NewzIntel.com

Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Capito Questions NIH Director at Budget Request Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    [embedded content]

    Click here or on the image above to watch Senator Capito’s questions.

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), questioned National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., during a hearing to review the president’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request.

    HIGHLIGHTS:

    ON PRIORITIZING ALZHIEMER’S RESEARCH:

    SENATOR CAPITO: “We very much want to see the innovation in detection, diagnosis, and treatment move forward. And I hope that as you’re setting the priorities and we set them with you, you know that this is a top priority for many of us who are here, and me in particular.”

    ON NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE DESIGNATION:

    SENATOR CAPITO: “If you have a designated cancer center or a National Cancer Institute in and around where you live, your ability to access treatments, your success rate and early interventions are so much better. Some states are called Emerging Cancer Institutes, one of those happens to be mine. There are 14 states that don’t have an NCI-designated cancer center. This is something that is amazingly important to rural parts of our country. How would you close that gap for underrepresentation in the cancer institutes?”

    ON FUNDING FOR OPIOID ADDICTION RESEARCH:

    SENATOR CAPITO: “The last question I have is on…the opioid addiction research. This is a growing issue. The statistics have come down, but I don’t think we should be taking that as a sign that this is not still a tremendous problem across the country. Dr. Rezai in our state is using low intensity focus ultrasound to restructure the way that the brain reacts to certain stimuli. How does your budget prioritize continuing to invest in addiction treatment?”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Capito Questions Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at Budget Request Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    [embedded content]

    Click here or on the image above to watch Senator Capito’s questions. 

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, questioned Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Caine at a hearing to review the president’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of Defense. 

    HIGHLIGHTS:

    ON STRONG MILITARY RECRUITMENT NUMBERS:  

    SENATOR CAPITO: “I’m very proud of this fact, that the recruiting goals that have been falling short – with the exception of the Marine Corps, I want to give them a shout out – you said that they are higher.” 

    SECRETARY HEGSETH: “There was plenty of pre-criticism that certain groups would not be interested in joining the military in this environment, and we’ve seen the exact opposite. Because for us, it’s not about women or men or black or white, it’s about we want the most qualified Americans possible in our ranks.” 

    SENATOR CAPITO: “When you’re talking to recruiters, what’s the difference?” 

    SECRETARY HEGSETH: “The difference is a Commander in Chief they believe in.” 

    ON MAINTAINING SPACE SUPERIORITY: 

    SENATOR CAPITO: “I think a powerful, destabilizing force would be if China were to get the superior hand in space. General Saltzman has said that he feels that we do not have what we need to fight on our terms…I would imagine in your National Defense Strategy, but also reflected in your budget…how does this match with the need for us to become space dominant?” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Capito Applauds Trump EPA Proposal to End Clean Power Plan 2.0

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, applauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to repeal the Biden administration’s unlawful power plant regulation. This rule, known as the Clean Power Plan 2.0, impacts both coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, and would decimate baseload energy production and eliminate jobs across West Virgina.

    “Finally, under President Trump’s leadership, we are taking a necessary step towards ending the Clean Power Plan 2.0 once and for all, eliminating the threat this rule poses to our way of life in communities throughout America. I have long opposed this rule and warned of the devastating economic impacts it would have in West Virginia, and the energy reliability concerns it would create across our country. I’m thrilled that EPA Administrator Zeldin is reversing Biden-era regulations that would turn off affordable coal and natural gas energy generation, and is prioritizing electric grid reliability and energy abundance,” Chairman Capito said.

    BACKGROUND ON CAPITO’S OPPOSITION TO THE CLEAN POWER PLAN 2.0:

    • In March 2025, Senator Capito applauded the Trump EPA for taking the initial steps towards deregulating Biden-era rules, including the Clean Power Plan 2.0, that harm American energy production and energy states like West Virginia.
    • In June 2024, Senator Capito led 43 of her Senate colleagues in introducing a formal challenge to the Biden administration’s Clean Power Plan 2.0 regulations intended to shut down American power plants through a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval.
    • In December 2023, Senator Capito and U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) sent a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan to again outline significant concerns with the administration’s proposed Clean Power Plan 2.0.
      • Two days later, Senators Capito and Barrasso sent a letter to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) urging the commissioners to work with the EPA to improve the agency’s proposed Clean Power Plan 2.0 and fix the associated threats to electric reliability the plan presents, brought to light during a FERC technical conference on the Clean Power Plan 2.0 held in November 2023. Senators Capito and Barrasso also sent two other letters to FERC on this topic in June 2023 (requesting the technical conference) and November 2023 (recommending areas of focus for the conference).
    • In August 2023, Senator Capito led 38 other Republican senators in filing comments on the proposed Clean Power Plan 2.0, calling on the EPA to withdraw its plans to force the closure of coal and gas-fired power plants.
    • In June 2023, Senator Capito led 27 of her colleagues in urging EPA Administrator Michael Regan to extend the public comment period for the Clean Power Plan 2.0.
    • In May 2023, Senator Capito announced plans to lead efforts through the CRA to overturn President Biden’s Clean Power Plan 2.0 once it was finalized and published by the EPA.
    • In December 2021, Senator Capito led 47 senators and 44 House members on an amicus curiae brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the petitioners, including the state of West Virginia, in the pending case West Virginia, et al. v. Environmental Protection Agency.
    • In 2015, Senator Capito and U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) successfully challenged then-President Obama’s original Clean Power Plan, which the Supreme Court later overturned, with CRA resolutions of disapproval on the administration’s rules targeting both existing and new power plants. The Senate approved both resolutions: S.J. Res 24 introduced by Senator Capito, and S.J. Res 23 introduced by Senator McConnell. The resolutions were vetoed by President Obama.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden, Colleagues Reintroduce Bill to Protect Reproductive and Sexual Health Data

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

    June 11, 2025

    Washington D.C.— U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said today he has joined colleagues to reintroduce the landmark My Body, My Data Act, which would create a new national standard to protect reproductive and sexual health data. 

    “Anti-abortion Republicans are restricting abortion state-by-state, and they’re not going to stop until they get a national abortion ban,” Wyden said. “The way MAGA prosecutors and politicians enforce their cruel assault on women’s rights is by going after their privacy and abusing their personal data to track down and punish women for their personal reproductive health choices. Congress has to draw a line. I’m proud to partner with Rep. Jacobs and Sen. Hirono on the My Body, My Data Act to set the toughest protections ever for reproductive health data.”

    The weaponization of private reproductive and sexual health data has increased in recent years, especially since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In 2017, police used web searches and text messages to charge Latice Fisher with second-degree murder after a stillbirth at home. Facebook messages were also a key piece of evidence in an abortion-related investigation of a Nebraska mother and daughter in 2022. A data broker shared cell phone and geo-location data with an anti-abortion political group that then dispensed disinformation about reproductive health to people who visited 600 abortion clinics in 48 states. Earlier this year, police investigated a Pennsylvania mother and daughter after receiving text messages about her pregnancy.

    Specifically, the My Body, My Data Act would:

    • Limit the personal reproductive and sexual health data that can be collected, retained, used, or disclosed to only what is needed to deliver a product or service.
    • Protect personal data collected by entities not currently covered under HIPAA, including data collected by apps, cell phones, and search engines.
    • Require regulated entities to develop and share a privacy policy outlining how they collect, retain, use, and disclose personal reproductive health information.
    • Direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce the law and to develop rules to implement the statute.
    • Create a private right of action to allow individuals to hold regulated entities accountable for violations. 
    • Provide additional consumer protections, including the right of an individual to access, delete, or correct their personal data if they choose to.

    In addition to Wyden, the legislation was led by U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii., and U.S. Representative Sara Jacobs, D-Calif. 

    The legislation is supported by Center for Democracy and Technology, Electronic Privacy Information Center, Electronic Frontier Foundation, National Partnership for Women & Families, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Reproductive Freedom for All, Physicians for Reproductive Health, National Women’s Law Center, National Abortion Federation, Catholics for Choice, National Council for Jewish Women, Power to Decide, United for Reproductive & Gender Equity, Indivisible, Guttmacher, and National Network of Abortion Funds, All* Above All.

    “Everyone deserves the freedom to make personal decisions about their bodies, lives, and health without the fear of surveillance or criminalization. The ‘My Body, My Data Act’ is a critical step toward protecting our most private health information—including abortion and pregnancy care—from being weaponized against us. We’re grateful to Representative Jacobs and Senator Hirono for their leadership in introducing this bold federal action. We are committed to working with them to fight back as Trump and Republicans continue to attack our fundamental freedoms,” said Mini Timmaraju, CEO and President of Reproductive Freedom for All.

    “In a chaotic and dangerous post-Roe landscape, no one seeking an abortion should have to fear that their health information will be used to criminalize them,” said Jocelyn Frye, President of National Partnership for Women & Families. “Many women, including many women of color and those with low incomes, already face over-surveillance and heightened barriers to accessing abortion care. This bill is an important step in protecting data privacy surrounding abortion care, and we thank Rep. Jacobs and Senators Hirono and Wyden for their leadership on this issue.”

    “Americans’ health data is constantly used in ways that they do not expect. The My Body, My Data Act protects the privacy and safety of people seeking reproductive care but putting strict limits on when reproductive and sexual health information can be collected and how it can be used. Health care and privacy go hand in hand, and EPIC commends Rep. Jacobs for introducing this important bill,” said Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).

    “It’s been nearly three years since the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and we continue to see states hostile to reproductive rights seeking access to health data. The My Body My Data Act contains critical privacy protections that limit the data companies collect and retain about their customers while providing people clear ways to access and delete their health data when they want. When companies don’t collect and keep people’s health data, they won’t have anything to turn over if folks come asking for it,” said Andrew Crawford, Senior Counsel, Center for Democracy & Technology.

    “As a physician, I know how critical it is for the personal information of the patients I care for to be protected. Too often, data related to reproductive health care is used to target and criminalize people seeking essential care. I am thankful to Senators Wyden and Hirono and Representative Jacobs for introducing the My Body, My Data Act of 2025. Ensuring the health and well-being of patients includes protecting the privacy of personal reproductive health information,” said Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi, Physicians for Reproductive Health Board Chair and OB/GYN in Texas. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Class Act to give Students Cheated by For-Profit Colleges Their Day in Court

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

    June 11, 2025

    Washington D.C.—U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said today he has joined colleagues to reintroduce legislation designed to strengthen students’ ability to hold for-profit colleges accountable in court for their misconduct.  

    The Court Legal Access and Student Support (CLASS) Act would enhance accountability for for-profit colleges and safeguard taxpayer dollars by prohibiting an institution of higher education from receiving Title IV federal student aid if the school’s enrollment agreement requires mandatory arbitration or otherwise restricts students’ ability to pursue claims against the school in court.

    “For-profit colleges must be held accountable for misleading people working hard to get an education, and no student should have to sign a non-disclosure agreement to secure thateducation,” Wyden said. “Students are already dealing with the skyrocketing costs of college across the country, and I am committed to support students to reduce these costs and empower them to hold bad-actors accountable with legislation like the CLASS Act.”.

    Specifically, the CLASS Act would enhance the accountability of for-profit colleges and safeguard taxpayer dollars by:

    • Prohibiting an institution of higher education from receiving federal student aid if the school’s enrollment agreement requires mandatory arbitration or restricts students’ ability to pursue claims against the school in court;
    • Ensuring  the Federal Arbitration Act, which governs the enforcement of arbitration proceedings, would not apply to student enrollment agreements;
    • Taking effect one year after enactment to allow schools to make any necessary changes; and
    • Exempting legitimate non-profit colleges and universities because these institutions do not include mandatory arbitration clauses in their enrollment agreements.  The CLASS Act thus squarely focuses on schools that might seek to profit off of students while hiding from accountability in a court of law.

    The legislation was led by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and U.S. Representative Maxine Waters, D-Calif. Along with Wyden, the CLASS Act is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, John Fetterman, D-Pa., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. 

    The bill has earned the endorsement of Consumer Action; The Institute for College Access and Success; National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low income clients); National Association for College Admission Counseling; Veterans Education Success; National Association of Consumer Advocates; American Association for Justice; Center for Justice and Democracy; Woodstock Institute; Public Justice; Earthjustice; Public Citizen; The National Employment Lawyers Association; Americans for Financial Reform; National Consumers League; Consumer Federation of America; Young Invincibles; and Center for Responsible Lending.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman, Grassley Introduce the Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) led nine of their Republican colleagues in introducing the Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act, legislation to strengthen violent crime statutes, resolve conflicting court decisions by clarifying penalties for violent offenses like carjacking, robbery and kidnapping, and help deter future violent crimes.

    “Soft-on-crime policies have failed to ensure our justice system and law enforcement at all levels have the necessary authorities and tools to maintain order and protect communities from dangerous criminals,” said Boozman. “I am proud to join Senator Grassley and my colleagues to ensure violent offenders are held accountable under the law.”

    “Under the Biden-Harris administration, our nation saw a massive spike in violent crime. As the Trump administration works to clean up the previous administration’s mess, Congress has a duty to resolve any legal ambiguities that may weaken our ability to hold criminals fully accountable,” Grassley said. “Our bill includes several modest, but meaningful, reforms to tamp down on future crime and ensure justice is served.”

    The Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act addresses ambiguity and conflicting applications of existing law by clarifying congressional intent. Specifically, the bill would:  

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

    Along with Boozman and Grassley, the bill is cosponsored by Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Jim Risch (R-ID). 

    The bill text is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warnock, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Close Tax Loophole for Big Pharma

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Today, Senator Reverend Warnock introduced the Close the Round-Tripping Loophole Act, to close a tax loophole to make it harder for pharmaceutical companies to move profits to offshore accounts and pay lower taxes on American-sold products 

    Senator Reverend Warnock: “We should not be giving tax breaks to major drug companies that exploit our laws to hide their profits”

    Senator Wyden: “This kind of loophole is what makes middle-class workers whose taxes come out of every paycheck feel like they’re getting ripped off, and the fact is, they’re right” 

    Senator Warner: “This bill puts a stop to one of the worst abuses in the tax code and restores some much-needed fairness for middle class families”

    Senator Welch: “I’m proud to join my colleagues on this legislation to close this loophole and rein in corporate greed”

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Close the Round-Tripping Loophole Act, which closes a tax loophole regularly used by pharmaceutical companies to move profits offshore and pay significantly lower corporate tax rates. The corporate tax loophole was blessed by Washington Republicans and signed into law by President Trump in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. 

    “We should not be giving tax breaks to major drug companies that exploit our laws to hide their profits,” said Senator Warnock. “This critical legislation provides a commonsense fix that helps lower our deficit while forcing Big Pharma to pay their fair share. I urge my colleagues to pass this bill as quickly as possible.”

    “Big, profitable multinationals have been abusing this loophole for many years with the blessing of Trump and Republicans, who are now gearing up to give those corporations even bigger tax breaks in their massive budget bill,” said Senator Wyden. “I’ve spent years investigating Big Pharma’s many tax schemes, and round-tripping is one of their go-to dodges. This kind of loophole is what makes middle-class workers whose taxes come out of every paycheck feel like they’re getting ripped off, and the fact is, they’re right.”

    “For too long, American corporations have been able to exploit loopholes that let them shift profits overseas and avoid paying their fair share in taxes – leaving hardworking Americans to pick up the tab,” Senator Warner said. “This bill puts a stop to one of the worst abuses in the tax code and restores some much-needed fairness for middle class families.”

    “The ‘round-tripping’ loophole is just another way large corporations and Big Pharma have schemed to rip-off taxpayers and avoid paying their fair share. They’ve been getting away with this for years now—enough’s enough,” said Senator Welch. “I’m proud to join my colleagues on this legislation to close this loophole and rein in corporate greed.”

    The Close the Round-Tripping Loophole Act closes a loophole that large corporations, especially pharmaceutical companies, have used to shift their profits offshore. This legislation would help ensure that companies pay U.S. corporate taxes on profits made in the United States by making it harder for corporations to shift this income to low-tax countries. No small businesses would be subject to these provisions. The proposal would only apply to corporations that average at least $100 million in annual revenue.

    The introduction of the Close the Round-Tripping Loophole Act is Senator Warnock’s most recent effort to combat corporate greed and hold big pharmaceutical companies accountable. In August 2022, Senator Warnock introduced legislation to combat corporate greed and incentivize companies to lower prices at the pump for Georgians by raising taxes on oil and gas companies that utilized greedy practices. In February 2022, Senator Warnock successfully pushed to cap the cost of insulin and prescription drugs for seniors on Medicare.

    Read the Close the Round-Tripping Loophole Act HERE

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warnock Fires Up Medicaid Advocates, Fights to Protect Health Care Access for 16 Million Americans 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Warnock Fires Up Medicaid Advocates, Fights to Protect Health Care Access for 16 Million Americans 

    Senator Reverend Warnock inspired a passionate crowd at the “Save Medicaid”  rally

    The current version of the Republican tax bill will kick 16 million Americans off their health care, and raise the cost of care for everyone

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) fired up health care advocates from across the country at the “Save Medicaid Rally” underscoring the dangers of cuts to Medicaid proposed in the Washington Republicans’ tax bill. The rally was organized by Popular Democracy in coordination with American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT), Caring Across Generations, Planned Parenthood, SEIU, ACLU, and other national organizations.

    The Senator’s remarks come as the Senate is currently deliberating over Washington Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, President Trump’s tax bill that provides billions in tax breaks for billionaires by cutting health care for 16 million Americans.

    “What he [President Trump] wants to do is unpopular. I don’t blame him for wanting to change the subject. He wants to cut $800 billion out of Medicaid, kick people off of coverage, disabled people, children, the working class. He wants to kick all of them off of health care. He wants to cut $300 billion out of SNAP just to give people like Elon Musk a tax cut,” said Senator Warnock during the rally. “No wonder he’s trying to change the subject, but we’re going to hold them accountable, and we will not be distracted. We will not be distracted, and we will not be divided.”

    Senator Warnock has long championed efforts to expand affordable health care access, starting with his advocacy to close the health care coverage gap in Georgia. Most recently, Senator Warnock published a newreport, “Healthy People, Healthy Economy” finding that placing bureaucratic red tape between working people and their health care will lead to hospital closures, job loss, and economic slowdown. In addition to pushing for solutions to close the coverage gap, Senator Warnock led a delegation of Georgia lawmakers in urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide tools to Medicaid non-expansion states like Georgia to help them protect health care access for Medicaid enrollees who lose eligibility after the end of the public health emergency declaration. Senator Warnock also adamantly opposed Dr. Mehmet Oz’s consideration to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), for his lack of commitment to protecting Medicaid services.

    Senator Warnock’s remarks during the Save Medicaid Rally are HERE and below:

    “The question is: Who are we? And what do we want in a moment like this? I don’t know about you, but I want a country and a vision that embraces all of us.”

    “So I’m proud to be here with you in this moral moment. I represent the people of Georgia in the United States Senate. I’m deeply honored that they would send me. You know, it’s a real honor for the people of your state to say that, since we care about our children and we want the best for them. We care about our mothers and our fathers as they deal with the blessings and the burdens of aging, because we believe that everybody ought to have health care and every child ought to have a chance. Since all of us can’t go to Washington, D.C., we’re going to send you. We’re going to trust that in rooms of power, you will remember who sent you there. You will remember your covenant that you have with the people that you represent. I think about that every single day, but every time I come and speak at a rally like this, I am reminded that long before I came to the Senate, long before I represented Georgia in these halls of Congress, the last time the Trump administration was pushing forward a reconciliation bill, the year was 2017, and I was here not as a senator. I was here as an agitator.”

    “In 2017, they were focused on cutting health care. They wanted to kick people off of their health care. Y’all remember that? They were trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act. They said, repeal and replace, but they didn’t have anything to replace it with. And I was here that day as an activist, pastor. Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where I still serve. And we were gathered in the rotunda of the Capitol, praying and singing. [There] were clergy from various faith traditions all across our country, and the Capitol police came and they said, pastors, ‘if you don’t disperse because you can’t sing and pray in this rotunda over here, we’re going to have to arrest you.’ What they didn’t understand is that I had already been arrested. My mind and my heart and my imagination had been arrested by this idea that we are much better than this and that the wealthiest country on the planet can afford to provide basic health care to all of its citizens.”

    “So they arrested me that day, and I thought it was a small price to pay, but in the years since, the people of Georgia have seen fit to send this guy who was used to fighting from the outside to work on the inside, and that’s what our fight has to be about y’all. It has to be an inside fight and an outside fight. Are you ready to make it happen?! We got to fight on the inside, and we got to fight on the outside.”

    “Because I live in Atlanta, I get to walk around and rub shoulders with giants all the time. I was John Lewis’ pastor. Xernona Clayton, another lieutenant of the Movement, who Dr. King – she’s short – he used to call her ‘Big’ she’s a member of my church. Dr King’s sister, up until two years ago when she passed away, she was always sitting on the second row while I was preaching. Can you imagine preaching in front of Martin Luther King Jr.’s sister every Sunday? But Andrew Young, who’s in his 90s, is still with us. Let’s hear for Andy Young. But I want you to hear me today. Andy Young tells me this great story. He says that after they passed the Civil Rights law of 1964, Dr. King went to see the President, and he didn’t go to the President just to say, thank you for passing the Civil Rights bill. He went to the President to say, ‘Now what we really need right now is a voting rights bill. My people are not able to vote in the South.’ And so LBJ said, ‘Martin, I understand what you’re saying, but I can’t do that right now. I had to expend so much political capital just to get that Civil Rights bill over the finish line.’ He said, ‘I don’t have the power to do that right now. So, they left the White House. The staff was feeling all demoralized and dejected, Andy Young among them, they said, ‘Doc, what are we going to do? The President says he doesn’t have the power.’ And Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, with a shrug, said, ‘Well, if the President doesn’t have the power, I guess we’re going to have to go and find him some, we’re going to have to go and give the President the power that he needs to do what needs to be done.’ And that’s why they went to Selma. Selma was the answer on the outside for what they weren’t able to do on the inside.”

    “Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you? I’m trying to tell you that I need you on the streets while I’m fighting in the suites, you have to create the context for change. And hear me, and I know you all know this, but you’ve got to spread the word. You have to do it through peaceful means of protest. Otherwise, you lose your moral credibility, you lose your voice. You cannot allow yourself to look like that which you deplore.”

    “Isn’t it a sad irony that Donald Trump is talking about he may have to invoke the insurrection clause? Imagine that the insurrectionist President wants to invoke the insurrection clause, but we cannot allow ourselves to look like him, because he is trying to divide us. He is using our military, men and women, and service members as pawns in a sad and cynical political game. He does not respect the military. How many veterans do we have out here? Raise your hand. I know we got folks who serve. Give our veterans a great big round of applause. Donald Trump does not respect our service members. He calls them suckers. He calls them losers, and now he wants to use them in his sad and cynical political game. He wants them to show up on the streets in war gear because he’s trying to convince American citizens that we are at war with one another. Well, I’ve got news for Donald Trump. We are not at war with other American citizens. We are at war against bigotry. We are at war against xenophobia. We are at war against a sad policy that would take food out of the mouths of hungry children in order to give a tax cut to billionaires. That’s what we’re fighting against.”

    “Are you ready to stand up in these streets?!”

    “Are you ready to fight for health care?!”

    Are you ready to fight for human dignity?!”

    “We need you in this moment, and so tell our young sisters and brothers, […] I’m serious, tell our young activists that Donald Trump wants nothing more than to be able to call martial law. He wants the story to be about police cars burning. Don’t burn police cars. We need law enforcement every now and then; we’ve got to challenge them, but we need law enforcement. We must not become like him. Do you understand what I’m saying? Because he wants to change the subject, and I don’t blame him. What he wants to do is unpopular. I don’t blame him for wanting to change the subject. He wants to cut $800 billion out of Medicaid, kick people off of coverage, disabled people, children, the working class. He wants to kick all of them off of health care. He wants to cut $300 billion out of SNAP just to give people like Elon Musk a tax cut. No wonder he’s trying to change the subject, but we’re going to hold them accountable, and we will not be distracted. We will not be distracted, and we will not be divided.”

    “We’re focused, right!?”

    “We’re ready, right?!”

    “We know the work that is in front of us, and we know that it’s not about the people in power. It’s about the power that’s in the people. So, stand up today and stand up tomorrow and stand up the next day and stand up the next month, and keep on standing until every child has a chance and every American has health care and we push toward a greater future. God bless everyone.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 06/11/2025 Blackburn Introduces Bill to End Taxpayer Funding for NPR and PBS

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced the Free Americans from Ideological Reporting (FAIR) Act to stop federal taxpayer dollars from being sent to National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) after years of left-wing politically biased reporting under the guise of public broadcasting. Senator Blackburn has long pushed to ensure taxpayers are not footing the bill for biased media, and this bill would codify the executive order President Trump issued on May 1, 2025.

    “For far too long, American taxpayers have been forced to foot the bill for NPR and PBS while they push left-wing propaganda,” said Senator Blackburn. “The FAIR Act would cut off taxpayer funding to these partisan outlets, ensuring the American people aren’t forced to subsidize media that disparages conservatives and does the left’s bidding.”

    • NPR and PBS have benefited from taxpayer dollars for years while showing a consistent pattern of editorial bias, left-leaning political slant, and a lack of public accountability. NPR and PBS have violated the spirit of public broadcasting by forcing American taxpayers to fund content that misrepresents and excludes conservative viewpoints.
    • Last year, Senator Blackburn called for NPR to lose its funding after it suspended an editor who exposed the outlet’s partisan bias.
    • NPR’s CEO, Katherine Maher, testified before Congress where she admitted to botching coverage of Hunter Biden’s laptop and was grilled about the bias in the organization. Maher has also made statements calling President Trump a “fascist” and a “deranged racist sociopath.” PBS has pushed radical leftist gender ideology, releasing a movie called “Real Boy,” about a transgender teen.
    • President Trump issued an executive order on May 1, 2025, preventing federal dollars from funding NPR and PBS directly through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) or indirectly through member station dues.

    THE FAIR ACT

    The FAIR Act would:

    • Permanently bar CPB from directly funding NPR and PBS;
    • Permanently bar CPB from indirectly funding NPR and PBS by ensuring that licensees and permittees of public radio and television stations, as well as any other recipients of CPB funds, do not use federal funds for NPR and PBS; and
    • Require the heads of all agencies to identify and terminate direct or indirect funding of NPR and PBS. 

    Click here for bill text

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Disastrous Wildfires

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ted Budd (R-North Carolina)

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), alongside U.S. Representatives Kim Schrier (D-Wash.) and David Valadao (R-Calif.), introduced the bicameral, bipartisan National Prescribed Fire Act of 2025 today. The legislation would support prescribed burns as an essential, cost-effective, science-based strategy to save lives and property, and address the harmful impacts of the recent wildfires across the nation.

    The National Prescribed Fire Act of 2025 would invest in hazardous fuels management to reduce the risk of blistering infernos by increasing the pace and scale of prescribed burns during cooler, wetter months. The legislation would grow a technically skilled prescribed fire workforce, provide new tools to aid smoke management, and prescribed fire permitting during winter months to reduce ruinous fires and smoke in the summer.

    “Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, thousands of acres of North Carolina forest were left destroyed. Now, these downed trees and piles of leaves represent a serious wildfire risk. By enabling the Forest Service to better conduct controlled burns of unchecked vegetation and scattered debris, we can protect our forests from catastrophic wildfires that may occur in the hottest months of the year. I am proud to join my colleague, Sen. Wyden, in introducing this common-sense, proactive approach to preventing disastrous wildfires,” said Senator Budd.

    “It’s no secret that rising temperatures and increased drought are leading to more and more wildfires, and firefighters are struggling to keep up as they put their lives on the line. We can no longer wait for disaster to strike before we address these fires destroying our neighborhoods and even taking people’s lives. I have heard firsthand from Oregonians who are sick and tired of inaction while the West burns. Our bipartisan, bicameral bill will tackle wildfires head-on by focusing on prevention to get the West out of the cycle of crisis and devastation every wildfire season,” said Senator Wyden.

    “Here in Washington State, we experience devastating wildfires every year. That’s why Congress must act now and address this issue. My bill, the National Prescribed Fire Act, expands the use of prescribed fire to lower the risk of catastrophic wildfires,” said Rep. Schrier.

    “In California, we understand the dangerous impact of wildfires—from damage to property to loss of life. By prescribing controlled burns to fire-adapted land in a safe and supervised way, we can limit dangerous fuel buildup and help reduce the threat of future wildfires. I’m proud to join my colleagues in re-introducing this bipartisan bill to protect our communities from wildfire risk,” said Rep. Valadao.

    Read the full bill text HERE.

    Background

    In 2024 alone, 8.9 million acres of land were burned by wildfires, one of the highest totals on record. As vegetation continues to grow, the Forest Service has been unable to address the current hazardous fuel backlog, which is exacerbated by the nation’s hot and dry fire seasons.

    Hurricane Helene resulted in 822,000 acres of downed timber and debris in North Carolina. As this debris dries out, it poses a significant risk of wildfire. According to the North Carolina Forest Service, there have been 4,193 wildfires burning more than 26,000 acres so far this year, on pace to dramatically exceed 2024’s totals of 4,588 fires burning over 15,000 acres.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján, Cortez Masto Lead Senate Spotlight Forum on Trump’s Tariffs and Their Impact on American Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    Costs, Chaos, Corruption: The Household Impact of Trump’s Tariffs

    Photos from the forum available here.

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), members of the Senate Committee on Finance, hosted a Spotlight Forum titled “Costs, Chaos, Corruption: The Household Impact of Trump’s Tariffs.” The forum examined how President Trump’s tariff policies fuel economic instability, raise costs on working families, harm the travel and tourism sector, and benefit special interests. The event featured testimony from policy experts, labor leaders, and small business owners directly impacted by the reckless tariffs. 

    “Across New Mexico and the country, Americans arefeeling pain from President Trump’s tariffs,” said Senator Luján. “Costs, Chaos, Corruption – those aren’t just buzzwords. They’re the reality for hardworking families in New Mexico and across America. President Trump’s tariffs are expected to cost American households $2,600 a year, a price that’s far too expensive for many Americans to afford. That’s why I partnered with Senator Cortez Masto to show the American people that President Trump’s tariffs are a tax on working families, a gut punch to small businesses, and a green light for corruption.”

    “President Trump’s tariffs and the haphazard manner in which he’s deploying them are causing real damage to real Americans,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “It’s now more important than ever that we give a microphone to those most impacted by Trump’s shortsighted economic policies. Senate Democrats will never stop fighting for working families.”

    During the forum, witnesses highlighted that President Trump’s reckless tariffs are hurting small businesses, the economy, and the American consumer.

    The forum featured testimony from:

    • Adam Posen, President, Peterson Institute for International Economics
    • Thea Lee, Economist and Former Deputy Undersecretary for International Labor Affairs
    • Preston Martin, CEO, Bicycle Technologies International
    • Steve Wright, President and General Manager of Jay Peak Resort 
    • Emma Jagoz, Owner of Moon Valley Farm

    “This is one of the worst ways to impose a tax and one of the most regressive ways to redistribute income from poorer to richer Americans and increase the tax burden on poorer people. In addition, because they cause uncertainty, provoke retaliation by other nations, and create opportunities for government corruption, tariffs have many destructive side effects that other forms of taxes do not,” said Adam Posen in his opening statement. 

    “The Trump tariffs bring all pain and no gain. In the short term, there will be uncertainty, supply bottlenecks, unpredictable price hikes on essential items, and likely decreases in both imports and exports as some trading partners implement retaliatory tariffs. In the long term, there will be irreparable rifts with valued trading partners and lack of coordination on shared goals,” said Thea Lee in her opening statement. 

    “With over 90% of bicycles, bicycle parts and bicycle accessories manufactured outside the US, the bike industry depends on a global supply chain. BTI imports from around the globe, especially Asia and Europe. Even our US sourced bike products are being affected since they are made from foreign-sourced raw materials. The bicycle industry works on low margins, thus cannot absorb higher tariff expenses,” said Preston Martin in his opening statement. 

    “In a normal year, roughly 750k Canadian tourists come into Vermont and inject roughly $150m into the State’s economy. Recent data shows that hotel reservations from CAD visitors are down 45% between Jan-April, credit card spending is down nearly 40% across that same time period, border crossings have been declining every month and are down nearly 35% and visits to the Vermont.com website, a data point reflecting the likelihood of visiting in the future are off 70% across the first few months of the year,” said Steve Wright in his opening statement. 

    “Small and medium-scale farmers of all political affiliations are bracing for a tough year. Input costs are rising, labor costs are soaring, USDA support is being cut, and consumers are stretched thin,” said Emma Jagoz in her opening statement. 

    Footage of the full forum can be foundHERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Speaks at 2025 Alzheimer’s Impact Movement Advocacy Forum

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
    Published: June 11, 2025

    Click HERE to watch and HERE to download video from the event.
    Click HERE, HERE, and HERE for individual photos
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, delivered remarks at the 2025 Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) Advocacy Forum in Washington. Maine Alzheimer’s advocates Mary Dysart Hartt and her husband Mike introduced Senator Collins at the event. Mary and Mike live in Hampden, and Mary has been a tireless advocate on behalf of Mainers living with Alzheimer’s—like Mike—and their caregivers.
    “When I first joined the Senate, there wasn’t really much of a focus in Washington on brain health. Neurodegenerative diseases were thought of as just part of growing old,” said Senator Collins. “But, working with incredible partners like the Alzheimer’s Association, we have raised awareness and put a federal focus on this disease. For myself and members of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s I lead, this fight is both a personal cause and a matter of crafting effective policy. We must not let Alzheimer’s be one of the defining diseases of our children’s generation as it has ours.”
    In her remarks, Senator Collins also highlighted her successful legislative efforts to advance Alzheimer’s research, prevention, and treatment. In the 118th Congress, there were 1,868 standalone health care bills introduced in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Of those bills, only 15 passed both chambers and were signed into law. U.S. Senator Susan Collins led or co-led 5 of those 15 bills to passage with strong bipartisan support, and 3 of those 5 bills dealt directly with brain health. Those bills were the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, and the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Opening Remarks at Hearing on Army Corps, Bureau of Reclamation Budgets

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s opening remarks***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, during a Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget requests for the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, underscored the indispensable role each agency plays in ensuring America’s waterways are flowing, supporting our economy, and protecting the American people—and slammed President Trump’s politicization of America’s water resources and proposal to gut investments in the Corps and Bureau.

    Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:

    “Thank you very much, Chair Kennedy. Good morning to all of you, Acting Assistant Secretary Forsgren, Lieutenant General Graham, and Acting Assistant Secretary Cameron—thank you all for being here today.

    “We are here today to talk about the fiscal year 2026 budget requests for the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation. Whether they know it or not—every American depends on the work of these agencies every day. And that is especially true for folks in my home state of Washington, and anyone who lives out West or near a major waterway.

    “The Army Corps keeps our ports running smoothly, which is critical for our economy and trade. They manage critical infrastructure like our dams, levees, and bridges—and protect communities from dangerous floods. And they support our ecosystems and help protect keystone species like salmon, among a lot else. Bureau of Reclamation brings water to over 30 million people and irrigation to one-in-five farmers out West, it generates power to keep the lights on in millions of homes, and it protects farmers and communities against drought—to name a few things!

    “It is critical work—work that we cannot afford to shortchange. But President Trump’s budget request shows yet again that he has no clue, and no problem gutting essential water investments our communities rely on to feed their families and stay safe from flooding. The president’s budget requests a nearly 25 percent cut for the Corps of Engineers.

    “And when you consider the fact that House Republicans’ last yearlong CR already cut funding for the Corps, we are really talking about a nearly 30 percent cut for the Corps relative to the funding level just a few months ago. This request, for example, falls $1.7 billion below the target level for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund—leaving more than half of that target funding on the table.

    “Not only that, you include just $60 million for Donor and Energy ports like in my home state, when our bipartisan Water Resources Development Act has specifically instructed that there be $417 million for these ports. And President Trump’s budget also proposes a massive 30 percent cut for the Bureau of Reclamation. These cuts would end critical work on flood prevention, port dredging, basic management of our water resources, and more. This is flat-out dangerous—and Trump’s budget is dead on arrival here in Congress as far as I’m concerned.

    “But we have a lot more to cover beyond the budget request. Because, as we sit here today, the President seems bent on doing everything he can to undermine the work of the Corps and the Bureau with reckless staffing cuts, and by brazenly—and corruptly—politicizing the allocation of funding and control over our nation’s water resources. In the span of just a few months, DOGE has pushed out a quarter of the Bureau’s staff without any discernible strategy. This mass exodus of talent puts the Bureau’s mission at serious risk. The last thing we need are fewer dam safety inspections or big delays on repair projects.

    “And when it comes to politicization, the President spent much of his first few weeks in office making up conspiracies about California’s water supply as wildfires raged; vowing to block disaster relief, picking fights with the state’s governor, and—against the advice of all experts—ultimately ordered the Corps to open two dams and unleash billions of gallons of water on California’s central valley. That move, predictably, did absolutely nothing to stop the fires and came nowhere near LA. But it did waste huge quantities of precious water and nearly flooded—yes, flooded—local farms and communities and put agriculture at risk.

    “It was one of the first instances we saw of this president meddling in the Corps’ work and overruling experts to chase some fixation, but it was not the last. A few weeks ago, the Corps released plans detailing how it is allocating funding for construction projects in FY-25. Now, usually, that is something we decide here in Congress. But that decision-making power was turned over to the Trump administration with House Republicans’ yearlong, slush-fund CR.

    “That was one of the many reasons I voted against that bill, and it’s a reminder to all of us about why we need strong, bipartisan spending bills. So instead of allocating construction funding to projects that were selected in both our bipartisan Senate appropriations bill and the Republican House bill and giving funding to red and blue states roughly evenly—as both bills did—this administration decided to steal hundreds of millions of dollars in critical investments from blue states, and steer those investments instead to red states and the president’s political allies.

    “Every single construction project in California—the most populous state in the country—was zeroed out. We’re talking about funds to protect people in one of the most flood-prone states in the country—gone. And Trump completely defunded construction at the Howard Hansom Dam in Washington state, leaving a literal hole in the ground! This is a shovel-ready project that will ensure water reliability for over one million people in the region. And of course, the administration’s budget proposal does not fund those projects in FY-26 either.

    “All told, two-thirds of Army Corps construction funding is now headed to red states, for no reason other than Trump wanting to punish political enemies and reward his friends. This is not how these projects should work—ever—in the United States of America.

    “Lieutenant General Graham, a few weeks ago the Assistant Secretary’s office was asked in a House hearing about this nakedly partisan allocation. That official didn’t even try to justify it. Instead, they said, tellingly, the buck stopped with OMB. So, there it is: Trump and Russ Vought called the final shots and defunded these projects on their own.

    “Now, I shouldn’t need to tell anyone here, floods hit red states and blue states alike. Droughts hammers farmers in rural districts, and strain families in big ways. Every single American—in one way or another—depends on our ports being well-maintained to get the basic goods we count on and keep our economy humming. And everyone should be able to trust their government will decide how to invest resources and protect them from threats like flooding, drought, and wildfire based on science, based on engineering—that is, what’s best for people—not on a president’s desire for retribution.

    “I believe Congress needs to reject the reckless cuts you’re requesting for the Corps and the Bureau. And we need to see an end to the egregious politicization of these resources—this is not a path we can afford to continue going down as a country.

    “So, I will just give a warning to all of my colleagues, once again: It may have not been your state this time, but you all know full well just how fickle the President can be.

    “Let’s not leave this authority with him. We do need to come together and write a strong bipartisan bill.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Slams Trump Administration’s Politicization of Water Resources, Proposal to Gut Investments in America’s Waterways, Flood and Drought Prevention

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ***WATCH AND READ: Senator Murray’s opening remarks***

    ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s questioning***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, at a Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee hearing on the fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, slammed the Trump administration’s politicization of water resources and proposal to gut investments in the Corps and Bureau.

    Senator Murray questioned witnesses D. Lee Forsgren, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works); Lt. Gen. William H. Graham, Jr., Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and Scott J. Cameron, Acting Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, Department of Interior, on the Trump administration threatening the Howard Hanson Dam project in Washington state, not meeting funding targets for donor ports like the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma, and putting the Columbia River Treaty with Canada—which is critical for the entire Pacific Northwest—at risk.

    [RANK POLITICIZATION OF ARMY CORPS FUNDING]

    Senator Murray began by asking General Graham about President Trump’s flagrant politicization of Army Corps funding—an issue she touched on in her opening remarks—stating: “The Howard Hanson dam project is to address dam safety issues, provide additional water supply, and meet the Corps’ legal obligations by opening up miles of critical salmon habitat—would you agree with that assessment?”

    General Graham responded, “Yes. The Howard Hanson project right now is, the one we are working on is primarily is fish passage, to figure out how to get small juvenile fish off of a high head dam which we have never done before, but it is part of a larger project that provides as you said, critical flood risk management and water supply protection to the southeastern part of Seattle.”

    “Is it true that the $500 million the project was slated to receive in the FY25 budget—as well as in the House and Senate bills—would have allowed construction to proceed on schedule?” Senator Murray asked General Graham.

    General Graham replied, “Yes, that would have allowed us to keep on our current construction schedule.”

    Senator Murray said, “Well it’s clear that the Howard Hanson project is shovel ready. And despite that—the Trump Administration seems ready to walk away from that. Everyone needs to understand, turning the Army Corps into a political slush fund sets a very dangerous precedent.”

    “In fact, in testimony before the House, a top Army Corps official very explicitly stated that OMB—not the experts at the Corps—called the final shots here. Section 107 has been passed on a bipartisan basis in our bill for the last five years and makes clear that funding should be allocated only to projects determined to be eligible by the Chief of Engineers. But it appears that OMB handed the Corps the final spend plan without consulting you as required,” Senator Murray continued. “The law needs to be followed. So, I am going to ask you, yes or no—were you provided a final spend plan so you could determine all the projects listed were eligible?”

    General Graham answered, “We provided our best technical recommendation to the assistant secretary.”

    Mr. Forsgren responded, “We provided input through the presidential budget process on that spending plan. We provided technical input on that spending plan.”

    “So that you could prove that all of them were eligible, correct?” pressed Senator Murray.

    “I don’t think eligibility was ever the question,” replied Mr. Forsgren.

    Senator Murray replied, “That’s really troubling—and really an example of this Administration that just somehow thinks they are above the law. I’ve got news for Russ Vought—the law applies to him the same as for everybody else. So that is very troubling.”

    [DONOR PORT FUNDING]

    Senator Murray continued her questioning by discussing the administration’s failure to meet statutory targets for Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) funding for donor ports like the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma—which contribute significantly to the HMTF but have historically received relatively little funding back for harbor maintenance projects. Murray said, “I consistently hear from ports and harbors across the country about how they rely on the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to maintain critical port infrastructure. Now, in April, the Administration issued an Executive Order acknowledging that cargo carriers divert goods to Canada from our donor ports, Seattle and Tacoma, to avoid the Harbor Maintenance Tax—that is really an unfair practice, I have spoken about for years.”

    “But this year’s budget request does not even attempt to meet the WRDA [Water Resources Development Act] targets for HMTF donor port funding,” continued Senator Murray. “Even more troubling, in the skinny budget, this administration tries to tell Congress that it is not a federal responsibility to provide those dollars—even though that is one of the explicit purposes Congress passed into law. That is really unacceptable. Donor Port funding has already been determined through the WRDA process and our annual appropriations bills for years. It is extremely frustrating that I have to continue raising this issue year after year to get our ports the fair share they are entitled to under the law.”

    Senator Murray asked Mr. Forsgren, “Will you commit to ensure that Donor Ports like Seattle and Tacoma will receive their full, fair share of the HMTF dollars as Congress intended?”

    Mr. Forsgren responded, “I will commit to working to ensure that the Harbor Maintenance Fund is used to the maximum extent it possibly can. We understand the Harbor Maintenance Fund is the backbone of the commercial navigation system for our ports and that system has to be able to be functional across all of the nation’s ports. But I will say, there needs to be a primary focus on the principal federal responsibility which is the mainline channels. I will commit to working with you to fully utilize the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund as it is passed into law.”

    [COLUMBIA RIVER TREATY]

    Finally, Senator Murray emphasized the importance of the Columbia River Treaty for Washington state and the entire Pacific Northwest, and the shared waterway with Canada, “The Columbia River provides habitat for salmon and endangered species, it also irrigates 600,000 acres of farmland, and serves as a marine highway, it also provides electricity to the entire Northwest. And critically, it is also a transboundary waterway shared with Canada. Now, the State Department has been leading efforts to negotiate a modernized Columbia River Treaty—which is really critical to providing certainty for people and businesses across our region who rely on the Columbia River. But this Administration appears committed to doing everything they can now to tank our relationship with our friend and neighbor, Canada. And the key to getting this agreement in place, and all the hard work that has gone into it, was collaboration between all the stakeholders. It is really imperative that as the interim agreement is executed, that that collaboration continues.”

    Senator Murray asked Mr. Cameron and Mr. Forsgren, “Will you commit to ensuring that the Corps and Reclamation continue to communicate with tribes and the mid-C public utilities on the operation of the Columbia River System?”

    Mr. Forsgren replied, “We certainly commit—we are committed to the treaty, as is reflected in the budget. We are committed to continuing the dialogue necessary to operate and maintain the system.”

    “Mr. Cameron?” followed up Senator Murray.

    Mr. Cameron said, “Yes Senator, I’ve already had multiple meetings with stakeholders from throughout the Columbia River basin, including tribes. Conversations are ongoing.”

    Senator Murray concluded, “This is really a critical treaty. We need to get it enacted. And again, Canada is not our enemy there, we need to include them.”

    ___________________________________

    Senator Murray recently led the Washington state and California delegations to call out President Trump’s outrageous, nakedly-political decision to zero out critical funding for Army Corps of Engineers construction projects in blue states like Washington and California while steering hundreds of millions more to red states. Supporting the Howard Hanson Dam has been a longtime priority for Senator Murray, and she has pressed the Army Corps to prioritize funding for the Dam for years. Under the last administration, Senator Murray was able to secure critical funding boosts for Howard Hanson Dam, including $220 million in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $50 million to begin construction of a new facility in the funding bills for fiscal year 2024 that Murray wrote as then-Chair of the Appropriations Committee. Back in 2010, Murray secured $44 million in badly needed emergency funds for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repair the Howard Hanson Dam. In the draft fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill she cleared unanimously out of Committee last year, Senator Murray secured $500 million for the dam, which would support fish passage and address dam safety and water supply issues for cities like Tacoma and Covington. $500 million was also included in the House’s draft fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill. The funding is needed to execute a construction option on the contract for the project, which would have allowed construction to begin in 2026 as scheduled.

    Congress typically provides specific, detailed instructions in its annual appropriations bills on how the Army Corps (and so many other agencies) must spend funding provided by Congress. Annual appropriations bills note exactly what Army Corps projects must be funded and at what levels. But instead of working with Democrats to pass full-year appropriations bills that deliver for communities across America, Republicans in Congress put forth a yearlong continuing resolution (CR) that failed to include hundreds of specific directives on how funding must be spent. For months, Senator Murray warned of the dangers of passing Republicans’ slush fund CR, noting, for example, that it would allow the administration to zero out funding for Army Corps projects. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Slams Secretary Hegseth for Playing Politics with America’s National Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

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

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth at a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for DOD. Senator Murray pressed Secretary Hegseth on firing skilled Navy shipbuilders, firing qualified and experienced military leaders, Trump’s recent comments to use “heavy force” on peaceful protesters, and his leaked Signal Chat.

    In opening comments, Vice Chair Murray said:

    “Secretary Hegseth—you oversee one of the largest and most important organizations on planet earth. More than anything, the Department of Defense needs stable, competent, and strategic leadership. And much as I had feared back in January, that is not what we’ve seen under your leadership.

    “In a matter of months, you have lost top aides and reportedly struggled to hire new ones. You have fired highly respected top military officials. You shared highly-sensitive attack plans over Signal—and apparently with people in your own personal circles. And you have not taken responsibility for these mistakes.

    “All the while, the security challenges we face have grown larger—not smaller. And in the face of these challenges, you have taken a series of actions that weaken our posture.

    “For example: in my home state of Washington, which is home to many DOD installations critical to our Indo-Pacific strategy, you have pushed out almost 2,000 highly trained civilian, including at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

    “Mr. Secretary, you talk about returning the Department to its mission of ‘warfighting.’ But I am repeatedly hearing that your policy and personnel changes at the Pentagon are only undermining–not strengthening–our military’s preparedness to protect our country.

    “You are deploying the American military to police the American people. Sending the National Guard into California without the Governor’s request. Sending the Marines—not after foreign threats, but after American protesters.

    “And now President Trump is promising ‘heavy force’ against peaceful protesters at his D.C. military parade. Those sorts of actions, and that sort of rhetoric from the President—should stop every one of us cold. Threatening to use our own troops—on our own citizens—at such scale is unprecedented, it is unconstitutional, and it is downright un-American.

    “We should all be speaking out against this—and demanding accountability.

    “Now Mr. Secretary, I have to say, for people who tout their commitment to transparency and efficiency, I have never seen an administration more hell-bent on hiding basic facts from the American people. Your Department has been unresponsive to Congressional inquiries and oversight requests. And all the while you are working to muzzle the free press, denying journalists’ access to the Pentagon.

    “Now before I turn to my questions, let me also just note: it is now mid-June—and we only, just days ago, received some—but not all—important portions of your budget request.

    “It should not have taken this long to get a request—and we still need to see the justifications, in order for this committee to do its work. We are missing those. Not having a full budget at this juncture is unacceptable.”

    [CIVILIAN CUTS TO SHIPYARDS]

    Senator Murray began her questioning by noting how the Trump administration’s staffing cuts and attacks on the civilian workforce are undermining key defense initiatives: “This administration has put the civilian workforce under attack from day one: encouraging resignations, firing probationary employees, instituting a hiring freeze, requiring OPM to approve any new hire one-by-one, and—new last week—requiring prospective employees to explain how they would, ‘help support the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities.’ We have spoken with military installations across our country. Almost all of them have been forced to fire skilled, civilian employees who are badly needed. And all of them also have hundreds—in some cases, thousands—of new hires ready to bring onboard but now have to have individually reviewed by OPM—apparently to ensure they ‘support the President’s priorities.’”

    Senator Murray asked Secretary Hegseth, “Will you be firing more shipbuilders? Yes or no?”

    Despite firing probationary employees at our shipyards, Secretary Hegseth falsely claimed no shipbuilders have been fired—and dodged Senator Murray’s question, instead arguing the Department is merely letting thousands go through its buyout program: “We haven’t fired shipbuilders. We’ve offered through a right-sizing of our civilian position, which everyone on this Committee would acknowledge the Defense Department has had a bloated bureaucracy for a long time. Have given a voluntary process by – which some people can choose to take a DRP [deferred resignation program].”

    Senator Murray interjected to ask: “Mr. Secretary, do we need more or fewer shipbuilders?”

    Secretary Hegseth dodged the question, instead claiming—after letting go more than 2000 civilian workers at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard alone—that: “We are investing historically in our shipbuilding industrial base and workforce and ships in this budget—more than anything the previous administration ever did.”

    Senator Murray said, “Well you managed to fire highly skilled workers, including in my home state of Washington, for no reason, so let me just say: the Navy needs welders, not people who can recite the President’s Executive Orders.”

    “If the Navy wants to hire a qualified candidate for the role—but that candidate happened to vote for or donate to Democrats—would they be hired?” Senator Murray asked, referred to the administration’s new, first-ever requirements that prospective employees explain how they would help support the President’s orders and policies.

    Secretary Hegseth replied, “there’s never been a litmus test for hiring welders”—but did not respond to Senator Murray’s question about whether there would be a litmus test going forward—or how the new requirements will be effectuated.

    Senator Murray responded: “That is what they are being asked. Mr. Secretary, I just have to say: we need to drop the politics in our military. We need to hire the best people—we do not need to force them out.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Presses US Forest Service Chief on Wildfire Preparedness Amid Mass Layoffs & Funding Freezes at Hearing on Forest Service Budget

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Murray, Schrier, Larsen, WA Colleagues Urge U.S. Forest Service to Reinstate Fired Employees Critical to Wildfire Response, Timber Harvest

    ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s exchange with Schultz***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned Chief of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Tom Schultz, at a Senate Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Forest Service. During her questioning, Senator Murray highlighted the critical importance of Forest Service workers, and how the firing of these employees puts wildfire preparedness in jeopardy. Senator Murray also questioned how it is remotely realistic for the Forest Service to meet the demands of President Trump’s Executive Order aiming to increase timber output from federal lands by 25 percent while the Trump administration is right now cutting budgets, delaying funding, freezing hiring, and reducing staff across the agency.  

    In her opening comments, Vice Chair Murray said:

    “As everyone knows, we’re approaching wildfire season. In my home state of Washington, wildfires are a constant threat as you well know—and when we invest in fire prevention, we save lives, we save entire communities. One of the most important investments we make is in the people who do that work.

    “But President Trump is throwing all of that work into jeopardy right now. He’s pushed out nearly 7,500 skilled employees across the Forest Service, either by firing them outright or pressuring them to leave under threat of losing their job later down the line. That includes at least 500 Forest Service employees in the Pacific Northwest. But we hardly know the full scope of the damage because the administration won’t share critical information with us.

    “I have spoken with countless Forest Service workers from Washington state who loved their job, they played an important role fighting those fires and are gone now—thanks to Trump.

    “Setting aside the proposal for a consolidated firefighting agency, this Budget proposes a $1.4 billion cut, that is 40 percent, to the Forest Service’s non-fire programs at a time when our nation’s trees, from our backyards to backcountry, are under stress and we need to step up the pace of forest health and resiliency to withstand these catastrophic wildfires.

    “On top of all that, the Forest Service has illegally withheld federal funds to help reduce wildfire risk and is currently not distributing $97 million to support state, rural, and volunteer fire departments.

    “That is a huge threat to our communities I represent in Washington state who have told me personally: this administration is putting them in danger by gutting our ability to respond to wildfires.

    “So, Chief Schultz, I do appreciate your service to our country.

    “I realize you are not making all the decisions here, but I have a number of important questions today, and I hope you can provide this committee with the information we do need.”

    [MASS FIRING OF FOREST SERVICE EMPLOYEES]

    Senator Murray began by highlighting the importance of Forest Service employees, from combatting wildfires to maintaining trails, and questioned Chief Schultz on the reasoning behind these mass firings: “Now, as I mentioned—I am profoundly concerned about this administration’s reckless decision to mass fire and push out essential Forest Service employees across the country. The Administration claimed that no firefighters have been fired, but the reality is on the ground, we have lost workers whose jobs are absolutely essential. Nearly every single Forest Service worker supports fire operations in some capacity. Trail maintenance crews, for instance, ensure access to routes remain clear for firefighting personnel and equipment. Biologists conduct essential environmental assessments that inform prescribed burns and fuel reduction strategies. Other support staff—ecologists, engineers, maintenance workers, camp managers—receive firefighting training and they are actually mobilized during peak fire season to bolster our frontline firefighting crews.”

    “So, Chief Schultz, was there any formal analysis conducted to determine the potential effect of the mass firings for wildfire preparedness?” asked Senator Murray.

    “So, I’ll try to just clarify a few things. So, in terms of a mass firing, we did not have a mass firing,” Chief Schultz replied.

    Senator Murray pressed, “I’m talking about across the board, pushing people out, early retirement, among other things.”

    Chief Schulz said, “Right, I just want to clarify. So, we did have two rounds of that deferred resignation program, and that was about 4,200 people that left voluntarily.”

    “Because they didn’t know what was coming, right?” Senator Murray followed up.

    “Right…I don’t disagree with you. And we had another 600 that took voluntary early retirement. So, there were incentives for people to leave. Now in terms of—we did not know who was going to leave obviously, it was a voluntary process. So, what we’ve done is, when they did leave, we’ve been moving people to—we call that lateral movement—we’ve been doing that across the agency. We’ve moved probably close to six- or seven-hundred people to fill those critical vacancies. When it comes to the fire piece, specifically, we have, I think I mentioned earlier, about 1,400 people that have fire quals that did leave. And we have reached out to those folks to secure their services this fire season, to see if they want to come back on a voluntary basis, to function on their…” Chief Schultz replied.

    Senator Murray called back to her initial question, “It just seems really ridiculous that it was done this way. Which was my question, actually. Was there an analysis done before this was all done, to realize the impacts of these people that you’re now trying to find and bring back?”

    “Well Senator, so we couldn’t do the analysis. So, we didn’t know who was going to leave, because it was voluntary, right? We didn’t go handpick who was going to leave,” Chief Schultz dodged.

     
    “Well, I want to get on. But the stakes are life and death here, and this really raises serious alarms about this agency being ready for this critical fire season,”     Senator Murray said.

    [UNPREPARDENESS FOR WILDFIRE SEASON]

    Senator Murray continued by emphasizing the consequences of these mass firings on wildfire preparedness across the country: “Interior Secretary Burgum recently told this Committee that on-the-ground wildfire operations would not be affected by the administration’s staffing cuts across various agencies. But we know that’s not true. In the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, one firefighter barracks recently and abruptly lost power. And it stayed without power not for a few hours or a day—but for weeks. Why? Because the maintenance workers in that Forest had been pushed out the door. There was no ability to put even a small purchase on a credit card because the card limit was drastically decreased. And there was no one left to process a basic contract to get that repair done. This is what happens when administrative staff disappear. It’s not just an inconvenience—it directly affects whether firefighters have a safe place to sleep, whether they have power, whether they can be deployed effectively. Maybe Elon didn’t care about the maintenance crew but turns out they’re pretty important. And this is not an isolated incident. I’ve heard so many stories: administrative staff responsible for coordinating travel for crews when a fire breaks out—gone. People who made sure fire response teams had their fuel and supplies ready—they’re gone. And all of this is happening as we now head straight into what is going to be a dangerous fire season in Washington state.”

    “So, Chief Schultz, tell us: do you believe the Forest Service is ready for wildfire season, given this absence of critical administrative and support staff, do you believe they are ready?” Senator Murray asked.

    “Yes, I do believe they’re ready. And then some of the credit card issues you’re talking about, we have adjusted those. We’ve had increases in cards, and we’ve—again we’ve been moving people into lateral positions to ensure critical vacancies that we can clear them to fill those,” replied Chief Schultz.

    “Well, I can just tell you from the ground, it feels like we are not prepared for this wildfire season. You just said we were. We’ll see what happens. But I fear I’m going to be right,” stated Senator Murray.

    [RESOURCES STRIPPED FROM TIMBER]

    Senator Murray moved on to the sale of timber, President Trump vows to increase output while reneging funding and resources, effectively crippling the ability of the Forest Service to produce timber at all: “The President supposedly wants to increase timber output from federal lands by 25 percent. Here’s the problem. This same Administration is simultaneously cutting budgets, delaying funding, freezing hiring, and reducing staff at the Forest Service—the very agency that is responsible for that work. So how exactly is that going to work? Who’s going to consult with tribes, who’s going to lay out the sale plans, who’s going to mark the timber, who’s going to manage compliance, and issue contracts when field offices have already been literally decimated? Is the expectation Chief Schultz—is it really the expectation that these fewer people, with fewer resources, less support, can somehow deliver work, at a faster pace and with greater complexity? How is that realistic?”

    Chief Schultz responded, “I think it’s an iterative process. We don’t have all the answers today, but in terms of how we’re going to get there, we’re going to, again, fill critical vacancies. We’re also going to have to lean on partners differently. So, the states in Washington, they have a very aggressive Good Neighbor program.”

    “The states are being relied on for just about, virtually everything. And I got to tell you, firefighters don’t sit—as my partner from Oregon knows—they do not sit in one state,” stated Senator Murray.

    “That’s right. But to your point though, we are going to be working with partners in a different way. We’re going to have different kind of contracting terms that we’re going to have looking at longer term contracts,” replied Chief Schultz.

    Senator Murray pressed, “Well, that begs the question, so do you have some kind of plan for this? It’s going to be executed over the next year? Because the wildfire season is here right now, and critical employees are not in place.”  

    “So, when it comes to the wildfire season, yes, ma’am, we do have the critical folks in place. When it comes to administering the timber program that you’re talking about, we’re building that right now. So that’s part of what we’re doing. Is we’re building that, that process, those interim operating plans, we’re working on that right now,” said Chief Schultz.

    “When will we see that?” followed up Senator Murray.

    “You know, I would suspect in the next couple months we’ll have that whole plan figured out how we’re going to execute that for the next four years. That’s what we’re working on right now,” Chief Schultz responded.

    Senator Murray said, “Okay, thank you.” 

    ___________________________________

    Senator Murray is a leading voice pushing back against the Trump administration’s attacks on federal agencies, including NOAA and the U.S. Forest Service, that support disaster preparedness and response in Washington state and across the country. Last month, Senator Murray held a press conference with Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and wildfire officials in Washington state and Oregon to sound the alarm on how the Trump administration’s funding freezes and punishing cuts to the workforce at the U.S. Forest Service and other key agencies are seriously undermining wildfire preparedness and response in Washington state and Oregon and putting communities at risk. Senator Murray is working to secure critical investments in wildfire suppression and mitigation—and in our firefighters. Last year, as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, she secured nearly $22 million in funding for wildfire risk reduction projects across Washington state as part of the USFS Wildfire Crisis Strategy. In the Interior and Environment appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2024, she worked to include essential investments in wildfire preparedness and suppression. And in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, she secured $25 million in funding for wildfire mitigation projects across Washington state.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy on Senate Floor: Reestablishing American Energy Dominance Starts in Louisiana

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    [embedded content]

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) delivered a speech on the U.S. Senate floor highlighting Louisiana’s energy abundance and detailing how unleashing American energy will benefit American families, the economy, and our national security.
    “The benefits of unleashing American energy go beyond our borders. President Trump’s America First policies are good for the U.S., good for Louisiana, and good for the world,” said Dr. Cassidy. 
    “America has the resources. We have an abundance. Let’s put it to use,” concluded Dr. Cassidy. 
    Background
    In January, Cassidy released a statement applauding President Trump’s executive order to lift the Biden administration’s harmful pause on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permitting. In March, Cassidy was joined by U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) in reiterating support for President Trump’s approach to American energy. 
    Last year, immediately following the Biden administration’s announcement that they would freeze pending applications for LNG export permits, Cassidy led 25 of his Republican colleagues in condemning the decision. Cassidy later delivered a speech on the U.S. Senate floor blasting the decision. In February 2024, Cassidy penned an op-ed with U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Houston Chronicle underscoring the devastating economic, environmental, and national security impacts of the LNG export freeze.
    Cassidy also introduced the LNG Security Act to reverse President Biden’s LNG export ban and require the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to approve LNG exports to all countries that have imported, currently import, or are capable of importing Russian or Iranian natural gas. Additionally, he introduced the Unlocking Domestic LNG Potential Act, which depoliticizes the export of American LNG. It eliminates the requirement for the DOE to authorize exports and instead gives the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sole authority over the approval process. 
    Cassidy’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below:
    Louisiana fuels the world.
    That is what we say in my state. And that is true.
    Louisiana accounted for more than 60% of U.S. energy exports last year. The United States is the world’s largest LNG exporter—Louisiana has some of the largest export terminals in the world.
    And it’s a whole-of-state initiative! A lot of the gas that we export is produced in the Haynesville shale, which is in Northwest Louisiana.
    And that gas comes down to Cameron LNG in Hackberry, Louisiana. That one is capable of exporting 12 million metric tons of LNG per year.
    Cheniere Energy in Cameron Parish. 30 million metric tons of LNG per year.
    Venture Global in Plaquemines Parish. 27 million metric tons of LNG per year, and it is growing.
    President Trump wants to reestablish American energy dominance. That dominance starts in Louisiana.
    Louisiana has the infrastructure, the strategic location, and most importantly the workers to put America back on top.
    Louisiana’s ports, railroads, highways, and pipelines provide an outlet for gas and oil from landlocked states to export through our ports.
    Some oil is transported by rail. And the only place in the United States of America where six major freight railway carriers converge is in—you guessed it—Louisiana. 
    Our fully integrated, 50,000-mile pipeline network and 11,000 miles of state highways make Louisiana an obvious choice when considering which states can best transport these goods.
    We’re positioned where the Mississippi River drains into the Gulf of America.
    Besides our LNG export terminals, we have six combined deep draft ports.
    Louisiana moves oil and gas, and we also move the refined products of that oil and gas, which is part of fueling the world.
    Louisiana is critical to production and distribution of fuel and fuel products.
    I’m making these points because reestablishing American energy dominance is about creating better jobs—higher-paying jobs—changing the trajectory of a family in my state and across the nation. 
    By the end of President Biden’s term, after four years of attacks against American energy production, the Department of Energy reported tens of thousands of jobs lost.
    But tens of thousands of jobs is a statistic! **These are real people, real families we’re talking about!
    Think of the young couple with children who have lost their job!
    The wife immediately wonders how they’re going to pay the house note.
    The husband feels as if he’s letting his family down.
    The kids see conflict that was never there before between the parents.
    Those are human stories and those stories are relived over and over when those jobs are killed. Not because the fuel is not needed, but because the last administration decided they didn’t like it. 
    That was the case for tens of thousands of Americans under President Biden. His war on American energy was a war on American jobs, which is a war on American families.
    That war on the American family is over. I recognize, President Trump recognizes, that American energy dominance fueling our state, our country, and the world—and along with it, giving enough product for the manufacturing of the refined products that we all need—creates with it the high-paying jobs for the Americans who should never have been out of work in the first place. 
    Woodside Energy recently announced the largest single foreign direct investment in Louisiana history: a $17.5 billion investment in Calcasieu Parish for a new LNG export facility.
    It will support 15,000 jobs during construction and, once operational, thousands more after it’s built.
    By the way, there are other things we do with this plentiful, abundant energy! There are wonderful spin-offs!
    Last month, Hyundai Steel announced a $5.8 billion investment to build a new, next-generation steel production facility in Ascension Parish. The facility is expected to generate $4.1 billion in annual revenue and will bring nearly 1,500 direct jobs to the state, plus thousands of indirect jobs.
    That’s low-cost energy paving the way for more opportunity!
    By the way, this benefits my state, our nation, but guess who else it benefits? Our allies!
    Europe imports 45% of its LNG from the United States. Now they still get 20 from Russia, and the rest from Qatar and other countries.
    But WE send them 45% of their LNG. Before the Russia-Ukraine war, it was only 27%!
    We have a bill before Congress now to put even stricter sanctions upon Russia. If the Europeans buy even less gas from Russia, they’ll need more gas from us.
    We can make up that difference.
    With our LNG export facilities and with our gas, I want to send MORE natural gas from the Haynesville shale, through those LNG export facilities, across the Atlantic Ocean, creating tax revenue for my parish governments and wealth for my workers—to help their national security, to help our economy, to help my working families.
    The European Union using more U.S. LNG hurts Vladimir Putin’s war machine.
    Last year, the EU paid 22 billion euros for Russian natural gas, and Putin used that for his war machine.
    Next year, if the Europeans buy that much U.S. natural gas, that’s $25 billion coming to OUR economy!
    After Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine in 2022, America stood up against Putin. Europe did too. Let’s help them do it even more so.
    We can help them by saying, “Don’t buy Putin’s gas to fuel his war, buy OUR gas.”
    Louisiana is ready to help.
    America has the resources. We have an abundance. Let’s put it to use.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: President Trump Signs Executive Orders on Drones, Flying Cars, and Supersonics

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    WASHINGTON, DC – President Trump has signed three executive orders that will accelerate domestic drone production, secure our airspace, and position America to once again lead the world in supersonic technology.
    “Decades of regulatory gridlock have grounded advancements in drones, flying cars, and supersonic flight in the U.S. With today’s EOs, the Trump Administration is giving America’s innovators greater ability to test, develop, and commercialize these cutting-edge aircrafts that will reshape aviation,” said White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios. “President Trump’s actions will unleash a new era of American aviation dominance, fostering innovation, driving economic growth, and protecting our national security.
    Burdensome red tape has hindered homegrown drone innovation and grounded progress in supersonic flight for generations. Today’s executive orders accelerate domestic drone innovation, secure supply chains, reduce reliance on adversarial nations, repeal regulations that stalled supersonic flight, and assert U.S. leadership in emerging aviation sectors. They also enable routine beyond line-of-sight operations, which will empower our domestic drone economy to assist with critical infrastructure, emergency response, and long-distance cargo and medical delivery.
    The executive orders also create a pilot program testing flying cars, also known as electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, for EMS, air taxis, cargo, and defense logistics. The eVTOL pilot program builds on the successes of President Trump’s 2017 drone pilot program, highlighting how President Trump’s actions continue to put America in a position to lead.
    Additionally, these orders address the growing threats from criminal, terrorist, and foreign misuse of drones inside U.S. airspace. This administration is securing our borders against aerial threats by cracking down on unlawful drone activity and prioritizing real-time detection and identification of drones to safeguard national security. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The One Big Beautiful Bill Will Supercharge Our Economy

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    Today’s inflation report brought more welcome news that prices are down and wages are up — and that progress will be supercharged with President Donald J. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
    Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent told Congress how the One Big Beautiful Bill — the largest tax cut in history — will boost that progress for middle-class Americans and the private sector without fueling inflation:
    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will raise take-home pay between $7,800 and $13,300 for the average family of four. It will increase wages between $6,100 to $11,600 for the average worker.” (Watch)
    “Not only does the One Big Beautiful Bill add $500 to the Child Tax Credit, it makes it permanent.” (Watch)
    “It will cement No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, and tax cuts for seniors.” (Watch)
    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will make the 2017 tax cuts permanent. This will provide individuals and businesses with certainty and build economic momentum.” (Watch)
    “The legislation will provide 100% expensing for new factories, as well as existing factories that expand operations and support Made in America.” (Watch)
    “The legislation will provide … the ability to buy a new American-made car and deduct the interest.” (Watch)
    “This bill will allow us to prevent our corporate revenues from being drained into foreign treasuries — and that is in the hundreds of billions of dollars.” (Watch)
    If the One Big Beautiful Bill doesn’t pass, “it would be cataclysmic. It would be the largest tax hike in history. It would be a disaster for businesses, for working Americans, and for our status in the world … We would see increases in taxes of thousands of dollars on working Americans, we would see businesses contract and we would see a substantial increase in the unemployment rate.” (Watch)

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn, Lankford Introduce Bill to Stop Funding ‘Gender Transition’ Procedures

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and James Lankford (R-OK) today introduced the Stop Funding Genital Mutilation Act, which would prohibit federal funding from Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) from going towards gender transition procedures at any age:

    “Texas taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for dangerous and often debilitating ‘gender transition’ procedures that are driven by radical ideology masquerading as health care,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I’m proud to introduce this commonsense legislation to stop federal dollars from funding Democrats’ woke agenda and defend Texas values and Texas families.”

    “Before they can vote, drive, or get a tattoo, some children are pushed into irreversible gender-transition procedures with no proven long-term health benefit,” said Sen. Lankford. “These treatments can cause lasting harm, and taxpayers should not be forced to fund them.”

    Background:

     A recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) review of gender dysphoria medical interventions “highlights a growing body of evidence pointing to significant risks—including irreversible harms such as infertility—while finding very weak evidence of benefit.”

    Nearly 30 states have laws or policies that limit access to gender transition procedures for minors, including Texas. Texas prohibits health care providers from prescribing, administering or dispensing hormone or puberty blocking medications or providing gender transition surgeries to minors. Other countries have begun putting limits on these procedures over concerns about the long-term effects. In 2024, NHS England began limiting access to puberty blockers as “routine treatment” for children under 18. Finland, Sweden, and Denmark have also limited access to these procedures for minors.

    The Stop Funding Genital Mutilation Act would prohibit CHIP and Medicaid federal funds from being used to provide gender transition procedures at any age. It makes exceptions for those needing puberty blocking drugs or medical procedures for medically necessary reasons, including medically verifiable sex development disorders or injury from previous gender transition procedures.

    The legislation builds on President Trump’s Executive Order, signed on January 28, 2025, which called for cutting federal funding for gender transition procedures for minors and directs federally run insurance programs, including Medicaid, to stop covering these services.

    The legislation aligns with language included in the House’s version of Pres. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, and Sen. Cornyn will fight to include this priority in the Senate’s version.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman Touts Arkansas National Security Contributions, Cites Military Installation Vulnerability to Drone Threat

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) secured public support from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Caine for several Natural State military missions and support capacities during a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing. He also expressed concerns about the potential for drone attacks on domestic military assets in light of the latest Ukrainian operation against Russia’s air force.

    Boozman highlighted the recent graduation of two Polish pilots at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, the first to complete the F-35 Foreign Military Sales pilot training, and emphasized the program’s importance.

    “[This is] an accomplishment we’re very excited to see repeated,” Boozman said before inviting Hegseth to explain “the importance of training our partners and allies on American systems and how that enables mission readiness and deterrence around the world.” 

    “Our ability to project power by, with and through allies is one of the most important force multipliers that we have. The training of their people, and military-to-military training, creates enduring bonds over generations that we’re then able to leverage for future capability. I’m encouraged to hear about those two graduations. I know it keeps our defense industrial base robust and also projects capabilities to allies and partners,” Hegseth responded. 

    The senator then addressed the depletion of munitions amid conflicts in Ukraine and Israel while raising the need to adequately re-stockpile this capability through our organic industrial base as well as through private industry efforts, including in south Arkansas.

    “I had the opportunity of taking your predecessor to Camden, Arkansas, to see the great work our industry partners are doing to help solve the problem, however, the Department’s organic industrial base also fills important capability gaps,” Boozman said. “Where can we invest more to fix that?” he continued. 

    “One of my jobs as Chairman is to make sure the youngsters have the combat capability they need, at scale, before they need it. My hope is that we can raise everybody’s capacity through changing the culture not only in munitions production but across the entire national and defense industrial base, encourage competition to keep the prices down, write better contracts and increase the overall capacity,”Caine answered.

    Boozman has repeatedly championed investments in Camden and the industries that produce some of the world’s most effective weapon systems and munitions, including recent expansions by RTX, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Aerojet Rocketdyne – an L3Harris Technologies company. 

    The senator, who chairs the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, also took the opportunity to underscore how vulnerable U.S. installations remain to potential attacks and asked Hegseth how Ukraine’s successful Operation Spider’s Web has changed the way we defend military infrastructure and installations from emerging threats like armed drones. 

    “Even before that operation, it’s something we put on the forefront of our planning. Cheaper, commercially available drones with small explosives represent a new threat. That day, we met to evaluate that we’re doing enough. It’s a critical reality of the modern battlefield that we have a responsibility to address,” Hegseth explained.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: Senators Mullin and Coons Introduce World Franchise Day Resolution to Celebrate Entrepreneurs Across the Country

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)

    RELEASE: Senators Mullin and Coons Introduce World Franchise Day Resolution to Celebrate Entrepreneurs Across the Country

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced a resolution to commemorate June 11th, 2025, as World Franchise Day. This resolution highlights the importance of franchising for entrepreneurship, job creation, and community and economic development.

    The franchise model promotes entrepreneurship by offering individuals an opportunity to pursue the American Dream and own their own business. Franchising is a proven business model that offers the benefits of brand awareness, and ongoing support, which are critical for success.

    “I am proud to recognize today as World Franchise Day in honor of the thousands of franchised businesses across Oklahoma, this country, and the world, that support their communities,” said Senator Mullin. “We celebrate the global community of franchising for their contributions and innovation within the business landscape.”

    “Everyone in America deserves the chance to pursue their American dream,” said Senator Coons. “For many families, franchises are a way to become entrepreneurs and build the life they want while supporting their community. I’m excited to be able to shine a light on this engine of opportunity with Senator Mullin, because Congress should recognize all the tools our constituents have at their disposal to unleash their entrepreneurial spirit.”

    Background:

    • Franchising is used in over 200 industries – childhood education centers, action parks, spas, hardware stores, health care laboratories, home remodeling and repair services, salons, campgrounds, hotels, fitness clubs, auto shops, pet stores, tax preparation offices, restaurants, and more.
    • 830,876 franchise businesses across America.
    • 8.8 million direct jobs supported by franchise establishments.
    • $896.9 billion in economic output for the economy.

    Full text of the World Franchise Day Resolution can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Mullin Calls out Gavin Newsom on Hannity: “The guy should be thanking President Trump”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)

    ICYMI: Mullin Calls out Gavin Newsom on Hannity: “The guy should be thanking President Trump”

    “President Trump isn’t having it. He’s going to stand up for people, period.”

    Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) joined Fox News’s Sean Hannity on Hannity to react to Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) abysmal handling of the violent riots taking place in Los Angeles. The senator noted that if Governor Newsom doesn’t protect his constituents, President Trump will, and that liberal leadership—Kamala Harris, Eric “Mr. Fang Fang” Swalwell, Adam Schiff, Nancy Pelosi, Gavin Newsom, and Maxine Waters—have ruined a once, beautiful state. Highlights below.

    Sen. Mullin’s full interview can be found here.

    On what California has become under Newsom’s rule:

    “Well, here’s a guy [Governor Newsom] that has a state that underneath his reign as governor has lost 3 million people leaving the state. They rank number one in murders in the nation. They have number one cost of living, a high cost of living. They have the number one highest prices in the nation…

    “The guy absolutely should be thanking President Trump right now for trying to restore law and order because the only thing Governor Newsom is good at right now is sucking…

    “The guy has literally ran California into the ground. I mean, here California is a beautiful state, but at the same time, they have poor leadership. Look, they gave us Kamala Harris. They gave us Mr. Fang Fang himself, Eric Swalwell, Maxine Waters, Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, and you’re thinking, ‘what type of leadership do they have there on the West Coast of California?’ Because things are going completely backwards. I mean why isn’t California thriving like the rest of the country?”

    On how President Trump—whether the left likes it or not—will protect them:

    “They’ve gotten so far to the left that they can’t come back to the center. Even when President Trump is trying to support them at restoring law and order, they have to be anti-Trump because that’s where the Democrat base is at. It’s anti-anything that Trump supports, no matter how right or how good it is for even their state…

    “Let’s look at what’s happening right now in California. People’s civil rights are being destroyed because San Francisco, LA, and California want to become a sanctuary city and state and allow illegals to do just what they’re doing right here. And President Trump isn’t having it. He’s going to stand up for people, period.”

    On how Newsom needs to be fired by California:

    “I’ve never fired anyone for making a mistake. I’ve fired a lot of people for not admitting they made a mistake. Gavin Newsom needs to be fired as governor. There is no way this guy should be running that state…

    “He can’t admit he made a mistake. That’s why he needs to be fired. Let’s unpack a few things that he said there, right? Like he said that President Trump just wanted to escalate it. He forgets to remember that the chief, LA police chief, literally said that he was overwhelmed, and he needed help…

    “He’s such a liar that you can’t believe anything coming out of his mouth. And can you believe this guy actually thinks he can be president of the United States? He may actually be worse than Joe Biden if he were to get elected President of the United States.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: Senators Mullin and Booker Reintroduce the Prescription Information Modernization Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)

    RELEASE: Senators Mullin and Booker Reintroduce the Prescription Information Modernization Act

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced the “Prescription Information Modernization Act of 2025”. This bill will enable the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement a rule that allows drug manufacturers to share prescribing information electronically in order to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and ensure that healthcare professionals have access to the latest drug information.

    Prescribing information is crucial for healthcare professionals to make informed decisions about prescriptions. Unfortunately, under current regulations, this information is required to be printed which leads to excessive paper use and the distribution of outdated materials.

    “This common-sense legislation is long overdue and will have an immense impact on both our healthcare professionals and patients,” said Senator Mullin. “Electronic prescriptions will simplify how providers access and manage data, improving efficiency without compromising quality.”

    “Our health care system should adapt to the latest technological advances so that people can receive efficient, quick, and effective care like never before,” said Senator Booker. “Right now, drug manufacturers and health care providers are still forced to rely on printed materials to access and manage prescription materials. This bipartisan legislation will pave the way for electronic prescriptions and modernize our health care practices.”

    The legislation is supported by the following organizations: The Alliance to Modernize Prescribing Information, Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), Allergy & Asthma Network, American Pharmacists Association, AmGen, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Association for Accessible Medicines, Beyond Type 1, Biotechnology Innovation Organization, BioNJ, BioUtah, Boomer Esiason Foundation, Environmental Paper Network, Georgia Bio, Healthcare Distribution Alliance, HealthCare Institute of New Jersey, LUNGevity Foundation, Lupin, Maryland Tech Council, MassBio, McKesson, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, National Consumers League, National Grange, NewYorkBIO, North Carolina Biosciences Organization, Texas Healthcare and Biosciences Institute, and Zero Cancer.

    Full text of the ‘‘Prescription Information Modernization Act of 2025’’ can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall: We Will Strengthen and Preserve Medicaid

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    Senator Marshall Joins Squawk Box to Discuss the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’
    Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined Joe Kernen and Becky Quick on Squawk Box to discuss President Trump’s ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill,’ the preservation of Medicaid for those who need it most, and the ongoing negotiations in the House and Senate.
    Click HERE or on the image above to watch the full interview.
    On how the OBBB presents the largest tax increase in American history:
    “…The greatest challenge that America faces is our national debt. But the purpose of this bill is to prevent the largest tax increase in American history. We think that by stopping that tax increase and other provisions that the average American family is going to get to keep $1,000 a month more of their hard-earned money. It’s obviously going to secure the border, [and] it’s going to cut $1.7 trillion in spending. So, this is a step in the right direction.
    “You know, Rome wasn’t built in a day, either. So, the first thing we have to do is grow the economy. Then we need to flatten spending, and over the next four years, get to those pre-pandemic spending levels. I think it’s very feasible. We’ll take a bite of the apple now, we’re going to have to take a couple more bites as these next three years go along, though.”
    On how to improve Medicaid for Americans who need it:
    “We need to strengthen and preserve Medicaid for those who need it the most. As a physician, as an obstetrician, we took care of everybody, regardless of their ability to pay. And I want everyone to have meaningful access to primary care, and Medicaid provides that. We’re certainly not going to touch seniors, we’re not going to touch people with disabilities – again, we want to impact those who need it the most.
    “On the other hand, we have 7 million healthy American men of working age who aren’t working. Let’s help those people find a job [and] help them get off Medicaid. Let’s help them either get on the ACA exchange or maybe health insurance through their employer. That’s a win-win opportunity. The best safety net out there is a job, so I’m trying to look for that. You can’t look at this in silos, but I think that would be my goal, is to help those people that are on Medicaid, that are on food stamps right now, that are working age, they’re healthy. Let’s help them find a job as well.”
    “…I think the big problem with Medicaid right now, though, is that we’ve increased spending 50% in five years. So, we need to figure out how do we slow down that spending. In many states, they figured out ways to game the system so that we are reimbursing hospitals more for Medicaid patients than Medicare. So, we need to go back and look at this provider tax and make it fair at the same time.”
    On the struggles that rural hospitals are facing:
    “No one knows more about rural hospitals up here in the Capitol than I do – I’m the only person who’s actually run a hospital, and a rural hospital at that. And there are efficiencies that many are not doing. But at the end of the day, we have something called a critical access hospital, which functions on a system of Medicare Plus, so those would not be touched with this situation as well.
    “I would make nursing homes immune from this provider tax cut as well. That’s such a small amount of money to keep those rural hospitals going. There are other ways to do that, and certainly there are other systems, there’s other funding, other mechanisms that they get because they are rural as well. Things are changing in rural America every day. We’d love to come back and talk about what the rural hospital of the future looks like. It’s probably a really good emergency room with good outpatient services, and go from there.”
    On how the Senate’s negotiations with the House to move the One Big Beautiful Bill forward:
    “Everyone is negotiating through the press right now, and everything is negotiable. Look, we’re going to get the no tax on tips, overtime wage, and social security across the finish line in some shape or shape or form.
    “…On the SALT tax, my goodness – why should red states be subsidizing blue states to the tune of about $400 billion over the next 10 years? I think there’s a sweet spot for us to land on, and we may very well do a bill, send it to them, and they may reject it and send us a bill back. You know, we’re not going home, though, until we get something to the President’s desk. But this is what’s going on – these are powerful negotiations. I’ve never seen such intense negotiations going on within the Republican caucus right now. There are hundreds of billions of dollars at stake. The future of this country is at stake.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall Joins Colleagues in Introducing Legislation to “Strengthen and Expand” Pension Healthcare

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) joined fellow Senators Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), and Thom Tillis, (R-North Carolina) to introduce the Strengthening Benefit Plans Act of 2025, which would allow for overfunded 401(H) retiree pension accounts to be transferred to help pay for active healthcare programs. 
    “The Strengthening Benefit Plans Act of 2025 is good for workers, and it’s good for businesses,” said Senator Marshall. “It will allow employers to reinvest in employee health plans, strengthening and expanding benefits for workers. That’s what I call commonsense policy.”
    “Allowing for surplus dollars to be shifted to active healthcare plans is a common-sense approach that benefits both businesses and employees,” said Senator Scott. “This targeted solution allows for employers to redirect funds to better serve those who make their businesses work.”
    “Allowing businesses to reinvest in their employees’ health care strengthens the nation’s economy,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This commonsense legislation allows companies to transfer excess funds from overfunded 401(h) accounts to support their employees’ health care needs.”  
    “This legislation gives hard-working employees a stronger financial future, retirement security, and better health coverage by allowing employers to reinvest surplus benefit assets into the current workforce,” said Senator Tillis. “This is a smart, commonsense solution that protects retiree obligations while benefiting today’s workforce.”
    “BMW thanks Senator Scott for his support of this important issue. He is always a strong advocate for us and our associates,” said Bryan Jacobs, Vice President, External Affairs, BMW. “Senator Scott’s bill would allow surplus assets to fund healthcare benefits for a broader population of employees, which under current regulation is not possible. We applaud his efforts and look forward to working with him to get the legislation enacted into law.” 
    Click here to view the legislation text.
    Background:
    A 401(H) plan is an employer-sponsored fund for post-retirement medical benefits.
    By funding these benefits with previously paid contributions, employers would avoid paying additional costs out of pocket.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: As Wildfire Season Approaches, Wyden, Budd, Schrier and Valadao Unveil Bipartisan Legislation to Reduce Impacts of Wildfires

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

    June 11, 2025

    In 2024 alone, 8.9 million acres of land were affected by wildfires

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Ted Budd, R-N.C., and U.S. Representatives Kim Schrier, D-Wash., and David Valadao, R-Calif., today introduced bipartisan legislation that would support prescribed burns as an essential, cost-effective, science-based strategy to save lives and property, and address the harmful impacts of the recent wildfires across the nation. 

    In 2024 alone, 8.9 million acres of land were burned by wildfires, one of the highest totals on record. Since vegetation continues to grow, the Forest Service has been unable to address the current hazardous fuel backlog as the nation suffers from hotter and drier fire seasons.

    The National Prescribed Fire Act of 2025 would invest in hazardous fuels management to reduce the risk of blistering infernos by increasing the pace and scale of prescribed  burns during cooler, wetter months. The legislation would grow a technically skilled prescribed fire workforce, and provide new tools to aid smoke management and prescribed fire permitting during winter months to reduce catastrophic fires and smoke in the summer. 

    “It’s no secret that rising temperatures and increased drought are leading to more and more wildfires, and firefighters are struggling to keep up as they put their lives on the line,” Wyden said. “We can no longer wait for disaster to strike before we address these fires destroying our neighborhoods and even taking people’s lives. I have heard firsthand from Oregonians who are sick and tired of inaction while the West burns. Our bipartisan, bicameral bill will tackle wildfires head-on by focusing on prevention to get the West out of the cycle of crisis and devastation every wildfire season.”  

    “Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, thousands of acres of North Carolina forest were left destroyed,” Budd said. “Now, these downed trees and piles of leaves represent a serious wildfire risk. By enabling the Forest Service to better conduct controlled burns of unchecked vegetation and scattered debris, we can protect our forests from catastrophic wildfires that may occur in the hottest months of the year. I am proud to join my colleague, Sen. Wyden, in introducing this common-sense, proactive approach to preventing disastrous wildfires.”

    “Here in Washington State, we experience devastating wildfires every year.  That’s why Congress must act now and address this issue,” Schrier said. “My bill, the National Prescribed Fire Act, expands the use of prescribed fire to lower the risk of catastrophic wildfires.”

    “In California, we understand the dangerous impact of wildfires—from damage to property to loss of life,” Valadao said. “By prescribing controlled burns to fire-adapted land in a safe and supervised way, we can limit dangerous fuel buildup and help reduce the threat of future wildfires. I’m proud to join my colleagues in re-introducing this bipartisan bill to protect our communities from wildfire risk.”

    The National Prescribed Fire Act of 2025:

    • Dedicates funding for the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to plan, prepare, and conduct prescribed burns on federal, state, and private lands. 

    • Requires the Forest Service and Department of Interior to increase the number of acres treated with prescribed fire.

    • Establishes a new collaborative program to implement prescribed burns on county, state, and private land at high risk of burning in a wildfire. 

    • Establishes a workforce development program at the Forest Service and DOI to develop, train, and hire prescribed fire practitioners, and establishes employment programs for Tribes, veterans, underutilized employees, and those formerly incarcerated.

    • Facilitates coordination between land managers and state, tribal, and local air quality agencies to use current laws and regulations to allow larger prescribed burns, and give states more flexibility in winter months to conduct prescribed burns that reduce catastrophic smoke events in the summer. 

    “Prescribed fire is critically important for building resilience to wildfire across America’s public lands. The National Prescribed Fire Act of 2025 will help increase the pace and scale of this underused tool to a level commensurate with the wildfire crisis. Outdoor Alliance commends Senator Wyden, Senator Budd, and Representative Schrier and Valadao for their work on this important legislation,” said Jamie Ervin, Senior Policy Manager of Outdoor Alliance.

    “Prescribed fire is critical for maintaining healthy forests and protecting our communities from the threat of wildfire. State Foresters applaud the bipartisan efforts of Senators Wyden and Budd to ensure this important forest management tool remains in the toolbox while eliminating several key barriers to safely and responsibly expanding its use across the nation’s forest landscapes,” said Patty Cormier, President of National Association of State Foresters.

    “Beneficial fire, including prescribed fire, has historically been an underused and under-resourced tool for promoting fire-resilient landscapes, despite being among the most cost-effective land management strategies available. The National Prescribed Fire Act of 2025 would enable greater prescribed fire utilization by supporting workforce development and training for prescribed fire practitioners. It would also establish clear liability standards for non-federal partners engaged in essential cross-boundary mitigation work. We commend Senator Wyden and Senator Budd for working to equip land managers with what they need to protect our communities and treasured landscapes,” said Marek Smith, North America Fire Director at The Nature Conservancy.

    “Increasing the pace and scale of forest restoration is paramount, and prescribed fire is one of the most economical techniques for large-scale forest restoration. Western Governors support the expanded use of prescribed fire and applaud Senator Wyden and Senator Budd’s bipartisan effort to promote the judicious deployment of this management tool. The Western Governors’ Association urges the Senate to consider this critically important bill,” said Jack Waldorf, Executive Director at Western Governors’ Association.

    “Prescribed and cultural burning are the most effective, yet underutilized tools to address the nation’s wildfire crisis. This bill proposes comprehensive and practical solutions to increase safe use of beneficial fire to restore forest health, protect communities, and reduce the risk of mega-fires. Congress should act to pass it immediately,” said Dylan Kruse, President of Sustainable Northwest.

    “The Stewardship Project supports the National Prescribed Fire Act as a critical step toward ecological restoration through the expanded use of beneficial fire. We appreciate that this legislation elevates the role of Indigenous practitioners in cultural burning, invests in cross-boundary collaboration, and focuses on landscape-scale restoration to address the wildfire crisis,” said Scott Stephens, Don Hankins, and Sara Clark, Co-Leads at The Stewardship Project.

    “The exclusion of fire from our fire-dependent ecosystems over the past century has degraded America’s forests and grasslands and contributed significantly to the compounding climate and catastrophic wildfire crises. The National Prescribed Fire Act proposes practical solutions to expand the use of various types of beneficial fire,” said Marissa Christiansen, Executive Director at the Climate and Wildfire Institute.

    “As the leading non-governmental research organization with over 65-years of experience using prescribed fire science to solve land management problems, Tall Timbers is excited to see the reintroduction of the National Prescribed Fire Act. We support the emphasis on workforce training and collaboration across federal and non-federal stakeholders and believe this bill would greatly enhance how prescribed fire is conducted on public and private lands throughout the country,” said J. Morgan Varner, PhD, Director of Research at Tall Timbers.

    “Senator Wyden’s National Prescribed Fire Act is a must-pass bill for the sake of our communities and forests. Prescribed fire is the safest, most effective, efficient, and economical tool for influencing future wildfire behavior. Ask any wildland firefighter and they will admit that they’d rather be lighting fires under the best of weather conditions than fighting fires under the worst conditions. Proactive prescribed burning beats reactive wildfire fighting any day!” said Timothy Ingalsbee, Executive Director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE).

    “In Oregon, The Nature Conservancy has been using prescribed fire since 1983. Prescribed fire is an essential tool to restore and steward fire-dependent ecosystems, reduce the risk to communities, and help many of Oregon’s most iconic natural landscapes become more resilient to extreme wildfires. We are grateful for Senator Wyden’s leadership on the National Prescribed Fire Act – providing a pathway to accelerate the pace and scale of prescribed fire necessary to combat the wildfire crisis in the western United States,” said Katie Sauerbrey, Oregon Fire Program Director at The Nature Conservancy. 

    The text of the bill is here. A one-page summary of the bill is here. A section-by-section of the bill is here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine Statement on Pentagon Review of AUKUS

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and Ranking Member of the SASC Subcommittee on Seapower, released the following statement after it was reported that the Department of Defense has launched a review of the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) submarine deal:

    “The Australia-U.K.-U.S. agreement, which I’ve been a strong supporter of, is critical to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific. If this Administration is serious about countering the threat from China—like it has said as recently as this morning—then it will work expeditiously with our partners in Australia and the U.K. to strengthen this agreement and ensure we are taking steps to further boost our submarine industrial base. Anything less would play directly into China’s hand.”

    Kaine has played a key role in securing more resources for the submarine industrial base, including additional funding for the Virginia-class submarine program that is currently facing significant delays because of workforce challenges and supply chain disruptions. The on-time completion of Virginia-class submarines, which are built in Virginia and Connecticut, is critical to fulfilling the AUKUS partnership, through which the U.S. will sell at least two Virginia-class submarines to Australia to boost security and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific, and counter Chinese military aggression in the region. Kaine has been a strong champion of AUKUS in Congress and has helped get signed into law provisions to implement and strengthen the partnership.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Kaine, & Vindman Slam Proposal to Move FBI National Academy from Quantico to Huntsville

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and U.S. Representative Eugene Vindman (D-VA-07) slammed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s proposal to move the FBI National Academy from Quantico, VA to Huntsville, AL. The National Academy is a 10-week training program for local, federal, and international law enforcement officials.

    “As Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I expect Congress to be deeply skeptical of any plan to uproot the FBI’s National Academy from its longtime home at Quantico and relocate it to Huntsville. This move raises serious questions, starting with why such a relocation is even necessary, and at what cost? Quantico is co-located with other critical FBI and national security assets and before we spend taxpayer dollars on a disruptive and potentially unnecessary move, the Bureau owes Congress and the American people a clear justification for this plan,” said Warner.

    “Relocating the FBI Academy from Quantico to Huntsville makes no sense and is not an efficient use of taxpayer dollars,” said Kaine. “This is part of a larger effort by the Administration to dramatically politicize, reduce, and relocate the federal workforce. If Director Patel and Deputy Director Bongino want to move the FBI Academy, then they will have to explain to Congress and the American public why this is needed and how much it will cost.”

    “Virginia’s Seventh District is home to Quantico’s state-of-the-art facility and remains the best place for local and state law enforcement to learn from our incredible agents at the FBI,” said Vindman. “As a former prosecutor, I know that the most efficient and impactful way for law enforcement to continue keeping our communities safe is to train at the world class facilities that have already been built by taxpayers at Quantico. This move raises serious questions and Congress needs answers.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At Hearing, Cortez Masto Calls out Trump Administration and Republican Colleagues for Pushing Ahead with Misguided Public Land Sales in Nevada Without Consultation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Senator Cortez Masto pressed Secretary Burgum for answers about the potential for Senate version of the Republican Tax Bill to include almost 2 million acres of federal land for sale

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) questioned Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing about the administration’s involvement in potential provisions in the Senate Republican’s reconciliation bill that would add back in misguided public land sales in Nevada and across the West.

    Senator Cortez Masto highlighted the bipartisan support for the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA), which includes robust stakeholder engagement, and touted it as a model for effective federal land management that ensures the benefits of any land transfers return directly to the state of Nevada. Secretary Burgum himself discussed the importance of a comprehensive process like SNPLMA as a model for federal land sales earlier in the hearing.

    “You talk about the benefits [of this model], but in action you’re not doing it,” she said. “In fact, on the House side – and I’m assuming they worked with the administration –  their reconciliation package included federal land sales…that weren’t even near areas where you could actually do affordable housing.” She pointed to a map of remote land in Southern Nevada identified for sale in a failed amendment to the House reconciliation bill offered by Representative Mark Amodei (R-Nev.-02). The land is “in the middle of the desert. There’s no infrastructure. I don’t know any builder who is going to build housing in the  middle of the desert, it makes no sense.”

    “And now I’m hearing there is a proposal going to be put back into reconciliation [by the Chairman of this committee, Senator Mike Lee of Utah] to allow the federal government to sell up to 2 million acres of federal land. Is that correct,” she asked.

    Secretary Burgum confirmed that this proposal is under consideration. Despite continued follow-up questions from Senator Cortez Masto, Secretary Burgum could not name any details of this upcoming legislation, nor identify anyone in Nevada who the administration is working with to ensure land sales actually meet the needs of the local communities. He stated he was “not actively engaged” in negotiations.

    “I’m asking you because we have not seen anything,” the senator finished. “The Chairman has [the proposal], it is behind closed doors. I would assume you would be talking…because you’re going to be taking the lead as the lead agency. So if you don’t know, I’m really concerned and we should all be concerned across the west.”

    Senator Cortez Masto is a strong supporter of SNPLMA and will continue to stand up against misguided attempts to include federal land sales in the Republicans’ upcoming tax bill that will only serve to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Instead, Cortez Masto will continue to push for passage of her Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, a years-long effort that includes all necessary stakeholders and will help Clark County grow responsibly, encourage affordable housing, and protect 2 million acres for conservation.

    MIL OSI USA News –