Policy Library

6,587 documents

Omnibus Appropriations: Overview of Recent Practice
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-14 · Posts · 1,002 words · PDF available
Congress makes decisions on discretionary spending through the annual appropriations process, which currently consists of the development and consideration of 12 regular appropriations bills for each ...
Presidential Transitions: Facilities and Related Services Provided by the General Services Administration
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-12 · Resources · 1,351 words · PDF available
In order to “minimize disruptions that might be occasioned by ... transitions in the office of President,” the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 (PTA; P.L. 82-277), as amended, authorizes the Genera...
Recent Developments in the Democratic Presidential Nominating Process
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-12 · Posts · 1,241 words · PDF available
On July 21, President Joseph Biden announced that he would no longer seek the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination. This CRS Insight discusses selected issues that could be of interest to Congress ...
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Speech Resources: Fact Sheet
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-12 · Reports · 1,454 words · PDF available
May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. It is a time to recognize the contributions and achievements of Americans of Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Island descent. This guide is designed to...
Private Equity Investments in Health Care: Selected Enforcement Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-08 · Posts · 3,234 words · PDF available
A 2021 report from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) found that private equity investments in health care substantially expanded in the preceding 20 years, particularly with respect to...
Retirement Benefits for Federal Law Enforcement Personnel
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-08 · Reports · 6,851 words · PDF available
Certain federal employees who perform specific duties, as defined in statute, are classified as law enforcement officers (LEOs) for the purpose of federal retirement benefits. LEOs and a few legislati...
Foreign Assistance: Where Does the Money Go?
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-08 · Reports · 13,802 words · PDF available
Congress provided $66.1 billion in foreign assistance appropriations in FY2023. In allocating foreign assistance and overseeing agencies’ execution of those funds, some Members of Congress have focuse...
Funding for Public Elementary and Secondary Schools
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-08 · Resources · 902 words · PDF available
Congress provides annual appropriations and periodically provides supplemental appropriations for public elementary and secondary schools through many agencies and programs. Of these funds, the larges...
Evergrande Group and China’s Debt Challenges
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-08 · Resources · 1,822 words · PDF available
Since 2021, some Members of Congress have raised concerns about the People’s Republic of China (PRC or China)’s debt levels and the solvency of PRC property developers. The inability of Evergrande Gro...
Rapidly Growing “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) Financing: Market Developments and Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-08 · Resources · 1,465 words · PDF available
“Buy now, pay later” (BNPL) is a form of point-of-sales financing. With BNPL financing, a consumer can purchase an item now and pay for it later on a predetermined payment schedule. While retailers ha...
The Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-07 · Resources · 1,337 words · PDF available
Although cybercrimes against large companies often attract attention, criminals also frequently attack small businesses online. One 2022 report found that an average employee at a small business will ...
Federal Agricultural Assistance for Extreme Heat
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-06 · Resources · 1,441 words · PDF available
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reported June 2023 to May 2024 as 12 consecutive months of record-high monthly average global surface temperatures (Figure 1). The U.S. Global ...
U.S. Immigration Courts: Access to Counsel in Removal Proceedings and Legal Access Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-06 · Resources · 1,211 words · PDF available
Immigration courts are administered by the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). During removal proceedings in immigration courts, immigration judges (IJs) determine ...
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Assistance
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-06 · Posts · 1,044 words · PDF available
Introduction The majority of funding in the United States for both pre- and post-disaster mitigation comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which defines mitigation as “any sustain...
U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2024 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-06 · Reports · 11,087 words · PDF available
The United States provides foreign assistance to Latin American and Caribbean countries to support development and other U.S. objectives. U.S. policymakers have emphasized different strategic interest...
Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant: Overview and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-05 · Reports · 20,401 words · PDF available
The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant program aims to support and improve the health and well-being of mothers, children, and families, particularly those with low income or limited...
Title V State Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grants
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-05 · Resources · 1,374 words · PDF available
Overview Title V of the Social Security Act (SSA; P.L. 74-121, as amended; 42 U.S.C. §§701-709) permanently authorizes the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant, which aims to improve t...
Argentina: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-05 · Resources · 1,673 words · PDF available
Located on the Atlantic coast of South America’s Southern Cone, Argentina is the third-largest economy in Latin America (after Brazil and Mexico). U.S.-Argentina relations have traditionally been stro...
Financial Inclusion: Access to Bank Accounts
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-02 · Resources · 1,646 words · PDF available
Most U.S. consumers choose to open a bank account, such as a checking or savings account, because it is considered a safe and secure way to store money, particularly as the Federal Deposit Insurance C...
Conveying Unneeded Federal Real Property to Tribal Entities: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-02 · Resources · 1,655 words · PDF available
The General Services Administration (GSA) is responsible for the government-wide procurement of federal goods and services and the acquisition, management, and disposal of federal real property. Feder...
Transnational Crime Issues: INTERPOL
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-02 · Resources · 1,594 words · PDF available
The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO)-INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization. Its purpose is to enable cooperation on crime fighting and prevention matters w...
Chief Information Officers (CIOs): Agency Roles and Responsibilities
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-01 · Reports · 10,678 words · PDF available
In the course of fulfilling their missions, federal agencies constantly consume, create, use, and store information from a variety of sources, media formats, and technology platforms. In response to c...
Secondary Cockpit Barriers for Airline Aircraft
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-01 · Resources · 1,890 words · PDF available
For the past two decades, there has been continuing policy interest in enhancing airline in-flight security with secondary cockpit barriers. A secondary cockpit barrier, also known as an installed phy...
Congressional Court Watcher: Circuit Splits from July 2024
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-31 · Posts · 2,286 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 ...
Presidential Transitions: A Brief Summary of the Presidential Transition Act
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-31 · Resources · 1,471 words · PDF available
This In Focus provides a brief summary of the provisions of the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, as amended (PTA). For a discussion of the PTA and associated statutes in greater depth, see CRS Rep...
Biodiversity and Conservation in Tanzania
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-31 · Reports · 7,877 words · PDF available
Tanzania is rich in biodiversity and is home to several iconic species, including elephants, lions, black rhinoceros, and giraffes. Tanzania hosts 6 of 25 globally designated biodiversity hotspots and...
Presidential Transitions: Executive Clemency
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-31 · Resources · 1,104 words · PDF available
In Section 2 of the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 (as amended; 3 U.S.C. 102 note), Congress declared that “[t]he national interest requires that [presidential] transitions ... be accomplished so...
Earned Wage Access Products
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-31 · Resources · 1,551 words · PDF available
For many people, the need for cash in between paychecks is a substantial burden. Earned wage access (EWA) products have generally been developed by technology-focused, nonbank financial technology com...
Political-to-Career Conversions (“Burrowing In”)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-30 · Resources · 1,643 words · PDF available
Some individuals who are serving in appointed (noncareer) positions in the executive branch convert to career positions in the competitive service, the Senior Executive Service (SES), or the excepted ...
Presidential and Federal Records: Transition Considerations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-30 · Resources · 1,649 words · PDF available
At the conclusion of a presidency, both the President and the Administration have likely generated millions of government records that document the actions and decisionmaking processes of the executiv...
Presidential Transitions: Midnight Rulemaking
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-30 · Resources · 1,693 words · PDF available
Midnight Rulemaking Overview During the final months of presidential Administrations, federal agencies have often increased the pace of their regulatory activities. This phenomenon is often referred t...
Senate Procedures to Confirm Nominees
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-30 · Testimony · 10,466 words · PDF available
Nominations; nominations process; confirmation process; nominees; Senate rules; en bloc; holds; nuclear option; cloture; postcloture; filibuster; confirmation; PAS; rules change; S.Res.15; S.Res.444; ...
The Creation of Presidential Records
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-30 · Infographics · 517 words · PDF available
/ The Creation of Presidential Records Information as of July 30, 2024. Prepared by Meghan M. Stuessy, Analyst in Government Organization and Management, and Jamie Bush, Visual Information Specialist....
Presidential Transitions: Executive Branch Political Appointment Status
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-30 · Resources · 1,060 words · PDF available
The status of incumbent political appointees during presidential transitions has often been of interest to Congress. In some instances, appointees of an outgoing President have continued to serve into...
Executive Orders and Presidential Transitions
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-30 · Resources · 1,544 words · PDF available
Since at least the Administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the concept of a President’s first “100 days” has been a touchstone for evaluation of presidential effectiveness and places at least some pr...
Senate Procedures to Confirm Nominees
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-30 · Testimony · 8,438 words · PDF available
Appointments Clause; Officer of the United States; Principal Officer; Inferior Officer; Advice and Consent
The Supreme Court’s Narrow Construction of Federal Criminal Laws: 2023 Term
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-29 · Posts · 1,561 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...
Immigration: Grounds of Inadmissibility
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-29 · Resources · 1,845 words · PDF available
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), aliens may be denied admission to the United States or face other adverse immigration consequences if they are inadmissible. (The INA defines an “alien...
Space Resource Extraction: Overview and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-29 · Reports · 11,659 words · PDF available
Many in Congress have expressed interest in opportunities to extract resources (e.g., oxygen, water, precious metals) from the Moon, Mars, and asteroids—an activity often referred to as space resource...
Australia: Background and U.S. Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-29 · Resources · 1,455 words · PDF available
Overview Australia’s relationship with the United States, forged as allies in all major U.S. wars, remains close. The two countries enjoy close trade, political, cultural, intelligence, and defense re...
Federal Assistance for Wildfire Response and Recovery
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-29 · Resources · 1,561 words · PDF available
Wildfires are unplanned fires. Wildfires may be caused by natural phenomena (i.e., lightning strikes) or by deliberate or accidental human activities. Wildfires occur naturally, and many ecosystems ev...
Federal Interagency Wildfire Response Framework
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-29 · Resources · 1,480 words · PDF available
Wildfires are unplanned fires in vegetated landscapes. Where a wildfire begins determines jurisdiction for wildfire response. Because wildfires often cross jurisdictional boundaries and may impact nea...
Ownership of Retirement Accounts in 2022: Amounts in Defined Contribution Plans and Individual Retirement Accounts
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-29 · Reports · 2,864 words · PDF available
Households rely on a variety of sources for income in retirement. In 2022, about 54% of U.S. households had savings in retirement accounts, which included certain employer-sponsored account-type pensi...
Lame Duck Sessions of Congress, 1935-2022 (74th-117th Congresses)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-29 · Reports · 15,773 words · PDF available
A “lame duck” session of Congress occurs whenever one Congress meets after its successor is elected but before the end of its own constitutional term. Under present conditions, any meeting of Congress...
Congressional Court Watcher: Federal Appellate Decisions in Recent Years Applying Chevron Deference
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-26 · Posts · 7,517 words · PDF available
In late June 2024, the Supreme Court issued a decision in the consolidated cases of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce (collectively referred to as Lop...
Smithsonian Institution: Background, Entities, and Leadership
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-26 · Resources · 1,042 words
Congress created the Smithsonian Institution in 1846, 10 years after it agreed to accept the bequest of James Smithson, an English scientist who died in 1829. Smithson left the bulk of his estate to t...
Timor-Leste: Background and U.S. Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-26 · Resources · 1,537 words · PDF available
Overview Timor-Leste (also known as East Timor), is one of the world’s youngest nation-states, having gained its independence from Indonesia on May 20, 2002. The United States and the U.S. Congress ha...
National Park Service Deferred Maintenance: Overview and Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-25 · Reports · 11,002 words
The National Park Service (NPS) has a multibillion-dollar backlog of deferred maintenance—maintenance that was not performed as scheduled or as needed and was put off to a future time. NPS’s deferred ...
2024 Paris Games: Anti-Doping Policies and Testing
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-24 · Posts · 1,025 words · PDF available
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) were responsible for establishing anti-doping policies and testing regimes for the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. As...
IT Disruptions from CrowdStrike’s Update: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2024-07-24 · Reports · 2,145 words · PDF available
The use of information technology (IT) across industries has created opportunities for disruptions and vulnerabilities in the supply chain for products and services. The impact of these disruptions ma...