Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

TAIPEI – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), member of SASC and a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, travelled to Taiwan to underscore U.S. support for Taiwan, including on combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. They highlighted the fact that the U.S. will donate 750,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan as part of President Biden’s plan to provide vaccines to our global partners in need.

“Since taking office, President Biden has demonstrated his commitment to vaccinating all Americans. We have made dramatic progress, vaccinating more than 170 million Americans and securing an abundant supply for our population. Given the risk posed by new variants, no one is safe from this virus until the world is safe. It’s critical that we scale up U.S. contributions of our highly effective vaccines to international partners that need them to keep COVID-19 from spreading unchecked, prevent new variants from emerging that could once again put our population at risk, and bolster our global economic recovery,” said Senator Coons. “I am proud to work with the Biden administration and Senators Duckworth and Sullivan to announce this allocation of vaccines to our friends in Taiwan and demonstrate the United States’ commitment to ending COVID-19 once and for all.”

“For over a year, we’ve seen that COVID-19 strikes without regard to national borders—and we know we won’t be able to truly end the COVID-19 pandemic at home without ending it everywhere,” said Senator Duckworth. “After several weeks of conversations between each of us and White House officials, I’m pleased to help announce that Taiwan will be receiving 750,000 doses of the vaccine as part of the first tranche of doses. This contribution from the United States also reflects our gratitude for Taiwan’s efforts to send PPE and other supplies to America in the early days of the pandemic. I will continue working to support the people of Taiwan and make sure they get what they need to reach the other side of this pandemic.”

“Over twenty-five years ago, I was deployed as part of an U.S. Marine Corps amphibious task force to the Taiwan Strait during a very challenging and critical time for Taiwan’s democracy,” said Senator Sullivan. “America’s presence then was in response to Chinese provocations on the eve of the presidential election in Taiwan and it demonstrated American commitment and resolve. Today’s bipartisan Senate delegation visit to Taiwan is yet another demonstration of that continued commitment to our friends and partners in this critical area of the world, as well as a reminder of how the United States’ presence over the past several decades has been instrumental in the development of security, prosperity and democracy throughout the Indo-Pacific region. It is also a demonstration that, in spite of a global pandemic emanating from China — characterized by a lack of transparency and lack of international cooperation from the Chinese Communist Party — the United States, by contrast, is committed to working in a constructive and open manner with our friends, allies and partners to bring healing and relief with effective vaccines that benefit our own citizens, as well as others throughout the world. I want to thank my colleagues, Senators Duckworth and Coons, as well as the elected leaders and citizens of Taiwan, for their continued commitment to the advancement of security, democracy and health and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific region.”

During their visit, the senators met with President Tsai Ing-wen, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, and Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng. Throughout these meetings, the senators sought to better understand Taiwan’s needs on COVID-19 so they could carry messages back to Washington. In addition to the pandemic, the senators discussed the economic and security partnership between the U.S. and Taiwan. They noted there is much we can do together to advanced our shared prosperity, security and values. 

On June 3, the administration announced its framework for sharing at least 80 million U.S. vaccine doses globally by the end of June and the plan for the first 25 million doses. Taiwan is included in first tranche of donations.

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Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Inhofe

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today questioned witnesses about threats from China, and how the U.S. government can better coordinate a response to these threats, at a hearing on the United States’ strategic competition with China. 

Witnesses included: Matt Pottinger, former assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor, and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution; Dr. Evan Medeiros, Penner Family Chair in Asia Studies in the School of Foreign Service and the Cling Family Distinguished Fellow in U.S.-China Studies at Georgetown University; Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Associate Professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas – Austin; and Ms. Bonnie Glaser, Director, Asia Program, at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. 

Inhofe: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The PDI [Pacific Deterrence Initiative] — well, first of all, in my opening statement, I mentioned it didn’t really comport with our language in the defense authorization bill of 2021. Mr. Pottinger, General McMaster tells us, of course, you were the top China expert during the Trump Administration.  Now as I mentioned in my opening, the budget request gets the Pacific Deterrence Initiative all wrong. As I said, there was clearly a disconnect there, and we’ll work with the Pentagon shortly here. PDI is about having the right infrastructure and combat-credible U.S. military force posture west of the International Date Line to deter and compete with China. It’s not about buying ships and aircraft. From your time, Mr. Pottinger, at the NSC, in the military arena, do Chinese leaders pay close attention to the military infrastructure and forces we have stationed forward in theater? Do our allies and partners pay a lot of attention to the PDI and what it funds?

Pottinger: Senator Inhofe, thank you. Absolutely. The answer is a resounding yes on both those fronts. The Chinese Communist Party — every time we expand our infrastructure and give ourselves more places to operate out of, it complicates quite badly their military strategy. It complicates their plans for things like coercing Taiwan, and our allies — so they notice it, our allies notice it just as much. My experience was that a lot of our partners around the region usually knew our defense budget better than we did. They noticed every dollar that was committed or withdrawn from FMF [foreign military financing] sales or from training, and other activities in the region. So, I couldn’t agree more that the PDI is really about building infrastructure. It’s about improving our force posture in theater, giving us that versatility and that redundancy to be a formidable deterrent.

Inhofe: That’s good. Dr. Greitens, the Chinese Communist Party has built a police state that would make the Soviets blush, but they’re doing it with new technology, and they are exporting the technology that makes monitoring and repression possible. How are they using that technology to repress the Uyghurs and the people of Hong Kong, and what should the U.S. do to fight back against the global proliferation of this technology?

Greitens: Thank you, Senator. There’s a lot in that question. Let me try to answer concisely. We often hear a lot about the fancy technology that collects data from Chinese citizens, but the heart of a surveillance project is actually the back-end database and platforms that put all of these information from different collection points together. That’s what enables the CCP to look at your behavior, know where your parents work, where your children or your child goes to school, your ID number, your passport and travel history, your religion, to use facial recognition to identify how many times you’ve scanned into the mosque this week, whether you’ve bought gas or bought a knife recently, just to take a few examples. All of that can be put together in an algorithm, and we’ve seen that when this use of this kind of surveillance technology was applied in Urumchi or Xinjiang, for example, visits to religious sites dropped off sharply because if you hit a certain quota in the algorithm, you would be flagged for detention and re-education, and it made people, quite frankly, afraid to pray. So, so that’s the role of that surveillance and these surveillance algorithms play in the oppressive project that the CCP has constructed, especially in Xinjiang, and that same national security framework under last year’s Hong Kong national security law is now being applied and the process of being constructed in Hong Kong as well.

I think that there are a couple of steps the United States could and should take. First of all, the United States really needs a robust interagency strategy to address the proliferation of Chinese surveillance technology worldwide. That includes a plan for engaging more actively with international organizations that are involved in technology standard setting. It includes a lot of the efforts that some of my colleagues have mentioned today about making sure that the United States is competitive in key technologies and that those technologies are protected from illicit tech transfer to China. And we also need to recognize that some of the countries that are adopting Chinese surveillance technology are doing it because they’re trying to solve a governance problem like crime, and this technology doesn’t actually work very well for solving crime problems in most cases, but we need to address the underlying challenges that are leading some of those countries to turn to China, and so we need to make sure that we have robust efforts to do that. Finally, I’ll say that when repression increases domestically, the only available sites of opposition and pursuit of freedom often move abroad. So the United States could and I believe should take steps to support people from Hong Kong, for example, who want to claim refugee or asylum status in the United States, given the increasing climate of political persecution there. Thank you.

Inhofe: Well, thank you, Dr. Greitens, you covered it all. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Click here to watch Inhofe’s opening remarks.

Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski

06.08.21

Better Health Care Services, Increased Protections for Native Children, & More Economic Development Opportunities

The Senate recently approved eight bills that were passed by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, sending them to the House of Representatives. Four of the eight bills are led by Vice Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), including one bill that extends the reporting deadline for the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, as well as three bills that will improve delivery of healthcare services in Alaska Native communities through federal land transfers.

The Senate passed the following bills that were introduced by Senator Murkowski:

• S. 325, A bill to amend the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act to extend the deadline for a report by the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, and for other purposes;
• S. 548, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Land Transfer Act of 2021;
• S. 549, A bill to provide for the conveyance of certain property to the Tanana Tribal Council located in Tanana, Alaska, and for other purposes; and
• S. 550, the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium Land Transfer Act of 2021.

“I applaud my colleagues in the Senate for advancing these eight Committee bills, including four bills that I introduced. I now hope the House of Representatives will move quickly to consider and approve these measures,” said Vice Chairman Murkowski. “Alaska Native communities, specifically those served by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Tanana Tribal Council, and Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, are seeking to improve their health care services to their communities through this important legislation. Without them, these communities cannot expand or replace outdated healthcare facilities or have control and ownership over improvements made to their facilities and land while under Department of Health and Human Services title. My fourth bill extends the reporting deadline for the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tribal communities will see better healthcare services, increased protections for Native children, and more economic development opportunities when Congress passes these bills.”

Murkowski is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. 

“The extension of time for the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Sobolof Commission on Native Children is essential to ensure a complete and thoughtful response to Congress’ charge to the Commission, which has experienced extensive delays due to procedural issues and the pandemic. The Commission has faced the challenges of COVID-19 by moving to virtual work for meetings and scheduling several hearings with experts whose testimony will be able to inform its work when the Commission finally gets to the communities to hear from the people themselves, which have been closed for the last 15 months.  However, there is still much research to gather, testimony to hear, and a minimum of five hearings in the community to implement, as required by the legislation, which will require additional time as provided for in S. 325. This broad systems-wide report will provide recommendations to Congress and the President to improve outcomes for our Native children, from birth to age 24.  The Commission is grateful for the Senate’s support for this important effort.”

-Gloria O’Neill, Chair of the Commission 

“Quyana (thank you) to Senator Murkowski for her efforts in moving this legislation forward. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Land Transfer Act of 2021 furthers ANTHC’s mission to provide the highest quality health services in partnership with our people and the Alaska Tribal Health System. This legislation strengthens our ability to deliver critical health equipment and infrastructure to communities across the state in a timely and efficient manner.” 

-Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davison, Interim President, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

“The Tanana Tribal Council has been waiting for years to have this land transferred.  After the closure of the Native hospital in 1981, the Native Village of Tanana began the process of applying for this very sacred land. The hospital was utilized by many people from all across Alaska. People were born in the hospital and people passed in the hospital.  Today our people need healing and the goal and vision of our Tribe is to provide a treatment program for our people. We thank Senator Murkowski and our Congressional delegation for making sure this land transfer is accomplished.”

-Julie Roberts-Hysop, the Tanana Tribal Council 2nd Chief and acting Executive Director

“The future of healthcare depends on expanding access to medical services.SEARHC looks forward to improving the health and well-being of Southeast Alaskans with the service expansion and infrastructure improvements enabled by S.550, thanks to the support of Senator Murkowski and other state and federal leaders in the contingency.”

-Charles Clement, President & CEO of SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARCH)

Related Issues: Alaska Natives & Rural Alaska

Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Joe Manchin

June 08, 2021

“The addition of the Greenbrier River Trail to our National Trails System is fantastic news for our entire state. As home to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, 35 state parks, and a section of the Appalachian Trail, West Virginia truly offers some of the nation’s best public lands suited for adventurers of every level of ambition and experience. These and all of the other magnificent parks and trails within our borders truly connect our communities and create endless opportunities for both residents and visitors alike while also contributing to local economies. I thank Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland for her strong commitment to conserving our public lands, and I look forward to continuing to work closely together to ensure the wild and wonderful corners of West Virginia are protected for generations to come,” said U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The Greenbrier River Trail is a 78-mile former railroad now used for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. It is the longest trail of its kind in West Virginia. The trail provides many breathtaking views as it passes through several small towns, crosses 35 bridges, goes through two tunnels, and cuts through some of West Virginia’s most remote areas.

The national recreation trails program is jointly administered by the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service, in conjunction with multiple federal and nonprofit partners. The designation of a national recreation trail can be done by either the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture on an existing local or regional trail with the consent of the federal, state, local, nonprofit, or private entity that has jurisdiction over the trail. The trail’s managing agency or organization must apply for the distinction.

“Trails connect neighborhoods, literally and figuratively,” said Shawn Benge, Deputy Director, National Park Service. “These newly designated national recreation trails recognize the incredible efforts of local trail stewards and enthusiasts to provide the public with close to home outdoor access for strolling, pedaling or paddling.”

The National Trails System, which includes national scenic, national historic and national recreation trails, offers an abundance of opportunities to experience the majestic landscapes of the country and build awareness of historic events that have shaped the nation.

“American Trails applauds this new slate of Secretarial designations from the Department of the Interior and is excited to continue to promote our country’s national recreation trails,” said Mike Passo, Executive Director, American Trails. “These trails connect the gems of our National Trails System to the places where Americans live, work, and play. The national recreation trail program uniquely highlights trails that are accessible, relatable, and serve a wide diversity of our nation’s public.”

Source: United States Senator for Florida Marco Rubio

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) led a group of 16 Republican colleagues in pressing the Biden Administration to adhere to U.S. law and refrain from reopening the Mission of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem for the Palestinians. In their letter to President Joe Biden, the Senator’s wrote, “while we are committed to working with you on constructive ways to engage with the Palestinian people, we oppose any efforts by your administration to provide rewards and incentives to the Palestinian leadership or Hamas for their abhorrent support of violence and terrorism, their efforts to press the ICC to illegitimately investigate Israel, and other efforts to circumvent direct negotiations with Israel.”

Joining Rubio were Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Braun (R-IN), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), John Boozman (R-AR), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Todd Young (R-IN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Bill Hagerty (R-TN). 

The full text of the letter is below.

Dear Mr. President: 

We write with regard to your administration’s reported plans relating to U.S. diplomatic relations with the Palestinians. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent announcement that the U.S. will move to reopen the Consulate General in Jerusalem that oversaw relations with the Palestinians as well as reports that your administration plans to re-open the Mission of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington, D.C. are deeply concerning. It is particularly misguided at a time when the Palestinian Authority (PA), led by Mahmoud Abbas along with the Iran-backed terrorist organization Hamas, incited and supported recent violent riots, rock throwing, and other terror attacks in Jerusalem. This was escalated by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad firing more than 4,000 rockets that rained down terror on Israeli civilians. We urge you to adhere to U.S. law and ensure both of these diplomatic missions remain closed.

In 2018, the Trump Administration, in accordance with the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (P.L.104-45), officially opened the U.S. Embassy in Israel’s capital of Jerusalem and in 2019, merged the U.S. diplomatic mission to the Palestinians in Jerusalem with the Consul General’s official residence into the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. This facilitated U.S. policy to rightfully reflect the reality that Jerusalem is Israel’s united and historic capital, and became formally compliant with the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. Re-opening this diplomatic mission to the Palestinians in Israel’s capital would wrongly indicate that the U.S. supports dividing the capital city of our close ally and would only reward the Palestinian leadership’s continued hostility toward Israel. This hostility has included the spreading of false propaganda that contributed to the recent violence in Jerusalem, supporting an illegitimate International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation against Israel for non-existent war crimes, and incentivizing and rewarding terrorism through paying terrorists and their families. We understand the need to have direct engagement with Palestinian leadership but we oppose granting the Palestinians a diplomatic mission in Israel’s capital city, which is undisputed under U.S. law.

We are also concerned with reports that your administration is considering reopening the PLO Mission in Washington D.C. Furthermore, your administration must uphold U.S. law that seeks to hold the PLO and PA accountable to financial claims against them in U.S. courts by American victims of Palestinian terrorism. We urge you to ensure that that there is no type of evasion or undermining of the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act of 2019 (PSJVTA, § 903 of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, P.L. 116-94). This bipartisan law deems any reestablishment of an office on American soil by the PLO or PA as consent to jurisdiction in U.S. courts in cases by American families for heinous PLO/PA-sponsored terror attacks. These families seek justice and compensation for victims of Palestinian terrorist activities incited by hateful rhetoric and abhorrent policies and practices, including the “pay-for-slay” programs sponsored by the Palestinian Authority and the PLO. Allowing the reopening of the PLO mission in Washington, D.C. without requiring the PA and PLO to answer for these claims would be a betrayal of American families who are seeking their day in court.  

While we are committed to working with you on constructive ways to engage with the Palestinian people, we oppose any efforts by your administration to provide rewards and incentives to the Palestinian leadership or Hamas for their abhorrent support of violence and terrorism, their efforts to press the ICC to illegitimately investigate Israel, and other efforts to circumvent direct negotiations with Israel. As long as the Palestinian Authority and Iranian-backed Hamas, or other Palestinian terrorist groups, are not held accountable for their actions, the Palestinian people will continue to suffer and there will be no prospects for a long term and peaceful solution between Israelis and Palestinians.  

We urge your administration to reconsider these actions and to work with Congress to craft policies that support our ally, Israel, and assist the Palestinian people. 

Thank you for your attention to these matters.

Sincerely,

Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

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