Advanced search Help
Clear all search criteria
Only 2/3! You are seeing results from the Public Collection, not the complete Full Collection. Sign in to search everything (see eligibility).
-
Pandemic Has Exacerbated Housing Instability for Renters of Color
From the Document: "There has been a long history of housing insecurity for people of color in the United States due to racially targeted policies and widespread discrimination, particularly within the rental housing market. These policies and practices continue to keep people of color in poverty. In 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic hit, an estimated 34 million individuals were living in poverty in the United States, with Black and Latinx people experiencing higher rates of poverty than whites. Native American, Black, and Latinx renters were also more likely to be extremely low income. During the coronavirus pandemic, disparities by race have persisted: Renters of color report having less confidence in their ability to pay rent and experiencing greater difficulties staying current on rent compared with their white counterparts. It is clear that the coronavirus pandemic is affecting renters of color differently, exacerbating past inequality, and leading the path to a future of worsening inequality." This material was published by the Center for American Progress.
Center for American Progress
Lake, Jaboa Shawntaé, 1991-
2020-10-30
-
Report 34: COVID-19 Infection Fatality Ratio: Estimates from Seroprevalence
From the Summary: "The infection fatality ratio (IFR) is a key statistic for estimating the burden of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and has been continuously debated throughout the current pandemic. Previous estimates have relied on data early in the epidemic, or have not fully accounted for uncertainty in serological test characteristics and delays from onset of infection to seroconversion, death, and antibody waning. After screening 175 studies, we identified 10 representative antibody surveys to obtain updated estimates of the IFR using a modelling framework that addresses the limitations listed above. We inferred serological test specificity from regional variation within serosurveys, which is critical for correctly estimating the cumulative proportion infected when seroprevalence is still low. We find that age-specific IFRs follow an approximately log-linear pattern, with the risk of death doubling approximately every eight years of age. Using these age-specific estimates, we estimate the overall IFR in a typical low-income country, with a population structure skewed towards younger individuals, to be 0.23% (0.14-0.42 95% prediction interval range). In contrast, in a typical high income country, with a greater concentration of elderly individuals, we estimate the overall IFR to be 1.15% (0.78-1.79 95% prediction interval range). [...] Unbiased estimates of the IFR continue to be critical to policymakers to inform key response decisions. It will be important to continue to monitor the IFR as new treatments are introduced."
Imperial College London
Brazeau, Nicholas F.; Verity, Robert; Jenks, Sara . . .
2020-10-29
-
Nuclear Ban Treaty: An Overview [Updated October 29, 2020]
From the Document: "Since the founding of the United Nations in 1945, the UN General Assembly (UN GA) has called for the elimination of nuclear weapons. UNGA Resolution A/71/258 (2016) called on UN member states to negotiate in 2017 a legally binding Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), also known as the nuclear 'ban treaty.' Negotiations ended on July 7, 2017, when 122 countries voted to approve the treaty. Singapore abstained, and the Netherlands voted against it, citing conflicts between the treaty and its commitments as a member of NATO. The United States and 40 other states did not participate in negotiations. To date, 84 countries have signed and 50 countries have ratified the treaty. In accordance with Article 15, the TPNW will enter into force 90 days following the 50th ratification, which will be on January 22, 2021. Civil society groups advocated for a nuclear ban, and in 2017, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the nongovernmental International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for its advocacy role."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Nikitin, Mary Beth Dunham
2020-10-29
-
Larger Businesses and COVID-19: Financial Relief and Assistance Resources [Updated October 29, 2020]
From the Document: "This CRS [Congressional Research Service] Insight presents selected resources and CRS products on economic relief and assistance for medium and large businesses that were directly affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, enacted on March 27, 2020, contains provisions to assist businesses. This Insight focuses on sources of assistance designated for medium and large businesses that do not qualify for Small Business Administration programs or other assistance programs for small businesses. [...] Note that this Insight may not include every instance of federal assistance to medium or large firms provided in response to the COVID-19 pandemic."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Jennings, Julie
2020-10-29
-
Climate Change Risk Mitigation by U.S. Foreign Assistance Agencies [October 29, 2020]
From the Introduction: "Congress has demonstrated continued interest in how U.S. foreign assistance agencies address climate-related issues. To mitigate the risk of climate change for both internal agency operations and foreign assistance programming, Members have provided related funding and directives in regular Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations measures. [...] This report focuses on agencies' planning to reduce the risk of climate change for operations and programs; it does not include analysis of programming aimed at addressing developing countries' own climate risk. Specifically, this report discusses how the foreign assistance agencies--the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Peace Corps, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and the Development Finance Corporation--are addressing climate change in their respective internal operations and overseas work planning. The report also discusses key issues that may be of interest to Congress as it considers future funding for and oversight of these activities. These issues include options for congressional input, the relationship of climate risk to other priorities such as environmental degradation, and responsibilities for climate risk management within and among U.S. foreign assistance agencies."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Brown, Nick M.; Morgenstern, Emily M.
2020-10-29
-
Defense Primer: Electronic Warfare [Updated October 29, 2020]
From the Document: "Electronic warfare (EW), as defined by the Department of Defense (DOD), are military activities that use electromagnetic energy to control the electromagnetic spectrum ('the spectrum') and attack an enemy. The spectrum is a range of frequencies for electromagnetic energy. EW supports command and control (C2) by allowing military commanders' access to the spectrum to communicate with forces, while preventing potential adversaries from accessing the spectrum to develop an operational picture and communicate with their forces. Some have argued that EW is a component of anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) campaigns."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoehn, John R.
2020-10-29
-
Renewed Great Power Competition: Implications for Defense--issues for Congress [Updated October 29, 2020]
From the Introduction: "This report provides a brief overview of implications for U.S. defense of renewed great power competition with China and Russia. The issue for Congress is how U.S. defense planning should respond to renewed great power competition, and whether to approve, reject, or modify the Trump Administration's proposed defense funding levels, strategy, plans, and programs for addressing renewed great power competition. Congress's decisions on these issues could have significant implications for U.S. defense capabilities and funding requirements. This report focuses on defense-related issues and does not discuss potential implications of renewed great power competition for other policy areas, such as foreign policy and diplomacy, trade and finance, energy, and foreign assistance."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2020-10-29
-
'Zombie' Companies: Background and Policy Issues [October 29, 2020]
From the Document: "'Zombie' companies are mature companies that have not generated sufficient profits to cover their debt borrowing costs over a period of years. Such companies are characterized by prolonged underperformance and poor future prospects and are often associated with low productivity. The number of zombie companies has gone up in recent years. As many as 15% of companies in the Russell 3000--an index of 3,000 publicly traded U.S. companies that make up the vast majority of the investable public U.S. equity market--are considered zombies by some. This In Focus addresses basic questions about zombie companies, discusses their effects on the economy, and briefly reviews policy implications and proposals to address them."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Su, Eva
2020-10-29
-
Wildfire Management Funding: FY2021 Appropriations [October 29, 2020]
From the Document: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service (FS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) are responsible for wildfire response and management across the federal lands within their respective jurisdictions. Both FS and DOI generally receive annual discretionary appropriations for wildfire management activities through the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bills. Wildfire management funding for DOI is provided to the department-level Office of Wildland Fire. Wildfire management appropriations fluctuate annually but began to increase in the late 1990s and rose markedly after FY2000. A significant portion of the annual fluctuations and overall increase in funding is related to fire suppression costs, which vary considerably and may be high even during years of relatively mild wildfire activity."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2020-10-29
-
Thailand: 2020 Student Protests and U.S.-Thai Relations [October 29, 2020]
From the Document: "Protesters have taken to the streets in Thailand, challenging the country's military-led government and, notably, the role of the country's powerful monarchy. Protesters are demanding constitutional reform, the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, and limitations on the powers of the monarchy--a deeply sensitive issue in Thailand. Previous periods of mass protests in Thailand have challenged the country's political institutions, and on numerous instances have resulted in violent clashes between competing factions as well as with the Thai military. Since becoming a constitutional monarchy in 1932, Thailand has experienced over 22 attempted coups (13 successful), the most recent in 2014."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Smith, Kirt; Chanlett-Avery, Emma; Dolven, Ben
2020-10-29
-
Iran's Nuclear Program and U.N. Sanctions Reimposition [Updated October 29, 2020]
From the Document: "U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015), which the council adopted on July 20, 2015, implements the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and contains other provisions concerning Iran's nuclear program, Tehran's development of missiles, and arms transfers to and from Iran. The United States has threatened to invoke the resolution's 'snapback' mechanism, which requires the Security Council to reimpose U.N. sanctions lifted pursuant to Resolution 2231 and the JCPOA. The JCPOA, finalized in July 2015 by Iran and China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (collectively known as the P5+1), requires Iran to implement constraints on its uranium enrichment and heavy water nuclear reactor programs, as well as allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to monitor Tehran's compliance with the agreement. Prior to the JCPOA, these programs caused international concern because they could both have produced fissile material for use in nuclear weapons."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kerr, Paul K.
2020-10-29
-
Covid Economics Vetted and Real-Time Papers: Issue 54, 29 October 2020
This October 29, 2020 edition of 'Covid Economics Vetted and Real-Time Papers' contains the following articles: "Work, care and gender during the covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] crisis" by Claudia Hupkau and Barbara Petrongolo; "Uncertainty, hysteresis and lockdowns" by Charles Sims and David Finnoff; "Social learning along international migrant networks" by Yuan Tian, Maria Esther Caballero and Brian K. Kovak; "Urban flight seeded the COVID-19 pandemic across the United States" by Joshua Coven, Arpit Gupta and Iris Yao; and "COVID-19 and the future of US fertility: What can we learn from Google?" by Joshua Wilde, Wei Chen, and Sophie Lohmann.
Centre for Economic Policy Research
2020-10-29
-
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Considerations for Communities of Faith
From the Document: "CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] offers the following general considerations to help communities of faith discern how best to practice their beliefs while keeping their staff and congregations safe. Millions of Americans embrace worship as an essential part of life. For many faith traditions, gathering together for worship is at the heart of what it means to be a community of faith. But as Americans are now aware, gatherings present a risk for increasing spread of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] during this Public Health Emergency. CDC offers these suggestions for faith communities to consider and accept, reject, or modify, consistent with their own faith traditions, in the course of preparing to reconvene for in-person gatherings while still working to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This guidance is not intended to infringe on rights protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution or any other federal law, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA). The federal government may not prescribe standards for interactions of faith communities in houses of worship, and in accordance with the First Amendment, no faith community should be asked to adopt any mitigation strategies that are more stringent than the mitigation strategies asked of similarly situated entities or activities. [...] State and local authorities are reminded to take this vital right into account when establishing their own re-opening plans."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2020-10-29
-
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Considerations for Institutions of Higher Education
From the Document: "As some institutions of higher education (IHE) prepare to re-open or keep open in-person learning in the United States, IHEs are faced with the challenge of keeping students, faculty, staff, and volunteers safe due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. CDC offers the following considerations for ways that IHEs can help protect students and employees (e.g., faculty, staff, and administrators) and slow the spread of COVID-19. This document refers only to risks related to COVID-19. [...] These interim considerations are based on what is currently known about COVID-19 as of the date of posting, October 5, 2020. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will update these considerations as needed and as additional information becomes available. Please check CDC website periodically for updated interim guidance. [...] Summary of changes to the considerations as of October 5, 2020: [1] Expanded considerations on care for students and staff when becoming ill in an IHE setting; [2] Updated considerations on ventilation; [3]Updated considerations on food service; [4] Updated considerations for contact tracing; [5] Updated considerations on recognizing signs and symptoms of COVID-19, screening, and testing; [6] Updated considerations on coping and support; [and] [7] Updated considerations for Direct Service Providers (DSPs)."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2020-10-29
-
Implementation of Mitigation Strategies for Communities with Local COVID-19 Transmission [Updated October 29, 2020]
From the Background: "This document describes the goals, guiding principles, and strategies for community mitigation to reduce or prevent local COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] transmission. Community mitigation activities are actions that people and communities can take to slow the spread of a new virus with pandemic potential. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a new coronavirus. Community mitigation actions are especially important before a vaccine or therapeutic drug becomes widely available. Because COVID-19 is highly transmissible and can be spread by people who do not know they have the disease, risk of transmission within a community can be difficult to determine. Until broad-scale testing is widely implemented or we have a more comprehensive and precise measure of disease burden, states and communities should assume some community transmission or spread is occurring."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2020-10-29
-
EMR-ISAC: InfoGram, Volume 20 Issue 44, October 29, 2020
The Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center's (EMR-ISAC) InfoGram is a weekly publication of information concerning the protection of critical infrastructures relevant to members of the Emergency Services Sector. This issue includes the following articles: "Critical drug shortages further complicate pandemic response"; "Increased and imminent cyber threat to healthcare and public health"; "2020 Wildfire Risk Report"; "FEMA hosting integrated preparedness planning workshop series"; and "Cyber Threats."
Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)
2020-10-29
-
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 5541, Tribal Power Act
This is the Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on July 15, 2020. From the Document: "H.R. 5541 would reauthorize and expand programs sponsored by the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Indian Energy. Under the bill, DOE would provide grants and technical assistance to Native American tribes, intertribal organizations, and tribal energy development organizations for energy efficiency programs, electric infrastructure projects, and other related activities. The bill would authorize the appropriation of $30 million annually from 2021 through 2025 for those purposes."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2020-10-29
-
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 5668, Making Objective Drug Evidence Revisions for New Labeling Act of 2020
This is the Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on July 15, 2020. From the Document: "Under current law, labels on generic drugs must match those of their corresponding reference brand drug. H.R. 5668 would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require label updates for certain generic drugs once the reference drug's patents and exclusivities expire, new information is available, and the Secretary determines that the public health would benefit from the updated label. The bill also would require the Secretary to report to the Congress every four years on the number and types of such determinations made and on the number of times manufacturers disagreed with those determinations."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2020-10-29
-
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 4727, Department of Homeland Security Mentor-Protégé Program
This is the Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on
July 22, 2020. From the Document: "H.R. 4727 would direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a program for mentor firms to enter into agreements with protégé firms to help them compete for prime contracts and subcontracts. DHS is currently carrying out activities similar to those required by this act, and any new activities required under the legislation would not require substantial action by the department. Thus, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that implementing H.R. 4727 would not have a significant cost; any spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2020-10-29
-
Navy Maintenance: Navy Report Did Not Fully Address Causes of Delays or Results-Oriented Elements, Report to Congressional Committees
From the GAO (Government Accountability Office) Highlights: "The Navy generally has been unable to complete ship and submarine maintenance on time, resulting in reduced time for training and operations, and additional costs. The Navy's ability to successfully maintain its ships is affected by numerous factors throughout a ship's life cycle, such as decisions made during acquisition, which occurs years before a ship arrives at a shipyard for maintenance. Others manifest during operational use of the ship or during the maintenance process. The conference report accompanying a bill for the Fiscal Year 2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act directed the Secretary of the Navy to submit a report identifying the underlying causes of maintenance delays for aircraft carriers, surface ships, and submarines and to include elements of results-oriented management. The conference report also included a provision for GAO to review the Navy's report that was released in July 2020. This report evaluates the extent to which the Navy's report (1) identifies the underlying causes of maintenance delays and (2) incorporates elements of results-oriented management. GAO reviewed the Navy's report and interviewed Navy officials."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2020-10-29
-
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 1730, A Bill to Direct the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to Make Grants to State and Local Governments and Nongovernmental Organizations for Purposes of Carrying Out Climate-Resilient Living Shoreline Projects That Protect Coastal Communities by Supporting Ecosystem Functions and Habitats with the Use of Natural Materials and Systems, and for Other Purposes
This is the Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on July 22, 2020. From the Document: "S. 1730 would amend the National Sea Grant College Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to authorize the appropriation of $50 million annually over the 2021-2024 period for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide grants to states and university partners to research, design, and implement projects that restore or stabilize shorelines using nature-based approaches. Using historical spending patterns for similar grant programs, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that implementing S. 1730 would cost $174 million over the 2021-2025 period and $26 million after 2025, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2020-10-29
-
COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations, Version 2.0
From the Executive Summary: "Immunization with a safe and effective COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] vaccine is a critical component of the United States strategy to reduce COVID-19-related illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths and to help restore societal functioning. The goal of the U.S. government is to have enough COVID-19 vaccine for all people in the United States who wish to be vaccinated. [...] This document serves as an interim playbook for state, territorial (including the US-affiliated Pacific Islands [USAPI] of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau), tribal, and local public health programs and their partners on how to plan and operationalize a vaccination response to COVID-19 within their jurisdictions. The document's sections cover specific areas of COVID-19 vaccination program planning and implementation and provide key guidance documents and links to resources to assist those efforts. Many, but not all, of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program activities described may overlap with routine activities; routine immunization and pandemic influenza program activities can serve as a foundation for COVID-19 vaccination planning."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2020-10-29
-
Public Confidence in Elections [October 29, 2020]
From the Document: "Since the 2016 election cycle, election officials have warned about ongoing efforts to undermine public confidence in American political institutions. They also have consistently reassured Americans that there is no publicly available evidence that foreign or domestic interference have changed or likely could change official election results. This CRS [Congressional Research Service] Insight discusses recent policy issues and selected factors that could affect public confidence in voting and elections."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Garrett, R. Sam, 1977-
2020-10-29
-
Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress [Updated October 29, 2020]
From the Summary: "Names for Navy ships traditionally have been chosen and announced by the Secretary of the Navy, under the direction of the President and in accordance with rules prescribed by Congress. Rules for giving certain types of names to certain types of Navy ships have evolved over time. There have been exceptions to the Navy's ship-naming rules, particularly for the purpose of naming a ship for a person when the rule for that type of ship would have called for it to be named for something else. Some observers have perceived a breakdown in, or corruption of, the rules for naming Navy ships. Section 1749 of the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (S. 1790/P.L. 116-92 of December 20, 2019) prohibits the Secretary of Defense, in naming a new ship (or other asset) or renaming an existing ship (or other asset), from giving the asset a name that refers to, or includes a term referring to, the Confederate States of America, including any name referring to a person who served or held leadership within the Confederacy, or a Confederate battlefield victory."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2020-10-29
-
Kyrgyz Parliamentary Elections Annulled Amid Protests and Unrest [Updated October 29, 2020]
From the Document: "The Kyrgyz Republic (commonly known as Kyrgyzstan) faces political upheaval in the wake of disputed October 4, 2020, parliamentary elections that heavily favored pro-government parties. As a parliamentary republic that holds contested elections, Kyrgyzstan has long been considered the most democratic country in Central Asia, with a vibrant civil society and a higher degree of press freedom than found elsewhere in the region. Promoting a more inclusive and accountable democracy is a stated goal of U.S. foreign policy in Kyrgyzstan, and Kyrgyzstan is one of 21 countries worldwide that participate in the House Democracy Partnership. Many Members of Congress and other U.S. policymakers have long voiced support for consolidating Kyrgyzstan's gains as Central Asia's only parliamentary democracy. Corruption is pervasive, however, and political institutions remain weak."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Blackwood, Maria A.
2020-10-29
-
First Responder's Toolbox: Natural Gas and Propane Terrorist Tactics
From the Scope: "This product highlights the importance of recognizing potential suspicious activity during responses or service calls to incidents involving 'odors of gas.'"
National Counterterrorism Center (U.S.)
Joint Counterterrorism Assessment Team
2020-10-29
-
Public Health and Emergency Measures Working Group, Summary Discussion: Lessons from the First Wave of COVID-19
From the Introduction: "This Communiqué provides a summary of discussions, insights and observations from the Public Health and Emergency Measures Working Group. The group met frequently during the first wave of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] to provide timely insights to policymakers and the public about the various challenges the healthcare system had to manage. As case numbers grow across Canada, insights from the first wave of COVID-19 can be applied to better manage infection risks while also minimizing social and economic disruption caused by public health and social distancing related restrictions on activity. Health policy issues highlighted by the COVID-19 crisis are both short and long term in nature. In the short term, maintaining the capacity of the healthcare system to manage surges of COVID-19, while also ensuring minimal negative health and economic outcomes, is the main priority. The pandemic has resulted in drastic changes to how Canadians access healthcare services, which present an opportunity to incorporate positive change into the 'new normal' of health system operations."
C.D. Howe Institute
Wyonch, Rosalie; Maqbool, Sana
2020-10-28
-
Navy Constellation (FFG-62) Class Frigate (Previously FFG[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated October 28, 2020]
From the Summary: "The Constellation (FFG-62) class frigate program, previously known as the FFG(X) program, is a Navy program to build a class of 20 guided-missile frigates (FFGs). Congress funded the procurement of the first FFG-62 class ship in FY2020 at a cost of $1,281.2 million (i.e., about $1.3 billion). The Navy's proposed FY2021 budget requests $1,053.1 million (i.e., about $1.1 billion) for the procurement of the second FFG-62 class ship. The Navy estimates that subsequent ships in the class will cost roughly $940 million each in then-year dollars. Four industry teams were competing for the FFG-62 program. On April 30, 2020, the Navy announced that it had awarded the FFG-62 contract to the team led by Fincantieri/Marinette Marine (F/MM) of Marinette, WI. F/MM was awarded a fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract for Detail Design and Construction (DD&C) for up to 10 ships in the program--the lead ship plus nine option ships. The other three industry teams reportedly competing for the program were led by Austal USA of Mobile, AL; General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works (GD/BIW) of Bath, ME; and Huntington Ingalls Industries/Ingalls Shipbuilding (HII/Ingalls) of Pascagoula, MS."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2020-10-28
-
China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities--Background and Issues for Congress [Updated October 28, 2020]
From the Summary: "In an era of renewed great power competition, China's military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, has become the top focus of U.S. defense planning and budgeting. [...] The U.S. Navy in recent years has taken a number of actions to counter China's naval modernization effort. Among other things, the U.S. Navy has shifted a greater percentage of its fleet to the Pacific; assigned its most-capable new ships and aircraft and its best personnel to the Pacific; maintained or increased general presence operations, training and developmental exercises, and engagement and cooperation with allied and other navies in the Indo-Pacific; increased the planned future size of the Navy; initiated, increased, or accelerated numerous programs for developing new military technologies and acquiring new ships, aircraft, unmanned vehicles, and weapons; begun development of new operational concepts (i.e., new ways to employ Navy and Marine Corps forces) for countering Chinese maritime A2/AD [anti-access/area-denial] forces; and signaled that the Navy in coming years will shift to a more-distributed fleet architecture that will feature a smaller portion of larger ships, a larger portion of smaller ships, and a substantially greater use of unmanned vehicles. The issue for Congress is whether the U.S. Navy is responding appropriately to China's naval modernization effort."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2020-10-28
-
Federal Wildfire Management: Ten-Year Funding Trends and Issues (FY2011-FY2020) [October 28, 2020]
From the Summary: "Wildfire management is a series of coordinated activities to prepare for, resolve, and recover from wildfire events. The federal agencies responsible for wildfire management include the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service (FS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI). FS carries out wildfire response and management across the 193 million acres of national forests and national grasslands; DOI carries out these activities on more than 400million acres of national parks, wildlife refuges and preserves, Indian reservations, and other public lands. The federal agencies also coordinate wildfire response activities with state and local governments as needed. Both FS and DOI generally receive annual discretionary appropriations for wildfire management activities through the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bills. Wildfire management funding for DOI is provided to the Office of Wildland Fire (a department-level office). Both FS and DOI receive wildfire appropriations through similarly structured accounts, programs, and activities, though FS's account structure changed several times between FY2011 and FY2020. [...] Total combined FS and DOI wildfire appropriations fluctuated annually but increased from FY2011 to FY2020."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2020-10-28
