Policy Library

7,020 documents

U.S.-Japan Trade Agreements and Tariff Negotiations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-15 · Resources · 1,750 words · PDF available
The United States and Japan are among the world’s largest economies and have been close economic partners, though they do not have a comprehensive bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). The partners ha...
Creative patterns in the age of AI: Securing America’s education edge
Brookings Institution · 2025-07-14 · Article · 1,345 words · PDF available
In the age of AI, the U.S. education system may find its comparative edge in the global competition by cultivating creative patterns.
Bureau of Reclamation Support for Water Storage Projects
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-14 · Reports · 4,480 words · PDF available
The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation, part of the Department of the Interior) has for more than a century been involved in the construction and operations of water storage projects in the 17 arid an...
The Estate and Gift Tax: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-14 · Reports · 11,977 words · PDF available
The estate tax is imposed on bequests at death, whereas the gift tax applies to inter vivos (during life) gifts. A certain amount of combined estates and gifts—recently set at $15 million by P.L. 119-...
Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-14 · Reports · 61,575 words · PDF available
The diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to increased human activities in the Arctic, and has heightened interest in, and concerns about, the region’s future. The United States, by virtue of Alaska,...
Navy Next-Generation Attack Submarine (SSN[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-14 · Resources · 1,534 words · PDF available
Introduction The Navy has been procuring Virginia-class nuclear powered attack submarines (SSNs) since FY1998. The Navy’s envisaged successor to the Virginia-class design is the Next-Generation Attack...
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency FY2025 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-14 · Resources · 1,398 words · PDF available
Enacted on March 15, 2025, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (P.L. 119-4), provided funding for the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, includ...
Defense Funding in the 2025 Reconciliation Law (H.R. 1; P.L. 119-21, Title II)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-14 · Posts · 1,485 words · PDF available
Introduction On July 3, 2025, Congress passed the 2025 reconciliation legislation (H.R. 1), which President Donald J. Trump signed into law on July 4, 2025 (P.L. 119-21). This product summarizes fundi...
Advances in DNA Analysis: Fourth Amendment Implications
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-11 · Posts · 3,213 words · PDF available
Law enforcement has used deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, as an investigative tool for decades. DNA is “the fundamental building block for an individual’s entire genetic makeup” and may be “extracted fr...
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Science Advisory Board (SAB): Statutory Role and Selected Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-11 · Resources · 1,612 words · PDF available
The extent to which scientific and technical information may be used to support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) implementation of federal environmental pollution control statutes is...
An Introduction to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-11 · Reports · 4,798 words · PDF available
The low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) program is the federal government’s primary policy tool for encouraging the development and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing. The program awards de...
First Amendment: Government Retaliation for Protected Expression
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-10 · Posts · 1,829 words · PDF available
The Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment provides that “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech.” The clause applies to any government action, whether federal, state, or ...
Poland: Background and U.S. Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-10 · Reports · 7,999 words · PDF available
Over the past three decades, the relationship between the United States and Poland has been close and cooperative. The United States strongly supported Poland’s accession to NATO in 1999 and its entry...
The USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-10 · Resources · 1,351 words · PDF available
The U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS’s) Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) is an effort within the USGS Mineral Resources Program (MRP, part of the Energy and Minerals Mission Area) to moder...
CDBG-DR Process Standardization: Selected HUD Actions and Legislative Proposals
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-10 · Posts · 1,045 words · PDF available
Introduction Periodically, Congress has provided supplemental appropriations for Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR), administered by the Department of Housing and Urban...
Golden Dome: Funding in the 2025 Reconciliation Law (H.R. 1; P.L. 119-21)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-10 · Posts · 1,743 words · PDF available
Introduction A section in the 2025 budget reconciliation legislation often referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21, Title II, §20003) provided $24.4 billion for integrated air and m...
Crypto Legislation: CLARITY Act’s (H.R. 3633) Potential Effects on SEC Jurisdiction
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-10 · Posts · 971 words · PDF available
The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 (CLARITY, H.R. 3633) passed the House Committees on Financial Services and Agriculture on June 10, 2025. The bill aims to transform digital asset regulator...
Student Loan Types and Limits in the FY2025 Budget Reconciliation Act
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-10 · Posts · 1,006 words · PDF available
P.L. 119-21, the FY2025 budget reconciliation act, amends the types of student loans available to borrowers under the Direct Loan program—the single largest source of federal financial assistance to s...
Legislative Categorical Exclusions Under the National Environmental Policy Act
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-10 · Reports · 19,737 words · PDF available
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. §§4321 et seq.) establishes procedures for federal agencies to integrate consideration of environmental impacts into federal decisionmaking (i.e....
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nuisance Species Efforts
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-10 · Resources · 1,605 words · PDF available
Introduction Nuisance species are species that cause, or are likely to cause, economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Nuisance species impact both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. A...
Congressional Court Watcher: Circuit Splits from June 2025
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-09 · Posts · 1,200 words · PDF available
The U.S. Courts of Appeals for the thirteen “circuits” issue thousands of precedential decisions each year. Because relatively few of these decisions are ultimately reviewed by the Supreme Court, the ...
The Surface Transportation Board (STB): Background and Current Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-09 · Reports · 8,490 words · PDF available
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) was created by Congress in 1995 to replace the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) as the economic regulator of providers of interstate land and water transport...
What Is Disparate-Impact Discrimination?
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-09 · Resources · 1,636 words · PDF available
Many federal antidiscrimination laws encompass two theories of discrimination: disparate treatment and disparate impact. Disparate-treatment discrimination involves intentional harm based on race, sex...
Surface Freight Transportation: Modal Options
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-09 · Reports · 5,045 words · PDF available
Economic growth and expanded global trade have led to substantial increases in goods movement. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) projects that freight tonnage in the United States will increas...
Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-09 · Resources · 1,212 words · PDF available
Background The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) Family of Vehicles (FoV) is an Army-led, joint-service program designed to replace a portion of each service’s light tactical wheeled vehicle fleets....
Enforcement of Remedies Against Unfair Foreign Taxes
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-09 · Resources · 1,724 words · PDF available
Lawmakers have proposed increasing taxes on income from U.S. sources by nonresident aliens from countries that impose taxes considered to be discriminatory (Section 899 of the Internal Revenue Code). ...
House Rule XI and Committee Rules That Govern Committee Markups and Hearings: Key Provisions
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-09 · Reports · 11,418 words · PDF available
House committees follow procedures that are governed by the standing Rules of the House of Representatives, as well as committee rules that the committees adopt at the start of a Congress and may amen...
Supreme Court Clarifies Who Can Hear Challenges to Clean Air Act Actions
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-08 · Posts · 3,047 words · PDF available
On June 18, 2025, the Supreme Court decided EPA v. Calumet Shreveport Refining and Oklahoma v. EPA, a pair of cases about Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 307(b)(1), which governs judicial review of the U....
Excessive Force and the Fourth Amendment: Supreme Court Clarifies Scope of Legal Test
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-08 · Posts · 2,396 words · PDF available
On May 15, 2025, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Barnes v. Felix, a case addressing the question of when a police officer’s use of force violates the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on unreasona...
The Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS): Overview and 2024 Findings
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-08 · Resources · 1,817 words · PDF available
The Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS) is a biennial survey of state and local officials about the administration of federal elections. The survey is conducted for each regular federal e...
FISA Section 702 and the 2024 Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-08 · Reports · 12,379 words · PDF available
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) provides a legal framework under which the U.S. government can conduct electronic surveillance of non-U.S. persons abroad. This surveill...
Coast Guard Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-08 · Resources · 1,274 words · PDF available
Introduction The Coast Guard’s Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) program envisages procuring 30 replacements for the Coast Guard’s 35 aging river buoy tenders (WLRs), inland construction tenders (WLICs)...
The Army’s M-10 Booker (Formerly Known as Mobile Protected Firepower [MPF]) System
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-08 · Resources · 1,425 words · PDF available
What Is the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) System? The Army’s MPF system is intended to address an operational shortfall in infantry units: Currently the Army’s Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) ...
The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS): Benefits and Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-07 · Reports · 7,967 words · PDF available
Since 1930, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program has collected and published nationwide crime statistics. Federal, state, local, and tribal law enforceme...
Forced-Reset Triggers: Recent Executive Action and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-07 · Posts · 1,025 words · PDF available
On May 16, 2025, the Trump Administration announced a settlement resolving several civil lawsuits, including between the U.S. federal government and Rare Breed Triggers, a company that sells forced re...
Defense Primer: Regular Military Compensation
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-07 · Resources · 1,389 words · PDF available
Congress sets compensation levels for members of the Armed Forces through statutory authorizations and appropriations. When people talk about military pay, they are often referring only to “basic pay....
“Deference Squared”: Supreme Court Limits NEPA’s Scope and Courts’ Reach in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-07 · Posts · 2,929 words · PDF available
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to consider the environmental impacts of certain major federal actions that will affect the environment. The Supreme Court’s May ...
Defense Primer: Navy Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) Concept
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-07 · Resources · 1,422 words · PDF available
Introduction Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) is the operating concept of the Department of the Navy (or DON, which includes the Navy and Marine Corps) for using U.S. naval (i.e., Navy and Marine...
Defense Primer: Department of the Navy
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-07 · Resources · 1,744 words · PDF available
One Military Department with Two Military Services The Department of the Navy (DON) is a single military department that includes two military services—the Navy and the Marine Corps. As such, DON has ...
Juneteenth: Fact Sheet
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-07 · Reports · 3,212 words · PDF available
Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. It is also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, Black Independence Day, and, by statute, Jun...
Recent Supreme Court Decisions Related to ECigarette Regulation
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-03 · Posts · 3,627 words · PDF available
In its most recent term, the Supreme Court considered two cases related to the implementation of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 (TCA, P.L. 111-31) as applied to certain ...
Suspension of the Rules: House Practice in the 117th Congress (2021-2022)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-03 · Reports · 7,126 words · PDF available
Suspension of the rules is the most commonly used procedure to call up measures on the floor of the House of Representatives. As the name suggests, the procedure allows the House to suspend its standi...
Postal Primer: Overview of the USPS Board of Governors
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-03 · Resources · 1,574 words · PDF available
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is under the direction of the Postal Board of Governors, which USPS describes as “comparable to a board of directors of a private corporation.” Created by the Postal Reo...
Defense Primer: U.S. Precision-Guided Munitions
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-03 · Resources · 1,596 words · PDF available
The effectiveness, cost, and availability of U.S. precision-guided munitions (PGMs) are subjects of long-standing congressional interest and debate. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has requested ...
Late Liquidation Period for Elementary and Secondary Education Funds Provided During COVID-19 Pandemic
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-03 · Resources · 1,747 words · PDF available
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress enacted several programs that provided federal funds “to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus” in elementary and secondary education, or prov...
Postal Primer: Overview of the Postal Regulatory Commission
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-03 · Resources · 1,620 words · PDF available
The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) is an independent regulatory agency responsible for oversight of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Formerly the Postal Rate Commission, the PRC was established by ...
Gaming on Tribal Lands: The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act’s “Restored Lands” Exception
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-03 · Infographics · 581 words · PDF available
/ Information as of July 3, 2025. Prepared by Mariel J. Murray, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy; Mainon A. Schwartz, Legislative Attorney; and Jamie Bush, Visual Information Specialist. 1 P.L. ...
NATO’s June 2025 Summit in The Hague
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-03 · Posts · 1,032 words · PDF available
Heads of state and government from the 32 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) met in The Hague, the Netherlands, on June 24-25, 2025. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte portrayed t...
U.S. Egg Production and Retail Prices
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-03 · Resources · 1,456 words · PDF available
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. national average retail price of eggs per dozen hit an all-time high of $6.23 in March 2025 (Figure 1). Experts attribute this in part to an ...
Congressional Votes Related to the IsraelHamas Conflict
Congressional Research Service · 2025-07-03 · Reports · 5,367 words · PDF available
This report compiles congressional votes on legislation, including amendments and resolutions, related to the Israel-Hamas conflict that began on October 7, 2023. CRS compiled the information presente...