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• Senior Executive Service: An Overview [January 28, 2021]

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  From the Document: "The Senior Executive Service (SES) was established by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-454) to provide a government-wide cadre of high-level managers within federal agencies. The SES comprises mostly career appointees who are chosen through a merit staffing process and serve in policy, supervisory, and managerial positions above grade 15 of the General Schedule (GS). Most agencies have SES members, but some agencies are exempted by statute, including government corporations and certain intelligence and financial regulatory agencies. The SES was intended to create a link between the politically appointed leadership of agencies and career civil servants. The SES was to be the solution to frictions caused by sometimes differing objectives that each of these two groups may have, with the focus of political appointees often on instituting programmatic changes in line with the President's policy goals and the focus of career civil servants more on the technical details of program execution. In addition, the creation of the SES was partly intended to ease the transition period for new Presidents and their political appointees by providing incoming administrations with a flexible, responsive set of experienced leaders who could ensure that agencies were running smoothly through the change in leadership and beyond. This In Focus provides a brief overview of the SES, including types of positions, the process for and types of appointments to the SES, and compensation."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Carey, Maeve P.

  2021-01-28
• State Minimum Wage Ballot Measures: In Brief [Updated January 28, 2021]

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  From the Document: "Since 2016, voters in eight states approved ballot measures to increase state minimum wage rates. These and previous ballot measures provide states one way of establishing minimum wage provisions different from those required by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA; P.L. 75-718). The FLSA, enacted in 1938, is the federal legislation that establishes the general minimum wage that must be paid to all covered workers. The Department of Labor (DOL) estimates that more than 130 million workers are subject to the provisions of the FLSA. Since the FLSA established a minimum wage of $0.25 per hour in 1938, Congress has amended the act numerous times, typically to expand coverage or raise the wage rate. Since its establishment, the federal minimum wage rate has been raised 22 separate times, most recently in 2007, when it was increased from $5.15 per hour to its current rate of $7.25 per hour in three steps (the final step occurring in 2009). [...] States generally have three options in setting their minimum wage policies 1. they can set their own minimum wage provisions that differ from those in the FLSA, 2. they can explicitly tie their minimum wage provisions to the FLSA, or 3. they can include no specific minimum wage provisions in state law."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Bradley, David H.; Overbay, Abigail R.

  2021-01-28
• Submission of the President's Budget in Transition Years [Updated January 28, 2021]

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  From the Summary: "At the time of a presidential transition, one question commonly asked is whether the outgoing or incoming President submits the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Under past practices, and prior to more recent statutory changes, outgoing Presidents in transition years submitted a budget to Congress just prior to leaving office, and incoming Presidents usually revised them. Six incoming Presidents--Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan--revised their predecessors' budgets shortly after taking office. Two Presidents during this period, Lyndon Johnson and George H. W. Bush, chose not to do so. The deadline for submission of the President's budget, which has been changed several times over the years, was most recently set in 1990 as 'on or after the first Monday in January but not later than the first Monday in February of each year.' The change made it possible for an outgoing President, whose term ends on January 20, to leave the annual budget submission to his successor. The five outgoing Presidents since the 1990 change--George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump--exercised this option. Accordingly, the budget was submitted in 1993, 2001, 2009, and 2017 by the four incoming Presidents (Bill Clinton for FY1994, George W. Bush for FY2002, Barack Obama for FY2010, and Donald Trump for FY2018). As of this writing, President Joe Biden has not yet reached the statutory deadline for submission of the FY2022 budget."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Christensen, Michelle D.

  2021-01-28
• COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Update [presentation]

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  These slides from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide updates on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. The following topics are covered: "[1] V-safe update; [2] Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) surveillance update; [3] Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment (CISA) Project update; [4] Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) surveillance update; [5] Update on anaphylaxis following COVID-19 vaccination; [6] Reports of deaths and mortality following COVID-19 vaccination."

  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)

  Shimabukuro, Tom

  2021-01-27
• Executive Order 14007: President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

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  From the Document: "As directed in the Presidential Memorandum of January 27, 2021 (Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking), it is the policy of my Administration to make evidence-based decisions guided by the best available science and data. Officials and employees across my Administration shall seek from scientists, engineers, and other experts the best available scientific and technological information and advice. [...] There is hereby established the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)."

  United States. Office of the Federal Register

  Biden, Joseph R., Jr.

  2021-01-27
• Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad

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  From the Document: "It is the policy of my Administration that climate considerations shall be an essential element of United States foreign policy and national security. The United States will work with other countries and partners, both bilaterally and multilaterally, to put the world on a sustainable climate pathway. The United States will also move quickly to build resilience, both at home and abroad, against the impacts of climate change that are already manifest and will continue to intensify according to current trajectories."

  United States. Office of the Federal Register

  Biden, Joseph R., Jr.

  2021-01-27
• Emoluments Clauses of the U.S. Constitution [Updated January 27, 2021]

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  From the Document: "Litigation during the Trump Administration raised a number of legal issues concerning formerly obscure constitutional provisions that prohibit the acceptance or receipt of 'emoluments' in certain circumstances. This In Focus provides an overview of these constitutional provisions, highlighting several unsettled legal areas concerning their meaning and scope, and reviewing the litigation against former President Donald Trump based on his alleged violations of the Emoluments Clauses."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hickey, Kevin J.; Foster, Michael A. (Legislative attorney)

  2021-01-27
• European Parliament and U.S. Interests [Updated January 27, 2021]

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  From the Document: "The European Parliament (EP) is the only directly elected institution of the 27-country European Union (EU). The EP's 705 members represent the EU's roughly 445 million citizens. The most recent EP elections were in May 2019. The EP has accumulated more power over time as part of EU efforts to improve democratic accountability and transparency in EU policymaking. Enhanced powers since the 2009 Lisbon Treaty have made the EP a more important actor on several issues of U.S. concern, including trade, data privacy, and counterterrorism. Congress-EP ties are long-standing, and Congress may be interested in EP activities given the EP's potential to influence key aspects of U.S.-EU relations."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Archick, Kristin

  2021-01-27
• Renewed Great Power Competition: Implications for Defense--issues for Congress [Updated January 27, 2021]

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  From the Summary: "The renewal of great power competition was acknowledged alongside other considerations in the Obama Administration's June 2015 National Military Strategy, and was placed at the center of the Trump Administration's December 2017 National Security Strategy (NSS) and January 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS). The December 2017 NSS and January 2018 NDS formally reoriented U.S. national security strategy and U.S. defense strategy toward an explicit primary focus on great power competition with China and Russia. Department of Defense (DOD) officials subsequently identified countering China's military capabilities as DOD's top priority."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  O'Rourke, Ronald

  2021-01-27
• China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities--Background and Issues for Congress [Updated January 27, 2021]

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  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. China's navy, which China has been steadily modernizing for more than 25 years, since the early to mid-1990s, has become a formidable military force within China's near-seas region[.] [...] 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 [...] 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

  2021-01-27
• Israel: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief [Updated January 27, 2021]

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  From the Introduction: "Israel [...] has forged close bilateral cooperation with the United States in many areas; issues with significant implications for U.S.-Israel relations include the following. [1] Israeli domestic political issues, including an election scheduled for March 2021 and an ongoing criminal trial against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. [2] Israel's security cooperation with the United States. [3] Israeli-Palestinian issues and Israel's normalization of relations with various Arab states. [4] Concerns about Iran's nuclear program and regional influence, including with Lebanon-based Hezbollah, Syria, and Iraq. [5] Chinese investment in Israeli companies and infrastructure, and U.S. concerns about implications for U.S. national security."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Zanotti, Jim

  2021-01-27
• Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies: History, Membership, and Inaugural Activities [Updated January 27, 2021]

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  From the Summary: "Every four years, at noon on January 20, the President-elect is sworn in as President of the United States. The year before the inauguration, Congress establishes the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. The Joint Inaugural Committee is responsible for the planning and execution of the swearing-in ceremony and hosting an inaugural luncheon for the President and Vice President at the U.S. Capitol. In recent years, the inaugural ceremony has been held at the U.S. Capitol, with the swearing-in ceremony on the West Front Steps and special events typically held in the Rotunda and Emancipation Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center. The tradition of authorizing a Joint Inaugural Committee dates to 1901 for the inauguration of President William McKinley. At that time, the House and Senate authorized that inaugural expenses be paid by the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate and created a committee of three Representatives and three Senators appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. Since 1901, the Joint Inaugural Committee has been authorized quadrennially. [...] This report provides historical information on the Joint Inaugural Committee, including the committee's origin, membership, leadership, staffing, and inaugural activities."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Straus, Jacob R.

  2021-01-27
• Is Mandatory Detention of Unlawful Entrants Seeking Asylum Constitutional? [Updated January 27, 2021]

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  From the Document: "Non-U.S. nationals (aliens) apprehended by immigration authorities when attempting to unlawfully enter the United States are generally subject to a streamlined, expedited removal process, but may be placed in 'formal' removal proceedings and pursue asylum claims if found to have a credible fear of persecution. In 2019, Attorney General (AG) William Barr, who had power to review adjudicatory decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), the highest administrative body responsible for interpreting immigration laws, concluded in 'Matter of M-S-' that federal law requires the continued detention of aliens screened for expedited removal who are transferred to formal removal proceedings pending adjudication of their asylum claims. (Additional discussion of the AG's decision can be found here.) Later that year, a federal district court held in 'Padilla v. ICE' that this mandatory detention scheme 'violates the U.S. Constitution' because it denies aliens who have entered the United States the opportunity to seek their release on bond. This ruling was largely affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in March 2020, but the reasoning of these decisions--at least when applied to aliens apprehended shortly after arriving in the United States--may be in tension with the Supreme Court's ruling in 'DHS v. Thuraissigiam', decided a few months later. In 'Thuraissigiam', the Court recognized that aliens seeking initial entry to the United States, including those apprehended just within the border, have limited constitutional protections. Ultimately, in the 'Padilla' case, the Supreme Court vacated the Ninth Circuit's decision and remanded the case for further consideration in light of 'Thuraissigiam'. As a result, immigration authorities may, for the time being, detain unlawful entrants transferred to formal removal proceedings for consideration of their asylum applications without a bond hearing."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Smith, Hillel R.

  2021-01-27
• Biden Administration Extends the Pause on Federal Student Loan Payments: Legal Considerations for Congress [January 27, 2021]

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  From the Document: "Last year, both the Trump Administration and the 116th Congress granted temporary relief to certain student loan borrowers in response to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. On the first day of his presidency, President Joe Biden requested that the Department of Education (ED) extend the duration of this relief. This Legal Sidebar analyzes the asserted statutory bases for these relief measures and identifies pertinent legal considerations for Congress."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Lewis, Kevin M.; Liu, Edward C.

  2021-01-27
• Federal Building and Facility Security: Frequently Asked Questions [Updated January 27, 2021]

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  From the Summary: "The security of federal government buildings and facilities affects not only the daily operations of the federal government but also the health, well-being, and safety of federal employees and the public. The approach to federal building and facility security is decentralized and numerous federal entities are involved. The federal government is tasked with securing over 113,000 buildings or facilities daily. The recent breach of U.S. Capitol security on January 6, 2021, has refocused the federal government's attention on building security activities. This renewed attention has raised a number of frequently asked questions. This report answers the six most common questions regarding federal building and facility security: [1] What is federal facility security? [2] Who is responsible for federal facility security? [3] Is there a national standard for federal facility security? [4] What are the types of threats to federal facilities, employees, and the visiting public? [5] How is threat information communicated among federal facility security stakeholders? [6] What are the potential congressional issues associated with federal facility security? Currently, Congress and federal law enforcement entities are conducting investigations into the breach of the U.S. Capitol security on January 6, 2021. Congress has previously taken an interest in federal facility security following the September 2001 terrorist attacks, the September 2013 Washington Navy Yard shootings, and the April 2014 Fort Hood shootings."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Reese, Shawn

  2021-01-27
• Too Small to Collect Big Data: Financial Inclusion Implications [January 27, 2021]

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  From the Document: "Congress has demonstrated an ongoing interest in promoting financial inclusion (i.e., increasing the access of traditionally underserved populations and markets to affordable financial services and products). The concept of financial inclusion has evolved to include the adoption of digital technologies, which can enhance the effectiveness of regtech--the use of technology by both regulators and regulated entities to facilitate compliance with applicable regulations and policy objectives. While regtech can be used to monitor prudential financial (e.g., credit, liquidity, interest rate) risks, it can also be deployed to analyze the circulation of financial products and services, thus monitoring the breadth of inclusiveness. Regtech relies upon collecting and organizing digital data, which may be costly for certain institutions--especially those that serve predominantly customers facing appreciable financial challenges."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Getter, Darryl E.

  2021-01-27
• Use of the Capitol Rotunda, Capitol Grounds, and Emancipation Hall: Concurrent Resolutions, 101st to 116th Congresses [Updated January 27, 2021]

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  From the Document: "The Capitol Rotunda and the Capitol Grounds have been used as the setting for a variety of events, ranging from memorial ceremonies and the reception of foreign dignitaries to the presentation of awards and the hosting of public competitions. This report identifies and categorizes uses of the Capitol Rotunda and Capitol Grounds authorized by concurrent resolutions since the 101st Congress. In most cases, use of the Capitol Rotunda requires a concurrent resolution agreed to by both the House and Senate. A concurrent resolution for the use of the Rotunda typically identifies the event and date for which use is authorized. Often, the resolution also directs physical preparations to be carried out under the supervision of the Architect of the Capitol."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Straus, Jacob R.

  2021-01-27
• Venezuela: Political Crisis and U.S. Policy [Updated January 27, 2021]

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  From the Document: "Venezuela remains in a deep crisis under the authoritarian rule of Nicolás Maduro of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). Maduro, narrowly elected in 2013 after the death of President Hugo Chávez (1999-2013), began a second term in January 2019 that is widely considered illegitimate. Despite U.S. and international pressure to leave office, Maduro remains firmly in power. His party now controls a de facto National Assembly seated on January 5, 2021. Since January 2019, the United States has recognized Juan Guaidó, president of the democratically elected, opposition controlled National Assembly elected in December 2015, as interim president. Guaidó, once recognized as Venezuela's leader by more than 55 countries, has been losing international and Venezuelan domestic support. Although the Biden Administration and many in Congress support Guaidó, some are calling for a new strategy for Venezuela."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Seelke, Clare Ribando

  2021-01-27
• U.S. International Investment Agreements (IIAs) [Updated January 27, 2021]

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  From the Background: "The United States, a major source of, and destination for, foreign direct investment (FDI), is party to binding international investment agreements (IIAs) with over 50 countries. Taking the form of bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and investment chapters in free trade agreements (FTAs), these IIAs reduce FDI restrictions, ensure nondiscriminatory treatment of both investors and investment, and balance investment protections against other policy interests (such as safeguarding a host government's right to regulate in the public interest). While some World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements address investment issues in a limited manner, IIAs have been the primary tools for promoting investment and protecting investors. As of January 2021, more than 3,300 IIAs were concluded globally--forming a complex, overlapping network of investment rules."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Weiss, Martin A.; Akhtar, Shayerah Ilias

  2021-01-27
• Social Media: Misinformation and Content Moderation Issues for Congress [January 27, 2021]

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  From the Summary: "Some Members of Congress are concerned about the spread of misinformation (i.e., incorrect or inaccurate information) on social media platforms and are exploring how it can be addressed by companies that operate social media sites. Other Members are concerned that social media operators' content moderation practices may suppress speech. Both perspectives have focused on Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. §230), enacted as part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which broadly protects operators of 'interactive computer services' from liability for publishing, removing, or restricting access to another's content. [...] Social media operators may moderate the content posted on their sites by allowing certain posts and not others. [...] However, operators' content moderation practices have created unease that these companies play an outsized role in determining what speech is allowed on their sites, with some commentators stating that operators are infringing on users' First Amendment rights by censoring speech. [...] Congress may wish to consider the roles of the public and private sector in addressing misinformation, including who defines what constitutes misinformation. If Congress determines that action to address the spread of misinformation through social media is necessary, its options may be limited by the reality that regulation, policies, or incentives to affect one category of information may affect others. Congress may consider the First Amendment implications of potential legislative actions. Any effort to address this issue may have unintended legal, social, and economic consequences that may be difficult to foresee."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Gallo, Jason A.; Cho, Clare Y.

  2021-01-27
• Unemployment Insurance: Legislative Issues in the 116th Congress [January 27, 2021]

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  From the Summary: "Responding to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the resulting economic recession, the 116th Congress created several new temporary unemployment insurance (UI) benefits for workers unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as temporarily modified permanent UI programs. On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed P.L. 116-127 (H.R. 6201), the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The UI provisions provided various types of assistance to states, including up to $1 billion in emergency administrative grant funding in calendar year 2020. This law also provided federal funding for the first week of Unemployment Compensation (UC) through December 2020, if the state suspended or does not have a waiting week in its regular UC program."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Whittaker, Julie M.; Isaacs, Katelin P., 1980-

  2021-01-27
• Federal Communications Commission: Current Structure and Its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape [Updated January 27, 2021]

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  From the Summary: "The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent federal agency established by the Communications Act of 1934 (1934 Act, or 'Communications Act'). The agency is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. The mission of the FCC is to make available for all people of the United States, 'without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex, a rapid, efficient, Nationwide, and worldwide wire and radio communication service with adequate facilities at reasonable charges.' The FCC operates under a public interest mandate first laid out in the 1927 Radio Act (P.L. 632, 69th Congress), but how this mandate is applied depends on how 'the public interest' is interpreted. Some regulators seek to protect and benefit the public at large through regulation, while others seek to achieve the same goals through the promotion of market efficiency. Additionally, Congress granted the FCC wide latitude and flexibility to revise its interpretation of the public interest standard to reflect changing circumstances and the agency has not defined it in more concrete terms. These circumstances, paired with changes in FCC leadership, have led to significant changes over time in how the FCC regulates the broadcast and telecommunications industries."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Figliola, Patricia Moloney

  2021-01-27
• National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin [January 27, 2021]

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  From the Summary: "The Acting Secretary of Homeland Security has issued a National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin due to a heightened threat environment across the United States, which DHS believes will persist in the weeks following the successful Presidential Inauguration. Information suggests that some ideologically-motivated violent extremists with objections to the exercise of governmental authority and the presidential transition, as well as other perceived grievances fueled by false narratives, could continue to mobilize to incite or commit violence."

  United States. Department of Homeland Security

  2021-01-27
• Afghanistan Reconstruction: GAO Work since 2002 Shows Systemic Internal Control Weaknesses that Increased the Risk of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

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  From the Document: "The U.S. government has allocated approximately $141 billion for reconstruction in Afghanistan since 2002. We have issued over 400 reports covering U.S. government activities in Afghanistan during this period, about a quarter of which involved U.S.-funded reconstruction efforts. You asked us to report on waste, fraud, and abuse that GAO [Government Accountability Office] uncovered with respect to U.S. reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. In this report, we summarize the systemic internal control weaknesses that increased the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse related to Afghanistan reconstruction we identified in prior GAO work."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  2021-01-27
• Federal Eviction Moratoriums in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic [Updated January 26, 2021]

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  From the Document: "On September 4, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) imposed a nationwide temporary federal moratorium on residential evictions due to nonpayment of rent. The stated purpose of the order is preventing the further spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), specifically by preventing homelessness and overcrowded housing conditions resulting from eviction. The action, which followed an Executive Order directing the CDC to consider such a measure, is unprecedented, both in terms of the federal reach into what is traditionally state and local governance of landlord-tenant law and its use of a public health authority for this purpose. The national eviction moratorium took effect less than two weeks after the expiration of a different and narrower set of eviction protections established by the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act (§4024). This Insight compares the two eviction moratoriums across several key features and ends with a review of implementation issues raised by the CDC moratorium."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  McCarty, Maggie; Perl, Libby

  2021-01-26
• Latin America and the Caribbean: U.S. Policy Overview [Updated January 26, 2021]

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  From the Document: "U.S. interests in Latin America and the Caribbean are diverse and include economic, political, security, and humanitarian concerns. Geographic proximity has ensured strong economic linkages between the United States and the region, with the United States a major trading partner and source of foreign investment for many countries. Free-trade agreements (FTAs) have augmented U.S. economic relations with 11 countries in the region. The Western Hemisphere is a large source of U.S. immigration, both legal and illegal; with proximity and economic and security conditions the major factors driving migration trends."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Sullivan, Mark P.

  2021-01-26
• Executive Order 14006: Reforming Our Incarceration System to Eliminate the Use of Privately Operated Criminal Detention Facilities

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  From the Document: "More than two million people are currently incarcerated in the United States, including a disproportionate number of people of color. There is broad consensus that our current system of mass incarceration imposes significant costs and hardships on our society and communities and does not make us safer. To decrease incarceration levels, we must reduce profit-based incentives to incarcerate by phasing out the Federal Government's reliance on privately operated criminal detention facilities."

  United States. Office of the Federal Register

  Biden, Joseph R., Jr.

  2021-01-26
• Navy DDG(X) Future Large Surface Combatant Program: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated January 26, 2021]

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  From the Introduction: "The Navy's DDG(X) program, also known as the Future Large Surface Combatant program or DDG Next program, envisages procuring a class of next-generation guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) to replace the Navy's aging Ticonderoga (CG-47) class Aegis cruisers. The Navy wants to procure the first DDG(X) around FY2028, although that date could change. The Navy's proposed FY2021 budget requested $46.5 million in research and development (R&D) funding for the program in one R&D line item and some additional funding for the program in another R&D line item. The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's FY2022 funding request and emerging acquisition strategy for the program. Congress's decisions on this issue could affect future Navy capabilities and funding requirements and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  O'Rourke, Ronald

  2021-01-26
• Nonimmigrant and Immigrant Visa Categories: Data Brief Updated [January 26, 2021]

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  From the Introduction: "Congress has expressed interest in the visa categories by which foreign nationals may enter or be present in the United States. U.S. immigration policy is governed largely by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which was first codified in 1952 and has been amended significantly several times since. The United States has long distinguished temporary immigration from permanent immigration. Temporary immigration occurs through the admission of visitors for specific purposes and limited periods of time, and encompasses two dozen categories (which are commonly referred to by the letter and numeral that denote their subparagraph in the INA). Permanent immigration occurs through family- and employer -sponsored categories, the diversity immigrant visa lottery, and refugee and asylee admissions. This brief report provides the following information: [1] a list of nonimmigrant (i.e., temporary) visa categories and lawful permanent resident (LPR) categories, [2] a description of each category, [3] the allowed duration of stay in the United States for each nonimmigrant visa category, [4] the annual numeric limit (or 'cap') for each nonimmigrant and LPR category, and [5] the number of visas that were issued/individuals obtaining LPR status for each category in the most recent year for which data are available."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Wilson, Jill, 1974-

  2021-01-26
• National Security Implications of Fifth Generation (5G) Mobile Technologies [Updated January 26, 2021]

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  From the Document: "The fifth generation (5G) of mobile technologies will increase the speed of data transfer and improve bandwidth over existing fourth generation (4G) technologies, in turn enabling new military and commercial applications. 5G technologies are expected to support interconnected or autonomous devices, such as smart homes, self-driving vehicles, precision agriculture systems, industrial machinery, and advanced robotics. 5G for the military could additionally improve intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems and processing; enable new methods of command and control (C2); and streamline logistics systems for increased efficiency, among other uses. As 5G technologies are developed and deployed, Congress may consider policies for spectrum management and national security, as well as implications for U.S. military operations."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hoehn, John R.; Sayler, Kelley M.

  2021-01-26