United States v. Ahlgren: A Study in Lost Cryptocurrency Tax Revenue
On December 12, 2024, in United States v. Ahlgren, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas sentenced Frank Richard Ahlgren to 24 months in prison. The Department of Justice described...
Bills, Resolutions, Nominations, and Treaties: Characteristics and Examples of Use
In each chamber of Congress, four forms of legislative measures may be introduced (or, in the case of resolutions, submitted) and acted on: bills, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions, and resolu...
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides federal grants to the 50 states, District of Columbia, and territories (collectively, “states”), as well as Indian tribes. TANF ...
Financial Fraud and Scams: The Roles of Federal Law Enforcement and Financial Regulators
Reported losses associated with financial fraud and scams have been increasing, garnering attention from law enforcement, private industry, policymakers, and the general public. In 2024, the Federal T...
Private Sector: Accounting and Auditing Regulatory Structure
In the United States, accounting and auditing standards are promulgated and regulated by various federal, state, and self-regulatory agencies. Accounting and auditing standards are also influenced by ...
Salaries of Members of Congress: Congressional Votes, 1990-2025
Article I, Section 6, of the U.S. Constitution requires that compensation for Members of Congress be “ascertained by law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.”
Congress has relied on th...
Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables
Congress is required by Article I, Section 6, of the Constitution to determine its own pay. In the past, Congress periodically enacted specific legislation to alter its pay; the last time this occurre...
The Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument: Commercial Fishing Interests and Considerations for Congress
Introduction
The Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument (PIHMNM; Figure 1), known as the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument until January 2, 2025, is an area in the Central Pac...
Financial Data Transparency Act: Implementation Status of Data Standards and Related Data Collection Issues
The Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA, P.L. 117-263 §5801 [136 Stat. 3421]), enacted in 2022, requires agencies that oversee the activities of financial institutions to adopt data standards to gov...
Landslides: Federal Role in Research, Assessment, and Response
Landslide hazards may occur across the United States and its territories, and landslide risks may be increasing. A landslide is a movement of a mass of rock, debris, or soil down a slope. Mountainous,...
Smithsonian Institution: Selected Legislation, 119th Congress
The Smithsonian Institution is a complex of museum, education, research, and revenue-generating entities primarily located in the Washington, DC, region, with additional facilities and activities acro...
The Five Tickets to the Middle Class
Third Way is a center-left think tank that champions modern solutions to the most challenging problems in US public policy, including the economy, climate and energy, national security, social policy,...
Bureau of Land Management: FY2025 Appropriations
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in the Department of the Interior (DOI), manages 245 million acres of federal land, nearly all in the West. Under its multiple-use mission, BLM manages lands for d...