Defense Primer: International Armaments Cooperation
What is International Armaments Cooperation?
International armaments cooperation (IAC) refers to an array of research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E), procurement, and sustainment partne...
Immigration 101: Executive Branch Agencies Involved with Immigration
While Congress has plenary power over immigration law, the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), Homeland Security Act (HSA), and other laws grant substantial discretion over immigration policy to th...
Debating the Public Debt Clause
As early as June 5, 2023, according to Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, the federal government could face a “binding” statutory debt limit. If the debt limit were to bind, the Secretary would b...
Financial Disclosure in the U.S. Government: Frequently Asked Questions
Federal government officials and employees, when taking official action, are expected to “put loyalty to the highest moral principles and to country above loyalty to persons, party, or Government depa...
Executive Branch Ethics and Financial Disclosure Administration: The Role of Designated Agency Ethics Officials (DAEOs)
When acting in an official capacity, federal public servants are expected to put the government’s interests ahead of their own. Federal laws (e.g., the Ethics in Government Act, 5 U.S.C. §§13101-13111...
Medical Product Regulation: Drugs, Biologics, and Devices
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the safety and effectiveness of drugs, biologics, and devices (“medical products”) pursuant to its authorities under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmeti...
Offshore Energy: Vessel and Crew Nationality Requirements
Introduction
The 118th Congress is debating whether to further restrict foreigners from working in the U.S. offshore energy sector (i.e., oil, gas, and wind). The offshore wind industry asserts that p...
Generative Artificial Intelligence and Data Privacy: A Primer
generative AI, generative artificial intelligence, data privacy, data protection, data protections, artificial intelligence, chatbot, ChatGPT, Bard, Stable Diffusion, LLaMA, DALL-E, GPT-3, GPT-4, larg...
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education: FY2023 Appropriations
This report offers an overview of actions taken by Congress and the President to provide FY2023 appropriations for accounts funded by the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education...
Pakistan and U.S.-Pakistan Relations
As of May 2023, Pakistan is in what some observers have called a “polycrisis,” with serious political instability, an economic balance-of-payments crisis, renewed domestic security and terrorism threa...
Nonfederal Levee Safety: Primer, Status, and Considerations
This In Focus discusses nonfederal levees, the evolution of federal efforts to enhance nonfederal levee safety since 2007, and related policy considerations.
Nonfederal Levees and Risk
Levees (i.e., ...
Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2024
The U.S. government supports a broad range of scientific and engineering research and development (R&D). Its purposes include addressing national defense, health, safety, the environment, and energy s...