Padilla, who has had the blessing of sitting with him in moments when he’s asked questions or engaged in discourse, who thinks of him as anything other than a reasoned, reasonable, mild-mannered senator. 

    But even if he were not, even if he were outspoken, loud, aggressive, annoying; the title ‘senator’ and the role that we have should entitle him to ask a question at a press conference. If the result is this mistreatment, heaven help us all. Heaven help our democracy.

    With that, I yield the floor.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Joins Cortez Masto, Nevada Delegation, and Governor Lombardo To Demand Trump Administration Reverse Course on Nevada Job Corps Center Closure

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Governor Joe Lombardo (R-NV), and Representatives Mark Amodei (R-NV-02), Steven Horsford (D-NV-04), Dina Titus (D-NV-01), and Susie Lee (D-NV-03) in demanding that the Department of Labor (DOL) reverse course on its decision to defund and close Nevada’s Job Corps Program. The bipartisan outcry from Nevada officials at all levels underscores the importance of the Sierra Nevada Job Corps to Northern Nevada and its impact on tens of thousands of unprivileged students, staff, and employers from throughout the state.
    “For more than sixty years, Job Corps has aided millions of low-income individuals gain the skills they need to succeed in the workplace,” wrote the officials. “Job Corps is the largest free residential education and job training program for young adults aged 16-24; and thus, is vital to helping students graduate high school, develop career technical skills, and connect students with employers. At a time when almost three-fourths of jobs require training beyond a high school diploma, Job Corps provides students the opportunity to succeed when they may not initially have the tools to do so.”
    “The Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center in Reno has been a vital economic engine for Northern Nevada, serving approximately 25,000 Nevadans since its opening, and graduating more than 500 vocational students a year,” they continued. “In the 2024 program year alone, nearly 82 percent of its students secured full-time employment with a starting wage of at least $17.97 per hour — nearly $6 above the Nevada’s minimum wage. Furthermore, 75 percent of Sierra Nevada Job Corps participants earn at least one certification required by employers.”
    “The DOL’s imminent stop work order on all Job Corps programming will displace approximately nearly 300 students and 170 staff members at the Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center,” they concluded. “The closure will also compel the Center to evict all of its students, leaving the vast majority at serious risk of homelessness. […] While we appreciate your department working to increase accountability and bring workforce programs into alignment with the Administration’s priorities, we strongly urge you reconsider the decision to cut funding and close Job Corps programs in Nevada and nationwide.”
    Full text of the letter can be found HERE.
    Senator Rosen has long supported the Sierra Nevada Job Corps Program and championed investments in job training. Last month, she called on the Trump Administration to reverse course on plans to eliminate federal funding and issue a stop work order for the Job Corps program, which would force the closure of the center in Reno. Rosen has also helped lead the fight in the Senate to protect and fully fund the Job Corps program every year. In August 2024, Senator Rosen visited Sierra Nevada Job Corps to participate in their graduation ceremony.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Joins Push to Protect IVF Access for Families Nationwide

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, DC –U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Senate Democratic colleagues in introducing the Protect IVF Act, legislation that would establish a nationwide right to access in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and protect families, providers, and insurers from state-level restrictions or interference. The bill comes in response to increasing attacks on reproductive freedom following the repeal of Roe v. Wade, including an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that effectively halted IVF services in the state last year. This legislation would ensure that no American is denied the ability to build a family due to extreme and politically motivated laws.
    “In the wake of efforts to roll back reproductive rights, no family should have to fear losing access to IVF,” said Senator Rosen. “The Protect IVF Act ensures that Americans—regardless of where they live—can access the medical care they need to build their families. This bill defends both reproductive freedom and basic human dignity.”
    Senator Rosen has consistently defended reproductive freedom, taking action to protect access to contraception, emergency care, and fertility treatments. This year, she helped introduce the Right to Contraception Act to guarantee the right to birth control amid rising attacks on reproductive health. In 2024, following the Supreme Court’s decision to weaken federal emergency care protections, Senator Rosen condemned the ruling and renewed her call to restore Roe v. Wade. She also joined efforts to safeguard access to IVF by co-sponsoring the Access to Family Building Act, which would establish a nationwide right to fertility care and prevent states from imposing harmful restrictions.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Cassidy Bill to Combat Illegal Fentanyl Heads to President Trump’s Desk

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    [embedded content]
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today celebrated as the U.S. House of Representatives passed his Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act, which permanently schedules fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The fentanyl-related substances have been temporarily scheduled since 2018. The U.S. Senate passed Cassidy’s bill in March. It will now head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law. 
    “Everybody watching this knows someone who has been harmed by fentanyl,” said Dr. Cassidy. “My HALT Fentanyl Act is about giving law enforcement one more tool to stop fentanyl dealers.”
    Click here to watch and here to download Cassidy’s video statement.
    The bill has 30 U.S. Senate cosponsors, including U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the U.S. Committee on the Judiciary, and Democratic lead Martin Heinrich (D-NM).
    The bill has been endorsed by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and is supported by 40 advocacy groups, including 25 State Attorneys General, 11 major law enforcement organizations, nine major medical associations and Facing Fentanyl, a coalition of over 200 impacted family groups.
    The HALT Fentanyl Act built on the momentum of the Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues (SOFA) Act introduced by U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI).
    Background
    In February, Cassidy spoke on the U.S. Senate floor amid Senate Democrat’s attempt to undermine his HALT Fentanyl Act.
    Drug overdoses, largely driven by fentanyl, are the leading cause of death among young adults 18 to 45 years old. Synthetic opioids like fentanyl account for 68 percent of the total U.S. overdose deaths. In the last two fiscal years, U.S. Customs and Border Protect (CBP) seized record amounts of fentanyl—nearly 50,000 pounds—enough to produce more than 2 billion lethal doses. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2023 there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths—74,702 of which were attributed to fentanyl. This was primarily fueled by synthetic opioids, including illegal fentanyl, which are largely manufactured in Mexico from raw materials supplied by China. In 2022, there were over 50.6 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), more than doubling the amount seized in 2021.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Celebrates His 12th National Seersucker Day

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) was joined by 12 Members of the U.S. Senate to mark the 12th annual celebration of National Seersucker Day. Cassidy has led the revival and continued observance of this uniquely American tradition since 2014.
    “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.”
    National Seersucker Day was co-hosted by U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA).

    Seersucker suits were popularized by a New Orleans businessman in the early 1900s. Former U.S. Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) brought Seersucker Thursday to Congress in 1996. After the tradition briefly lapsed in 2012 and 2013, Cassidy revived National Seersucker Day in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014 and has kept the tradition going in the Senate with the help of late U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) through 2023 and Warnock since 2024.
    Last month, Cassidy and Warnock introduced a resolution to designate June 12, 2025, as the twelfth annual National Seersucker Day.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed: Trump Admin’s Physical Assault of U.S. Senator Was Also an Assault on Our Constitutional Principles

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, after U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) was physically assaulted, handcuffed, and forcibly removed from a press conference in Los Angeles, California, for trying to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a question, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) issued the following statement:

    “The assault on Senator Padilla was an assault on our Constitutional principles.

    “Federal troops have been deployed in the state Senator Padilla represents against the wishes of the people he represents and in violation of the law.  Senator Padilla was in a federal building simply performing his duties as an elected official.  He identified himself and was trying to ask the Secretary of Homeland Security a simple question.  The Secretary could have ignored him, asked him not to interrupt, or simply responded. 

    “Instead, her staff aggressively assaulted a U.S. Senator while she looked on.  Senator Padilla was manhandled and silenced.  If they are treating Senator Padilla this way with cameras rolling, imagine how they are treating those who aren’t members of Congress.

    “This is America.  Dissent should not be met with violence.

    “This abhorrent incident shows the Trump Administration has dropped any pretense of following the Constitution.  The Administration is using the autocrat’s playbook of physical restraint to suppress its critics.

    “I am under no illusion that the President or his Administration will change their behavior unless forced to do so by Republicans joining Democrats or by the courts. 

    “All senators should recognize that this goes beyond the mistreatment of Senator Padilla and work to stop the Trump Administration from continuing to drag America toward authoritarianism.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trump Signs Lummis-Sponsored Bill Terminating Ridiculous California EV Mandate

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis

    June 12, 2025

    Washington, D.C.— Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) released the following statement celebrating President Trump’s signing of legislation she sponsored ending the Biden-era California Electrical Vehicle (EV) mandates. 
    “President Trump is delivering for Wyoming residents today by ending the Biden administration’s unrealistic and flawed California electrical vehicle mandate,” said Lummis. “It is not the government’s job to tell Americans what vehicle you have to buy. Furthermore, failed California politicians like Gavin Newsom should not be the ones dictating emissions policy for the entire country. This disastrous policy belongs in the garbage where it started.”
    Background: 
    Senator Lummis cosponsored all three CRA’s to repeal California’s EV mandates that President Trump signed today.  
    Sen. Lummis has been a leader in fighting the Biden administration’s EV agenda:
    In October 2023, Lummis cosponsored the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act to counter the Biden administration’s radical environmental agenda and executive overreach by preventing the implementation of a proposed rule and other regulations that seek to limit consumer vehicle choice.
    In November 2023, she sent a letter to Senate and House leadership urging them to defund the Biden administration’s EV mandate. 
    In January 2024, she sent a letter with 121 members of Congress to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calling for them to withdrawal the Biden Administration’s proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for passenger cars and light-duty trucks. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin Statement on Reports Secretary Kennedy Allegedly Rehired CDC Staff, Including Lead Prevention Staff

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS), released the following statement after reports that the Trump Administration reinstated some of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff that were previously fired as part of the administration’s mass layoffs across HHS:
    “If Secretary Kennedy thinks he deserves kudos for putting out part of the fire he started, he’s looking at the wrong person. This administration recklessly fired the very experts who should have been on the ground helping communities address serious public health threats – like in Milwaukee, which is grappling with a lead poisoning crisis. I have heard the harrowing stories from Milwaukee families who have children suffering from lead contamination – and it’s simply unconscionable that this administration fired the experts who could have helped them. I have been demanding that Secretary Kennedy rehire these experts for weeks, not only because Wisconsinites need and deserve it, but also because it’s the law and this administration is not above it. This administration has shown they play fast and loose with the truth, and I will not rest until I see boots on the ground in Milwaukee – and other communities just like it – to deal with this crisis.”
    In Milwaukee, lead exposure has shuttered six Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) and displaced 1,800 children. However, after applying for support from the CDC to help mitigate the lead found in school classrooms, MPS was notified that their request for support was denied because the Trump administration fired the agency’s entire Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Surveillance Branch.
    Senator Baldwin and Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI-04) demanded that the Trump Administration reinstate the fired CDC lead poisoning experts and approve Milwaukee’s plea for federal assistance to help keep children safe. Senator Baldwin also pressed Kennedy on the firings at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing. Senator Baldwin visited Milwaukee Public Schools’ Frances Starms Discovery Learning Center to meet with parents whose children’s health was at risk and whose schools were closed this year because of lead hazards. Yesterday, Senators Baldwin and Jack Reed (D-RI) demanded written answers from Secretary Kennedy in response to detailed questions on the Trump Administration’s firing of childhood lead experts at CDC.
    Local officials continue to confirm that the requested aid is not being provided, and Secretary Kennedy has provided no documentation that the fired employees have been rehired, as Senator Baldwin demanded.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Committee Unanimously Advances Hawley, Durbin Bill Stopping Child Sex Abuse Materials

    US Senate News:

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

    Thursday, June 12, 2025

    Today, U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) advanced their STOP CSAM Act unanimously through a Senate Judiciary Committee markup. The legislation would crack down on the proliferation of online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) by allowing victims to sue companies that host it. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.,), Cindy Hyde-Smith (Miss.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) have cosponsored the bill.

    “Almost two years ago, Mark Zuckerberg apologized to the victims of sexual exploitation on his platforms during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. But apologies aren’t enough; it’s time to hold Big Tech accountable. Protecting kids online means giving parents the right to sue companies that harbor predators and host their content. My bipartisan legislation would rightfully give CSAM victims their day in court,” said Senator Hawley.

    “This is a momentous step toward finally holding Big Tech accountable for harm it has caused kids and families. Big Tech’s pockets run deep, and social media companies are lobbying against any bill that would bolster accountability. Their influence is weakening. I’m proud to have worked with Democrats and Republicans alike to highlight the failures of Big Tech and draft commonsense proposals like ourSTOP CSAM Act to put kids’ safety first. This bill would finally pierce the broad immunity granted by Section 230 and open the courtroom to victims of online child sexual exploitation, as well as bolster protections and resources for survivors. Senator Hawley and I will continue pushing for Senate passage of this bill, and I look forward to the day it becomes law,” said Senator Durbin.

    The Senators originally introduced the legislation last Congress and garnered the votes to unanimously advance it through the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

    Senator Hawley has been a leading proponent of holding Big Tech accountable and protecting kids online. Last year, he questioned Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the rampant child exploitation on his social media platforms, prompting him to stand up and apologize to the families of victims in the room.

    Read the full bill text here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Introduces Trump-Backed Legislation to Increase Penalties for Criminal Flag Burners

    US Senate News:

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

    Thursday, June 12, 2025

    Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Enhanced Penalties for Criminal Flag Burners Act, which would enact sentencing enhancements for individuals who burn the American flag in the course of committing a federal offense. Just this week, President Trump called on Congress to support Senator Hawley’s bill and send it to his desk. Senator Hawley is currently circulating the bill and inviting other Senators to join. Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) are co-sponsoring the legislation. 

    “Committing a crime is not protected under the First Amendment. If you are putting people and property in danger and burning our flag in the process, you should serve extra time in prison,” said Senator Hawley. “I encourage all of my Republican colleagues to join President Trump in supporting this legislation. It’s time to restore law and order in America and demand our flag be treated with respect.”

    Rioters continue to escalate violence and set fires in major cities putting the public in danger, attacking federal buildings and destroying property. Their goal is violence—not speech, and these crimes are not protected behavior.

    The recent Los Angeles riots have featured a host of criminal activity—assaults on law enforcement, vandalism, theft, and more. Hundreds have been arrested. And during the commission of these crimes, many rioters have burned the American flag. This is arson masquerading as expression.
     
    If signed into law, the Enhanced Penalties for Criminal Flag Burners Act would:

    • Ensure that criminals who burn flags to further their criminal schemes serve an extra year in prison
    • Recognize the danger to people and property posed by criminals who burn flags while committing federal crimes

    Read the full bill text here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: Sanders Statement on the Assault on Sen. Alex Padilla by Federal Agents

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders

    WASHINGTON, June 12 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today released the following statement after federal agents assaulted Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) at a press conference in Los Angeles this afternoon:

    The assault in California by federal agents against my colleague Sen. Alex Padilla was outrageous, and those responsible must be held accountable.  

    Tragically, what happened to Sen. Padilla today is becoming normal behavior for a Trump administration which is moving us toward authoritarianism.  

    Trump is attacking the judiciary. He is attacking the media. He is attacking law firms. He is attacking universities. He is attacking immigrants, the poor and workers in every corner of this country.   

    And today they handcuffed a senator from the largest state in the country.  

    The American people do not like petty tyrants.  We defeated King George in 1776.  We will defeat King Donald. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn, Schmitt Announce Whistleblower Hotline for Biden Mental Decline Cover-Up Tips

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    Hotline Comes Ahead of Cornyn, Schmitt Co-Chairing Judiciary Committee Hearing on Cover-up

    U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO) today announced a whistleblower hotline for former White House staff and officials to come forward with any information regarding the cover-up of President Biden’s decline or insight into who was running the country while the President was sidelined:

    “I’m looking forward to next week’s hearing to discuss the important constitutional questions raised by the fact that we don’t know whose finger was on the nuclear button and who was responsible for war and peace given President Biden’s obvious cognitive decline,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This hotline provides an open line of communication for anyone who knows the facts about Biden’s mental acuity to come forward so we can once and for all get to the bottom of what may be one of the greatest political scandals in modern history.”

    Background:

    Sen. Cornyn is pushing to get answers on the alleged cover-up of former President Biden’s cognitive decline by the mainstream media, Biden family, and his inner circle, and he recently sent a letter to the Department of Justice calling for an investigation. Sen. Cornyn is co-leading an upcoming Senate Judiciary Committee hearing scheduled for June 18, 2025 alongside Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) to investigate who was running the country during President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline while in office and the mainstream media’s subsequent cover-up.

    If you had interactions with President Biden where mental decline was evident and you wish to confidentially share your story, please contact the whistleblower hotline. To submit a tip, email bidentips@schmitt.senate.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Slams Trump EPA’s Polluter-First Agenda and Rollback of Power Plant Pollution Limits

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Washington (June 12, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and a co-chair of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, today issued the following statement after Administrator Zeldin announced the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed repealing carbon pollution limits for coal-, oil-, and gas-fired power plants and gutting mercury and air toxics protections.

    “The Trump administration’s Polluters First Agenda harms all of us—especially fenceline and frontline communities—all while lining the pockets of fossil fuel executives,” said Senator Markey. “Under the guise of saving Americans money on their energy bills, Trump and Zeldin are ripping away protections from the carbon pollution turbocharging climate disasters and the toxics poisoning lungs. If Trump were serious about tackling the rising cost of living for American families and ensuring the reliability of our electrical grid, he would bring affordable clean energy and storage online—not turn the EPA into Every Polluter’s Ally. I will continue to fight this Polluters First Agenda because Americans deserve an EPA that puts their health over corporate wealth.”

    Under the Inflation Reduction Act and the Clean Air Act, Congress mandated the EPA to set standards that regulate large sources of air pollution like power plants. These rules were incredibly effective at reducing mercury in the air by over 90 percent, as well as other cancer-causing pollutants like lead, nickel, and arsenic. Carbon pollution has led to increasingly frequent billion-dollar climate disasters which are only worsening in severity each year.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey, Health, Labor Leaders, Educators, Climate Advocates Host Virtual Teach-In on Trump Administration’s Cuts to Critical Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Health Care and Food Justice Cuts | Climate and Education Cuts

    Washington (June 12, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee, yesterday hosted virtual teach-ins on Republicans’ proposed cuts to health care, food security, education, and climate initiatives as part of their Big Billionaire Bill (also called budget reconciliation). Senator Markey, Representative Summer Lee (PA-12), and advocates discussed how these cuts would mean people lose their jobs, their health care, their ability to feed their families, and put the future of our country at risk—all to guarantee tax breaks for billionaires. The budget bill is currently being debated by Senate Republicans after House Republicans passed the Big Billionaire Bill in May.

    “It’s simple: Republicans want to rip health care from 16 million people, tear food away from hungry families, cut off access to education for working class Americans, kill jobs, raise energy bills, and slash efforts to make our air and water cleaner– all to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. They want to do this through hard-to-understand processes, back-room negotiations, and by lying to the American public about what these cuts will do,” said Senator Markey. “I am using every opportunity I can to guarantee people know Republicans are voting against their livelihoods, their lives, and their future if they support this bill. We have the power to stop these cuts. We cannot agonize – we must organize to end this big billionaire boondoggle once and for all. Our future depends on it.”

    “There’s nothing beautiful about forcing families to choose between taking their kids to the doctor or feeding them—but that’s exactly what this budget bill would do if it lands on Trump’s desk. Drastic cuts to healthcare like Medicaid and food assistance like SNAP will hurt millions of people in Western Pennsylvania and across the country,” said Representative Lee. “The power of the people is always greater than the people in power, and in this moment, we must all use our power to pressure Republicans to vote no and put the people first—not the billionaires, not the corporate profiteers, and not the oligarchs in the White House. Lives literally depend on it.”

    “The Republican agenda is clear: raise costs on hardworking families and rip coverage away from millions. If they are successful in making the largest cuts to health care in history, 16 million Americans will lose coverage, all to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. These Republican attacks on Americans’ health care are as extreme as they are unpopular, and we must do everything we can to stop them from wreaking havoc on this country’s health care system. No one should lose access to life-saving care and coverage just so the ultra-rich can pay less in taxes,” said Anne Shoup, Senior Advisor, Protect Our Care.

    “The Senate must vote ‘NO’ on any budget bill that cuts or weakens SNAP and takes food away from millions of children, older adults, and people with disabilities. Period,” said Salaam Bhatti, SNAP director at the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). “SNAP is one of the most effective programs out there, fueling the health and well-being of families, as well as our economy. Simply put, a strong and productive country is only possible when everyone has access to food. We urge Senators to oppose any cut to SNAP and instead work towards building a nation free from hunger.”

    “I’ve seen the faces of the people this bill will hurt. I think about the mothers trying to stretch every dollar to keep the lights on, the laid-off workers who need help to get back on their feet, the kids who will go without health care, and the retirees who will go to bed hungry because they can’t afford groceries,” said Zab Martinez, an AFSCME member and Medicaid and SNAP eligibility specialist from Dane County, Wisconsin. “We cannot let this bill pass. I urge you to speak up, write your senators, and demand that they stand with working families, not for billionaire tax giveaways.”

    “Republicans’ Billionaire Tax Scam will take health care away from millions, food out of the mouths of children, and raise costs for everyday families all to give trillions in tax breaks to the wealthy and large corporations. This is a dangerous and irresponsible piece of legislation designed to benefit the richest Americans, while everyday families suffer – and we are going to continue to uplift the voices of the bipartisan majority of Americans who overwhelmingly oppose this harmful bill,” said Michael Linden, Director of Families Over Billionaires.

    “Why would Republicans in Washington gut the basic needs kids and disabled Americans rely on to get by when the cost of groceries and housing are going up? To give the wealthy a tax break. It’s an outrage, which is why over 60% of Americans who hear anything about congressional Republican’s Big Beautiful Betrayal hate it. Now is the time for citizens to learn the consequences of the congressional Republican plan and spread the word so we can stop this Medicaid massacre dead in its tracks,” said Joe Radosevich, Counselor at the Center for American Progress (CAP).

    “Rather than protect Medicare and Medicaid, this bill cuts them, denying healthcare to 14 million people. Rather than strengthen public education, it weakens it. Rather than feeding poor families, it rips food out of their mouths. Education is an opportunity agent, and federal supports should not be used as a piggy bank to defund our already underfunded public schools. The bill includes $20 billion for a reckless school voucher program in the guise of a tax shelter for the well-off. Vouchers syphon crucial funds away from public schools into private hands. They are directly responsible for some of the largest student achievement drops ever recorded and mostly go to parents with kids already in private school,” said Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

    “We have 1,600 workers at Ultium and their jobs are going to be at risk. These are good UAW jobs making $30 an hour, and this bill is going to threaten that. It could have a dramatic impact on the auto industry, on dozens of investments across the entire country,” said David Green, Director of United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 2B. “If we don’t use our voices, they’re going to continue to take them away from us. And we have to fight for what’s right. And I am always going to be on the front line fighting for good union jobs with benefits because that’s how we move this country forward and that’s how we build the middle class.”

    “The energy tax credits on the chopping block during this budget reconciliation process have been utilized by school districts all over the country to install renewable energy projects from roof-top solar arrays to ground-source heat pumps, saving millions of tax-payer dollars on utility bills. These savings can be used to increase teacher salaries and build resilience in communities as schools produce their own power and lighten the load on the energy grid, all while moving us toward a more equitable future powered by clean, renewable energy. In Nevada alone, Washoe County School District is set to receive a $1.7 million check for just one school and Clark County School District, the nation’s 5th largest, has at least five solar eligible projects, including an array on Northeast Career and Technical Academy that is also training future solar installers.  Please urge your Senators to save energy tax credits in their version of the budget reconciliation bill,” said Liz Becker, IRA Campaign Coordinator of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN).

    “The big bad boondoggle bill puts West Virginian communities, especially those most vulnerable to pollution, at risk. With cuts to programs that would facilitate a fair economic transition in Appalachia, such as a grant program to replace gas vehicles with electric vehicles and clean energy tax credits, West Virginians are losing out on the chance for safe and good-paying jobs. Furthermore, cuts to air monitoring, greenhouse gas emission data collection, and environmental review resources make our communities less safe and informed about the air we breathe and the water we drink. West Virginians have suffered with generations of corporate pollution and economic exploitation, and this bill would roll back a critical chance to escape the cycle of environmental injustice on which this country was built,” said Dani Parent, Co-executive Director of West Virginia Citizen Action.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Unveils Effort to Save Taxpayer Dollars by Rooting Out Medicare and Medicaid Fraud

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

     ***VIDEO AVAILABLE***

    Senator Cortez Masto Spoke at a Press Conference Today About Her Proposal, which Comes as Senate Republicans Unveil Plan to Cut Americans’ Health Care

    FTPs for TV stations is available here.

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) unveiled draft legislation to invest in and improve the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program (HCFAC). HCFAC was created to combat fraud across federal health programs, primarily Medicare and Medicaid. Cortez Masto’s legislation would strengthen the program and provide the government with a real, effective way to root out fraud and abuse in the health care system without kicking millions of Americans off of their health care. Footage of her speaking about this legislation today can be found here.

    In 2022, HCFAC related activities recovered $11 for every $1 the program spent to support health care audits and investigations. Following its investigations, HHS-OIG estimates that 2,332 individuals and entities were banned from doing business with Medicare and Medicaid as a result of alleged fraud and abuse. Infractions include egregious neglect of beneficiaries (like residents at nursing homes), inappropriate billing practices, and supporting fraudulent providers and suppliers.

    “As the former Attorney General of Nevada, I know first-hand the importance of investing in oversight for our government programs,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This draft legislation increasing HCFAC funding is exactly what our agencies need to root out real fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid while protecting Americans’ access to care. I hope to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make sure this commonsense, cost-effective bill becomes law.”

    HCFAC is a joint initiative by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to combat fraud across federal health programs, primarily Medicare and Medicaid. The program needs additional support and funding in order to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated health care fraud schemes.

    This draft legislation would increase mandatory HCFAC funding for HHS, CMS, and DOJ. This legislation would also allow HCFAC funding to be used to conduct oversight of all CMS programs, including the Affordable Care Act Insurance Marketplace and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

    The bill text can be found here and a summary can be found here.

    Senator Cortez Masto has worked to strengthen the Medicare and Medicaid programs. She passed legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices and cap the cost of insulin at $35-a-month for Medicare recipients through the Inflation Reduction Act. She has also pushed pharmacy benefit managers to help continue to lower prescription drug costs. As Nevada Attorney General, Cortez Masto worked with the Nevada Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to go after bad actors, rooting out fraud and abuse within the system.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Nevada Delegation, and Governor Lombardo Demand Trump Administration Reverse Course on Nevada Job Corps Center Closure

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) led a letter joined by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Governor Joe Lombardo (R-Nev.), and Representatives Mark Amodei (R-Nev.-02), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04), Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01), and Susie Lee (D-Nev.-03) demanding that the Department of Labor (DOL) reverse course on its decision to defund and close Nevada’s Job Corps Program. The bipartisan outcry from Nevada officials at all levels underscores the importance of the Sierra Nevada Job Corps to Northern Nevada and its impact on tens of thousands of unprivileged students, staff, and employers from throughout the state. 

    “For more than sixty years, Job Corps has aided millions of low-income individuals gain the skills they need to succeed in the workplace,” wrote the officials. “Job Corps is the largest free residential education and job training program for young adults aged 16-24; and thus, is vital to helping students graduate high school, develop career technical skills, and connect students with employers. At a time when almost three-fourths of jobs require training beyond a high school diploma, Job Corps provides students the opportunity to succeed when they may not initially have the tools to do so.”

    “The Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center in Reno has been a vital economic engine for Northern Nevada, serving approximately 25,000 Nevadans since its opening, and graduating more than 500 vocational students a year,” they continued. “In the 2024 program year alone, nearly 82 percent of its students secured full-time employment with a starting wage of at least $17.97 per hour — nearly $6 above the Nevada’s minimum wage. Furthermore, 75 percent of Sierra Nevada Job Corps participants earn at least one certification required by employers.”

    “The DOL’s imminent stop work order on all Job Corps programming will displace approximately nearly 300 students and 170 staff members at the Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center,” they concluded. “The closure will also compel the Center to evict all of its students, leaving the vast majority at serious risk of homelessness. […] While we appreciate your department working to increase accountability and bring workforce programs into alignment with the Administration’s priorities, we strongly urge you reconsider the decision to cut funding and close Job Corps programs in Nevada and nationwide.”

    Full text of the letter can be found here.

    Senator Cortez Masto has been consistent in her fights against harmful gutting of support to students and families in need throughout Nevada, including cuts to mental health grant funding and food and nutrition programs. She has also delivered critical support to at-risk youth across Nevada. She helped secure nearly $12 million in funding for the Communities in Schools (CIS) program, which works with local partner organizations to provide eligible students and their families with essential services, including mental health care and access to high-quality afterschool and leadership programs. Cortez Masto’s provision to increase the number of mental health professionals in schools was included in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Collins, Bipartisan Group Introduce Resolution Honoring Female Veterans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Boozman (R-AR), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate June 12, 2025, as “Women Veterans Appreciation Day” to honor the women who have served in the Armed Forces both on and off the battlefield throughout American history.

    “On Women Veterans Appreciation Day, we honor the millions of American women whose service has strengthened both our military and our nation,” said Senator Collins. “As we prepare to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States Army, it is fitting that we recognize the vital contributions that women have made throughout the history of America’s armed forces. Over the years, their roles have expanded from support positions to senior leadership, and at every step, women have answered the call of duty, serving with courage, skill, and distinction.”

    The complete text of the resolution can be read here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Hears From CEO Of SSM Health Health About Impacts Of Medicaid Cuts In Republicans’ Reconciliation Package

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    June 12, 2025

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke by phone with the CEO of SSM Health, Laura Kaiser, to discuss the impact that President Trump’s and congressional Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act will have on Medicaid, their hospitals, and the patients they serve. In short, the Republican bill will slash Medicaid coverage in order to pay for significant tax breaks for billionaires. In addition to serving the people of Illinois, SSM Health also has hospitals in Missouri, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma.

    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act cuts $800 billion from Medicaid and $300 billion from the Affordable Care Act (ACA), resulting in 16 million Americans losing health insurance coverage. Under the Republican bill, 498,674 people in Illinois, 250,397 people in Missouri, 199,430 people in Oklahoma, and 258,396 people in Wisconsin are projected to lose their health insurance coverage.

    “President Trump and congressional Republicans are coming for your health care to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. It’s as cruel as that,” said Durbin. “It doesn’t matter if you live in a red or blue state—16 million Americans will lose health coverage— and hospitals will suffer as I discussed with SSM Health. These hospitals don’t just represent Illinoisans—they also serve the people of Missouri, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma. During our call, we discussed the horrible impacts this bill will have on their patients, especially children and in rural areas. I hope the Missouri and Oklahoma Senators as well as the senior Senator of Wisconsin will do the right thing for these hospitals and the people they represent and reject this cruel bill.”

    Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act:

    1. Patients must first report their employment to obtain Medicaid coverage resulting in difficulties navigating the bureaucratic mess of hastily crafted verification systems.
    1. It halts provider taxes used by 49 states including Illinois to draw down a federal match to finance the Medicaid program—this provision blocks new or increased provider taxes, which will harm access to all patients in urban and rural hospitals.  
    1. It increases co-pays for Medicaid beneficiaries for doctor visits and prescriptions and allows providers to refuse to see patients who fail to pay—resulting in low-income patients forgoing care.
    1. And it fails to extend the enhanced premium tax credits for purchasing insurance on the exchange. These tax credits make insurance more affordable and resulted in the uninsured rate reaching a record low under President Biden. 

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján, Warnock, Blunt Rochester Lead Senate Push Slamming Secretary Kennedy for Decision to Gut Nation’s Vaccine Advisory Committee and Replace Them With Vaccine Skeptics

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Senator for New Mexico Ben Ray Luján

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) led a group of 19 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). 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,’” wrote the senators.

    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. 

    In addition to Senators Luján, Warnock, and Blunt Rochester, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).

    Read the full letter here 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,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Blumenthal Fight Back Against Trump’s Hateful Anti-LGBTQ+ Policies

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    June 12, 2025

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today joined a new effort to push back against the Trump Administration’s assault on the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ Americans nationwide.
    The No Place for LGBTQ+ Hate Act would ensure that President Trump’s hateful executive orders targeting LGBTQ+ Americans have no force or effect and would ensure that no federal funds are used to implement, administer, enforce, or carry out those executive orders. With anti-LGBTQ+ hate on the rise across the United States, this bill fights back against these harmful federal policies, expands freedom, and opens the doors of opportunity for all Americans.
    “Trump repeatedly bullies gay and transgender people in schools, sports, and the military just because of who they are. That’s wrong, and this legislation makes it clear that everyone deserves safety and equality under the law,” said Murphy.
    “Trump’s executive orders cruelly attack the LGBTQ+ community – denying them anti-discrimination protections and health care access,” said Blumenthal. “This legislation shields the community from the dangerous impact of these new federal policies. I’m proud to join the fight against Trump’s spiteful assault on LGBTQ+ Americans.”
    The No Place for LGBTQ+ Hate Act takes aim at the Trump Administration’s anti-LGBTQ+ executive orders, including:
    The Day One executive order to mandate discrimination against transgender, non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming individuals.
    An executive order to reinstate and expand the transgender military ban.
    An executive order to prevent medically necessary health care from being provided to transgender youth.
    An executive order to prohibit transgender students from participating in school sports.
    An executive order requiring schools to deny the existence of transgender people.
    U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also cosponsored the bill.
    U.S. Representatives Becca Balint (D-VT.-AL), Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.-03), Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.-05), Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex.-30), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.-03), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.-10), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.-51), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.-04), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.-08), Sarah McBride (D-Del.-AL), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.-10), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.-06), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-AL), Scott Peters (D-Calif.-50), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-08), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.-09), Mark Takano (D-Calif.-39), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.-07), and Nikema Williams (D-Ga.-05) cosponsored the bill in the House of Representatives.
    The bicameral bill is endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign, Advocates for Trans Equality, ACLU, National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, Reproductive Freedom for All, and Planned Parenthood. 
    Full text of the legislation is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Young Reintroduce Legislation to Protect American Workers, Limit Non-Compete Clauses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    June 12, 2025

    WASHINGTON–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) on Wednesday reintroduced the Workforce Mobility Act, bipartisan legislation to limit the use of non-compete clauses that negatively impact American workers. U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) co-sponsored the legislation.

    About one in five American workers – 30 million people – are constrained by a non-compete clause, which blocks workers from working for a competing employer or starting a competing business. Research indicates that workers trapped by non-competes have lower wages, and their restricted mobility makes it more difficult for businesses to recruit talent. In states where non-competes are enforced, young firms are more likely to die in their first three years compared to states where they are not enforced.

    “Millions of fast-food workers, security guards, janitors, and health care workers can’t leave their current job for a better one because they’re locked in non-competes. That crushes worker power, reduces wages, and stifles new businesses. The FTC should continue defending its rule to ban non-competes, but Congress should make the policy permanent and pass our legislation to protect workers and support entrepreneurs,” said Murphy. 

    “Non-compete agreements stifle growth, career advancement, innovation, and human freedom. Our bill aims to remove these barriers and create opportunities that help, not hinder, Hoosier workers,” said Young. “The reforms in our legislation will assist workers and entrepreneurs so they can freely apply their talents where their skills are in greatest demand.” 

    “Non-compete agreements make it harder for businesses to recruit and hire talent and stifle wage growth for workers,” said Kaine. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan legislation to promote innovation and support American workers.”

    “Non-compete agreements stifle innovation and job mobility,” said Cramer. “I am glad North Dakota is a national leader in blocking these inhibitive practices. Our bipartisan bill makes non-competes virtually illegal and puts more power back into the hands of the American worker.”

    The Workforce Mobility Act would:

    • Narrow the use of non-compete agreements to include only necessary instances of a dissolution of a partnership or the sale of a business;
    • Charge the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Labor with enforcement, as well as making explicit a private right of action in federal court;
    • Require employers to make their employees aware of the limitation on non-competes, as studies have found that non-competes are often used even when they are illegal or unenforceable. The Department of Labor would also be given the authority to make the public aware of the limitation; and
    • Require the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Labor to submit a report to Congress on any enforcement actions taken.

    A one-pager is available HERE

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy Statement on Baseless Republican Attacks on NGOs Providing Contracted Services

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    June 12, 2025

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, on Thursday released a statement on the targeting of non-profit organizations by House Republicans. Earlier this week, Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.-07), Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.-02), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability, sent letters to more than 200 non-governmental organizations baselessly accusing them of “incentivizing and facilitating illegal immigration” and “encouraging unprecedented levels of human trafficking and smuggling.”

    “It is outrageous, but completely predictable, that House Republicans are targeting non-profit and faith-based organizations Congress contracted to support communities in border states and across our country. Instead of using their authority to bully small non-profits, these members should have read the bills they voted on, which included the authorizing and appropriating language for the very contracts and programs they are targeting in this letter. Talk to any federal law enforcement officer or local leader in a border town, and they’ll tell you these services help make our immigration and asylum system safer and more orderly, while also reducing the burden on local communities. These intimidation tactics will undoubtedly have a chilling effect on NGOs’ willingness to do business with the federal government, and I urge my colleagues to abandon this baseless attack on these organizations and work with Democrats to solve the real challenges we face,” Murphy said.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Slams HUD Secretary Turner on Trump Administration’s Unprecedented Attacks on Affordable Housing & Homelessness Prevention 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Trump budget proposes halving HUD’s budget as key staff are let go in droves & funds signed into law are illegally frozen

    ICYMI: In Everett, Murray Holds Roundtable on Trump Putting $16.7 Million for Snohomish County Homelessness Prevention at Risk, Hears from Affected Organizations—Vows to Fight Housing Budget Cuts

    ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s exchange with Secretary Turner*** 

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner at a Senate Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for HUD and its sweeping staff losses and funding freezes that are already hurting communities across the country. Senator Murray pressed Secretary Turner on the Trump administration’s unprecedented and illegal freezing of funding for critical HUD programs and attacks on the Continuum of Care program that is vital to homelessness prevention in Snohomish County, King County, Pierce County, and other areas across Washington state. Murray also questioned Secretary Turner about the Trump administration blocking funding provided for HUD’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, and his refusal to answer basic Congressional oversight questions on this program.

    In her opening comments, Vice Chair Murray said:

    “The entire point of your Department is to help Americans keep a roof over their head. I am really afraid pretty much everything that you and President Trump have done to date appears kind of in direct opposition to that goal.

    “First off, the President’s illegal funding freezes are causing chaos across the country. I was in Everett, in my home state of Washington, a few weeks ago, I was talking to organizations that help people find housing. And if they can’t get their already-awarded funding, they will be forced to start evicting people this summer and may even have to shut down their services altogether.

    “And on top of that, you’re pushing out 2,300 staff—who are dedicated public servants with decades of experience. I just don’t see how you can tell us with a straight face that forcing out over a quarter of your workforce is going to have no effect on your Department’s ability to meet its statutory responsibilities under law.

    “And now, after all the damage that’s been done, you are here today requesting that Congress slash funding for your Department nearly in half! Nearly in half! That would force millions of Americans out of their homes.


    “Your request would force states to make up for your draconian cuts and abdication of responsibility. I don’t know what state can afford to do that, especially when this administration is simultaneously working to shift even more costs to states for things like SNAP and health care.

    “It is kind of absurd to claim that we cannot afford basic programs that keep people off the streets, but we can hand trillions of dollars in new tax cuts to billionaires and big corporations.

    “Housing affordability and homelessness is a crisis in Washington state and in many places across the country, you know that—but this administration just appears to me to be trying to make it all worse.

    “And I’ll tell you right now: looking at your budget request, as far as I’m concerned as Vice Chair of this committee, it’s not going anywhere.”

    [ILLEGAL FUNDING FREEZES]

    Senator Murray began her questioning by asking about the administration’s illegal funding freezes and attacks on critical housing and homeless prevention programs, including the Continuum of Care program: “I want to start with the funding that you are illegally freezing. The Continuum of Care program is essential to addressing homelessness in my home state of Washington. In March, HUD began issuing grant agreements with a host of new conditions that are deeply concerning and completely unrelated to HUD’s mission. HUD did that without notice, and without any explanation of what the vaguely worded conditions mean or what a grantee would be required to do. As I said earlier, organizations I have talked to in my state say that without these funds, they are going to evict people this summer. The courts, as you know, are sorting this out, I’m glad to see they’ve extended the preliminary injunction to stop HUD from enforcing these new and extreme requirements. Mr. Secretary, I want to ask you, are you going to, and I quote from the court order, ‘take every step necessary to effectuate this order, including clearing any administrative, operational, or technical hurdles to implementation’?”

    Secretary Turner replied, “As you have said this is under active litigation. And so we will leave it there. Once this is through litigation, I look forward to having a conversation, but right now I won’t comment on it.”

    “Not even to tell us if you’re following the court order?” pressed Senator Murray.

    Secretary Turner said, “I will follow the law—”

    Senator Murray reiterated her question, “Are you following the court order?”

    “Our team follows the law and the court order,” answered Secretary Turner.

    “Are you in full compliance with the court order?” followed up Senator Murray.

    “I’m not going to speak any more on it because it’s under active litigation,” said Secretary Turner, avoiding the question.

    Senator Murray continued to try and get clarification on where the funds stood with HUD, “Let me just follow up on this. When will you be in full compliance with the court order? Are funds being withheld today?”

    “We will be with you as soon as we can, once it’s done with active litigation,” Secretary Turner yet again dodged.

    “Are funds being withheld right now even though the court order is in place?” Senator Murray asked again.

    Secretary Turner tried to change the topic, “You know you talked about the 2,300 people—”

    “I just want you to know that I am talking about this Continuum of Care because I am hearing from providers in my state that funds are being withheld, meaning you are not in compliance. Are you aware of that?” Senator Murray further specified.

    Secretary Turner repeated his same talking point, “I am aware of the litigation. It’s in active litigation.”

    Senator Murray further explained to Secretary Turner that he was in violation of the court order and that is why she was asking, “I am hearing funds are still being withheld despite the court order. I need to know if you know that and if you’re going to make sure the funds are released.”

    “I’m the Secretary, so things that go on at HUD I’m well aware of. But I also know with this active litigation, that I am not going to say very much in our hearing today but happy to talk to you as time goes on as I’m able to. I’ll commit to that,” said Secretary Turner.

    Senator Murray made it clear, “Well, we are running out of time. They are going to start evicting people and they need those funds.”

    Secretary Turner again tried to change the subject, “Just to clarify, the 2,300 people that left HUD, it was voluntary, they were not forced out.”

    Senator Murray said, “I know, I have been hearing that from every secretary that comes before us.”

    Secretary Turner interjected, “This is just me from HUD, and I’m just telling you it was 2,300 that took the DRP—”

    “2,300 that were told if you don’t get out now you will be sorry in the future, so it is people that we need there,” Senator Murray pushed back.

    Senator Murray then pressed Secretary Turner on the funding held up for the Green and Resilient Retrofit program: “Let me move on to another example. Your Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, that was created to help make properties more resilient to disasters and less expensive to heat and cool. On day one, you and the President deemed this commonsense program ‘woke’ somehow and have illegally attempted to terminate it. The courts have now directed HUD to process and disburse those funds, but I want you know that we are hearing from owners that HUD is doing nothing to restore the administrative contract that DOGE cancelled—which is holding up this deal from moving forward. This Committee has now asked five times for HUD to brief my staff on this, yet they’ve refused to speak to us about basic legal requirements. So let me just ask you here today, why are you preventing HUD-assisted property owners from making often overdue upgrades to low-income and senior housing?”

    Secretary Turner again avoided the question he was capable of answering, “This also is under active litigation, as you know. And so, my comments on this will be zero to limited. It’s under active litigation, as soon as we get done with that I’m happy to speak with you.”

    “Well, there are people waiting. And this fund [is] critical and there are court orders, and I expect them to be followed. And I am just going to say for the record, there’s nothing objectionable about this funding. It is stunning to me that we are under a court order, and you’re not giving the money out. It’s for things like replacing windows and outdated HVAC systems, and installing fire-resistant roofs. These are things badly needed for people in this country,” concluded Senator Murray.

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    President Trump’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2026 would slash funding for HUD by almost 50 percent—a staggering cut that would decimate the HUD housing assistance programs, kicking families out of their homes and making millions of Americans vulnerable to homelessness. Trump’s budget proposes to convert all rental assistance programs into a formula-based “State Rental Assistance Block Grant” and reduce total funding by $26.7 billion, or a 42 percent cut. His budget also proposes to consolidate the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program with the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program within the formula-based Emergency Solutions Grant and to time-limit assistance to two years, all while reducing overall funding by $532 million, or 12 percent. In addition, President Trump’s budget proposes to eliminate or reduce nearly all HUD programs, including eliminating major formula programs communities rely upon to develop new affordable housing and for community development activities. On May 29th, Senator Murray held a roundtable in Everett to hear from local housing and homelessness prevention organizations affected by the Trump administration’s senseless decision to jeopardize CoC grant funding by placing new, potentially unlawful conditions on the grant funding.

    MIL OSI USA News –