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Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress [September 15, 2020]
From the Introduction: "This report presents background information and issues for Congress concerning the Navy's force structure and shipbuilding plans. The current and planned size and composition of the Navy, the annual rate of Navy ship procurement, the capacity of the naval shipbuilding industry, and the prospective affordability of the Navy's shipbuilding plans have been oversight matters for the congressional defense committees for many years. The Navy states that its proposed FY2021 budget requests the procurement of eight new ships, but this figure includes LPD-31, an LPD-17 Flight II amphibious ship that Congress procured (i.e., authorized and appropriated procurement funding for) in FY2020. Excluding this ship, the Navy's proposed FY2021 budget requests the procurement of seven new ships rather than eight, including one Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), one Virginia-class attack submarine (SSN), two DDG-51 destroyers, one FFG(X) frigate, and two TATS towing, salvage, and rescue ships. The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's proposed FY2021 shipbuilding program and the Navy's longer-term shipbuilding plans. Decisions that Congress makes on this issue can substantially affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2020-09-15
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Afghan Women and Girls: Status and Congressional Action [September 11, 2020]
From the Document: "The status of Afghan women and girls has improved since 2001 by some metrics, but arguably remains precarious. Given the formerly ruling Taliban's views on women's rights, and entrenched cultural attitudes (particularly in rural areas), the status of Afghan women and girls has long been a topic of congressional concern and action. Concern among some Members of Congress has increased in light of the ongoing withdrawal of U.S. troops, scheduled to be completed by spring 2021. Some experts warn that a full U.S. military withdrawal could pave the way for the Taliban to return to power--either by military force or through a political settlement--and that women's rights could be compromised. Since 2001, Members of Congress have used a number of oversight and funding-related legislative measures to promote and safeguard the rights of Afghan women, and may consider the efficacy and sustainability of such approaches as the U.S. reduces its military footprint and as the Afghan conflict and political dynamic evolve."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Thomas, Clayton (Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs); Collins, Sarah R.
2020-09-11
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Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2001-2019 [Updated September 11, 2020]
From the Summary: "Levels of pay for congressional staff are a source of recurring questions among Members of Congress, congressional staff, and the public. There may be interest in congressional pay data from multiple perspectives, including assessment of the costs of congressional operations, guidance in setting pay levels for staff in Member offices, or comparison of congressional staff pay levels with those of other federal government pay systems. This report provides pay data for 16staff position titles that are typically used in House Members' offices. The positions include the following: Caseworker, Chief of Staff, Communications Director, Constituent Services Representative, Counsel (2010-2018), District Director, Executive Assistant, Field Representative, Legislative Assistant, Legislative Correspondent, Legislative Director, Office Manager, Press Secretary, Scheduler, Senior Legislative Assistant (2018-2019), and Staff Assistant."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Petersen, R. Eric
2020-09-11
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Federal Reserve's Revised Monetary Policy Strategy Statement [September 10, 2020]
From the Document: "After a two-year 'Review of Monetary Policy Strategy, Tools, and Communications', the Federal Reserve (Fed) announced on August 27, 2020, revisions to its 'Statement on Longer-Run Goals and Monetary Policy Strategy'. This statement, initially published in 2012, explains the Fed's monetary policy strategy for achieving its statutory mandate of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates. The original statement had two key features. First, it set a long-run inflation goal of 2%, the first time the Fed formally specified a numerical goal. Second, it asserted that a similar numerical goal could not be set for maximum employment because of uncertainty surrounding full employment. The 2020 revision retains both features. Overall, the 2012 statement was concise and did not provide details on how the Fed would react to specific economic situations. The 2020 statement is more detailed, and it marks a shift on how monetary policy will respond to inflation and unemployment in light of recent macroeconomic developments. Specifically, since the 2007-2009 financial crisis, the federal funds rate has been close to zero, [...] and inflation has been mostly below 2% and relatively unresponsive to changes in the unemployment rate. Because the Fed cannot reduce rates below zero, its primary challenge since the crisis has been to provide adequate monetary stimulus to achieve its mandate. The 2020 statement articulates a strategy to provide greater stimulus."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Labonte, Marc
2020-09-10
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COVID-19 Impact on the Banking Industry: Lag Between Recession and Bank Distress [September 10, 2020]
From the Document: "Economic recessions and financial crises can cause distress in the banking industry. Typically, there is a lag between the onset of a recession and the peak of bank industry distress. The economic effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic could similarly stress the banking industry, perhaps acutely, given the sudden and unprecedented nature of the economic contraction. Even though this contraction is severe, a lag is expected, and certain provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Recovery Act (CARES Act; P.L. 116-136) may lengthen it."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Scott, Andrew P.; Perkins, David W.
2020-09-10
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COVID-19: Selected Financial and Social Service Resources for Older Americans [Updated September 10, 2020]
From the Document: "The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused economic distress to many older Americans due to job loss, business closings, and financial market conditions. This Insight provides links to selected CRS [Congressional Research Service] products and related resources that address some issues for older populations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Breslauer, Tamar B.; Overbay, Abigail R.; Napili, Angela
2020-09-10
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Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated September 10, 2020]
From the Introduction: "The diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to increased human activities in the Arctic, and has heightened interest in, and concerns about, the region's future. Issues such as geopolitical competition in the region between the United States, Russia, and China; increased military operations in the region by the United States, Russia, and other Arctic countries; growth in commercial shipping through the Arctic; and oil, gas, and mineral exploration in the Arctic could cause the region in coming years to become an arena of international cooperation, tension, and/or competition. The United States, by virtue of Alaska, is an Arctic country and has substantial political, economic, energy, environmental, and other interests in the region. Decisions that Congress makes on Arctic-related issues could significantly affect these interests. This report provides an overview of Arctic-related issues for Congress, and refers readers to more in-depth CRS [Congressional Research Service] reports on specific Arctic-related issues. Congressional readers with questions about an issue discussed in this report should contact the author or authors of the section discussing that issue. The authors are identified by footnote at the start of each section. This report does not track legislation on specific Arctic-related issues."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald; Comay, Laura B.; Folger, Peter (Peter Franklin) . . .
2020-09-10
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Distribution of Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Expenditures [September 10, 2020]
From the Document: "As Congress deliberates on authorization legislation for Army Corps of Engineers water resource projects (House-passed H.R. 7575, Senate-reported S. 3591), it is considering how to direct the use of funding available for harbor maintenance. [...] The policy choices offered by these bills will have consequences for navigation efficiency and safety, recreation uses, and the levels of state and private investment in port infrastructure. They may also affect competition among U.S. ports to capture import and export cargo and the associated logistics-industry jobs. At the center of these policy decisions is the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF), created by Congress in 1986 and funded primarily by receipts from a tax on importers of waterborne cargo (assessed at a rate of $1.25 per $1,000 worth of cargo).In FY2019, harbor maintenance tax collections totaled $1.6 billion, investment earnings totaled $214 million, and expenditures from the fund through annual appropriations totaled $1.6 billion. The amount of maintenance required to keep channels open varies considerably among harbors. Some of the ports that draw large flows of imports, and therefore generate a large portion of harbor maintenance tax revenue, are naturally deep and require relatively little maintenance dredging. While channels at other major commercial ports are generally adequately maintained, some harbors with lower volumes of commercial cargo have maintenance backlogs, potentially affecting fishing and recreational boat traffic."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Frittelli, John; Carter, Nicole T.
2020-09-10
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Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA): Workers' Compensation for Federal Employees [Updated September 10, 2020]
From the Summary: "The Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) is the workers' compensation program for federal employees. Like all workers' compensation programs, FECA pays disability, survivors, and medical benefits, without regard to who was at fault, to employees who are injured or become ill in the course of their federal employment and to the survivors of employees killed on the job. The FECA program is administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) and the costs of benefits are paid by each employee's host agency. U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employees currently comprise the largest group of FECA beneficiaries and are responsible for the largest share of FECA benefits. [...] This report also focuses on several key policy issues facing the program, including the disproportionate share of claims and program costs attributed to postal workers, the payment of FECA benefits after retirement age, the overall level of FECA disability benefits as compared with those offered by the states, the administration of the FECA program, the costs associated with prescriptions for compounded medications, and efforts to limit the use of opioids by FECA beneficiaries."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Szymendera, Scott
2020-09-10
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Ebola Outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Emergencies or Enduring Threat? [Updated September 10, 2020]
From the Introduction: "On June 25, 2020, a nearly two-year Ebola virus outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was declared over, after claiming the lives of nearly 2,300 people. A new outbreak emerged the same month in the west of the country, marking the 11th documented Ebola outbreak in the country since the virus was first identified in DRC in 1976. [...] The prolonged battle to contain the Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC, coupled with what appear to be more frequent outbreaks in the country, raise questions about the allocation of U.S. global health resources and bilateral aid for DRC. Vaccines and therapeutics are potential game-changers, yet health system weaknesses, community mistrust, and barriers to humanitarian access remain obstacles. Among the issues that Congress might consider include the relative ranking of U.S. global health priorities in the context of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019], the implications of frequent Ebola outbreaks for the global health security agenda, and lessons learned from DRC about pandemic response in complex conflict settings. If responding to and preventing Ebola outbreaks remain congressional priorities, Congress might also consider how such efforts may be funded."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salaam-Blyther, Tiaji; Arieff, Alexis
2020-09-10
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COVID-19 Impact on the Banking Industry: Conditions in the Second Quarter of 2020 [September 10, 2020]
From the Document: "The economic ramifications of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic could cause borrowers to miss loan payments, potentially to the point of individual banks or the bank industry becoming distressed. How and to what degree banks will be affected is uncertain. Comprehensive bank data are collected and released quarterly and provide indicators of industry health. On August 25, 2020, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) released the 'Quarterly Banking Profile: Second Quarter 2020,' which reports aggregate data from all 5,066 FDIC-insured institutions as of June 30, 2020. This Insight presents certain data that may indicate how the pandemic is affecting banks."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Perkins, David W.; Gnanarajah, Raj
2020-09-10
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Trade Remedies: Antidumping [Updated September 10, 2020]
From the Introduction: "In general, the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), of which the United States is a member, require each member to apply tariffs and duties equally to all other members. This principle, known as unconditional most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment, has been central to the rules-based global trading system since 1947 and part of U.S. law and foreign policy since 1922. The WTO agreements allow exceptions to this treatment in certain circumstances, including to remedy unfair trade practices and to help domestic industries adjust to sudden surges of fairly traded goods. The three most frequently applied U.S. trade remedy laws permit the imposition of antidumping duties, countervailing duties, and safeguards. These laws are enforced through administrative investigations and actions of two U.S. government agencies: the International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce (ITA) and the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC). The most commonly used of these remedies are antidumping (AD) laws. AD laws provide relief to domestic industries that have been, or are threatened with, material injury caused by imports sold in the U.S. market at prices that are shown to be less than fair value. The relief provided is an additional import duty, calculated by the ITA and placed on the dumped imports. Antidumping orders are the most frequently used and the most controversial trade remedy."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Casey, Christopher A.
2020-09-10
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Identifying TV Political and Issue Ad Sponsors in the Digital Age [September 9, 2020]
From the Summary: "Since the 1930s, both Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have imposed specific requirements on the transmission of political and issue advertising by broadcasters. These rules, which now apply to broadcast radio and television stations, cable and satellite television distributors, and satellite radio services, mandate that the sponsors of political and issue ads be clearly identified within each announcement and that media organizations maintain files of political advertisers' requests for advertising time and make those files available for public inspection."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Scherer, Dana A.
2020-09-09
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Low-Yield, Submarine-Launched Nuclear Warhead: Overview of the Expert Debate [Updated September 9, 2020]
From the Document: "The Trump Administration has developed a new low-yield version of the W-76 warhead for existing submarine-launched Trident II (D-5) missiles. Unclassified sources state that the current W76-1 warhead has an explosive yield of around 100 kilotons. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has said the low-yield version, the W76-2, would be configured 'for primary-only detonation.' This could mean a yield of less than 10 kilotons. Congress appropriated $65 million for the W76-2 warhead in FY2019 and $10 million to complete work in FY2020. NNSA completed the first modified warhead in February 2019 and began delivering warheads to the Navy by late 2019. The Pentagon announced that the Navy had begun to deploy the warheads on February 4, 2020. Congress authorized $19.6 million in the FY2020 NDAA (P.L. 116- 92) for the Navy to begin integrating the warhead into the submarine force. NNSA has not disclosed the total number of planned W76-2 warheads, although it is expected to be a very small portion of the W76 stockpile (estimated, in unclassified sources, to be around 1,300 total warheads)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Woolf, Amy F.
2020-09-09
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North Macedonia: In Brief [Updated September 9, 2020]
From the Introduction: "The Republic of North Macedonia is a small, landlocked country in southeastern Europe. [...] As of March 27, 2020, it is the newest member of NATO. Formerly one of Yugoslavia's six constituent republics, North Macedonia became independent in 1991 and largely avoided the violence that devastated other parts of the region. Its multiethnic population includes Slavic Macedonians (estimated to comprise about 65% of the population, although precise figures are disputed) and Albanians (an estimated 25%), as well as Turkish, Roma, Serb, Bosniak, and other minority groups. The country embraced a Euro-Atlantic foreign policy orientation early on and became the regional front-runner for membership in the European Union (EU) and NATO. By the 2000s, however, North Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic integration had lagged due to a seemingly intractable bilateral dispute with neighboring Greece (an EU and NATO member) over use of the name 'Macedonia.' Some analysts contend that North Macedonia's loss of a clear EU and NATO membership perspective contributed to a period of reform drift and democratic backsliding that began in the late 2000s and culminated in a protracted political crisis from 2015 to 2017."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Garding, Sarah E.
2020-09-09
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U.S. Energy Information Administration [September 9, 2020]
From the Introduction: "The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is the lead federal agency for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating energy information. According to one industry leader who has been critical of EIA, 'The EIA forecast is very important…. It moves markets, and it impacts our industry greatly…. Right or wrong, no other agency provides data with greater impact.' [...] EIA collects data and provides projections on most forms of commercially used energy, including oil and petroleum products, natural gas, natural gas liquids, coal, electricity, renewables, alternative fuels, nuclear, biofuels, and others. The level of detail of collected data and analysis, however, are not evenly distributed. This report provides an overview of the history and major functions of EIA, with an emphasis on how EIA information can be used by Members of Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lawson, Ashley J.; Holt, Mark; Ratner, Michael
2020-09-09
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U.S. Government Procurement and International Trade [Updated September 9, 2020]
From the Document: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has demonstrated that U.S. companies and the federal government rely heavily on global supply chains. This has prompted congressional interest in better understanding the role of international trade in U.S. government procurement. In particular, Members have sought ways to incentivize U.S. domestic production by prioritizing the procurement of domestic goods and services, while upholding U.S. commitments under various international trade agreements. Separately, the Trump Administration has issued executive orders that aim to incentivize companies to relocate to the United States by limiting waivers that would allow government purchases of foreign goods. Within this context, Members have raised questions regarding how federal agency acquisitions comply with two domestic sourcing laws: namely, the Buy American Act of 1933 (BAA, 41 U.S.C. §§8301-8305) and Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (TAA, 19 U.S.C. §§2501-2581). Although both BAA and TAA have provisions that affect trade, there is a critical difference between their respective requirements. Whereas BAA operates as a 'price preference' for U.S. products, TAA establishes a 'prohibition' on procuring products and services from non-designated foreign countries, unless one of TAA's exceptions applies."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Schwarzenberg, Andres B.
2020-09-09
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Russia: Domestic Politics and Economy [September 9, 2020]
From the Introduction: "This report focuses on Russian domestic politics, the Russian economy, and related U.S. policy. It first addresses Russia's political structure, power dynamics, and recent developments. It next examines the political impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Russia. It follows with sections on corruption and human rights, including related U.S. policy. Finally, it analyzes the Russian economy, including the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's energy sector, and U.S.-Russian economic relations. Russian foreign and security relations and related U.S. policy is not within the scope of this report."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Welt, Cory; Nelson, Rebecca M.
2020-09-09
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For Whom the FERC Tolls: Federal Court Rejects Agency 'Tolling Orders' [September 8, 2020]
From the Document: "In 'Allegheny Defense Project v. FERC [Federal Energy Regulatory Commission]', the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) addressed the legitimacy of 'tolling orders,' a long-standing procedural tool utilized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to administer the Natural Gas Act (NGA). FERC's use of tolling orders, which is not expressly authorized by statute, has long been a source of controversy, drawing criticism from environmental groups, state attorneys general, and FERC Commissioners, among others. Nonetheless, until this year, the practice had been widely used and generally accepted. However, in 'Allegheny Defense Project', the D.C. Circuit rejected FERC's use of a tolling order, and in so doing created uncertainty about the regulatory process for pipeline certification and construction as well as other administrative efforts to prolong deadlines through the use of tolling orders. After an overview of the NGA and FERC's use of tolling orders, this post analyzes the D.C. Circuit's 'Allegheny Defense Project' decision and examines its potential impact."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Vann, Adam
2020-09-08
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FY2021 Budget Documents: Internet and GPO Availability [Updated September 8, 2020]
From the Summary: "Every year the President submits a series of volumes to Congress containing the President's proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. The President's submission is required on or after the first Monday in January, but no later than the first Monday in February (31 U.S.C. §1105(a)). This year the President released the budget submission on February 10, 2020. This report provides brief descriptions of the FY2021 budget volumes and related documents, together with internet addresses, Government Publishing Office (GPO) stock numbers, and prices for obtaining print copies of these publications. It also explains how to find the locations of government depository libraries, which can provide both printed copies for reference use and internet access to the online versions. This report will be updated as events warrant."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Murray, Justin
2020-09-08
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Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes: A Vector Control Technology for Reducing Virus Transmission [Updated September 8, 2020]
From the Document: "No vaccine exists for Zika, although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several diagnostic tests for detecting Zika virus antibodies. Mosquito control and bite prevention are the first lines of defense. Conventional control methods such as truck and aerial spraying are only moderately effective (30%-50%) in reducing mosquito populations, in part owing to the resistance the mosquitoes have developed to common insecticides and to the limited area in which 'Aedes aegypti' mosquitoes circulate (100-200 yards from where the larvae emerge). 'Aedes aegypti' mosquitoes also tend to favor house interiors where spraying/fogging is not practical. Strategic placement of several low-cost autocidal gravid ovitraps (which mimic breeding sites) in house interiors can reduce the 'Aedes aegypti' population by about 50%. In this environment, the creation of a genetically engineered (GE) Aedes aegypti mosquito by the British firm Oxitec in 2002, known as OX513A, generated significant interest among public health officials. Developed originally to suppress the incidence of dengue fever, OX513A was seen as a promising technology to reduce the incidence of Zika virus transmission by reducing the population of mosquitoes. Oxitec is owned by Maryland-based Intrexon Corporation."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cowan, Tadlock
2020-09-08
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Political Campaign Contributions and Congress: A Legal Primer [September 8, 2020]
From the Summary: "To help curb corruption in the political process and safeguard First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and association, Congress has enacted laws that regulate political campaign contributions. These laws include political patronage and campaign finance laws. Federal political patronage laws serve to protect federal employees--including congressional staff--from being required to make campaign contributions as a condition of employment. These criminal laws include a prohibition on Members of Congress, congressional candidates, and congressional staff from knowingly soliciting federal office campaign contributions from another such officer, employee, or person receiving compensation for services from money derived from the U.S. Treasury. [...] Federal campaign finance laws regulate campaign contributions made to congressional candidates by establishing limits, source restrictions, and disclosure requirements. The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) defines a contribution to include money or anything of value that is made for the purpose of influencing any federal election. A contribution can be distinguished from an expenditure in that a contribution involves giving money to an entity, such as a candidate's campaign committee, while an expenditure involves spending money directly for advocacy of the election or defeat of a candidate. For knowing and willful violations of FECA, criminal penalties may be imposed."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whitaker, L. Paige
2020-09-08
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Navy Large Unmanned Surface and Undersea Vehicles: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated September 8, 2020]
From the Introduction: "This report provides background information and potential issues for Congress for three types of large unmanned vehicles (UVs) that the Navy wants to develop and procure in FY2021 and beyond: [1] Large Unmanned Surface Vehicles (LUSVs); [2] Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicles (MUSVs); and [3] Extra-large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (XLUUVs). The Navy wants to acquire these large UVs as part of an effort to shift the Navy to a new fleet architecture (i.e., a new combination of ships and other platforms) that is more widely distributed than the Navy's current fleet architecture. The Navy is requesting $579.9 million in FY2021 research and development funding for these large UVs and their enabling technologies. The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's acquisition strategies and FY2021 funding requests for these large UVs. The Navy's proposals for developing and procuring them pose a number of oversight issues for Congress. Congress's decisions on these issues could substantially affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements and the shipbuilding and UV industrial bases."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2020-09-08
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Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) [September 8, 2020]
This is an infographic regarding the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which "provides the public with a right to access federal agency information, subject to enumerated exemptions and exclusions."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sheffner, Daniel J.
2020-09-08
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Japanese Prime Minister Abe's Resignation and the U.S.-Japan Alliance [September 8, 2020]
From the Introduction: "On August 28, 2020, after weeks of rumors in the press, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that he would resign due to the resurgence of a chronic health condition. Abe, the longest-serving premier in modern Japanese history, had been in power since 2012, bringing unusual stability to Japanese politics and foreign policy. During his tenure, he expanded Japan's military and diplomatic capabilities and championed the U.S.-Japan alliance by, among other steps, aligning bilateral security policy and integrating military operations more tightly. Abe forged a personal relationship with President Trump to further Japan's interests, succeeding in convincing Trump to adopt Abe's vision of the Indo-Pacific strategy. He also avoided a contentious trade fight over autos while concluding a limited trade agreement that covers about 5% of bilateral trade flows. However, the warm rapport between the two leaders was insufficient to persuade Trump to remain in the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement or support Japan's priorities in dealing with North Korea. While Abe received praise for strengthening the U.S.-Japan military partnership, some observers see indications of cracks that have developed, particularly in the areas of cost-sharing and joint weapons deployments that will almost immediately create challenges for Abe's successor."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Chanlett-Avery, Emma; Campbell, Caitlin; Manyin, Mark E.
2020-09-08
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Navy Columbia (SSBN-826) Class Ballistic Missile Submarine Program: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated September 8, 2020]
From the Introduction: "This report provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Columbia-class program, a program to design and build a class of 12 new ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) to replace the Navy's current force of 14 aging Ohio-class SSBNs. The Navy has identified the Columbia-class program as the Navy's top priority program. The Navy wants to procure the first Columbia-class boat in FY2021. The Navy's proposed FY2021 budget requests $2,891.5 million in procurement funding, $1,123.2 million in advance procurement (AP) funding, and $397.3 million in research and development funding for the program. The program poses a number of funding and oversight issues for Congress. Decisions that Congress makes on the Columbia-class program could substantially affect U.S. military capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2020-09-08
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Artemis: NASA's Program to Return Humans to the Moon [September 8, 2020]
From the Document: "Between 1969 and 1972, the Apollo program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) landed 12 American men on the Moon and returned them safely to Earth. [...] Since then, no human has been farther from Earth than low Earth orbit, a few hundred miles up; the distance to the Moon is about 240,000 miles. Artemis, named for Apollo's twin sister in ancient Greek mythology, is NASA's program for a return to the Moon by American astronauts--one of them a woman--in 2024."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Morgan, Daniel (Daniel L.)
2020-09-08
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Cybersecurity: Recent Policy and Guidance on Federal Vulnerability Disclosure Programs [September 8, 2020]
From the Document: "The Trump Administration has released policy and guidance on vulnerability disclosure programs (VDP) for federal agencies. VDPs help organizations secure their information technology (IT) by allowing the public to discover and report weaknesses in systems in the hope that the organization will mitigate the vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities can be exploited by malicious actors to compromise systems, which may lead to data breaches."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Jaikaran, Chris
2020-09-08
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Absentee Voting for Uniformed Services and Overseas Citizens: Roles and Process, In Brief [September 4, 2020]
From the Document: "Members of the military, their families, and overseas U.S. citizens face unique voting challenges. These can include delays in receiving or transmitting balloting materials; uncertainty about voter eligibility; and varying state, territorial, and local requirements. This CRS [Congressional Research Service] In Focus provides congressional readers with an overview of the federal statute designed to aid these voters, and their typical registration and voting process. It does not contain legal analysis and is not intended to provide guidance to individual voters."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Garrett, R. Sam, 1977-
2020-09-04
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Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Program [Updated September 4, 2020]
From the Document: "Emissions from diesel engines--especially particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides, and air toxics--have been shown to contribute to air pollution that adversely impacts public health and welfare in the United States. Since 1970, the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. §7401 et seq.) has required the federal government to limit these emissions, among others, from new stationary (industrial) sources and new mobile sources. In the decades since, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has promulgated emission standards for a variety of source categories, including new heavy duty highway and nonroad diesel engines. [...] Congress enacted the 'Diesel Emissions Reduction' program in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005, P.L. 109-58, Title VII, Subtitle G §§791-797; 42 U.S.C. §§16131-16137). It authorized EPA to administer a national and state-level grant and loan program to promote emissions reductions from legacy diesel engines. Through the Diesel Emissions Reduction program (as amended), EPA has provided loans, grants, and rebates to projects that use certified engine configurations and verified technologies, or that develop and commercialize emerging technologies, in order to replace legacy diesel engines."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lattanzio, Richard K.; Esworthy, Robert
2020-09-04
