Policy Library

21 documents

An Introduction to Judicial Review of Federal Agency Action
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Reports · 19,575 words · PDF available
Congress has created numerous federal agencies charged with carrying out a broad array of delegated statutory responsibilities. These agencies administer their delegated authority in a variety of ways...
Multiyear Procurement (MYP) and Block Buy Contracting in Defense Acquisition: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Reports · 16,155 words · PDF available
Multiyear procurement (MYP) and block buy contracting (BBC) are special contracting mechanisms that Congress permits the Department of Defense (DOD) to use for a limited number of defense acquisition ...
U.S. Gun Policy: Framework and Major Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Resources · 1,716 words · PDF available
Recent Congresses have enacted legislation modifying certain aspects of the existing federal regulatory regime on firearms and have considered a range of other proposals. The 2022 Bipartisan Safer Com...
South Korea: Background and U.S. Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Resources · 1,774 words · PDF available
Overview South Korea (officially the Republic of Korea, or ROK) is one of the United States’ most important strategic and economic partners in Asia. Under the U.S.-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty, signed in...
Current Federal Civilian Employment by State and Congressional District
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Reports · 4,052 words · PDF available
The federal government employs more than 2 million civilians who live and work in every state and U.S. territory. This report provides a snapshot of recent statistics for U.S. government civilian empl...
U.S. Strategic Bombers
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Resources · 1,850 words · PDF available
The U.S. Air Force deploys three strategic (or heavy) bombers—the B-52, B-1B, and B-2—to carry bombs or air-to-surface missiles for conventional and nuclear missions. Bombers carry heavy ordnance load...
Defense Primer: U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Resources · 1,365 words · PDF available
U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM or SPACECOM) is one of 11 unified combatant commands (CCMDs) within the Department of Defense (DOD) and is responsible for U.S. military operations in space. The term un...
Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Reports · 14,215 words · PDF available
The aircraft carriers CVN-78, CVN-79, CVN-80, CVN-81, CVN-82, and CVN-83 are the first six ships in the Navy’s new Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). The Navy’s...
The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act’s Requirements for Personal Jurisdiction over Foreign States
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Posts · 1,582 words · PDF available
The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) (codified as amended at 28 U.S.C. § 1330 & §§ 160211) addresses the immunity of foreign states from U.S. courts’ jurisdiction, generally providing such stat...
Are State Tort Claims Against Military Contractors Preempted? High Court Weighs Combatant-Activities Exception
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Posts · 3,097 words · PDF available
On November 3, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case Hencely v. Fluor Corp. This case concerns a former servicemember bringing state tort claims against military...
V-22 Osprey Aircraft: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Reports · 10,724 words · PDF available
The V-22 Osprey is a joint-service, multi-mission, medium-lift rotorcraft. The V-22 is a type of aircraft known as a tilt-rotor, which is a unique design for a crewed military aircraft. A tilt-rotor t...
The United States Preventive Services Task Force
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Resources · 1,622 words · PDF available
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF, or Task Force) is an independent, volunteer panel of experts in preventive health services, evidence-based medicine, and primary care that mak...
Navy John Lewis (TAO-205) Class Oiler Shipbuilding Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Reports · 6,719 words · PDF available
The John Lewis (TAO-205) class oiler shipbuilding program is a program to build a new class of 20 fleet oilers for the Navy. The Navy procured the first TAO-205 in FY2016, and a total of 10 TAO-205s h...
Forest Service: FY2025 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Resources · 1,382 words · PDF available
The Forest Service (FS) is responsible for managing 193 million acres of land in the National Forest System (NFS), conducting forestry research, and providing assistance to nonfederal forest owners. T...
Older Americans Month Speech Resources: Fact Sheet
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Reports · 1,602 words · PDF available
May is Older Americans Month—a time some celebrate and pay tribute to older people across the country. Since 1992, the Administration on Aging has selected an annual theme for Older Americans Month. T...
Navy Light Replenishment Oiler (TAOL) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Resources · 1,506 words · PDF available
Introduction The Navy’s Light Replenishment Oiler (TAOL) program, previously called the Next-Generation Logistics Ship (NGLS) program, envisages procuring a new class of 13 at-sea resupply ships for t...
Navy DDG(X) Next-Generation Destroyer Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Resources · 1,538 words · PDF available
Introduction The Navy’s DDG(X) program envisages procuring a class of next-generation guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) to replace the Navy’s Ticonderoga (CG-47) class Aegis cruisers and older Arleigh ...
Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2025 Appropriations for Forest Service and Department of the Interior
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Resources · 1,386 words · PDF available
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (FS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) are responsible for wildfire management and response across federal lands within their respective juri...
Poverty in 2024
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Posts · 907 words · PDF available
The official poverty rate in the United States, or percentage of people who live in poverty, fell to 10.6% in 2024, down from 11.1% the previous year. In 2024, 35.9 million people lived in poverty. T...
Community Services Block Grants (CSBG): Background and Funding
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-12 · Reports · 10,688 words · PDF available
Community Services Block Grants (CSBG) provide federal funds to states, territories, and tribes for distribution to local agencies to support a wide range of community-based activities to reduce pover...
Four Ways the Institute of Education Sciences Can Prioritize Student Outcomes Data
Third Way · 2025-09-12 · Memo · 1,383 words
Third Way is a center-left think tank that champions modern solutions to the most challenging problems in US public policy, including the economy, climate and energy, national security, social policy,...