Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

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Sen. Marshall: Those Who Suppressed COVID-19 Origins Findings Must Be Held Accountable

Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

Sen. Marshall: Those Who Suppressed COVID-19 Origins Findings Must Be Held Accountable

(Washington, D.C., June 10, 2021) – Today, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. joined his colleagues at a press conference to rail against the media and big tech censorship of information related to the origins of COVID-19. The Senator also called for those involved in the cover up of the Wuhan lab leak to be held accountable. You may click HERE or on the image below to watch Senator Marshall’s remarks from today’s press conference.

Senator Marshall’s remarks:

Senator Blackburn, thank you so much for giving us a chance to sit here and talk about the Wuhan lab leak and the cover up thereof. What we affectionately refer to it as “Batgate.” You know, it occurred to me as I was sitting there reading Dr. Fauci’s emails recently that everything I learned in tenth grade science, everything I learned as a doctor about the scientific method, about hypothesis and developing theories, that we just threw that out the door. You know I was shocked as I went back and reviewed some of the letters that were written, but really what rose my suspicion was somewhere back in January of 2020. And the Chinese were saying that there was no person to person transmission. The WTO agreed and the CDC didn’t stand up to them. And that led for me to have a phone call with the CDC. And all the national journalists were reporting that the United States scientists were investigating this new, novel virus. And when I talked to the CDC they said, “Well we have scientists in Beijing, but they’re thousands of miles from Wuhan. So we really don’t have anything to tell you.” And the next thing I see was this letter signed by scientists who have ignored even the possibility that this virus could have risen from the laboratory. They totally ignored it. They threw out the scientific hypothesis that this was even feasible. Then, come to find out most of those scientists, if not all of them, were receiving some type of funding then and in the future from the NIH. And our CDC sat there and nodded their head in agreement. And then national journalists, big tech companies they worked together to suppress this story, to censor those of us who thought this virus may have originated there. Not only did they suppress, they actually shamed people who thought that this might have come from a laboratory. And then finally, we see in Dr. Fauci’s emails – a collusion working with Dr. Fauci, big tech working together to suppress this story. You know here we are, we’re 17 months later, we still don’t know anything much more about this virus. I think that we have to hold the CPP accountable. And if the United States is in any way accountable, if they helped fund laboratories that led to the development of this virus, then we need to be held accountable as well. And we need to deep dive into what viral gain of research rules look like going forward as well. You know, we’re never going to get to the bottom of this unless we stop this cover up of the Wuhan lab leak, until we stop “Batgate.”


Background:

Last month, Senators Marshall and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) were able to pass their Resolution calling for a transparent investigation into the COVID-19 outbreak mandated by the World Health Assembly as a stand-alone bill. The bipartisan Resolution also demands a full, transparent investigation to include the U.S. and our allies and partners around the world if China continues on its path of cover-up and obfuscation. The bipartisan Marshall-Gillibrand Resolution can be viewed HERE. You may click HERE or on the image below to watch Senator Marshall speak on the Senate floor about the resolution.

Senator Marshall recently penned an op-ed for FOX News about the importance of getting to the bottom of the origins of COVID-19. The Senator said in part, “In approximately two weeks, the U.S. will be represented at the World Health Assembly where we need to ally with all nations and fight for a full and unrestricted investigation of the origin of COVID-19. We must demand full access to all relevant records, samples, and key personnel. If bad actors continue to obfuscate and prevent this investigation from happening, we can’t take no for an answer. Regardless, Congress must start our own parallel investigation now.” You may click HERE to read Senator Marshall’s op-ed in its entirety.

Finally, Senator Marshall recently questioned Dr. Anthony Fauci at a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) hearing about the origins of COVID-19. You may click HERE to watch the back and forth.

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ICYMI: Rubio on The Story With Martha MacCallum

Source: United States Senator for Florida Marco Rubio

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined The Story with Martha MacCallum to discuss Dr. Fauci’s loss of credibility with the American public and Critical Race Theory. See below for highlights and watch the full interview here.  


On Dr. Fauci’s loss of credibility with the American public: 
 
“Here’s what’s happened with Dr. Fauci, who I didn’t dislike, and actually defended early on in the pandemic… now he’s got on the cover of magazines, he has become this national figure, he enjoys a little bit the celebrity that has come with it and the role that he played almost like a super-political, super-governmental role, the central authority that everybody has to listen to. I think he’s gotten high on his own supply a little bit here in regards to this, and I think it’s gone too far in many cases. It’s not that he’s speaking out publicly — you see the statements that he’s now making. He sounds more like a political figure [than] he does like a healthcare expert. 
 
“But that’s not the reason why I think that he should be fired. I think that the reason he should be fired is because he’s lost a tremendous amount of credibility among the American people. I think he has actually done very significant damage to public health. People the next time we have a pandemic are going to remember a time and era where Dr. Fauci knew certain things, that we now knew he did, and he either kept them from the American people or lied by omission…for example… discrediting anyone who even raised the possibility that COVID originated because it was an accident in a lab in Wuhan, China. 
 
“And there are a lot of reasons to believe that is possible, or at least as possible as the zoonotic, which is what he is talking about from an animal to a human. I mean Wuhan is a major metropolitan center, a large, enormous city. There aren’t any bats in Wuhan. They still have not produced the animal that it jumped over from, and we know in the laboratory — that coincidentally happens to be located in that city — they conduct experiments on how you can genetically change a virus that occurs naturally to make it infectious and even to make it more infectious to humans. He knew all of this, and he’s tried to either lie or lie by omission, and he’s lost all credibility. And not just in my mind but a lot of Americans. He’s now actually doing harm to science. He’s not helping science.” 
 
On Critical Race Theory: 
 
“I think this is hysteria. I think that this is a part of a broader hysteria but also a concerted effort to rewrite the story of America. Critical Race Theory at its core is basically a theory that teaches that Americans are divided between oppressors and oppressed. Oppressors, even though you may not have individually oppressed anybody, [are] inherently evil and need to apologize for things that people did in the past that you had nothing to do with. The oppressed never do anything wrong. And it constantly divides American in these two classes.
 
“It goes on to tell the story that America for two hundred and forty years has been a symbol of hatred, prejudice, bigotry, white patriarchy, and things of this nature. Not only is it an inaccurate reading of our history, but I actually think it is indoctrination all headed towards a political aim. This is a crazy faculty club theory just ten years ago that now finds itself in the curriculum of our public school systems across the country.”

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Rubio Joins Gillibrand, Rounds, Colleagues in Bipartisan Push to Fully Fund U.S.-Israel Missile Defense Cooperation

Source: United States Senator for Florida Marco Rubio

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and a bipartisan group of 38 senators in a letter to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT) and Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL) calling for $500 million to fully fund U.S.-Israel cooperative missile defense programs in the Fiscal Year 2022 Defense Appropriations bill. Israel’s missile defense system is made up of four operational layers: Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow 2, and Arrow 3. In addition to contributing to ballistic missile defense, the funding would support crucial work on the research, development, and testing of counter unmanned aircraft systems. Senator Rubio is a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

“The U.S.-Israeli cooperation has resulted in a system that can, and has, countered numerous missile threats from state and non-state actors from adversaries in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and elsewhere,” the senators wrote. “This system provides Israel with the ability to protect lives at home and on the battlefield, keeping its citizens and soldiers out of harm’s way.” 

In addition to Senators Rubio, Gillibrand, and Rounds, the letter was signed by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Steve Daines (R-MT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), James Lankford (R-OK), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jackie Rosen (D-NV), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Tina Smith (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), John Thune (R-SD), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Todd Young (R-IN).

The full text of the letter is below. 

Dear Chairman Tester and Ranking Member Shelby:

Thank you for this committee’s strong support of U.S.-Israel collaborative defense programs, including Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow as well as our continued cooperative work on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). As you begin work on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Defense Appropriations bill, we write seeking $500 million for continued support for these in order to meet the United States’ and Israel’s national security needs.

Joint U.S.-Israel missile defense collaboration on Israel’s multilayer missile defense system has been foundational to the defense of Israel since the 1980s. Congress has consistently supported this project. Israel’s missile defense system is made up of four operational layers: Iron Dome (short-range), David’s Sling (medium-range), Arrow 2 (longer range), and now Arrow 3 (very long range). The U.S.-Israeli cooperation has resulted in a system that can, and has, countered numerous missile threats from state and non-state actors from adversaries in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and elsewhere. This system provides Israel with the ability to protect lives at home and on the battlefield, keeping its citizens and soldiers out of harm’s way.

This cooperative program has also created an important flow of data and invaluable insight to support vital U.S. missile defense technology while safeguarding our strategic ally Israel and our service members in the region. This program synergizes with our ongoing operations in the area increasing interoperability between U.S. and Israeli systems and forces. Moreover, the program supports critical elements of the industrial base and important jobs here in the United States through co-development and co-production agreements.

Another area of critical importance to both the United States and Israel, is in the field of UAS, and perhaps just as importantly, counter-UAS. In February 2020, the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit announced it had selected Israeli firm D-Fend Solutions to field a counter-drone system for the FBI and U.S. military. This technology was co-developed with the U.S. Combatting Terrorism Technical Support Office. CTTSO has played a crucial role in U.S.-Israel cooperation and innovation. 

For FY 2022, in addition to ballistic missile defense, $500 million will continue critical work on research, development and test activities to counter hostile unmanned aerial systems. This funding will further development of a range of systems designed to handle the imminent threats American and Israeli forces face.

Together, these programs confront the compelling challenges facing both Israel and the United States and form a strong foundation of the enduring friendship of our nations. We look forward to working with you on these important programs.

Sincerely,

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Stabenow, Peters Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support MotorCities National Heritage Area

Source: United States Senator for Michigan Debbie Stabenow

Thursday, June 10, 2021

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Gary Peters (D-MI) today announced the reintroduction of a bipartisan bill to support National Heritage Areas across the country including Michigan’s MotorCities National Heritage Area in Southeast Michigan. The National Heritage Area Act establishes standard criteria for the funding, management and designation of National Heritage Areas across the country and sets an annual authorization of $1 million for all National Heritage Areas.

Designated by Congress in 1998, the MotorCities National Heritage Area Partnership is a nonprofit corporation affiliated with the National Park Service. The Partnership’s mission is to preserve and promote the region’s automotive and labor heritage. Every year, MotorCities attracts thousands of visitors and helps generate $410 million in economic support to Michigan communities, supporting 4,560 jobs.

In February 2019, the Senate passed the Preserving the MotorCities Heritage Act authored by Senators Stabenow and Peters to support funding for MotorCities through 2021. The National Heritage Area Act ensures that funding will be stable in the years ahead for MotorCities and other heritage areas across the country.

“National Heritage Areas not only commemorate our nation’s history, but also create jobs and boost tourism for communities across the country,” said Senator Stabenow. “This legislation ensures that Michigan’s own MotorCities National Heritage Area has the funding to continue to preserve and share our rich automotive history for generations to come.”

“National Heritage Areas not only commemorate our nation’s history but serve as economic boosters to regions across the country. In Michigan, we’re proud to be home to the MotorCities National Heritage Area, which highlights how our automotive heritage – and the workers that built automobiles across generations – transformed society,” said Senator Peters. “Supporting the MotorCities National Heritage Area will uphold our state’s reputation as a leader in mobility and generate further economic development in Michigan. I am proud to help reintroduce this bill and preserve the story of how Michigan put America on wheels and built a world-class workforce that has transcended generations.”

“This bill recognizes the key role National Heritage Areas play in preserving and telling the important stories of our national character”, said Shawn Pomaville-Size, Executive Director of the MotorCities National Heritage Area. “The leadership of Senator Stabenow and Senator Peters on behalf of both the Alliance of National Heritage Areas and the MotorCities National Heritage Area will provide the necessary stabilization and standardization so that across the country, we can continue to make a profound economic and cultural impact in the regions where we serve. We are very grateful for their support.”

U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ed Markey (D-MA), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) are also co-sponsors of the National Heritage Area Act. The National Heritage Area Act is supported by the Alliance of National Heritage Areas and the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA).

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Cardin, Van Hollen Praise Judiciary Committee Approval of Judges Deborah Boardman and Lydia Griggsby for Maryland U.S. District Court Seats

Source: United States Senator for Maryland Ben Cardin

June 10, 2021

Senators recommended Judges Boardman and Griggsby to President Joe Biden

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) today praised the Judiciary Committee’s approval of Judges Deborah Boardman and Lydia Griggsby to serve as U.S. District Court Judges for the District of Maryland.

“We are pleased that the Judiciary Committee approved both of our outstanding Maryland nominees today. Both have a demonstrated track record of public service, and have already accumulated significant federal judicial experience from serving as judges on their respective courts,” the senators said. “We look forward to their swift approval by the full Senate and continued dedication to Marylanders seeking justice.”

U.S. Magistrate Judge Boardman was nominated to fill the future vacancy created when Judge Richard Bennett, appointed by President Bush in 2003, announced his intention to take senior status upon the confirmation of his successor. U.S. Claims Court Judge Griggsby was nominated to fill the current vacancy created when Judge Catherine Blake, appointed by President Clinton in 1995, announced her intention to take senior status on April 2, 2021.  President Biden nominated Judges Boardman and Griggsby to these vacancies on March 30, 2021. The Senate Judiciary Committee held their confirmation hearing on May 12, 2021.

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Cardin, Democratic Senators Call on Biden to Commit to U.S. Leadership on Closing the Global COVID-19 Learning Gap

Source: United States Senator for Maryland Ben Cardin

June 10, 2021

“COVID-19 has created the biggest disruption to education that the world has ever seen.”

“US leadership is needed now more than ever to ensure … setbacks are not long-lasting.”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on State Department and USAID Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International Development, led colleagues Thursday in a letter to President Joe Biden urging the United States commit $1 billion over five years to support the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) at its financing conference next month. GPE is the largest global fund solely dedicated to transforming education in lower-income countries. Its work has been especially critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted the learning of approximately 90% of the world’s student population, according to UNESCO.

Joining Cardin on the letter are Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).

“With the U.S. government’s global leadership, the world has seen incredible gains in improved access to quality basic education and better learning outcomes. However, COVID-19 has created the biggest disruption to education that the world has ever seen. The combined impact of school closures and economic hardship could push millions of vulnerable children out of education and reverse decades of hard-won gains,” the senators wrote.

“U.S. leadership is needed now more than ever to ensure that COVID-19 setbacks are not long-lasting. With its innovative financing mechanisms, co-financing from development country partners, and results-based financing components, GPE’s approach will make bilateral U.S. foreign assistance go even further.”

The full text of the letter follows and can be found at this link.             

 

 

June 10, 2021

President Joseph R. Biden

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Biden,

As members of Congress who support United States leadership on global education, we urge your Administration to commit $1 billion over five years to support the 2021-2025 strategy for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) at its upcoming Financing Conference co-hosted by the UK and Kenyan governments in London on July 29, 2021.  

GPE is the only multilateral partnership exclusively dedicated to ensuring all children have access to a quality education and are learning by focusing on building strong, lasting education systems. It is the only global entity that brings all partners, including international donors, the private sector, and community groups, together around plans to educate more children to higher levels across the world.   

With the U.S. government’s global leadership, the world has seen incredible gains in improved access to quality basic education and better learning outcomes. However, COVID-19 has created the biggest disruption to education that the world has ever seen. The combined impact of school closures and economic hardship could push millions of vulnerable children out of education and reverse decades of hard-won gains.

In 2020, GPE quickly mobilized over half a billion dollars to support partner countries’ pandemic response. It continues to be the biggest provider of grants for COVID-19 education response. GPE’s COVID-19 fund has helped governments sustain learning for up to 355 million children in the poorest countries, with a sharp focus on remote learning, teacher support, and safe reopening of schools.

GPE has been able to provide this support by building on its strong track record of effectiveness and working at scale with the reliable national-level commitment of partner countries. GPE now supports 76 countries in getting the most vulnerable girls and boys to school, improving teaching, and advancing foundational learning – such as basic numeracy and literacy skills. It is also building resilient education systems capable of withstanding shocks, including pandemics, climate change, and violent conflict. A full ninety countries and territories are eligible for GPE support from 2021-2025, accounting for more than 80% of the world’s out-of-school children.   

GPE’s innovative financing “Multiplier” helps draw in external financing for developing country partners to further co-finance their education sector plans from development banks and other donors. This fund provides $1 of GPE grant funds for every $3 a country secures in additional external financing and has generated more than $882 million for education since 2018, mobilizing nearly a billion dollars in total co-financing.

Continued U.S. leadership and financial commitments are critical to fulfilling the Global Partnership’s replenishment target of at least $5 billion from all donors at the upcoming Financing Conference. With these resources, GPE will be able to use this investment to:

o Enable 175 million primary-age children to learn

o Reach 140 million students with professionally trained teachers

o Get 88 million more children in school, more than half of them girls

o Save $16 billion through more efficient spending

U.S. leadership is needed now more than ever to ensure that COVID-19 setbacks are not long-lasting. With its innovative financing mechanisms, co-financing from development country partners, and results-based financing components, GPE’s approach will make bilateral U.S. foreign assistance go even further.             

The financing conference in July is a key opportunity to leverage other donors and developing countries with a $1-billion, five-year pledge to the Global Partnership for Education. We encourage you to demonstrate the U.S.’s enduring commitment to ensuring that all children are learning and have access to a quality basic education. We look forward to working with you to ensure funding for this important initiative. 

Sincerely,

 

Cc:

Secretary Tony Blinken

Administrator Samantha Power

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Thune, Colleagues Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Increase Internet Platform Transparency

Source: United States Senator for South Dakota John Thune

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which has jurisdiction over the internet and consumer protection, and Mark Warner (D-Va.) today reintroduced the Filter Bubble Transparency Act. The bill would require large-scale internet platforms that collect data from more than 1 million users and gross more than $50 million per year to provide greater transparency to consumers and allow users to view content that has not been curated as a result of a secret algorithm. The Filter Bubble Transparency Act would make it easier for internet platform users to understand the potential manipulation that exists with secret algorithms and require large-scale platforms to allow those users to consume information outside of that potential manipulation zone or “filter bubble.”   
“The more transparency consumers have with respect to how social media and other internet platforms prioritize content on their services, the better,” said Thune, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband. “This legislation helps consumers better understand how algorithms are used to select content in their ‘feed’ and gives users more control over what information they are digesting. I’d like to thank Sen. Schatz for adding his support to this bill, which increases the momentum behind this important issue.”
“Big tech’s manipulative algorithms have exploited consumers and their data for far too long,” said Blumenthal. “By notifying and providing users with options for how they are viewing information, this bill will grant Americans the transparency and privacy they deserve. I’m proud to join a bipartisan coalition in the ongoing fight for stronger data privacy protections.”
“In an increasingly complex tech economy, consumers want to know what personal information about them is being collected and how it is being processed and repurposed,” said Moran. “This legislation increases consumer awareness of how algorithms are manipulating what they view online and allows them to decide what they see on their screens by providing increased user control of algorithms used by Big Tech.” 
“Big Tech’s tight grip over what we hear, say, and see online is incredibly concerning,” said Blackburn. “With much of our work, school, and personal lives transitioning to online platforms, our digital landscape must be driven by consumer choice. The Filter Bubble Transparency Act will empower users to choose what they want to see when they want to see it.”
“People deserve to know how algorithms impact the content they see online, and how their personal is data is being collected and used to feed them,” said Schatz. “Our bill will give consumers more control over this process and give them more choices about what kind of content they can view.”
“As we’ve seen over and over, consumers have limited understanding of how their data is being used and how platforms operate,” said Warner. “This bill helps reduce the power of opaque algorithms on our discourse and put greater control in the hands of consumers.”
The Filter Bubble Transparency Act would require large-scale internet platforms, as defined by the legislation, to:
Clearly notify its users that their platform creates a filter bubble that uses secret algorithms (computer-generated filters) to determine the order or manner in which information is delivered to users; and
Provide its users with the option of a filter bubble-free view of the information they provide. The bill would enable users to transition between a customized, filter bubble-generated version of information and a non-filter bubble version (for example, the “sparkle icon” option that is currently offered by Twitter that allows users to toggle between a personalized timeline and a purely chronological timeline).
The Filter Bubble Transparency Act would make it unlawful for any person to operate a covered internet platform that uses a secret algorithm unless the platform complies with the two above requirements. The Federal Trade Commission would enforce the legislation’s requirements, and it would be authorized to seek civil penalties for knowing violations.  
In June 2019, Thune led a hearing entitled, “Optimizing for Engagement: Understanding the Use of Persuasive Technology on Internet Platforms,” where he pressed technology experts, including current and former Google employees, on how algorithmic decision-making and machine learning on internet platforms influences the public.

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Cassidy Statement on Lifting of COVID Workplace Restrictions for Federal Agencies

Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

06.10.21

After months of pressure from Cassidy to get federal employees back to work, new guidance is released

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today released a statement following guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that repealed limits on the number of employees allowed in the workplace. This replaces the previous 25 percent cap on capacity inside federal offices during the pandemic.

“This is long overdue. The science knows it, the CDC knows it, and Americans know it. It’s high time federal employees got back to work and serve the American people,” said Dr. Cassidy.

This announcement comes hours after Cassidy pressed Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra why the Department is still at 25 percent capacity when DC, Loudon County, and Prince’s George County have a positive test rate of about one percent – significantly below the workplace safety plan threshold of significant or high community transmission. During a Senate Finance Committee Hearing on the Presidents Fiscal Year 2022 HHS budget, he also asked when HHS would release new recommendations and follow the science and guidance from CDC, one of their own agencies. Secretary Becerra defended the restrictions on workplace capacity despite noting falling infection rates and increasing vaccination rates across the country.

“Mr. Secretary, it is my understanding that HHS is working at 25 percent capacity – limited capacity. I keep thinking about the folks back home paying our salaries and they’re going to wonder if CDC says we can go back to work, why isn’t HHS back to work?” said Dr. Cassidy.

Last month, Cassidy demanded federal bureaucrats to return to work highlighting a Louisiana veteran’s year-long struggle to receive medical attention during a speech on the Senate floor.

“I rise today in incredible frustration. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve had federal agencies and employees not working for a year.

“In April, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing entitled, ‘The Social Security Administration During COVID: How the Pandemic Hampered Access to Benefits and Strategies for Improving Service Delivery.’

“Following the hearing, and in response to my concerns that seniors in my state with issues getting their social security benefits are not being sufficiently served due to field and local offices being closed, my office got a letter from Commissioner Andrew Saul. The letter states ‘I urge you to encourage the unions to continue engaging in meaningful dialogue with management that includes a focus on the very best service to the public.’ This is a nice way of saying we need your help to get the union to the table so we can get federal employees back to work.

“We are talking about mandatory services — re-opening Social Security offices for in-person visits, in a post-vaccine world — to assist elderly Americans, your grandma and grandpa, having issues with their benefits. But this isn’t happening because government employees won’t show up to work.”

Earlier in June, Cassidy and eight of his colleagues sent a letter demanding President Biden immediately reopen all federal offices and facilities, and require federal employees to return to the office to better serve the American people.

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Cassidy, Bipartisan Infrastructure Group Release Joint Statement

Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

06.10.21

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and the group of 10 senators working on a bipartisan infrastructure package released the following joint statement:

“Our group – comprised of 10 Senators, 5 from each party – has worked in good faith and reached a bipartisan agreement on a realistic, compromise framework to modernize our nation’s infrastructure and energy technologies. This investment would be fully paid for and not include tax increases. We are discussing our approach with our respective colleagues, and the White House, and remain optimistic that this can lay the groundwork to garner broad support from both parties and meet America’s infrastructure needs.”

In addition to Cassidy, the group is comprised of Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Rob Portman (R-OH), Jon Tester (D-MT), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mark Warner (D-VA), Lisa Murkowski (R-ME), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).

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Cassidy Secures $1.6 Million Investment in Bossier City to Build Economic Development Resource Center

Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

06.10.21

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.6 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Coordinating and Development Corporation, Bossier City, Louisiana, to construct the Northwest Louisiana one-stop resource center, allowing for business development and growth. The bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law in March 2020. This EDA grant will be matched with $400,000 in local funds. 

“This investment creates jobs and supports small businesses throughout Northeast Louisiana,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This is the type of targeted redevelopment needed to revitalize communities like Bossier City after COVID-19.”

These projects are funded under the CARES Act, which provided EDA with $1.5 billion for economic assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.

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