Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Senator for Pennsylvania Pat Toomey

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee; Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee; and Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) sent a letter to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles Rettig demanding clarity on its proposal to illegally expand the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credit (PTC), which would cost taxpayers billions more each year and give the federal government an even larger role in families’ health care decisions. One estimate projects this unilateral move could cost the taxpayers $45 billion over the next ten years.
 On April 5, 2022, the Biden Administration proposed a change to the affordability test of employer-sponsored insurance by basing affordability on the cost of family coverage, not self-only coverage, in clear violation of existing law. Given ongoing concerns about the ability of the IRS to act as a non-partisan enforcer of tax law, the Senators question the IRS’ decision to reverse its long-held practice of following the law, as written.
 “The proposal in question runs contrary to the long-held position of the IRS, including under former President Obama,” the Senators wrote. “This not only runs counter to the plain reading of the law, but would dramatically expand spending on Obamacare plans and result in a significant shift of individuals out of employer-sponsored insurance and into government-designed and subsidized Obamacare coverage.”
 The Senators also criticized the Administration for its unconstitutional attempt to unilaterally change existing law and for failing to provide necessary analyses of the rule’s effects on government spending and health coverage. Past estimates from the Urban Institute and Congressional Budget Office project the proposal will cost taxpayers tens of billions over the next decade.
The senators continued, “According to Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, Congress is empowered to ‘lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.’ The IRS has no constitutional basis for unilaterally changing the laws Congress has enacted.
“Moreover, in its proposal the IRS did not include necessary projections of its impacts on cost and coverage. President Biden and White House officials are touting estimates that nearly 1 million Americans who already have insurance would receive additional subsidies, while just 200,000 previously uninsured Americans would gain coverage under the proposal. This would suggest an analysis has been conducted, raising questions as to why such an analysis was not published in the proposal.”
To read the full letter, click here.
 Background:
 During consideration of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, several provisions were included to prevent the erosion of employer-sponsored health insurance. One specific provision prevented individuals from receiving subsidies for Obamacare plans if they had an offer of “affordable” coverage from their employer. Obamacare specified that if a family received an offer of employer-sponsored health insurance, each family member is considered to also have an offer of “affordable” coverage if the employee’s premium contribution for self-only coverage – not family coverage – is less than 9.5 percent of income. 
The IRS’ proposed rule reverses this long-held practice of following the law, as written, and threatens Americans’ access to employer-sponsored insurance. 

Source: United States Senator for Pennsylvania Pat Toomey

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) today voted in opposition to the Democrats’ extreme abortion bill.
“If approved, this radical legislation would expand abortion policy to new extremes by allowing access to abortion beyond what even Roe v. Wade permitted. The vast majority of Americans support restrictions on abortion, yet the bill the Senate is considering today would allow an individual to obtain an abortion, as a practical matter, at any time for any reason up until the moment of birth. This partisan bill would also override many state laws in meaningful ways, endangering even the minimal health and safety standards enacted in Pennsylvania after the discovery of Kermit Gosnell’s atrocities. This vote is a political stunt designed to further inflame heightened tensions around this issue and to appease the Democrats’ radical base,” said Senator Toomey.
This radical legislation would:
Require states to allow abortions at any point in the pregnancy
Prohibit states from restricting abortions based on the sex or disability of the baby
Invalidate state parental notification or consent laws for minors seeking abortions
Override certain state laws that prohibit partial birth abortions
Exempt itself from the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which limits government actions that place substantial burdens on an individual’s religious exercise
Due to the failure to reach the 60 vote threshold, this legislation failed to pass.

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

Washington (May 11, 2022) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Senate sponsor of the Judiciary Act of 2021, released the following statement after the Senate failed to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the Women’s Health Protection Act in order to begin debate.

 

“Today, the Senate failed to protect the rights of millions of Americans and respect the will of two-thirds of our constituents across the country who believe Roe v. Wade should remain the law of the land, because a radical Republican minority once again succeeded in wedging their extremist views into our broken political machinery. As the Supreme Court stands poised to overturn Roe and cast aside decades of precedent, the Women’s Health Protection Act is all that’s standing between the America we’ve known for decades – in which safe and legal abortions are a right – and one that plunges millions of people back in time into despair, pain, poverty, and forced parenthood.

 

“We have come to this crossroads because our system is fundamentally broken. Our anti-majoritarian and anti-democratic national electoral system allowed two Presidents, each of whom lost the popular vote, to nominate five of our nine sitting U.S. Supreme Court justices. Corrupted congressional procedure allowed those justices to be confirmed by Senators representing a minority of our nation’s population. And now, the arcane filibuster has prevented the majority of Senators who stand in favor of upholding basic rights to privacy, self-determination, and abortion care from acting on the will of the American people.  

 

“There is no other recourse. We must abolish the filibuster in order to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, and we must expand the Supreme Court in order to reclaim the stolen seats, restore balance, and begin to repair the faith of the American people in the Court. Expanding the Court is constitutional. Congress has done it before, and Congress must do it again.”

 

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Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

Washington (May 11, 2022) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, released the following statement after the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Alvaro Bedoya’s nomination to serve as Commissioner to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

 

“The Federal Trade Commission plays a critical role in protecting American consumers,” said Senator Markey. “I am proud to have voted to confirm Alvaro Bedoya to help lead this effort and continue the Commission’s essential work. Mr. Bedoya has a deep commitment to the public interest and he will bring a sterling background of service and scholarship to this position. Americans face increasing threats in the digital ecosystem, and the FTC must be laser-focused on protecting the public from manipulation and privacy invasions online. With a full slate of commissioners, the FTC must now act swiftly and boldly to use the full scope of its authority to protect consumers, particularly in communities of color and other marginalized communities, who disproportionately experience harm both online and offline. Mr. Bedoya is ready to take on those challenges, and I look forward to working with him and the entire Commission.” 

 

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Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) released the following statement upon voting against Sen. Schumer’s attempt to force states to legalize abortion up to the point of a child’s birth. The bill goes far beyond the bounds of Roe v. Wade to prohibit states from protecting life even after viability.

“Is the Senate working to lower inflation or secure the southern border this week? No. Sen. Schumer can’t be bothered to care about what Louisianians and Americans need most. Instead, he asked us to vote to nullify state laws and legalize abortion up to the moment of birth.

“His bill would also allow aborting a child because of the child’s sex. It would remove religious liberty protections for health care providers who believe life begins before birth. It would block laws that require parental consent or notification before an abortion. It is a very radical bill.

“This is why Washington insiders don’t get to tell Louisianians what their values should be.”

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

May 11, 2022

As prepared for delivery

Mr. President, earlier today the Senate took one the most significant votes I have been a part of in all my time in public service.

While the Women’s Health Protection Act did not pass today, this vote made it very clear on which side every senator stands. The Republicans unanimously voted for criminalized abortion in more than half the states in just a few weeks. 

Democrats voted to stop the Alito Court from turning the clock back on women’s health by a century. 

Let’s be one-hundred percent crystal clear about the consequences of this ruling when it becomes final.

It will immediately criminalize abortion in many states.

It will allow the Republicans to pass a law criminalizing abortion in all 50 states. 

It will throw out the constitutional right to privacy — a right upon which marriage, choice, and many other civil rights depend. 

And it will put governments in control of women’s bodies. 

This is truly a terrifying outcome for millions and millions of people all across the country. 

It is no secret that people have been considering what would happen if and when this far-right Supreme Court would throw out Roe. Less than a month ago, I was on this floor talking about the end of Roe and the danger to Griswold v. Connecticut, the case that affirmed the right of married people to use contraception. 

However, it is still a shock — a gut punch — to see how eager Republican lawmakers are to strip women of their constitutional freedoms and endanger their lives. They are going a lot further than simply overturning Roe. 

All the talk about states’ rights has gone out the window — the goal is a federal abortion ban — federal criminalization. 

Already Republicans including governors and statehouse leaders are talking about banning birth control. I will say that again — they are talking about banning birth control!

Already, there are plans to restrict people’s freedom of movement, criminalizing women who travel to other states for an abortion, and even the person who gives them a ride. 

Let’s not sugarcoat what that means. They are talking about enacting laws that reach beyond state borders, harkening back to the darkest parts of our history. 

This far-right Alito Court has already given far-right lawmakers a green light to do whatever they want when it comes to abortion. There is no reason to trust this court will draw the line at restricting women’s freedom of movement. 

Another closely related issue that frightens me deals with data. With abortion criminalized, women’s personal data is going to be weaponized against them by bounty hunters and the government. 

I have been sounding the alarm for years about the abuse of location data taken from people’s cell phones. In a world where Sam Alito is in charge of abortion laws, that becomes a massive, massive crisis.

Shady data brokers are already tracking women who go to Planned Parenthood clinics, and they will sell that data to anybody with a credit card.  Imagine for a moment what not just prosecutors, but these deranged rightwing vigilantes, will do with this data. 

The apps women use, the websites they visit, the places they go. All of that can and will be used against them by prosecutors. 

In short, this is “uterus surveillance.” That’s what’s coming down the pike unless Congress acts and gets serious about consumer privacy and prohibiting the government from making end-runs around the fourth amendment. 

It is a shock to me how little concern there seems to be for these major issues. It is a full-out sprint toward massive government overreach and severe restrictions on women’s freedom and privacy. 

There’s zero thought given to victims of rape. 

There’s zero thought given to victims of incest.

There’s zero thought to women being exploited after being forced to seek backroom abortions.

There’s zero thought given to how many more women will die as a result of this ruling…

Complications during pregnancy could become a death sentence.  In states like Texas where law enforcement have already shown the willingness to arrest a women for having a miscarriage, a woman’s tragedy of losing a baby will be compounded by the very real threat of criminal prosecution.  

Through all of this, abortions will still happen, they will just happen in conditions that are less safe than they are today. 

I know there are members on the other side who say they care about these issues. They have been saying that for years, and yet we have arrived at this moment. 

Not a single Republican senator voted to protect the law as it stands today.  

The vast, vast majority of people in Oregon and all across the country oppose what the Alito Court is inflicting on them by tossing out Roe. 

This is extreme judicial radicalism — proof that these justices were blowing smoke when they told senators they would respect precedent if they were confirmed. 

The bottom line is this: if you don’t have control over your own body, you are not free. The Alito Court is denying women control over their own bodies. This is an attack on their freedom, and a denial of Americans’ right to privacy. 

Criminalizing abortion is wrong, plain and simple. How can we let this stand? 

Today is not the end of this fight.  The Senate has taken its vote.  Now every American must cast their vote and make clear whether they want to be part of this new Republican reality.  

A video of Wyden’s remarks is here.

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

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

May 11, 2022

Senators call federal wildland firefighters shortage an “urgent threat to natural resources, public safety, and taxpayer dollars”

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden this week joined colleagues from both parties in urging federal officials to establish a special pay rate for federal wildland firefighters in Oregon and nationwide that would address urgent staffing shortages in the wildland firefighting workforce.

“As the 2022 fire season begins, we urge you to take necessary steps to avert critical staffing shortages in the wildland firefighting workforce,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Agriculture Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Office of Personnel Management Director Kiran Ahuja. “By using existing authority to establish a special pay rate for federal wildland firefighters, we can directly address the recruitment and retention crisis, and ensure that the pending “wildland firefighter” occupational series reflects the professional capabilities of our wildland firefighters.”

The lawmakers’ May 10 letter noted how years of low pay and other issues have hollowed out the federal wildland firefighting workforce to the point that fire officials last year could not fill an unprecedented 1,800 interagency requests for wildland firefighting crews, and more than 1,900 requests for fire engines.

“This is an urgent threat to natural resources, public safety, and taxpayer dollars, as the Federal Government pays a premium to contract and borrow firefighting resources from state and local authorities when federal resources are unavailable,” they wrote. “The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must use its authority to stop further attrition in the wildland firefighting workforce. OPM has the authority for special pay rates to address staffing problems caused by significantly higher non-Federal pay rates, the remoteness of the area or location involved, the undesirability of the working conditions or nature of the work involved, and any other circumstances OPM considers appropriate. All these criteria appear applicable in this case.”

In addition to Wyden, other senators signing the bipartisan letter led by U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) are U.S. Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY), Jon Tester (D-MT), Steve Daines (R-MT), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Alex Padilla (D-CA), James E. Risch (R-ID), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Jackie Rosen (D-NV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Mitt Romney (R-UT). Thirteen House lawmakers also signed the letter.

A copy of the entire letter is here.

 

Related Files

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

WASHINGTON, DC – Last night, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined ABC News Live to discuss today’s Senate vote to protect the future of reproductive rights in the United States after recent news that the Supreme Court is moving to overturn Roe v. Wade. Last year, Senator Rosen helped introduce the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation to protect the constitutional right to access reproductive health care and provide a safeguard against dangerous state-level abortion bans and restrictions.

“I hope [the draft Supreme Court opinion is] a wakeup call for people, that we can’t rest. I can tell you that Mitch McConnell, if he gets the majority back, he has already signaled that he will do whatever it takes to install a nationwide abortion ban,” said Senator Rosen. “Again, rolling back protections that women have enjoyed over their own bodily autonomy for the last 50 years.”

Watch video HERE

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

Rosen: “This year, anti-choice politicians are working to eliminate this protection from our state code, and take away Nevada women’s rights to make decisions for their own bodies. This is exactly why the Senate needs to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act today.”

 

VIEW/DOWNLOAD VIDEO OF FULL SPEECH HERE

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) spoke on the Senate floor urging her colleagues to take action to safeguard women’s reproductive rights. In her speech, Senator Rosen highlighted the threat from anti-choice politicians in Nevada and across the country who are working to ban abortion rights and enact strict restrictions on women’s access to comprehensive reproductive medical care. She called on the Senate to immediately pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law.

Senator Rosen has been a leader in fighting for women’s reproductive rights. Last week, when the Supreme Court’s opinion was reported, Senator Rosen released a statement calling for codifying Roe into federal law. Last year, she helped introduce the Women’s Health Protection Act and also signed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to uphold Roe v. Wade.

Watch Senator Rosen’s full remarks here.

Below are Senator Rosen’s floor remarks as delivered:

Last week we learned that the United States Supreme Court is preparing to issue a ruling that would fundamentally roll back the constitutional rights of millions of American women.

It’s been reported that a group of anti-choice justices on the Supreme Court are planning to overturn Roe versus Wade — the landmark case, decided nearly fifty years ago — which recognized the reproductive rights of women.

This decision centered on one of the most fundamental rights we have as Americans: the right to control our own bodies.

For nearly half a century, Roe has protected a woman’s right to make extremely personal decisions about her own body, her own health care, and her own family.

But now, we’re seeing a clear, coordinated attempt by anti-choice politicians to roll back the clock on the rights of American women, control what happens to their bodies, and strike down reproductive freedom.

If the Supreme Court moves forward with this action, it will have immediate and devastating consequences for women’s health.

Let’s get something straight: overturning Roe is not going to stop abortions; It’s only going to stop women from getting safe abortions, and women will die as a result.

This will also have a severe impact on how miscarriages and other life-threatening medical issues related to pregnancy are handled.

For example: if Roe is overturned, ectopic pregnancies could become a death sentence for women in states that ban abortions.

That is just one example of the harm this will cause.

And this will disproportionately impact women who lack the resources to go to other states to seek care. This will also make it harder for women of color to access the care they need.

Unfortunately, many states across our country already have rigid, extreme restrictions on the books — and if Roe falls, many of those laws would go immediately into effect.

And in the states that don’t have these restrictions, extreme legislatures are pushing new, dangerous, and restrictive anti-choice laws as we speak.

In my home state of Nevada, abortion rights have been enshrined into state law since Nevadans overwhelmingly voted for it as a ballot initiative in 1990.

This means women across Nevada will continue to have access to reproductive care if Roe is overturned.

But this year, anti-choice politicians are working to eliminate this protection from our state code, and take away Nevada women’s rights to make decisions for their own bodies.

This is exactly why the Senate needs to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act today to ensure that women in all 50 states continue to have the right to make their own reproductive health care choices.

I helped introduce the Women’s Health Protection Act last year, because it is the best option we have to codify Roe versus Wade into law.

This bill will codify the right to receive and provide reproductive health care, and it will prohibit states from enacting rigid, medically-unnecessary restrictions that make it harder for women to access care.

We’re not living in a hypothetical anymore.

We are staring a post-Roe world in the face, and the time to act is now.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have also made it clear: If they regain control of this chamber, they will pass a national ban on abortion rights, and they may go even further.

I urge every Senator who cares about women, who cares about women’s health, their autonomy, and their rights to join me in voting to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act.

Nevadans are watching, the American people are watching, and women everywhere are depending on us.

We cannot let them down.

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