Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing: Frequently Asked Questions
Over the past two decades, successive U.S. Administrations and Congresses have recognized that illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing threatens national, regional, and global security and ...
Credit Card Swipe Fees and Routing Restrictions
The basic structure of a credit payment involves a customer, the customer’s bank (called the issuing bank), a card payment network, the merchant, the merchant’s bank (called the acquiring bank), and p...
False Statements and Perjury: An Overview of Federal Criminal Law
Federal courts, Congress, and federal agencies rely upon truthful information in order to make informed decisions. Federal law therefore proscribes providing the federal courts, Congress, or federal a...
False Statements and Perjury: An Abridged Overview of Federal Criminal Law
Federal courts, Congress, and federal agencies rely upon truthful information in order to make informed decisions. Federal law therefore proscribes providing the federal courts, Congress, or federal a...
The Equal Time Rule for Political Candidates: Constitutional Context
On July 23, 2024, two days after announcing that he would exit the 2024 presidential race, President Joe Biden wrote on social media that he would address the country on “what lies ahead.” In advance ...
The Federal Land Management Agencies
The Property Clause in the U.S. Constitution (Article IV, Section 3, clause 2) provides Congress the authority to acquire, dispose of, and manage federal property. Currently, approximately 640 million...
Federal Support for Reproductive Health Services: Frequently Asked Questions
Federal support for reproductive health services—preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services related to reproductive systems, functions, and processes—is administered in different ways, largely bec...
Israel and Hamas Conflict In Brief: Overview, U.S. Policy, and Options for Congress
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been at war with the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas (a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, or FTO), which led an attack that day from the Gaza Str...
Deferred Maintenance and Repair at Civilian Agencies: Causes, Risks, and Policy Options
Federal civilian agencies own more than 285,000 buildings and structures, which have been acquired over time to help the government achieve its objectives. As these assets age, their component systems...
U.S. Marine Corps Force Design Initiative: Background and Issues for Congress
On March 23, 2020, the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) announced a major force design initiative referred to as “Force Design 2030,” which is now known as “Force Design.” As part of this initiative, intended...
Hurricane Helene Recovery: Brief Overview of FEMA Programs and Resources
Introduction
Before midnight on September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 major hurricane in northwestern Florida in the Big Bend area of the Gulf Coast, later bringing heavy ...
Hydrogen Production: Overview and Issues for Congress
Various hydrogen production methods, or pathways, can use energy to extract hydrogen from feedstocks such as fossil fuels, biomass, and water. Hydrogen molecules can then be used in functional purpose...
Introduction to U.S. Economy: The Business Cycle and Growth
On July 19, 2021, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), an independent, nonprofit research group, announced that economic activity in the United States reached a post-COVID-19 pandemic onse...
The promise of free trade and integration across Africa’s nations
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) aims to create one market across the 55 countries of the African Union, promising free movement of goods, services, investment, people, and cooperation...