Policy Library

7,020 documents

Costa Rica: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-20 · Resources · 1,689 words · PDF available
Costa Rica historically has been a bastion of stability in Central America and at times has been a key U.S. partner for advancing policy goals in the region. The 118th Congress enacted appropriations ...
U.S. Foreign Assistance
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-20 · Resources · 1,297 words · PDF available
What Is U.S. Foreign Assistance? Foreign assistance has been an instrument of U.S. foreign policy through which the U.S. government has provided resources to countries policymakers have deemed to be ...
House Full Committee Hearings: 107th-118th Congresses
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-19 · Reports · 11,844 words · PDF available
This report provides data on the number of full committee hearings conducted by the standing committees of the House of Representatives during the 107th-118th Congresses (2001-2024), as indicated by t...
Metallurgical Coal: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-19 · Reports · 7,725 words · PDF available
Metallurgical coal, also called met coal or coking coal, is coal that is used for steel production. It differs from steam coal, which is used to generate electricity, in that it typically has a lower ...
Federal Support for Graduate Medical Education
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-19 · Reports · 29,705 words · PDF available
Access to health care is, in part, determined by the availability of physicians, a function of the number of practicing physicians. Policymakers have demonstrated a long-standing interest in access to...
Federal Support for Law Enforcement Agencies’ Transition to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-19 · Resources · 1,805 words · PDF available
Since 1930, The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been the curator of national crime data voluntarily reported through their Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. For decades, the FBI collect...
U.S. Sanctions on Iran
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-19 · Resources · 1,721 words · PDF available
Since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the United States has used sanctions of various types as key tools of U.S. policy toward the government of Iran. The U.S. government uses sanctions to deter, cons...
The way forward for Ukraine after the Putin summit
Brookings Institution · 2025-08-18 · Article · 890 words
The obstacles to peace between Russia and Ukraine are daunting, and no one should expect major progress anytime soon.
U.S.-Taiwan Trade and Economic Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-18 · Resources · 1,833 words · PDF available
Taiwan is a top U.S. trade partner and a key link in global technology and manufacturing supply chains. Taiwan’s economy is highly dependent on global trade; exports account for about 70% of its gross...
The U.S. “One-China” Policy and Taiwan
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-18 · Resources · 1,762 words · PDF available
Introduction Since establishing diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1979, the U.S. government has recognized the PRC as “the sole legal Government of China” and maintaine...
Health Provisions in P.L. 119-21, the FY2025 Reconciliation Law
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-18 · Reports · 20,626 words · PDF available
The budget reconciliation law commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21), enacted on July 4, 2025, includes a number of health provisions that impact Medicaid, the State Children’s...
The Consumer Price Index: Data Quality
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-18 · Posts · 1,012 words · PDF available
Questions have recently arisen surrounding the reliability and usefulness of certain federally produced data, including the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The President’s recent removal of the head of th...
Ecuador: Country Overview and U.S. Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-18 · Resources · 1,664 words · PDF available
Ecuador is an ethnically and geographically diverse country of 18.1 million people, encompassing parts of South America’s Pacific coast, Amazon Basin, and Andean highlands (see Figure 1). Ecuador face...
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Tests
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-18 · Resources · 1,740 words · PDF available
The United States has observed a voluntary moratorium on nuclear explosive testing since 1992, although it has maintained the ability to resume these tests at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS)....
Counterproliferation in U.S. Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-18 · Posts · 1,002 words · PDF available
The United States uses diplomatic, military, law enforcement, intelligence, and financial means to disrupt, preempt, or respond to the acquisition or use of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, a...
Overview of FY2026 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-18 · Reports · 7,908 words · PDF available
This report describes actions to provide FY2026 appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) accounts. The annual CJS appropriations act provides funding for the Departmen...
Taiwan after the great recalls: Toward a new political equilibrium?
Brookings Institution · 2025-08-15 · Article · 1,558 words · PDF available
After the recall vote, Taiwan’s political combatants now have an opportunity for a political reset. Let us hope that they seize it.
The U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise: Background and Possible Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-15 · Reports · 18,057 words · PDF available
Created in 2000, the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is responsible for managing the U.S. stockpile of nuclear warheads that the Departme...
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Related Nutrition Programs in P.L. 119-21: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-15 · Reports · 6,729 words · PDF available
Nutrition provisions in the FY2025 budget reconciliation law (sometimes referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act [OBBBA]; P.L. 119-21/H.R. 1), as enacted on July 4, 2025, are estimated to reduce ...
Defense Primer: Strategic Nuclear Forces
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-15 · Resources · 1,727 words · PDF available
The United States is in the process of modernizing its strategic nuclear forces. This modernization effort includes numerous Department of Defense (DOD) major defense acquisition programs, some of whi...
College Athlete Compensation: Impacts of the House Settlement
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-15 · Posts · 3,222 words · PDF available
For much of its history, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has enforced rules related to college athlete compensation, including rules prohibiting athletes from earning money for the...
National Alerts: A Primer and Selected Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-15 · Reports · 7,948 words · PDF available
Sending emergency alerts before and during a regional or nationwide emergency to warn people of impending or ongoing danger could encourage them to take protective action that may save lives. The Pres...
U.S. Army Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-15 · Resources · 1,581 words · PDF available
The U.S. Army has requested FY2026 funding for small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS, commonly referred to as drones). These systems support intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); targe...
FY2025 NDAA: Military Treatment Facility Staffing
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-15 · Posts · 1,727 words · PDF available
Background The Department of Defense (DOD) administers health entitlements (under Title 10, Chapter 55 of the U.S. Code) through the Military Health System (MHS). The MHS offers health benefits and se...
Defense Primer: Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-15 · Resources · 1,634 words · PDF available
The Department of Defense (DOD) is replacing many elements of the U.S. nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) architecture as part of the United States’ ongoing efforts to recapitalize its...
Overview of FY2025 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS)
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-15 · Reports · 8,808 words · PDF available
This report describes actions to provide FY2025 appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) accounts. The annual CJS appropriations act provides funding for the Departmen...
Taiwan: Background and U.S. Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-15 · Resources · 1,706 words · PDF available
Introduction Taiwan, which formally calls itself the Republic of China (ROC), is a self-governing democracy. Its popularly-elected leaders govern 23.4 million people on the main island of Taiwan and o...
Rules Governing House Committee and Subcommittee Assignment Procedures
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-14 · Reports · 10,174 words · PDF available
Members of the House are assigned to serve on committees at the start of every Congress. Most assignments involve a three-step process involving the party caucuses and action on the House floor. First...
The Child Tax Credit: How It Works and Who Receives It
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-14 · Reports · 5,790 words · PDF available
This report provides an overview of the child tax credit under current law, including a review of temporary changes made by P.L. 115-97 (also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act or TCJA). The child ta...
Bolivia’s 2025 Elections: Implications for U.S. Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-14 · Posts · 1,032 words · PDF available
Bolivia is scheduled to hold presidential and legislative elections on August 17, 2025. A possible change in government could shift Bolivia’s policies after two decades of nearly continuous governance...
International Conservation Funding
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-14 · Posts · 1,003 words · PDF available
The United States provides foreign assistance to address international conservation in the form of financial, programmatic, and technical support. International conservation activities include protect...
Rules Governing Senate Committee and Subcommittee Assignment Procedures
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-14 · Reports · 7,974 words · PDF available
Each Congress, the Senate appoints its members to committees. In order to make these assignments, each party conference typically holds an organizational meeting following an election and prior to the...
Federal Environmental Remediation Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), a.k.a. “the Superfund Law”
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-14 · Reports · 23,080 words · PDF available
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...
Evolution of U.S.-Mexico Security Cooperation
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-14 · Resources · 1,714 words · PDF available
For roughly 15 years, successive U.S. and Mexican governments have pursued close bilateral security cooperation. U.S. officials assess that Mexico-based drug cartels continue to pose a national securi...
Current Employment Survey Monthly Revisions
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-14 · Resources · 1,372 words · PDF available
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was established by An Act to Establish the Bureau of Labor in 1884. In 1913, it was renamed and moved inside the new Department of Labor by An Act to create a Depa...
U.S. Foundation for International Conservation
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-14 · Resources · 1,443 words · PDF available
Introduction The United States supports international conservation efforts through foreign assistance, diplomatic engagement, and law enforcement. International conservation efforts primarily focus on...
Sponsorship and Cosponsorship of House Bills
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-14 · Reports · 2,455 words · PDF available
A Representative who introduces a bill or resolution in the House is called its sponsor. Several Members together may submit a bill, but only the Member whose name appears first is considered its spon...
Labor Day Speech Resources: Fact Sheet
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-14 · Reports · 976 words · PDF available
Labor Day is a federal holiday celebrating the achievements of American workers. Labor Day also symbolically marks the end of summer and the beginning of the school year. This guide is designed to ass...
A challenging moment for the US-India relationship
Brookings Institution · 2025-08-13 · Article · 1,638 words
The current moment’s frictions were predictable, but the challenge is that they have broken in a bad direction for India-U.S. ties.
Avoiding Putin’s trap in Alaska
Brookings Institution · 2025-08-13 · Article · 1,024 words
In Alaska, Putin will seek to trap Trump into embracing Moscow’s key demands for ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Marine Mammal Commission
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-13 · Resources · 1,619 words · PDF available
Introduction The Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) is an independent advisory agency of the executive branch that provides “independent, science-based oversight” of federal agency policies and actions ad...
Specialty Crops: Selected Farm Bill Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-13 · Reports · 8,138 words · PDF available
The U.S. specialty crop market consists of hundreds of different types of products. Each market has its own set of unique production and marketing conditions. Specialty crops are defined as “fruits an...
Senate Committee Funding Requests and Authorizations, 106th-119th Congresses
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-13 · Reports · 7,125 words · PDF available
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...
Gender and School Sports: Federal Action and Legal Challenges to State Laws
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-13 · Reports · 26,232 words · PDF available
Policymakers have debated how schools should respond when transgender students (students who are assigned one sex at birth but identify with the opposite sex) seek to use facilities or participate in ...
Small Business Research Programs: Selected Issues for Reauthorization
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-13 · Reports · 7,056 words · PDF available
Congress established two programs that support small business research and development (R&D): the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) pr...
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA): Selected Legal Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-12 · Reports · 22,495 words · PDF available
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) (16 U.S.C. §§ 703–712) was enacted in 1918 to implement a 1916 treaty signed by the United States and Great Britain (acting for Canada) aimed at protecting birds t...
Hawaii’s Active Volcanoes: Federal Role in Research, Monitoring, and Warning
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-12 · Reports · 20,588 words · PDF available
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 ...
Food and Dietary Supplement Labeling Claims: FDA Regulation and Select Legal Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-12 · Reports · 12,915 words · PDF available
Congress has authorized the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate nutrient-related claims on food and dietary supplement labels to promote healthful eating patterns, protect the public health...
Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs: FY2026 Budget and Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-12 · Reports · 8,008 words · PDF available
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...
Belarus: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2025-08-12 · Resources · 1,669 words · PDF available
Belarus, located in eastern Europe, is a close ally of Russia. Belarus’s authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, has served as president for 31 years. Lukashenko increased Belarus’s dependency on ...