Policy Library

7,020 documents

Section 301 and China: The U.S.-China Phase One Trade Deal
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-12 · Resources · 1,839 words · PDF available
On January 15, 2020, then-President Donald J. Trump signed a trade agreement with then-Vice Premier Liu He of the People’s Republic of China (PRC, or China). The agreement sought to resolve some long-...
Access to Agency Data and Information Technology: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-12 · Reports · 8,524 words · PDF available
Congressional interest in the information technology (IT) that generates, stores, manipulates, transmits, and disposes of data used by federal agencies has increased since the beginning of the 119th C...
Mongolia
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-12 · Resources · 1,604 words · PDF available
Overview Mongolia is a landlocked country that shares borders with two powerful neighbors, Russia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC, or China). With a population of about 3.3 million and a land ...
Social Media: Regulatory, Legal, and Policy Considerations for the 119th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-11 · Resources · 1,700 words · PDF available
Social media platforms enable users to create and share content and interact with other users’ content. A diverse set of platforms disseminate information to billions of people, and are used by most A...
The Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-11 · Resources · 1,290 words · PDF available
American Indians and Alaska Natives living in tribal areas face a number of housing challenges. These include a greater incidence of housing problems—such as overcrowded or physically inadequate housi...
National Monuments and the Antiquities Act
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-11 · Reports · 14,276 words · PDF available
The Antiquities Act of 1906 (54 U.S.C. §§320301-320303) authorizes the President to proclaim national monuments on federal lands that contain historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, o...
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-11 · Reports · 15,876 words · PDF available
A health savings account (HSA) is a tax-advantaged account that individuals can use to save and pay for unreimbursed medical expenses (e.g., deductibles, co-payments, coinsurance, and services not cov...
China’s Economy: Current Trends and Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-11 · Resources · 1,760 words · PDF available
The government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC or China) reports that China’s real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 5% in 2024. While the PRC government has sought to restrict negative comm...
Kinship Care
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-11 · Infographics · 292 words · PDF available
/ 2.8 Million Children in theUnited States Live in Kinship Care What is kinship care? Children who do not live with their parents but whose grandparents, other relatives, or close family friends prov...
Reliance on Treasury Department and IRS Tax Guidance
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-11 · Resources · 1,843 words · PDF available
The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) use several forms of guidance to help taxpayers understand the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and to inform taxpayers of Treas...
Birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln: Fact Sheet
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-11 · Reports · 1,403 words · PDF available
Washington’s Birthday, often informally called Presidents’ Day, is a federal holiday celebrating the birth of President George Washington on the third Monday in February. In some regions of the United...
Maybe Big Ain’t So Bad
Third Way · 2025-02-10 · Blog · 670 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,...
7 Implications from the DeepSeek AI Release
Third Way · 2025-02-10 · Blog · 488 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,...
Federal Workforce Downsizing: Voluntary and Involuntary Mechanisms
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-10 · Posts · 1,048 words · PDF available
The second Trump Administration has stated plans to downsize the federal workforce, which it has indicated may involve actions in which individuals’ employment with federal agencies is ended (referred...
Impacts of Federal Grants and Other Funds on State and Local Budgets
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-10 · Posts · 1,037 words · PDF available
Together, state and local governments received more than $1 trillion in federal grants and other funds each fiscal year from FY2021 to FY2023 the most recent years for which final data is available. T...
Recent White House Actions on Immigration
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-10 · Posts · 4,453 words · PDF available
Since taking office on January 20, 2025, President Trump and his Administration have issued numerous executive actions and initiatives related to the enforcement of federal immigration laws. These act...
Congressional Court Watcher: Circuit Splits from January 2025
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-10 · Posts · 1,226 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 ...
Federal Assessments and Warnings of Potential Post-Fire Debris Flows: Examples from the January 2025 Los Angeles County Wildfires
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-10 · Posts · 1,057 words · PDF available
Starting on January 7, 2025, a series of damaging wildfires impacted Los Angeles (LA) County, CA. As the fires are extinguished and weather conditions change, state and local officials are increasingl...
Federal Role in Voter Registration: The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) and Subsequent Developments
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-07 · Reports · 15,135 words · PDF available
Historically, most aspects of election administration have been left to state and local governments, resulting in a variety of practices across jurisdictions with respect to voter registration. States...
Registered Apprenticeship: Federal Role and Recent Federal Efforts
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-07 · Reports · 8,514 words · PDF available
Apprenticeship is a workforce development strategy that trains a worker for a specific occupation using a structured combination of paid on-the-job training and related instruction. Increased costs fo...
Unemployment Compensation for Former Federal Employees and Military Servicemembers
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-07 · Resources · 1,631 words
Background Unemployment Insurance (UI) is a joint federal-state system that provides income support through weekly benefit payments. The UI system’s two main objectives are to provide temporary and pa...
Voter Registration: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-07 · Reports · 18,028 words · PDF available
Voter registration policies are typically determined by state and local governments, subject to certain federal requirements. Historically, much of the federal policy discussion surrounding voter regi...
Clean Water Act Section 401: Overview and Recent Developments
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-07 · Reports · 20,874 words · PDF available
Congress established the Clean Water Act (CWA) to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s Waters.” Under CWA Section 401, any applicant for a federal lic...
FY2025 NDAA: Military Child Care Proposals
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-07 · Posts · 1,205 words · PDF available
In 2023, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) established a Quality of Life (QOL) Panel to develop proposals for a National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025 NDAA). On April ...
U.S.-EU Trade Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-07 · Resources · 1,722 words · PDF available
The United States and the 27-member European Union (EU)—when considered as a bloc—have the world’s largest bilateral trade and investment relationship. Their ties are highly integrated, with supply ch...
Connecting Veterans and Veterans Organizations to Federal Transportation Assistance
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-06 · Reports · 3,832 words · PDF available
Many veterans have transportation needs that affect their daily lives. Specifically, veterans often require access to medical facilities for their own care and may not have access to transportation. ...
The U.S. Census Bureau
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-06 · Resources · 1,299 words · PDF available
Overview The United States Census Bureau is a federal agency that provides statistical data about the nation’s people and economy. Article I, Section 2, clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution mandates a de...
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Executive Order: Early Implementation
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-06 · Posts · 1,040 words · PDF available
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order (E.O.) titled “Establishing and Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency’” (DOGE), which reorganized an en...
U.S. Cuba Policy: Recent Developments and the 119th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-06 · Posts · 1,137 words · PDF available
U.S.-Cuba policy has been a focus of both presidential and congressional attention in the early weeks of 2025. On January 14, 2025, President Biden issued several executive actions modifying U.S. poli...
Reagan National Airport Slot and Perimeter Rules and Exemptions Authorized in 2024
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-06 · Posts · 992 words · PDF available
The deadly midair collision on January 29, 2025, between a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) has prompted discus...
Executive Orders and U.S. LNG Exports: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-06 · Reports · 2,515 words · PDF available
On January 20, 2025, Inauguration Day, President Trump signed a number of executive orders related to energy, including natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. One of the objectives of Ex...
Sub-Saharan Africa: Selected Issues for the 119th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-05 · Resources · 1,699 words · PDF available
As the 119th Congress approaches U.S. policy toward sub-Saharan Africa (Africa, Fig. 1), prominent issues may include strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China (PRC or China) and Russi...
Data Centers and Cloud Computing: Information Technology Infrastructure for Artificial Intelligence
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-05 · Resources · 1,815 words · PDF available
The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), a “critical and emerging technology,” presents policy considerations for U.S. leadership, with implications for economic competitiveness and national s...
Farm Bill Primer: Support for Tribal Food and Agriculture
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-05 · Resources · 1,717 words · PDF available
The 2018 farm bill (Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018; P.L. 115-334) expanded federal farm program support for tribal agricultural producers and communities. Congress further enhanced community and ...
The 2024 Army Force Structure Transformation Initiative
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-05 · Reports · 7,704 words · PDF available
Since the U.S. Army’s inception in 1775, it has reorganized or transformed its force structure on several occasions. These changes have occurred for a variety of reasons, such as shifting security req...
Unemployment Benefits for Workers Impacted by the California Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds Disaster
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-05 · Posts · 1,030 words · PDF available
Workers who become unemployed for reasons directly attributable to a presidentially declared major disaster, such as the California Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds disaster (hereinafter, “the Califo...
Commercial Human Spaceflight Safety Regulations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-04 · Resources · 1,694 words · PDF available
The Department of Transportation (DOT), acting through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has regulatory authority over commercial space launch and reentry, including for spacecraft with human...
NOAA’s Future Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) Mission
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-04 · Resources · 1,351 words · PDF available
About every two decades since 1975, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has deployed a new generation of geostationary satellites. In 2019, NOAA began defining requirements for ...
Inauguration Day: Fact Sheet
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-04 · Reports · 1,565 words · PDF available
The Constitution of the United States requires the President to take an oath of office. Public events, such as the delivering of an inaugural address, have historically accompanied this formality sinc...
OMB Releases OPEN Government Data Act Guidance
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-04 · Posts · 1,023 words · PDF available
On January 15, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released Memorandum M-25-05, which contains long-awaited implementation guidance for the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary Governme...
U.S. Efforts to Combat Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Other Illicit Financial Threats
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-04 · Resources · 1,607 words · PDF available
The United States maintains a multifaceted policy regime for tackling anti-money laundering (AML), combating the financing of terrorism (CFT), and countering illicit financial threats. The 119th Congr...
National African American History Month Speech Resources: Fact Sheet
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-04 · Reports · 1,686 words · PDF available
This fact sheet links to authoritative information resources related to National African American History Month, which is also referred to as African American History Month and Black History Month. It...
National Emergencies Act: Expedited Procedures in the House and Senate
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-03 · Reports · 12,027 words · PDF available
The National Emergencies Act of 1976 (NEA) provides Congress with expedited parliamentary procedures for the consideration of a joint resolution terminating a national emergency (referred to here as a...
Exemptions to the Fiscal Responsibility Act’s Discretionary Spending Limits
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-03 · Reports · 7,688 words · PDF available
The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA, P.L. 118-5) established statutory limits on discretionary spending (also known as “spending caps”) for FY2024 and FY2025. The FRA created two separate caps ...
No More Deference: Sixth Circuit Relies on Loper Bright to Strike Down Net Neutrality Rules
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-03 · Posts · 2,125 words · PDF available
On January 2, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (Sixth Circuit) vacated the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) most recent net neutrality rules. The court held that, under...
Federal Reserve: Policy Issues in the 119th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-03 · Reports · 24,953 words · PDF available
The responsibilities of the Federal Reserve (Fed) fall into four main categories: monetary policy, regulation of certain banks and other financial firms, provision and oversight of certain interbank p...
China’s E-Commerce Exports and U.S. De Minimis Policies
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-03 · Resources · 1,625 words · PDF available
The People’s Republic of China (PRC or China) has expanded its global e-commerce exports by more than tenfold over the past five years; PRC exports of low-value single packages expanded from $5.3 bill...
Selected Issues in Tax Reform: The Deduction for State and Local Taxes
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-03 · Resources · 1,455 words · PDF available
Members of Congress are currently debating legislative options related to the deduction for state and local taxes paid (or SALT deduction), which is among the largest tax expenditures in the federal i...
U.S. Sanctions Policy in the 119th Congress: Recent Executive Actions and Legislative Implications
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-03 · Resources · 1,560 words · PDF available
Through a series of executive actions in January 2025, President Donald Trump has ordered changes to several U.S. sanctions programs. The 119th Congress may seek to influence future executive actions ...
Direct Loan Program Student Loans: Deferment and Forbearance
Congressional Research Service · 2025-02-03 · Resources · 1,480 words · PDF available
Upon borrowing a loan under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) program, borrowers assume a contractual obligation to repay the debt over a period of time that may span a decade or m...