Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

March 21, 2025

Watch the full field hearing here

Oceanside, CA – Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) held an in-district field hearing with veterans and veterans’ advocates at the North Coastal Live Well Center to shed light on the devastating impacts the Trump Administration’s reckless federal cuts—including plans to fire 83,000 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees—will have on veterans and their services and benefits in California’s 49^th District and across the country.

During the hearing, veterans, advocates, and local leaders shared firsthand accounts of how these cuts threaten VA health care, the Veterans Crisis Line, critical research, and benefits that millions of veterans rely on.

“The Trump Administration’s illegal, politically motivated firings are a direct attack on the brave men and women who served our country,” said Rep. Levin. “Veterans in my district and across the country are seeing delays in health care, threats to their benefits, and the gutting of critical services. The Administration’s actions are not about efficiency—they are about dismantling the VA at the expense of those who have already sacrificed so much.”

Key concerns raised at the hearing included:

• Eroding the Federal Workforce: Veterans account for approximately one-third of the federal workforce, and DOGE has fired at least 6,000 veterans across the entire federal government.
• Gutting the VA: At least 2,400 VA employees have already been let go, with plans to fire 83,000 more—approximately 15% of the VA workforce.
• Crisis in Mental Health Care: The Veterans Crisis Line is losing staff, making it harder for struggling veterans to get help when they need it most.
• Losing Research: Researchers at the Veterans Health Administration play a major role in advancing basic health science. Hundreds of projects have been cut, threatening work to support veterans’ well-being.
• Cuts to Non-VA Benefits: Proposed funding cuts to Medi-Cal, CalFresh, and housing assistance programs are threatening homelessness and food insecurity for low-income and other veterans.

Rep. Levin also highlighted legislation he is co-sponsoring to reinstate veterans who were fired without cause and to ensure VA staffing levels remain intact. In February, Rep. Levin sent a letter to VA Secretary Collins demanding that he provide a detailed accounting of all the recently dismissed employees, their roles at the agency, and the positions now left vacant. The letter also expressed concerns over the potential impacts of cuts to the VA, and advocated for the preservation of employment programs and programs that help homeless veterans access affordable housing, such as the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and the Grant and Per Diem (GPD) programs. Rep. Levin has not received a response to the letter.

“Congress must hold this Administration accountable and stop these attacks on our veterans,” Rep. Levin added. “I will use every tool available, including my seat on the House Appropriations Committee, to restore funding, demand transparency, and protect the benefits our veterans have earned.”

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March 14, 2025

Washington, D.C.- Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) released the following statement on the Senate passage of the Republican Fiscal Year 2025 government funding bill, known as the Continuing Resolution.

“I am deeply disappointed by the passage of the partisan Republican bill that funds the government for six months while allowing vital programs to be gutted.

“I am incredibly proud of House Democrats for standing together against this bill. We refused to accept devastating cuts to our communities, and we made clear that there was a responsible path forward.

“No one wanted a government shutdown, and we had a viable alternative on the table: a 30-day clean bill that would have kept the government open while we could engage in bipartisan negotiations. But instead of working across the aisle, Republicans forced through a bill that hands Donald Trump and Elon Musk a blank check to slash critical services, all while failing to include a single dollar for wildfire relief in Los Angeles or community project funding that could help families and small businesses.

“It is important to understand why this is happening. Billionaire donors like Elon Musk want another tax cut, and this is the first step—gut the programs people rely on, claim the government can’t afford them, and then hand the savings to the wealthiest few. Meanwhile, this bill does nothing to address the debt or deficit. It’s not about fiscal responsibility; it’s about shifting resources away from working people and into the pockets of the ultra-rich.

“This is not just numbers on a page—it’s real people who will suffer. It’s the veteran who will wait longer for care because tens of thousands of VA workers will be cut. It’s the senior who will struggle to access their Social Security benefits as customer-serving offices lose staff or close altogether. It’s the child falling further behind because of deep cuts to the Department of Education. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s DOGE operation is being handed more unchecked power, making it easier for them to dismantle entire federal agencies under the guise of budget cuts, with zero accountability.

“Even before this bill passed, the White House was already planning to impound federal funds, openly defying the Impoundment Control Act to slash spending even further. This isn’t just about budgets—it’s about whether Congress still controls the power of the purse or if we’re letting Trump and Musk run the government however they please.

“I am profoundly disappointed that Senate Democratic leadership caved instead of holding the line. But I want to thank California’s Senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, for standing strong and doing what was right. This fight is far from over. I will continue to do everything in my power, every single day, to protect our community, hold this administration accountable, and stop the extreme, unchecked power grab happening before our eyes.”

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March 11, 2025

President Trump’s Directive to Release Billions of Gallons of Water in California Did Nothing to Calm Wildfires & Negatively Impacted Farmers & Communities

Washington, D.C.- Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49), alongside Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Laura Friedman (CA-30), sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum demanding answers and accountability on the Administration’s wasteful water releases, which deviated from standard protocol and wasted two billion gallons of water.

After the devastating Los Angeles wildfires had already been contained, President Trump insisted that the Army Corps “open the valves” to send more water to the city. But according to the Washington Post, the US Army Corps of Engineers acknowledged in a memo that they knew President Trump’s directive would do nothing to calm the wildfires and would negatively impact farmers and communities.

Yet the Army Corps followed through on the directive, without consulting stakeholders and communities, and put lives at risk. According to federal records, between January 31^st and February 2^nd, the US Army Corps of Engineers allowed more than two billion gallons of water to flow from Terminus Dam at Lake Kaweah and Schafer Dam at Lake Success. Instead of providing water resources for the Southern California wildfires, as President Trump claimed, the released water ultimately evaporated in a dry lake bed.

Last month, Rep. Levin pressed representatives from the US Army Corps of Engineers about these actions in a Congressional hearing, but did not receive sufficient answers on the water release.

Click here or read the full letter below:

Dear Secretary Hegseth and Secretary Burgum:

We are writing to express our profound concern over the politically motivated, uncoordinated, unscheduled, and opaque water releases that occurred between January 31 and February 2, 2025, when the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) dramatically increased the amounts of water flowing from Terminus Dam at Lake Kaweah and Schafer Dam at Lake Success. We fear that these releases were conducted to placate the President’s vow to “open up the valves” to bring more water to Los Angeles to combat the devastating wildfires—which had already been 100% contained by that point.

Federal records show that over three days, more than two billion gallons were released from the reservoirs. This is water that should have been saved for critical water needs and summer irrigation for farmers that could have irrigated 6,000 acres of agricultural trees for an entire year. Instead, this water was left to evaporate in a dry lake bed, sacrificing vital resources in a drought-prone state, seemingly for the appearance of taking action to fight the already contained fires in Los Angeles.^[1]

There has been extensive reporting documenting how these sudden, unplanned releases were done with minimal notice and coordination.^[2] Local water managers were caught off guard by the decision, and in some cases, they were given just a few hours of advance notice. This lack of coordination is entirely unprecedented given the Corps’ established flood safety rules, as outlined in Chapter 5 of the water control management manual (ER 1110-2-240), which require communication and coordination with stakeholders and the general public.

More recent reporting has revealed that the Corps knew that the water could not be delivered to Southern California directly, and that doing so would have required several steps of coordination with local, state, and federal agencies to bring the water through a rarely used connection point.^[3] Despite knowing how much coordination would have been necessary to actually deliver the water to Southern California, the Corps failed to conduct the necessary outreach to other agencies with enough advance warning to actually make the releases successful in achieving the purported purpose.

Further, during a Congressional hearing in February, a Corps official was unable to answer basic questions about what had happened with the water releases, repeatedly stating, “I don’t know what happened to the water once it was released from the dams.”^[4] We are very concerned by the apparent lack of clear direction with which these releases were conducted.

In light of these issues, we respectfully request that you promptly provide answers to the following questions no later than March 21, 2025.

1. Deviation from Flood Safety Operating Rules

• Who specifically gave the order to breach established flood safety rules for water releases? When was it given and why was it given? Did President Trump—or anyone in the White House—directly order the Corps to carry out these releases? Additionally, please detail the Department of Government Efficiency’s involvement in these efforts, if any.

Coordination with Local Authorities

• Please provide the specific steps taken in advance to coordinate these releases with state and local government officials, local water managers, agricultural stakeholders, and public safety officials, including a list of all parties that were contacted prior to these releases, when they were contacted, and by whom they were contacted.

Impact on Water Usage

• What are the objectives the release of this water are supposed to achieve and how will it be used to achieve those objectives? What considerations were made about the impact of these releases on critical municipal and agricultural water supply needs later this year? What considerations were made considering current drought protections and decreased snowpack estimates for the region? How will these releases meet their intended uses when it is likely that much of the released water will be lost to evaporation rather than put to beneficial use? What plan is in place to replenish the water supplies lost from this release?

Future Release Plans

• Are similar actions being considered moving forward, and if so, what assurances can be provided that full coordination with local and state agencies will be maintained?

It is vital that decisions related to water management be transparent and properly coordinated to best serve the American people. Going forward, before your Departments act, we demand that you take all necessary steps to protect public safety, support our nation’s water needs, and comply with all applicable laws.

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March 10, 2025

Washington, D.C.—Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) released the following statement on the Fiscal Year 2025 government funding bill, known as the Continuing Resolution (CR).

“My job is simple: deliver real results for the people I represent and stay fully committed to our community. That means fighting for veterans, protecting Social Security and Medicare, ensuring clean air and water, and strengthening small businesses. Every bill I consider comes down to one question: will this do more good than harm?

“That is the standard I am applying to this Continuing Resolution. And the answer is clear: this bill does far more harm than good.

“A government shutdown would cause real short-term damage. But the long-term destruction happening right now under Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE—which I think really stands for ‘Destruction of Government by Elon’—is a far greater threat.

“Musk’s team is shutting down Social Security offices, slashing veterans’ services, delaying disability claims, and gutting the very tools needed to fight fraud. They are doing this without public debate, without Congressional approval, and in direct violation of Article I of the Constitution, which gives only Congress the power of the purse.

“This is not politics—it is a test of whether we still have a functioning democracy. Congress—not Trump, not Musk—decides how tax dollars are spent. If we rubber-stamp this Continuing Resolution, we are effectively surrendering that power.

“On top of that, this bill fails our communities. It provides zero dollars for wildfire recovery, leaving California families and small businesses without the help they need.

“Let’s be clear: Republicans control the White House. Republicans control the House. Republicans control the Senate. They made the decision to walk away from bipartisan negotiations. They wrote this bill behind closed doors, with no Democratic input. And they alone own the consequences.

“So when I weigh the short-term harm of a shutdown against the far greater damage of allowing this chaos and lawlessness to continue, the choice is clear.

“That is why I will be voting no on this Continuing Resolution. Not because I want a shutdown—but because I refuse to be complicit in this chaos and destruction. I am ready to fund the government in a way that protects the people I serve. But I will never stand by while Trump and Musk dismantle the programs Americans paid into and earned.”

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Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) announced $15,217,036 in Community Project Funding that she has worked to secure for Minnesota’s Fourth District in the Fiscal Year 2024 spending bills that passed the House today. These projects were included in H. Res. 1061, legislation that establishes federal funding for multiple agencies across six Appropriations bills: Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration; Commerce, Justice, and Science; Energy and Water; Transportation, Housing and Urban Development; Interior and Environment; and Veterans Affairs and Military Construction. Her vote to pass this first of two anticipated Appropriations government funding packages for FY 2024 will allow federal resources to be directly invested in some of the most pressing needs in the East Metro. Congress must now act by March 22 to pass the remaining funding legislation for FY 2024 to avoid a partial government shutdown.

“This legislation is long overdue, and should have passed six months ago—but nevertheless, I am pleased that $15,217,036 in Community Project Funding I worked to secure within this bill will have a positive impact on Minnesota’s Fourth District,” Congresswoman McCollum said. “These investments are the result of strong partnerships led by local leaders for projects that will make families and our communities healthier, safer, and stronger.”

Rep. McCollum secured funding for 15 projects that will directly benefit Fourth District residents.

These include:

• $1,000,000 to Ramsey County for the Rice Street Reconstruction which will improve traffic flow and safety for pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and drivers.
• $2,965,000 to Ramsey County for their Emergency and Public Safety Communications Network Replacement to provide reliable communication infrastructure for first responders.
• $963,000 to Washington County to upgrade their Public Safety Equipment and Technology with two airboats and a digital evidence management system.
• $500,000 to Washington County to construct the Trunk Highway 96, Norell Avenue, and Stonebridge Trail Roundabout which will improve safety for all users on these roadways.
• $1,000,000 to the East Side Boys Girls Club to renovate and expand their facility to create a state-of-the-art Workforce Development Training Center for youth in the community.
• $1,666,279 to the City of Saint Paul to construct a new Fire Station 7 to improve fire and EMS coverage to the East Side and surrounding areas.
• $500,000 to the City of Saint Paul for the Riverview Library Renovation that will ensure this historic Carnegie library serves the next generation of Saint Paul’s West Side with upgrades to its technology and programming space, and improved accessibility.
• $500,000 to the City of Saint Paul for their Hayden Heights Library Renovation to create an innovative technology resource hub on the East Side that will meet residents’ business, economic, and community space needs.
• $963,000 to the University of St. Thomas for Analytical Equipment for Measurement Science that will allow research into complex questions about ecological and water issues in Minnesota.
• $1,000,000 to the American Indian Family Center to construct the Oyate Ota Center to provide a central community space to deliver services and supports to the American Indian community.
• $850,000 to the City of North St. Paul for their Community Center Revitalization to create a year-round, mixed-use community hub that will be safe and accessible to all residents.
• $959,757 to the City of Gem Lake for their Municipal Water Supply Project to provide safe drinking water for residents whose well water has been contaminated.
• $850,000 to the City of Woodbury for their reconstruction and improvement of Weir Drive to address safety concerns and access.
• $500,000 to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to guide the development of an Anerobic Digester Nutrient Recovery industry that would reduce nutrient run-off into Minnesota’s waters.
• $1,000,000 to the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) for their Cereal Disease Laboratory, which conducts cutting-edge research to support the stability of our global food supply.

H. Res. 1061 includes six of the 12 Appropriations bills that provide regular funding for the federal government. For the last five months, the government has remained open through passage of four temporary funding bills.  These Continuing Resolutions were required because Republicans controlling Congress pushed extreme partisan measures in the funding legislation instead of working with Democrats to craft responsible bills based on agreements in the bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility Act that was signed into law in June 2023.

House Appropriations Democrats, working with the White House, were successful in accomplishing two major goals in H. Res. 1061: First, removing harmful, extreme House Republican policy riders that attempted to make abortion illegal everywhere, slash efforts to fight climate change, and threaten our national security. And secondly, Democrats rejected extreme Republican funding cuts that would have decimated Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) funding for families facing food insecurity, taken away affordable housing vouchers for tens of thousands of Americans, and a massive cut to heating assistance, literally leaving families out in the cold, among other cuts.

This government funding package invests in America’s future and delivers for the American people by:

• Protecting women’s rights by blocking attempts to limit women’s access to reproductive health care, including abortion, and by increasing funding for gender-based violence prevention and prosecution programs.
• Confronting the climate crisis, fighting climate change, and ensuring America’s energy independence with robust, transformative investments in deploying clean energy technologies in communities across the country, and providing funding for cutting-edge scientific and climate-related research.
• Honoring our commitments to our veterans by ensuring they receive the care and benefits that they have earned and investing in veterans’ health care, including targeted investments that advance women’s health, mental health, and homelessness assistance.

H. Res. 1061 is expected to be passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Biden later this week. A detailed summary of the bill is available here. By March 22, Congress must pass the remaining Fiscal Year 2024 funding bills: Defense, Legislative Branch, Financial Services and General Government, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, and State and Foreign Operations, in order to avoid a partial government shutdown.

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