Federal Environmental Remediation Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), a.k.a. “the Superfund Law”
Congress enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA; P.L. 96-510) in response to a growing desire for the federal government to ensure the cleanu...
Senate Committee Funding Requests and Authorizations, 106th-119th Congresses
In the Senate, a biennial funding process applies to all Senate committees except Appropriations and Ethics, which have permanent authorizations for their staff and operating expenses. The Senate Comm...
Hawaii’s Active Volcanoes: Federal Role in Research, Monitoring, and Warning
Hawaii has six active volcanoes, five of which the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) considers threatening to people and property. Hawaii’s volcanoes formed the Hawaiian island chain from a hotspot plume ...
Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs: FY2026 Budget and Appropriations
Congress typically considers 12 distinct appropriations measures on an annual basis to fund federal programs and activities. Since FY2008, one of these measures has been the Department of State, Forei...
Defense Primer: The United States Air Force
The National Security Act of 1947 (P.L. 80-253, Title II, §207), enacted on July 26, 1947, established the U.S. Air Force as an Armed Force under the Department of the Air Force (DAF). An executive or...
Unauthorized Farmworkers in the United States
In June 2025, some news stations reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had conducted immigration raids of farms and meat processing plants in California, Nebraska, New York, an...
Iran’s Nuclear Program: Tehran’s Compliance with International Obligations
On September 24, 2005, the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution finding Iran in noncompliance with its IAEA safeguards agreement. Subsequently, several UN Security Council resolutions adopted ...
Continuing Authorities Programs (CAPs) of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) can study and construct certain water resource projects of limited size, cost, scope, and complexity without project-specific congressional authorization. USAC...
The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) and Its Role in Mapping Hazards and Resources
In 2021, Congress passed two laws establishing and directing the 3-dimensional Elevation Program (3D Elevation Program, or 3DEP) to support identification of hazards and resources, among other purpose...
Overview of FY2025 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations
This report provides an overview of FY2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations, including relevant congressional actions and a top-line comparis...
The Second Amendment at the Supreme Court: Challenges to Federal Gun Laws
Ratified in 1791, the Second Amendment provides, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” For...
House Office of Congressional Conduct: History, Authority, and Procedures
The House Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC; formerly the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE)) was established on March 11, 2008, with the passage of H.Res. 895. In the 119th Congress (2025-2026),...