Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States House of Representatives – CONGRESSMAN JIM HIMES (4th District of Connecticut)

Himes Statement on Trump Administration Actions in California | Press Releases | Congressman Jim Himes

Source: United States House of Representatives – CONGRESSMAN JIM HIMES (4th District of Connecticut)

Himes Advocates for Anti-Corruption in Cryptocurrency | Press Releases | Congressman Jim Himes

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26) is pleased to announce six remarkable students from Florida’s 26th Congressional District have earned appointments to prestigious United States Service Academies such as the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

These talented young men and women were nominated by the Congressman and have now been accepted as members of the Class of 2029 for their respective academies.

The students and their respective academies are:

• William Brockmeier – U.S. Military Academy, Gulf Coast High School
• Christian Febres – U.S. Military Academy, Doral Academy Preparatory
• Luca Guerra – U.S. Military Academy, Rise Preparatory Academy
• Alejandro Merlano Jr. – U.S. Military Academy, Divine Savior Academy
• Valeria Isabel Gumucio-Colmenares – U.S. Naval Academy, Divine Savior Academy
• Patrick McDonald – U.S. Naval Academy, Naples Classical Academy

Military Academy Nominations

The honor of attending a service academy comes with the obligation and commitment to serve in the military for a minimum of five years upon graduation. For more information, please review the page of Frequently Asked Questions for those seeking a Military Academy Nomination.

Members of Congress may nominate candidates for appointment to four of the five U.S. service academies: U.S. Military Academy (USMA), West Point, NY; the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), Annapolis, MD; the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado Springs, CO; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Kings Point, NY. The fifth service academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), New London, CT, does not require a congressional nomination for appointment.

Congressman Díaz-Balart may nominate up to 15 individuals for each vacant academy slot allotted to our district. To request a Military Academy Nomination from our office, please complete the form below. Best wishes to you as you pursue your goal of attending one of the U.S. Service Academies and serving our country.

To find out more on requesting a Military Academy Nomination from our office, please visit Military Academy Nominations | Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Reprepsentative Kathy Castor (FL14)

As President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans work to gut the Affordable Care Act (ACA), U.S. Representatives Kathy Castor (FL-14) and Dwight Evans (PA-03) and U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (WI) and Jeanne Shaheen (NH) introduced legislation today in the House and Senate to restore a key initiative of the health care law that helps American families navigate the ACA marketplace and connect them with high quality, affordable health care plans. The Expand Navigators’ Resources for Outreach, Learning and Longevity (ENROLL) Act would ensure the Navigator program, established under the ACA to help Americans navigate, shop and enroll in affordable health care plans, will continue despite the Trump Administration cutting funding by 90 percent in February. 

“Florida families value and appreciate affordable health coverage.  In fact, over 4.7 million Floridians selected an affordable marketplace plan for 2025—almost one-fifth of the nation’s 24.2 million enrollees. Robust outreach and assistance by Navigators is vital to families so they can evaluate options and choose a health plan that is right for them.  Unfortunately, the Trump Administration has slashed Navigator support and complicated the lives of families who need advice on lifesaving health coverage,” said Representative Castor. “President Trump and Congressional Republicans appear dead set on making Affordable Care Act coverage more expensive, driving up premiums and putting hardworking families at risk. I am proud to work with Senators Baldwin and Shaheen and Representative Evans to protect American’s health, well-being and pocketbooks by ensuring Navigators stay on the job.”

“The Affordable Care Act Navigators program provides free, objective, expert advice and information to Americans in red, purple and blue states alike to help them find affordable health coverage that meets their needs. A similar cut to the program in President Trump’s first term resulted in more people being uninsured, and letting his new cut stand is likely to raise costs for working-class Americans at a time when the cost of living is already high,” said Representative Evans. “One of the ways the Navigators program has helped American families is by helping hundreds of thousands of eligible consumers in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage. President Trump recently promised not to touch Medicaid, and keeping people who qualify for Medicaid from getting covered breaks that promise, as far as I’m concerned.”

“We have seen this movie before: when he doesn’t get his way to fully repeal it, Donald Trump tries every which way to chip away at the Affordable Care Act and kick Wisconsin families off their health care, and sadly, it works. At a time when Wisconsinites are worried their care is on the chopping block under Republicans’ plan to give tax breaks to the wealthy, the Trump Administration is also gutting a key program that helps our neighbors find health care coverage that they can afford,” said Senator Baldwin. “Wisconsin’s Navigator has connected thousands of families with good health care coverage, ensuring more Wisconsinites can access the care and treatment they need to stay healthy. We should be investing in bringing the cost of care down for Wisconsinites, not jacking up costs and eliminating proven resources that connect more families with affordable insurance.” 

“We’ve seen this before: When the first Trump administration slashed funding for the Navigator program, ACA health care enrollment shrank by more than 2.5 million – and when that funding was restored, enrollment rose and reached historic levels. Despite the hard facts that it helps everyday Americans access critical health care, the administration is gutting the Navigator program again and leaving Granite Staters in rural and underserved areas behind,” said Senator Shaheen. “Our ENROLL Act is urgently needed to restore this funding so Granite Staters—and all Americans—have access to the help they need to make informed decisions about their health insurance coverage.”

In 2017 and 2018, the first Trump Administration cut funding for the Navigator program by 84 percent, contributing to 2.5 million fewer people accessing healthcare through the ACA Marketplace over the course of the first Trump Administration. Navigator funding was restored in 2021, and enrollment reached historic levels for the 2025 plan year. In February 2025, the Trump Administration slashed nearly 90 percent of funding for the Navigator program, threatening to leave millions of Americans without critical assistance to access health insurance at a time of increased uncertainty due to Congressional Republicans’ sabotage of the ACA. 

The ENROLL Act would:

• Ensure that Navigators have the resources they need to assist Americans in finding affordable health care coverage by restoring funding for the program to $100 million annually;

• Promote public education and assistance that helps consumers, including those who may need extra help signing up, find coverage rather than prioritizing application numbers;

• Clarify that Navigator responsibilities include enrolling consumers in lifesaving Medicaid and CHIP coverage;

• Provide Americans with information on comprehensive health insurance that protects individuals with pre-existing conditions.

The ENROLL Act is supported by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Federation of Teachers American Heart Association, American Public Health Association, Community Catalyst, Epilepsy Foundation MomsRising, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), National Bleeding Disorders Foundation, National Health Council, National Immigration Law Center, National Kidney Foundation, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Psoriasis Foundation and Young Invincibles.

“Marketplace Navigators are a crucial resource for the more than 24 million people who access their health coverage through the ACA Marketplace and anyone who has questions about their coverage options. Appropriately funding health care Navigators is essential for making sure consumers—especially those with complex medical conditions like cancer—can get access to the most appropriate health insurance coverage that will meet their needs. We commend Senator Baldwin, Senator Shaheen, and Representative Castor for acting to reverse the significant and damaging funding cuts that were enacted earlier this year and urge the Senate and House to pass this legislation quickly,” said Lisa Lacasse, President of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

“At a time when health care is under relentless attack, advancing the ENROLL Act is a clear signal that there are leaders in Congress committed to putting people over profit. The current administration has gutted funding for Navigators, trusted community members who guide people through the daunting, complex process of enrolling in coverage. Restoring that funding is essential to ensuring everyone, especially those facing the greatest barriers, can enroll in the most affordable, comprehensive options for their families. We thank Senator Baldwin and Representative Castor for their leadership and for standing with communities who depend on this trusted, unbiased help,” said Mona Shah, Senior Director of Policy and Strategy, Community Catalyst.

A one-pager on this legislation is available here. Full bill text of this legislation is available

here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Larsen Releases Statement on the Protests in Los Angeles

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Congressman Ed Case (HI-01), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, early this morning voted against the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations funding measure.

The measure (MILCON-VA) would fund worldwide military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and various small agencies and programs supporting our nation’s some 19 million veterans, including some 112,000 throughout Hawai‘i, and their families.

The bill is the first of twelve separate bills developed by the Appropriations Committee that would fund the federal government at some $1.6 trillion for FY 2026 commencing October 1^st of this year.

“While the measure does have positive provisions including funding for essential veterans programs, I regrettably had to vote against it because it kicks critical military infrastructure projects down the road yet again, pursues the Project 2025 goal of privatizing VA medical care, shortchanges dedicated funding for Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) cleanup, eliminates climate resiliency efforts and excludes important VA infrastructure funding,” said Case, who is in his seventh year on Appropriations and previously served on the Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs for four years. He currently serves on its Subcommittees on Defense and Homeland Security. 

Case spoke to his Appropriations Committee colleagues on the serious deficiencies in the bill that fail to address critical military infrastructure needs throughout the Indo-Pacific (speech here). He stated that only one milcon project is located in the Indo-Pacific despite critical needs in meeting the challenge of the People’s Republic of China. The bill also fails to provide funding for infrastructure in Europe to support U.S. servicemembers working to bolster NATO and deter Russia.

Case further said that the funding measure specifically advances the privatization of veterans health care by proposing vastly larger increases for medical care provided in private sector compared to shorfunding the government’s VA healthcare system, a key goal of the Project 2025 plan being followed by the Trump administration. By vast margins, veterans oppose privatizing the VA and want to receive their medical care at VA clinics and hospitals with a direct mission to care for veterans and their families as opposed to the private sector.

Despite these and other significant problems with the bill, Case highlighted positive provisions he requested, including fully funding the budget request for veterans’ medical care at $131.4 billion and for veterans’ toxic exposures-related needs under the PACT Act.

It also includes $1.3 billion for specific care for women veterans, and supports the Office of Women’s Health, including its childcare initiative. These funds will allow the VA to continue hiring women primary care providers and to increase the number of peer support specialists for women veterans. These efforts have become even more critical as the number of female veterans using VA health care services has increased.  

“Women veterans often require specialized care due to unique health needs stemming from their military service and gender,” said Case. “With sustained support from my Committee over multiple years, Congress is working to ensure the VA set the standard for women veterans care, ensuring consistent, high-quality services across all facilities.” 

The measure also continues support as Case requested for the VA Center for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and United States-affiliated Pacific Islander (NHPIUSAPI) Veterans. The center’s doctors and scientists coordinate research from all over the Pacific Islands and the United States to specifically address veterans’ healthcare in the Hawaiian Islands and throughout the Pacific. The center works with the University of Hawai‘i, and the bill encourages the VA to continue partnering with universities in the Pacific region focusing on issues unique to the NHPIUSAPI community. 

Further details follow: 

Veterans-Related Programs 

The bill provides $133.7 billion in discretionary spending for veterans-related programs, an increase of $4.7 billion above the FY 2025 enacted level 

“Our Hawai‘i veterans and their families make up one of the largest percentages of any state in our nation including in such key areas like women and minority veterans. I continued to focus especially on the often unique challenges of delivering full veterans’ health and other benefits in a diverse island state,” said Case.

Specific veterans-related programs and provisions requested and secured by Case include:

·        $12 million for the Native American Veteran Housing Loan Program, which is $6 million above the FY 2025 level. 

·        Contracting preferences for Native Hawaiian owned business that work with the VA. 

·        Directing the VA to continue supporting the VA Center for NHPIUSAPI Veterans.

·         $1.5 million for a pilot project using the most advanced technology to identify the remains of unidentified fallen servicemembers buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.  

·        Directing the VA to develop a plan for more fully providing VA benefits for veterans living in the Freely Associated States. 

·         $106 million for the American Battle Monument Commission, which manages the Honolulu Memorial at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. 

·        $60 million for the VA Grants for the Construction of Veterans Cemeteries Program, which regularly provides fundings to support Hawaii’s state cemeteries. 

·        $233 million for substance-use disorder (SUD) efforts to ensure veterans can receive timely SUD specialty services. 

·        $3.4 billion for the Veterans’ Homelessness Program Resources Account for our nation’s veterans. This funding will enhance homeless veterans service providers ability to provide high demand care such as health services, substance use disorder programs, compensated work therapy and other supportive services.   

·        $342 million for Rural Health Initiatives, $5 million above FY 2025 level. This will improve access and quality of care for the more than 3 million enrolled veterans residing in highly rural areas.  

Military Construction 

The bill provides $453.6 billion for Department of Defense (DoD) military construction and family housing, $480 million above the FY 2025 enacted level.  

Specific military construction programs and provisions requested and secured by Case critical to Hawai‘i include:  

·          $634 million for the Energy Resiliency and Conservation Investment Program, which funds projects that save energy and water, reduce DoD energy costs and improve energy resilience. 

·         Directing the DoD to identify the Army’s investment needs in order to support the wildland firefighters located on Schofield Barracks.   

·         Directing the DoD to provide a report on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam infrastructure development plan, to address ongoing concerns of the aging water and wastewater facilities on the installation. 

·          Directing the DoD to assess the aging infrastructure that houses the headquarters of the Marine Corps, Space Force and Special Operations Commands on O‘ahu. 

·         Directing the DoD to assess the requirement for a floating drydock at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility.

·         Directing the DoD to assess the capacity for battle damage repair of all public shipyards and how to prepare these shipyards for conflict requirements under the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP). SIOP is a multi-billion multi-year effort to upgrade the Navy’s four public shipyards, including Pearl Harbor. 

·         Directing the DoD to assess the infrastructure needs and shortfalls for 3^rd Marine Littoral Regiment on Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i.  

·         Directing the DoD to study the impacts of unexploded ordnance on military construction sites in Guam. 

·         Directing the DoD to study the necessary steps and what actions would be required to begin construction on port improvements on Tinian Island. 

·         Directing the DoD to study the necessity and feasibility of establishing a biosecurity inspection facility to combat invasive species on the Northern Mariana Islands. 

·         Directing the DoD to study the impact and develop a plan to address growing solid waste management issues on Tinian Island.  

The bill now moves to the full House of Representatives for its consideration.  

A summary of the VA-MilCon funding bill is available here. The committee report explaining the full bill in detail is available here. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

Sacramento, Hanford stations were targeted for reduction of operations

Loss of 24/7 service would be catastrophic for disaster weather response

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) announced that the National Weather Service (NWS) is implementing emergency hiring plans to keep two Valley weather stations open in response to Harder’s advocacy. The Sacramento and Hanford stations were poised to lose 24/7 service because of staffing cuts which would have been catastrophic for emergency response to floods, wildfires, and severe storms. On Friday, Rep. Harder demanded the National Weather Service reverse its cuts and keep the only two Valley stations fully staffed.  

NWS service crisis by the numbers:

• DOGE terminated 500 NWS employees, representing a 12% reduction in force.
• Sacramento has 7 vacancies out of 16 meteorologist positions, and Hanford has 8 vacancies across 13 positions – leaving the Valley half-staffed amid peak wildfire season.
• Decreased service capacity leaves California water managers without critical forecasts needed to make life-or-death water supply decisions.

“Ending 24/7 service operations that keep our families safe from floods and fires makes absolutely no sense – that’s why I called on NWS to immediately reverse these plans,” said Rep. Harder. “Today’s announcement is a step back towards sanity, but Valley communities need more than a temporary fix. I’m going to keep fighting to get these vacancies filled permanently, and I won’t rest until Valley families can rest assured that the federal government is actually at work keeping them safe.”

In his letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Harder urged Washington to:

• Reinstate all terminated workers at the Sacramento and Hanford offices.
• Ensure that the Sacramento and Hanford weather forecast offices are adequately staffed to maintain 24/7 operations.

Read the full letter here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative for Western Samoa Congresswoman Aumua Amata

Headline: Amata Honors 250 Years of the U.S. Army  

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is honoring the U.S. Army’s historic 250th birthday, which marks the founding of the U.S. Army on June 14, 1775. 

In the nation’s capital, the historic occasion is set to be marked with a major celebration, beginning with a wreath laying at Arlington National Cemetery, followed by an all-day festival and a parade with numerous military vehicles and military aircraft in the skies, the Army Golden Knights paratroopers, and closing with a fireworks display at nightfall. 

“This year, on 14 June, the United States celebrates 250 years of continuous service by the U.S. Army. Happy birthday to the U.S. Army and all our soldiers, past and present, along with our heartfelt thanks to each one,” said Congresswoman Amata.

The distinguished history of the U.S. Army began in 1775, with the volunteers of the first continental army encamped around British-held Boston, when the Continental Congress gave George Washington of Virginia the historic responsibility of being the first commanding General. The U.S. Army today is composed of hundreds of thousands of personnel, over 900,000 in uniform with the support of the Army Reserve and Army National Guard. 

“In American Samoa, we are proud of our Toa o Samoa, as our people have built a tremendous record of military service,” Amata continued. “Congratulations to each one of our own serving in the Army, Army Reserve, and our Army Veterans, because this day is about you and your fellow soldiers over the last two and half centuries.”

“I know this day will remind many of us in military families of a soldier far away, a Veteran, or a beloved memory, as I have of my father. He served during the Pearl Harbor attack as an Army officer in Oahu, in the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, and is the only Samoan inducted into the Army Infantry Hall of Fame,” she continued. “I wish I could name and honor each soldier from American Samoa. My Chief of Staff, Leafaina Tavai, is historic as the first ever student from American Samoa to go to West Point, and after her retirement as a Colonel, she was inducted into the Army Ordnance Hall of Fame.”

“We will always need a strong, fully equipped, highly trained, and well supported U.S. Army, in times of peace or war, to protect our freedom and national security,” Amata concluded. “May God bless all our military, our Veterans, and the families who support them.”

END