Policy Library

6,587 documents

Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies: History, Membership, and Inaugural Activities
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-30 · Reports · 11,561 words · PDF available
Every four years, at noon on January 20, the President-elect is scheduled to be sworn in as President of the United States. The year before the inauguration, Congress establishes the Joint Congression...
Use of the Capitol Rotunda, Capitol Grounds, and Emancipation Hall: Concurrent Resolutions, 101st to 118th Congresses
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-30 · Reports · 9,171 words · PDF available
The Capitol Rotunda and the Capitol Grounds have been used as the setting for a variety of events, ranging from memorial ceremonies and the reception of foreign dignitaries to the presentation of awar...
Water Resource Issues in the 119th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-29 · Reports · 12,209 words · PDF available
Congress has long demonstrated interest in water resource issues. It has passed hundreds of water-related federal laws and authorized thousands of water-related projects with purposes such as navigati...
Foreign Assistance Authorization: Background and Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-29 · Resources · 1,449 words · PDF available
Introduction Congress has the power to authorize, fund, and oversee the implementation of U.S. foreign policy. In carrying out such responsibilities, Congress has set requirements for foreign affairs ...
Recent Executive Actions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-29 · Posts · 966 words · PDF available
Background President Donald Trump issued executive order (E.O.) 14151 titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” on January 20, 2025. This E.O. seeks to end diversit...
A New Civil Service “Policy/Career” Schedule: Issues for Lawmakers
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-29 · Posts · 3,921 words · PDF available
On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) reinstating and amending EO 13957—an EO issued during the first Trump Administration in late 2020 that had originally directed each ...
De-Banking/De-Risking: Issues for the 119th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-29 · Resources · 1,585 words · PDF available
Banks are an important source of financial services in the U.S. economy. Consumers, such as households and businesses, rely on banks for safekeeping savings and for loans when they are short on funds....
FY2025 NDAA: Medical Standards to Join the Military
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-29 · Posts · 1,508 words · PDF available
Background Congress has established broad qualifications that individuals must meet in order to join the military (i.e., military accession). By statute, a secretary of a military department may enlis...
FY2025 NDAA: Selective Service Registration Proposals
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-29 · Posts · 1,294 words · PDF available
Background In deliberations around a National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025 NDAA), Congress considered changes to Selective Service registration and associated penalties for f...
The World Health Organization (WHO): Background and U.S. Withdrawal
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-29 · Posts · 1,228 words · PDF available
Overview and Current Status The World Health Organization (WHO) is a United Nations (UN) specialized agency charged with addressing global health. The United States played a key role in WHO’s establis...
Connecting Constituents to Information on Federal Funding for Affordable Rental Housing Development
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-29 · Reports · 8,670 words · PDF available
This report is intended to provide Members of Congress and their staffs with information and resources to respond to constituent questions regarding potential federal funding sources for affordable re...
Farm Bill Primer: Support for the Dairy Industry
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-29 · Resources · 1,556 words · PDF available
The Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program was enacted in the 2018 farm bill (P.L. 115-334, §1401) to support milk producers. It replaces the 2014 farm bill’s Margin Protection Program (P.L. 113-79, §140...
Fire Weather: Background and Forecasting
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-28 · Resources · 1,522 words · PDF available
Fire weather refers to conditions that influence whether a fire ignites, how it behaves, and how it can be contained. Record-breaking wildfires, especially in the western United States, continue to ca...
U.S. District Court Nominees Confirmed During the Biden Presidency: Overview and Comparative Statistics
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-28 · Posts · 1,004 words · PDF available
This Insight provides statistics related to the nomination and confirmation of U.S. district court nominees during the Biden presidency. This Insight also compares these statistics with those for dist...
Conflict Surge in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-28 · Posts · 1,166 words · PDF available
A regional conflict and humanitarian emergency are escalating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the M23 rebel group has reportedly taken Goma (Figure 1), eastern DRC’s largest city ...
Malaysia
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-28 · Resources · 1,584 words · PDF available
Overview The Federation of Malaysia is a majority Muslim parliamentary democracy in Southeast Asia. It has an ethnically and religiously diverse population of 32.7 million, with a Malay majority and l...
Limits on TRICARE for Reservists: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-28 · Reports · 5,729 words · PDF available
While on active duty, reservists and their family members have access to a wide range of health care services administered by the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Military Health System (MHS). Prior to 2...
Dynamic Scoring for Tax Legislation: A Review of Models
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-27 · Reports · 22,672 words · PDF available
Dynamic scoring (or revenue estimating) for tax legislation has been discussed for more than two decades. Beginning in 2003, House Rule 13 required that the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) provide a...
Mirror Life: Biosafety/Biosecurity Oversight Considerations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-27 · Resources · 1,771 words · PDF available
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the molecule that carries genetic information of an organism. This genetic code is composed of nucleotide bases (adenine [A], thymine [T], cytosine [C], and guanine [G])...
The Vacancies Act: A Legal Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-27 · Reports · 24,977 words · PDF available
The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 (Vacancies Act, or Act) generally provides the exclusive means for a government employee to perform temporarily the functions and duties of a vacant presidenti...
Removal of Inspectors General: Rules, Practice, and Considerations for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-27 · Resources · 1,571 words · PDF available
In 1978, Congress passed the Inspector General Act (IG Act; P.L. 95-452) with the intent to improve oversight within certain executive branch agencies. During the floor debate on the legislation, Sena...
Constituent Services: Overview and Resources
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-27 · Resources · 1,542 words · PDF available
Introduction The priorities and activities of Member offices are varied. In addition to working on legislation and oversight, offices are commonly expected to provide constituent services as part of t...
Constituent Services: Overview and Resources
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-27 · Reports · 3,116 words · PDF available
Constituent service encompasses a wide array of nonlegislative activities undertaken by Members of Congress or congressional staff, and it is commonly considered a representational responsibility. Mem...
Connecting Constituents with Federal Assistance for Community Centers
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-24 · Resources · 1,147 words · PDF available
Introduction Federal grant, loan, and technical assistance programs can support the creation of community centers run by nonprofit organizations or local, state, territorial, and tribal governments. T...
Measuring Employment in the Agricultural Sector in the Context of the H-2A Visa Program
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-24 · Reports · 10,203 words · PDF available
The U.S. agricultural labor force is comprised of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, including foreign nationals participating in the H-2A agricultural worker visa program. The reliance on foreign w...
The Army’s Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-24 · Resources · 1,407 words · PDF available
Background The Army describes the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) in a March 14, 2023, press release as follows: [The] AMPV is the replacement for the M-113 Family of Vehicles within the Armored...
FY2025 NDAA: Basic Needs Allowance for Military Families
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-24 · Posts · 1,166 words · PDF available
In 2023, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) established the Quality of Life (QOL) Panel to develop legislative proposals for the 118th Congress. On April 8, 2024, the QOL Panel released its fin...
FY2024 EOIR Immigration Court Data: Caseloads and the Pending Cases Backlog
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-24 · Posts · 1,000 words · PDF available
U.S. immigration courts within the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) preside over immigration hearings; most commonly, removal proceedings for foreign nationals wh...
Considerations for Reprocessing of Spent Nuclear Fuel
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-23 · Reports · 9,040 words · PDF available
Nuclear reactors generate about 20% of U.S. commercial electric power and almost half of the nation’s low carbon electricity generation. However, nuclear reactors also produce highly radioactive spent...
International Tourist Arrivals to the United States
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-23 · Infographics · 438 words · PDF available
/ International Tourist Arrivals to the United States Sources: CRS analysis of International Trade Administration (ITA), ADIS/I-94 Visitor Arrivals Program, https://www.trade.gov/i-94-arrivals-program...
Fundamental Responsibilities of Recognized Statistical Agencies and Units, the Trust Regulation
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-23 · Resources · 1,365 words · PDF available
The federal statistical system (FSS) includes 16 recognized statistical agencies and units (RSAUs). Statistical policy and the RSAUs are coordinated by the chief statistician, operating from the Offic...
Customer Experience Research, Usability Testing, and the Paperwork Reduction Act
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-23 · Resources · 1,648 words · PDF available
Agencies may conduct customer research to help understand how people experience the delivery of federal services and to improve such delivery and experiences. The Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA, codifie...
Salt Typhoon Hacks of Telecommunications Companies and Federal Response Implications
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-23 · Resources · 1,548 words · PDF available
In early October 2024, media outlets reported that People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored hackers infiltrated United States telecommunications companies (including internet service providers...
Law Enforcement Use of Less-than-Lethal Weapons: Considerations for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-23 · Reports · 13,566 words · PDF available
Incidents of police-involved shootings resulting in the death of unarmed civilians, such as Andre Hill in 2020, Bijan Ghaisar in 2017, and Michael Brown in 2014, have raised concerns about law enforce...
Fishery Resource Disaster Determination Timeframes
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-23 · Infographics · 724 words · PDF available
/ Fishery Resource Disaster Determination Timeframes In the Fishery Resource Disasters Improvement Act (P.L. 117-328, Division S, Title II), enacted in December 2022, Congress amended or repealed seve...
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-23 · Reports · 10,727 words
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is considered the U.S. government’s highest civilian honor. Awarded by the President, it is often presented to individuals to recognize a lifetime of significant achi...
Correcting VA’s Violations of Veterans’ Due Process and Second Amendment Rights
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-23 · Testimony · 4,813 words · PDF available
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International Agreement on Plastic Pollution: Negotiations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-22 · Resources · 1,632 words · PDF available
Global plastic waste is projected to almost triple by 2060. Plastic waste can lead to plastic pollution when it enters the environment, including terrestrial freshwater, and marine ecosystems. There a...
TikTok Inc. v. Garland: Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to TikTok Divestiture Law
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-22 · Posts · 2,791 words · PDF available
On Friday, January 17, 2025, the Supreme Court rejected a First Amendment challenge to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (“PAFACAA” or “the act”). The decisio...
The Controlled Substances Act (CSA): A Legal Overview for the 119th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-22 · Reports · 28,338 words · PDF available
The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) establishes a unified legal framework to regulate certain drugs and other substances that are deemed to pose a risk of abuse and dependence. The CSA may apply to dr...
ITER—An International Nuclear Fusion Research and Development Facility
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-22 · Reports · 5,696 words · PDF available
ITER, previously referred to as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, is a multibillion-dollar collaboration of the European Union (host), China, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and...
U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-22 · Resources · 1,390 words · PDF available
What Are Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)? The U.S. Air Force is developing a new type of uncrewed weapon system called Collaborative Combat Aircraft. The Air Force contends that CCA is being creat...
Social Security: Major Decisions in the House and Senate Since 1935
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-22 · Reports · 52,960 words · PDF available
Social Security—formally known as Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance—was enacted in 1935 and has been amended numerous times. Lists and summaries of individual major Social Security amendmen...
Farm Bill Primer: Disaster Assistance
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-22 · Resources · 1,558 words · PDF available
Several federal programs help agricultural producers recover from the effects of natural disasters, including the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), livestock and fruit tree disaster p...
FEMA’s Support Role: Migration at the Southwest Border
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-22 · Resources · 1,552 words · PDF available
Introduction On multiple occasions, Presidents and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretaries have tasked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with supporting the federal respons...
Defense Primer: The Department of Defense
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-22 · Resources · 1,597 words · PDF available
The Department of Defense (DOD) was established after World War II by the 1947 National Security Act (P.L. 80-253). At the time, some, including President Truman, took the view that the different comp...
Congressional Careers: Service Tenure and Patterns of Member Service, 1789-2025
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-22 · Reports · 5,796 words · PDF available
The average service tenure of Members of the Senate and House of Representatives has varied substantially since 1789. This report presents data on Member tenure over time, analyzes factors that affect...
Niger
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-21 · Resources · 1,712 words · PDF available
Events in Niger have deepened the challenges facing U.S. policymakers in the Sahel region, amid rising Islamist insurgencies, intraregional tensions, and Russian influence. A military junta seized pow...
Options for Railroad Electrification and Decarbonization
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-21 · Resources · 1,679 words · PDF available
Introduction and Background Compared with most other modes of freight and passenger transportation, railroads consume energy more efficiently and pollute less. Nevertheless, because most trains rely o...
Farm Bill Primer: Conservation Title
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-21 · Resources · 1,341 words · PDF available
The conservation title of a farm bill generally contains reauthorizations, amendments, and new programs that encourage farmers and ranchers to voluntarily implement resource-conserving practices on pr...