Policy Library

6,587 documents

Overdraft: Payment Service or Small-Dollar Credit?
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-10 · Resources · 1,575 words · PDF available
Funding Gaps in Consumer Finances One of the earliest documented cases of bank overdraft dates back to 1728, when a Royal Bank of Scotland customer requested a cash credit to allow him to withdraw mor...
The 340B Drug Discount Program: Litigation Topics and Trends
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-10 · Reports · 25,690 words · PDF available
Congress created the 340B Drug Discount Program in 1992 in the Veterans Health Care Act (Pub. L. No. 102-585) to enable certain health care safety net providers to purchase drugs at lower costs. The p...
The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act’s Expropriation Exception
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-10 · Posts · 2,707 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 the jurisdiction of U.S. federal and state courts. In Feb...
Federal Court Endorses Behavioral Remedies, Rejects Structural Relief, in Google Search Antitrust Litigation
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-10 · Posts · 2,295 words · PDF available
On September 2, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia released its remedies decision in United States v. Google, an antitrust case involving Google’s conduct in certain markets re...
Indigenous Peoples in Latin America: Statistical Information
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-10 · Reports · 10,300 words · PDF available
This report provides statistical information on Indigenous peoples in Latin America. Data and findings on the people vary, sometimes greatly, including on populations and languages, socioeconomics, la...
Federally Supported Projects and Programs for Wastewater, Drinking Water, and Water Supply Infrastructure
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-10 · Reports · 28,916 words · PDF available
For decades, Congress has authorized, modified, and funded federal programs to help communities address water supply and water infrastructure needs. Departments and agencies that administer these assi...
Productivity Growth: Trends and Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-09 · Reports · 13,117 words · PDF available
Productivity is broadly defined as the ratio of output to inputs. With respect to the economy, productivity measures how efficiently goods and services can be produced by comparing the amount of econo...
FY2025 Military Construction Appropriations: A Summary
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-09 · Posts · 1,000 words · PDF available
Department of Defense (DOD) military construction and family housing programs fund infrastructure to support military operations and servicemembers around the world. The Biden Administration’s fiscal ...
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations: FY2026 Provisions
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-09 · Reports · 11,445 words · PDF available
Through appropriations legislation, Congress provides not only budget authority for federal agencies and departments to operate, but also legally binding direction on how that budget authority can (or...
Middle East Oil
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-09 · Infographics · 277 words · PDF available
/ Middle East Oil Oil production, trade, and refining in the Middle East are important for global oil markets. Three maritime transit points for crude oil and petroleum products are in or near the reg...
U.S.-China Trade Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-09 · Resources · 1,698 words · PDF available
The People’s Republic of China (PRC or China) is the second-largest global economy and has been a top U.S. trading partner since joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. China is a key expo...
The U.S. Army’s Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) System
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-09 · Resources · 1,318 words · PDF available
What Is the Army’s Mid-Range Capability (MRC) System? Improved Chinese and Russian long-ranged artillery systems, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), and the proliferation of special munitions (such as p...
Nuclear Cooperation with Other Countries: A Primer
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-09 · Reports · 7,117 words · PDF available
In order for the United States to engage in significant civilian nuclear cooperation with other states, it must conclude a framework agreement that meets specific requirements under Section 123 of the...
National Park Service: Fee Increases for International Visitors
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-08 · Resources · 1,817 words · PDF available
Congress has debated various measures to generate additional funds for the National Park System in light of a large backlog of deferred maintenance on system lands. One option under discussion has bee...
Public Broadcasting: Background Information and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-08 · Reports · 11,459 words · PDF available
Discussion of public interest in educational or noncommercial programming dates to the early days of broadcasting. In 1938, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set aside a portion of available...
The Islamic State and Its Affiliates
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-08 · Resources · 1,892 words · PDF available
The Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS, ISIL, or Da’esh) is a transnational Sunni Islamist insurgent and terrorist group. At its 2015 height, the group controlled large areas of Iraq and Syria from...
U.S. Tariff Actions and U.S.-South Korea Trade
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-08 · Posts · 1,052 words · PDF available
Since January 2025, the Trump Administration has imposed tariffs affecting most exports from South Korea. In 2024, South Korea was the sixth-largest U.S. goods trading partner, with bilateral trade in...
Department of Veterans Affairs FY2025 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-08 · Reports · 23,969 words · PDF available
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers numerous programs that provide benefits and services to eligible veterans and their families. These benefits include medical care, disability compen...
Defense Primer: U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-08 · Resources · 1,524 words · PDF available
U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM or STRATCOM) is a Department of Defense (DOD) functional (as opposed to geographic) combatant command (CCMD) responsible for deterring “strategic attack through a sa...
China Primer: China’s Global Development Initiative
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-08 · Resources · 1,649 words · PDF available
Shifts in the U.S. approach to foreign assistance under the Trump Administration have prompted increased interest from Congress in the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s, or China’s) overseas develop...
Marginal Effective Tax Rates: Changes in P.L. 119-21, the 2025 Reconciliation Act
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-08 · Reports · 5,524 words · PDF available
The 2025 reconciliation act, P.L. 119-21, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), made a number of changes that affect marginal effective tax rates (METRs) on investment. These chang...
Venezuela: Political Crisis and U.S. Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-08 · Resources · 1,804 words · PDF available
Over the past several Congresses, some Members have expressed concerns about authoritarian rule under Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (2013-present). Maduro took office after a narrow electoral vi...
U.S. Agency for International Development: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-05 · Resources · 1,646 words · PDF available
Background The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) served as the lead international humanitarian and development arm of the U.S. government. It was established in 1961, pursuant to Execu...
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2026 Budget Request and Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-05 · Resources · 1,361 words · PDF available
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an agency in the Department of Commerce. NOAA’s mission, as defined by the agency, is to understand and predict changes in climate, weathe...
Syria: Transition and U.S. Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-05 · Reports · 21,895 words · PDF available
Since the December 2024 collapse of the government of Bashar Al Asad, Syrians have pursued political and economic opportunities created by the end of the country’s twelve-year civil war. Internal tens...
Free Exercise of Religion at School: The Supreme Court’s Mahmoud v. Taylor Ruling
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-05 · Posts · 3,381 words · PDF available
On June 27, 2025, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Mahmoud v. Taylor, a case addressing the application of the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause in public schools. In Mahmoud, parents chal...
Russia’s War Against Ukraine: Diplomatic Talks and U.S. Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-05 · Posts · 1,056 words · PDF available
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. More than three-and-a-half years later, Russia and Ukraine remain engaged in Europe’s largest war in scope and scale since World War ...
Section 232 Automotive Tariffs: Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-05 · Posts · 1,044 words · PDF available
In 2025, President Donald Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on U.S. imports of automobiles and certain automobile parts under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. §1862, as amended). ...
Glacial Lake Outburst Floods: Mendenhall Glacier Case Study and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-05 · Posts · 1,065 words · PDF available
On August, 13, 2025, a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage on the Mendenhall River north of Juneau, AK, passed its 2024 record level of 15.99 feet, cresting at 16.65 feet. The river’s rise was du...
Understanding the FY2026 DHS Budget Request
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-05 · Reports · 7,867 words · PDF available
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the third largest agency in the federal government in terms of civilian personnel. In FY2024, the annual appropriations bill that funded it was the si...
Centro de Trabajadores Unidos v. Bessent: D.C. Circuit Considers IRS-ICE Information-Sharing Agreement
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-04 · Posts · 2,787 words · PDF available
On April 7, 2025, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU or information-sharing agreement) to establish proced...
Proxy Advisor Regulation: Recent Litigation, State Law Developments, and Federal Legislation
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-04 · Reports · 9,589 words · PDF available
Shareholders of public companies have the right to vote on certain matters—such as director elections, executive compensation plans, and shareholder proposals—at annual and special meetings. Today, mo...
The Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause’s Substantive Limits on Criminal Laws
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-04 · Reports · 9,638 words · PDF available
Criminal law marks a boundary between conduct that society deems permissible and behavior that it deems worthy of punishment. Courts have expressed that those who cross the line may be subject to pena...
U.S.-Canada Trade Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-04 · Resources · 1,706 words · PDF available
The United States and Canada have had one of the largest bilateral trade relationships in the world, including highly integrated energy and automotive markets. Since 1989, U.S.-Canada trade has been g...
The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-04 · Resources · 1,605 words · PDF available
Introduction The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) provides federal funding for the protection, conservation, and restoration of Pacific salmon species (Oncorhynchus spp.) and steelhead tro...
United States National Symbols: Congressional Designation and Past Practices
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-04 · Resources · 1,355 words · PDF available
As codified in Title 36 of the U.S. Code, Congress has designated a national anthem (“The Star-Spangled Banner”), a national motto (“In God we trust”), a national floral emblem (the rose), a national ...
China Primer: The People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-04 · Resources · 1,637 words · PDF available
Overview The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) serves the Communist Party of China (CPC), the ruling party of the People’s Republic of China (PRC or China). The PLA was established in 1927 during the ris...
The 45F Tax Credit for Employer-Provided Child Care
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-04 · Resources · 1,753 words · PDF available
Introduction Many working families across the country struggle to find affordable child care. Employer-provided child care is one model that could align the needs of some working families with the nee...
U.S. Sanctions: Overview for the 119th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-04 · Resources · 1,641 words · PDF available
Introduction Economic sanctions represent a constellation of coercive measures imposed for foreign policy or national security reasons. They may be imposed unilaterally or multilaterally against a tar...
The Indian Prime Minister’s 2025 Visit to China and India-China Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-04 · Posts · 1,011 words · PDF available
On August 31, 2025, India’s Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi traveled to the People’s Republic of China (PRC, or China), where he met PRC leader Xi Jinping. The visit—Modi’s first to China in seven y...
Second Trump Administration Releases First Unified Agenda, Listing Upcoming Regulations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-04 · Posts · 829 words · PDF available
On September 4, 2025, the second Trump Administration released the Spring 2025 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The Unified Agenda, which is published twice a year, is a governme...
The Retirement Savings Contribution Credit and the Saver’s Match
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-04 · Resources · 1,494 words · PDF available
The Retirement Savings Contribution Credit (Internal Revenue Code [IRC] §25B)—commonly referred to as the Saver’s Credit—is a tax expenditure meant to encourage low- and moderate-income taxpayers to s...
U.S.-Japan Critical Minerals Agreement: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-03 · Reports · 10,301 words · PDF available
Amid growing global demand for critical minerals, Congress has been deliberating how to secure U.S. access to such goods. The United States has become highly reliant on foreign imports of critical min...
Campaign Finance: Supreme Court Scheduled to Consider Constitutionality of Coordinated Party Expenditure Limits
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-03 · Posts · 2,528 words · PDF available
The Supreme Court is scheduled to once again consider the constitutionality of a federal campaign finance law. In National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) v. Federal Election Commission (FEC), ...
Technology Regulation: CRS Legal Products for the 119th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-03 · Posts · 2,096 words · PDF available
In recent years, some Members of Congress have considered policy options related to social media platforms and other information and telecommunications technologies. These deliberations may continue t...
Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2026
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-03 · Reports · 18,115 words · PDF available
The U.S. government supports a broad range of scientific and engineering research and development (R&D). The purposes of this R&D include addressing national defense, public health, public safety, the...
The August 2025 U.S.-South Korea Summit
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-03 · Posts · 1,042 words · PDF available
Introduction On August 25, 2025, President Donald Trump hosted President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea (officially the Republic of Korea, or ROK) for a summit at the White House. It was their first mee...
Small Business Joint Ventures in Federal Procurement
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Resources · 1,693 words · PDF available
Joint ventures are teams of businesses that work together to obtain and perform a federal contract or subcontract. Certain joint ventures may seek and perform contracts specifically designated for “sm...
Non-Intrusive Inspection Equipment to Counter Illicit Drug Flows
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Posts · 1,018 words · PDF available
In policy discussions around drug trafficking and elevated overdose deaths related to illicit opioids and other drugs, some observers have looked to the tools border officials have in place to help de...
Zapad-2025: Russian and Belarusian Strategic Military Exercise
Congressional Research Service · 2025-09-02 · Posts · 975 words · PDF available
Russia and Belarus have announced plans to conduct the strategic exercise Zapad-2025 from September 12 to 16, 2025. According to Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Zapad-2025 is the “key event”...