Policy Library

6,587 documents

Defense Primer: National and Defense Intelligence
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-06 · Resources · 1,349 words · PDF available
The Intelligence Community (IC) is responsible for providing insight into actual or potential threats to the U.S. homeland, the American people, and national interests at home and abroad. It aims to d...
China Primer: China’s Political System
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-03 · Resources · 1,078 words · PDF available
Introduction The People’s Republic of China (PRC or China) is the only Communist Party-led state among either the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council or the members of the G-...
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Services
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-03 · Resources · 1,542 words · PDF available
Russia has an extensive foreign intelligence system composed of several overlapping agencies that compete for bureaucratic, political, and often economic influence within the Russian government. Russi...
Tax-Exempt Organizations Under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c): Political Activity Restrictions
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-03 · Reports · 11,725 words · PDF available
The ability of tax-exempt organizations under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c) to engage in political activity, such as campaign activity and lobbying, depends on the nature of the organization. For example, the ch...
Taiwan Presidents’ U.S. Transit Visits
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-03 · Resources · 1,708 words · PDF available
Introduction Since 1994, five sitting presidents of Taiwan have undertaken a combined 30 trips abroad that have included transit stops in the United States. U.S. policy since 1995 has been to bar Taiw...
Overview of the FY2025 Federal Budget Projections
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-03 · Posts · 1,143 words · PDF available
Congressional deliberations continue over federal discretionary funding for the rest of FY2025. This Insight gives a high-level overview of the federal budget using Congressional Budget Office (CBO) c...
The PREP Act and COVID-19, Part 2: The PREP Act Declaration for COVID-19 Countermeasures
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-03 · Posts · 2,207 words · PDF available
To encourage the expeditious development and deployment of medical countermeasures during a public health emergency, the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) authorizes the Secre...
Social Security Childhood Disability Benefits: Proposals in the 118th Congress: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-03 · Reports · 4,382 words · PDF available
During the 118th Congress, Members of Congress introduced legislation that would have changed certain eligibility criteria for childhood disability benefits—a type of Social Security benefit available...
Drone Encounters Prompt Calls for Restrictions and Other Protections
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-03 · Posts · 1,031 words · PDF available
In October 2024, it was reported that suspected formations of drones had flown in airspace near Langley Air Force Base and naval facilities in Norfolk, VA, over multiple days. According to other repor...
Nominee Financial Disclosure During a Presidential Transition
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-02 · Resources · 1,000 words · PDF available
Every four years, the United States conducts a presidential election. In instances where a transition from one presidential Administration to another occurs, one of the President-elect’s tasks is to f...
Defense Primer: U.S. Policy on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-02 · Resources · 1,548 words · PDF available
Lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) are a special class of weapon systems that use sensor suites and computer algorithms to independently identify a target and employ an onboard weapon system to e...
Understanding Linked Climate and Weather Hazards and the Challenges to Federal Emergency Management
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-02 · Resources · 1,552 words · PDF available
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that in 2024, as of November 1, the United States experienced 24 separate weather-related disasters that caused at least 1 bil...
Russia’s Security Operations in Africa
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-02 · Resources · 1,801 words · PDF available
Thousands of Russian security personnel have deployed to Africa since 2017, offering support to regimes facing insurgent threats and other challenges in what some analysts refer to as a “military-busi...
Disasters and the Federal Budget
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-02 · Resources · 1,365 words · PDF available
Increasing frequency and severity of wildfires, storms, floods, and droughts, as well as the recent COVID-19 pandemic have led to questions about the federal government’s role with regard to these inc...
The Disaster Relief Fund: Requests Versus Reality
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-02 · Resources · 1,185 words · PDF available
At the end of both FY2023 and FY2024, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) implemented special restrictions on its general disaster relief programs to ensure resources would be available for...
The World Bank
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-02 · Resources · 1,340 words · PDF available
The World Bank provides financial assistance to low- and middle-income countries to promote economic development. Established in 1945, the Bank initially focused on providing financing for large infra...
Emergency Federal Assistance for Extreme Heat: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-02 · Resources · 1,333 words · PDF available
Introduction In recent years, parts of the United States have experienced a record number of episodes of extreme heat. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had previously reported ...
Post-Disaster and Pre-Disaster Hazard Mitigation Assistance
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-02 · Resources · 1,656 words · PDF available
With the increasing severity and frequency of natural disasters, policymakers often view mitigation funding as a way to control disaster-related spending. The impacts of natural hazards are expected t...
FEMA: Increased Demand and Capacity Strains
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-02 · Resources · 1,178 words · PDF available
Introduction Disasters in the United States have become more frequent, severe, and expensive in recent years. Government agencies and scientific experts expect these trends to continue due to climate ...
A Brief Introduction to the National Flood Insurance Program in the 118th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-02 · Posts · 1,039 words · PDF available
Introduction The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is authorized by the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (Title XIII of P.L. 90-448, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§4001 et seq.) and is the primary ...
Turkey (Türkiye) in Syria: Key U.S. Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2025-01-02 · Posts · 1,162 words · PDF available
Turkey (alt. Türkiye) may be the most influential outside actor in Syria following the December 2024 downfall of Bashar Al Asad’s (alt. Assad) regime. Asad’s defeat dealt a blow to his regime’s main f...
Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and the Future of Agency Interpretations of Law
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-31 · Reports · 32,586 words · PDF available
“Chevron is overruled”: On June 28, 2024, the Supreme Court overruled the Chevron framework in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, holding that the Chevron framework violated Section 706 of the Admi...
South Korean Political Crisis: Martial Law and Impeachment
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-31 · Posts · 1,838 words · PDF available
In December 2024, South Korea plunged into a political crisis that could have significant implications for U.S. interests, including U.S. policies toward North Korea, China, Japan, and Russia. At arou...
Defense Primer: Military Pay Raise
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-30 · Resources · 1,018 words · PDF available
The phrase “military pay raise,” frequently used in discussions of military compensation, almost always refers to the annual increase in basic pay for members of the uniformed services. By law, basic ...
The Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA): A Legal Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-30 · Reports · 17,307 words · PDF available
The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 (WPA or the Act) protects most federal civil service employees who disclose government illegality, waste, and corruption from adverse personnel actions. The WP...
FY2025 NDAA: Military Basic Pay Reform Proposal
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-30 · Posts · 1,076 words · PDF available
In 2023, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) established a Quality of Life (QOL) Panel to develop legislative proposals in support of military servicemembers and their families. The Panel’s effo...
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Health Care
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-30 · Reports · 12,016 words · PDF available
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care settings has grown over time in part due to recent increases in health care data availability and innovations in big data analytical methods. AI ...
Farm Bill Primer: Rural Broadband Provisions
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-30 · Resources · 1,541 words · PDF available
Since 2002, Congress has included provisions addressing rural broadband (i.e., high-speed internet access) in the rural development title of farm bills and in Agriculture appropriations acts. The Agri...
Resources for Financial Market Data
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-30 · Reports · 5,573 words · PDF available
The U.S. financial system contains large and active markets for stocks, bonds, and commodities, as well as digital assets (e.g., cryptocurrencies) and other financial instruments. This report describe...
Defense Primer: U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-30 · Resources · 1,695 words · PDF available
Ballistic missiles fielded by China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia could threaten the U.S. homeland, U.S. forces abroad, and U.S. allies and partners. These missiles constitute one subset of the diver...
Presidential Funerals and Burials: Selected Resources
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-30 · Reports · 2,233 words · PDF available
This fact sheet provides resources on presidential funerals and burials in the United States. It contains a brief overview of past practices and selected online resources related to official and cerem...
Medicaid Provider Taxes
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-30 · Reports · 6,475 words · PDF available
States are able to use revenues from health care provider taxes to help finance the state share of Medicaid expenditures. Federal statute and regulations define a provider tax as a health care-related...
Patent Listing in FDA’s Orange Book
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-27 · Resources · 1,813 words · PDF available
For over 40 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has maintained a resource formally titled Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations. This frequently updated public...
“Skinny Labels” for Generic Drugs Under Hatch-Waxman
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-27 · Resources · 1,835 words · PDF available
New “brand-name” drugs are often protected from generic competition by patents. In general, a drug manufacturer intending to market a generic version of a brand-name drug must either wait for those pa...
Biden Administration Executive Actions Resulting in Modifications for the Federal Student Loan Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-27 · Reports · 14,258 words · PDF available
Outstanding federal student loan debt exceeds $1.6 trillion and is owed by about 45 million borrowers. Since taking office, the Biden Administration has taken numerous actions to address student loan ...
Farm Bill Primer: Budget Dynamics
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-27 · Resources · 1,225 words · PDF available
Congress is considering a new farm bill because the 2018 farm bill (P.L. 115-334) and the latest of its two one-year extensions (P.L. 118-158, Division D) begin expiring at the end of FY2025 (CRS Repo...
Farm Bill Primer: Background and Status
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-27 · Resources · 1,534 words · PDF available
The farm bill is an omnibus, multiyear law that governs an array of agricultural and food programs. It provides an opportunity for policymakers to comprehensively and periodically address agricultural...
Clean Vehicle Tax Credits
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-26 · Resources · 1,738 words · PDF available
The federal government currently offers three tax credits to incentivize the purchase of clean vehicles (electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles). All three credits were cre...
Expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill and Extension for 2025
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-26 · Reports · 11,537 words · PDF available
The farm bill is an omnibus, multiyear law that governs an array of agricultural and food programs. It provides an opportunity for policymakers to address a broad range of agricultural and food issues...
The Section 179D Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Deduction
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-26 · Resources · 0 words · PDF available
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-169, IRA) enacted or modified 20 energy-related tax credits. These credits subsidize clean energy production and increased energy efficiency, aiming to re...
Termination of the State Department’s Global Engagement Center
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-26 · Posts · 948 words · PDF available
The legislative authority for the Department of State’s Global Engagement Center (GEC), which carries out activities to counter foreign disinformation and propaganda and coordinates related interagenc...
Farm Bills: Major Legislative Actions, 19652024
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-26 · Reports · 4,270 words · PDF available
The farm bill provides an opportunity for Congress to address agricultural and food issues comprehensively about every five years. Over time, farm bills have tended to become more complicated and poli...
Overview of the U.S. General Services Administration
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-23 · Resources · 1,580 words · PDF available
The Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1947 established the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) as the mandatory, government-wide source for the procurement of goods and servic...
Defense Primer: U.S. Space Force
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-23 · Resources · 1,420 words · PDF available
The U.S. Space Force is the sixth branch of the Armed Forces, established under the Department of the Air Force (DAF) with the enactment of the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act ([NDAA], P.L. ...
Connecting Constituents with Federal Assistance for Broadband
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-23 · Resources · 846 words · PDF available
This In Focus includes a list of selected federal agencies and programs that support broadband initiatives as the primary eligible funding activity. The programs included here vary in scope and fundin...
Archival Records of Congress: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-23 · Reports · 4,321 words · PDF available
Congressional offices and committees receive, generate, and process many paper and digital files in the course of their work. Archivists preserve some of this historical material, which can help infor...
Russia’s War Against Ukraine: U.S. Policy and the Role of Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-23 · Resources · 1,709 words · PDF available
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, which Russia first invaded in 2014 and has partially occupied for more than a decade. Russia’s effort to change inte...
House and Senate Chaplains: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-20 · Reports · 4,095 words · PDF available
Except for a brief period in the 1850s, the House of Representatives and Senate have had elected chaplains since 1789. The chaplains are chosen by each chamber as individuals and not as representative...
The Captures Clause (Part 1): Overview, Historical Context, and Drafting History
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-20 · Posts · 2,298 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar is the first installment in a two-part series discussing Congress’s power to “make rules concerning Captures on Land and Water” derived from Article I, Section 8, clause 11 of the C...
The Captures Clause (Part 2): Jurisprudence and U.S. Practice
Congressional Research Service · 2024-12-20 · Posts · 1,559 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar is the second installment in a two-part series discussing Congress’s power to “make rules concerning Captures on Land and Water” derived from Article I, Section 8, clause 11 of the ...