Policy Library

16 documents

Burma: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Resources · 1,690 words · PDF available
Overview Burma (also known as Myanmar) is a multi-ethnic Southeast Asian nation of 57.5 million that has been under some degree of military rule since 1962 and under an authoritarian military junta si...
Child Welfare: Purposes, Federal Programs, and Funding
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Resources · 1,913 words · PDF available
The Work of Child Welfare Agencies Children depend on adults—usually their parents—to protect and support them. The broadest mission of public child welfare agencies is to strengthen families so that ...
Criminal Lacey Act Offenses: An Overview of Selected Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Reports · 15,637 words · PDF available
The Lacey Act, 16 U.S.C. §§ 3371–3378, is among the oldest federal wildlife laws. Enacted in 1900 and amended several times since, the Act imposes civil and criminal penalties for wildlife trafficking...
President Trump’s April 2025 Executive Order on American Seafood Competitiveness: Considerations for U.S. Fisheries
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Resources · 1,594 words · PDF available
Introduction On April 17, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order (E.O.) 14276, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,” which required multiple federal agency actions related to U.S. fisher...
The countdown to a Trump-Xi summit
Brookings Institution · 2025-09-02 · Article · 1,615 words
Ultimately, the Trump-Xi summit will not resolve the deep-rooted structural tensions in the U.S.-China relationship.
Europe’s difficult trade-off between military and welfare spending: the Italian case
Brookings Institution · 2025-09-02 · Article · 2,765 words · PDF available
Italy's government faces a difficult trade-off between military and welfare spending, an issue of relevance for several European countries.
Small Business Joint Ventures in Federal Procurement
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Resources · 1,693 words · PDF available
Joint ventures are teams of businesses that work together to obtain and perform a federal contract or subcontract. Certain joint ventures may seek and perform contracts specifically designated for “sm...
Non-Intrusive Inspection Equipment to Counter Illicit Drug Flows
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Posts · 1,018 words · PDF available
In policy discussions around drug trafficking and elevated overdose deaths related to illicit opioids and other drugs, some observers have looked to the tools border officials have in place to help de...
Zapad-2025: Russian and Belarusian Strategic Military Exercise
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Posts · 975 words · PDF available
Russia and Belarus have announced plans to conduct the strategic exercise Zapad-2025 from September 12 to 16, 2025. According to Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Zapad-2025 is the “key event”...
“Set Aside” and Vacatur Under the Administrative Procedure Act
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Posts · 3,533 words · PDF available
A growing dispute over the scope of judicial remedies permitted under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) has generated considerable discussion across multiple levels of the federal judiciary. In a...
Overview of FY2026 Budget Request for the Census Bureau
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Resources · 1,354 words · PDF available
Introduction As a Department of Commerce agency, the Census Bureau is funded through the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill. This In Focus provides an overview ...
CRS Model Estimates of Marginal Effective Tax Rates on Investment Under Current Law
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Reports · 0 words · PDF available
For more than 40 years, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) has maintained a model for estimating marginal effective tax rates (METRs) on new investment. This report uses the CRS model to provide...
Government Shutdowns and Executive Branch Operations: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Reports · 4,769 words · PDF available
If conflict within Congress or between Congress and the President impedes the enactment of annual appropriations acts or an interim continuing resolution before the beginning of the fiscal year (Octob...
Overview of FY2025 Budget Request for the Census Bureau
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Resources · 1,131 words · PDF available
Introduction As a Department of Commerce agency, the Census Bureau is funded through Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bills. This In Focus provid...
The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA): Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Resources · 1,687 words · PDF available
What Is the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA)? The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA; P.L. 116-152) established in the U.S. Treasury a new fund—the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration F...
Europe: Fact Sheet on Parliamentary and Presidential Elections
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Reports · 3,274 words · PDF available
This report provides a map of parliamentary and presidential elections that are scheduled to be held at the national level in Europe in 2025, and a table of recent and upcoming parliamentary and presi...