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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, October 8, 2021
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [It] is the agency's primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations. This issue of MMWR contains the following: "HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Awareness and Referral to Providers Among Hispanic/Latino Persons -- United States, 2019"; "Prevalence of Arthritis and Arthritis-Attributable Activity Limitation -- United States, 2016-2018"; "Walking and Other Common Physical Activities Among Adults with Arthritis -- United States, 2019"; "Distribution of SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Variants in a Large Integrated Health Care System -- California, March-July 2021"; "Multicomponent Strategies to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Transmission -- Nine Overnight Youth Summer Camps, United States, June-August 2021"; "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Outbreaks at Youth Summer Camps -- Louisiana, June-July 2021"; "National and State Trends in Anxiety and Depression Severity Scores Among Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic -- United States, 2020-2021"; and "QuickStats: Percentage of Women Aged 25-44 Years Who Had Ever Used Infertility Services, by Type of Service -- National Survey of Family Growth, United States, 2006-2010 and 2015-2019." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2021.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2021-10-08
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What Happens If the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Lapses? [Updated October 8, 2021]
From the Document: "This Insight provides a short overview of what would happen if the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) were not to be reauthorized by December 3, 2021, and allowed to lapse"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Horn, Diane P.
2021-10-08
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Brief Introduction to the National Flood Insurance Program [Updated October 8, 2021]
From the Document: "The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is the primary source of flood insurance coverage for residential properties in the United States. The NFIP has two main policy goals: (1) to provide access to primary flood insurance, thereby allowing for the transfer of some of the financial risk of property owners to the federal government; and (2) to mitigate and reduce the nation's comprehensive flood risk through the development and implementation of floodplain management standards. A longer-term objective of the NFIP is to reduce federal expenditure on disaster assistance after floods. As a public insurance program, the goals of the NFIP are different from the goals of private sector insurance companies. It encompasses social goals to provide flood insurance in flood-prone areas to property owners who otherwise would not be able to obtain it and to reduce the government's cost after floods. The NFIP also engages in many 'noninsurance' activities in the public interest: it identifies and maps flood hazards, disseminates flood-risk information through flood maps, requires community land-use and building-code standards, contributes to community resilience by providing a mechanism to fund rebuilding after a flood, and offers grants and incentive programs for household- and community-level investments in flood-risk reduction."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Horn, Diane P.
2021-10-08
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Disaster Relief Fund: Monthly Report as of September 30, 2021 (Final Report to Congress for Fiscal Year 2021)
From the Background: "P.L. [Public Law] 116-260 requires that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator provide a report by the fifth business day of each month on the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) that includes a funding summary, a table delineating DRF funding activities each month by state and event, a summary of the funding for the catastrophic events, and the fund exhaustion date, or end-of-fiscal-year balance. P.L. 116-136 requires that both projected and actual costs for funds provided by it for major disasters and any other expenses be provided to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. Consequently, the following report elements are included: 1. Appendix A is an appropriations summary that includes a synopsis of the amount of appropriations made available by source, the transfers executed, the previously allocated funds recovered, and the commitments, allocations, and obligations. 2. Appendix B presents details on the DRF funding activities delineated by month. 3. Appendix C presents obligations and estimates by spending category for Hurricanes Sandy, Harvey, Irma, and Maria; Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19); and declarations since August 1, 2017. 4. Appendix D presents funding summaries for the current active catastrophic events including the allocations, obligations, and expenditures. 5. Appendix E presents the fund exhaustion date, or end-of-fiscal-year balance. 6. Appendix F presents a bridge table that provides explanation for the monthly and baseline change for all activities to include details for catastrophic events. 7. Appendix G presents the fund history and current status of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)/Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program."
United States. Department of Homeland Security; United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2021-10-07
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COVID-19-Related Loan Assistance for Agricultural Enterprises [Updated October 7, 2021]
From the Document: "The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act; P.L. 116-136) created the Small Business Administration's (SBA's) Paycheck Protection Program [hyperlink] (PPP), expanded eligibility for Emergency Economic Injury Disaster Loans [hyperlink](EIDLs), and established Emergency EIDL grants to provide short-term, economic relief to certain small businesses and nonprofits [hyperlink]. The CARES Act also made certain agricultural enterprises eligible for SBA COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] relief. When the SBA stopped accepting PPP loan applications on May 31, 2021, it had approved more than 11.8 million PPP loans, totaling nearly $800 billion."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Dilger, Robert Jay, 1954-; Lindsay, Bruce R.
2021-10-07
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Adoption of Preventive Measures During the Very Early Phase of the COVID-19 Outbreak in China: National Cross-Sectional Survey Study
From the Introduction: "The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, 2020 and declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Globally, there were 177.9 million infections and 3.8 million deaths (June 22, 2021), respectively. In China, the outbreak coincided with the critical 7-day Chinese New Year holidays (January 25 to February 1), during which billions of trips were made across the country. On January 20, 2020, the government announced evidence of human-to-human transmission. Wuhan (the epicenter) was immediately locked down, and subsequently, other cities were also locked down. Comprehensive control measures were enacted (eg, testing, quarantining, contact tracing, cancelling public events, closing of public areas, extending Chinese New Year holidays, and mandatory face-mask wearing), and patients with COVID-19 were treated in more than 30 speedily built hospitals by medical specialists in different provinces across the country. Many countries soon used similar standard strategies to combat COVID-19."
JMIR Publications
Lau, Joseph; Yu, Yanqiu; Xin, Meiqi . . .
2021-10-07
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Excess Mortality During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Jordan: Secondary Data Analysis
From the Introduction: "The impact of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] and its response measures on health, economy, and society has been substantial. By the end of 2020, more than 380 million COVID-19 cases were confirmed worldwide, and more than 1.9 million deaths were attributed to COVID-19 [...]. In Jordan, the death toll has reached 3834, with more than 294,000 people diagnosed with COVID-19 at the end of 2020 [...]. The number of officially reported COVID-19 deaths in Jordan [...] does not reflect the true burden of the pandemic because some people with COVID-19 died without being diagnosed and because of the indirect impact of COVID-19 and its response measures."
JMIR Publications
Khader, Yousef Saleh; Al-Nsour, Mohannad
2021-10-07
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Burnout in Hospital-Based Healthcare Workers During COVID-19
From the Summary: "Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished professional achievement. Prior to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, severe burnout was typically found in 20%-40% of healthcare workers. Contributors include workplace factors (e.g., workload, interpersonal conflict, moral distress, administrative burdens and documentation) and provider factors (e.g., low self-efficacy, emotional exhaustion, reduced sense of personal accomplishment,). Burnout is harmful for the healthcare system, workers, and patients. Risk factors have been exacerbated during the pandemic, resulting in an urgent need for intervention. This brief focuses on healthcare workers in hospitals. Similar challenges exist in other healthcare settings (e.g., long-term care, primary health care, public health), which are not reviewed here."
Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table
Maunder, Robert G.; Heeney, Natalie D.; Strudwick, Gillian . . .
2021-10-07
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Human Trafficking: Key Federal Criminal Statutes [October 7, 2021]
From the Document: "This In Focus outlines key federal criminal laws addressing human trafficking within the United States, found mainly in Chapters 77 and 117 of the U.S. Criminal Code. It also highlights federal immigration-related crimes that may sometimes be relevant to trafficking activity, such as those addressing the smuggling of non-U.S. nationals (aliens) into the United States. Besides crimes discussed in this In Focus, other laws may also be relevant, including those targeting the sexual exploitation of children (regardless of whether done for commercial purposes)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Santamaria, Kelsey Y.
2021-10-07
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CBO Report: Illustrative Options for National Defense Under a Smaller Defense Budget
This is the Congressional Budget Office Nonpartisan Analysis for the U.S. Congress as requested by the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. From the Document: "The Congressional Budget Office was asked to examine the effects on U.S. forces of a substantially smaller defense budget. Because forces can be reduced in many ways depending on the military strategy adopted, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] created three broad options to illustrate the range of strategies that the United States could pursue under a budget that would be cut gradually by a total of $1 trillion, or 14 percent, between 2022 and 2031. [1] Option 1 retains the 2017 national security strategy of 'deterrence by denial,' which relies heavily on U.S. combat forces to deter military aggression against allies by denying or reversing military gains in regional conflicts. The size of U.S. forces would be reduced in proportion to the smaller budget, retaining the same balance of capabilities. [2] Option 2 would shift emphasis from deterrence by denial to deterrence through punishment, a strategy that is similar to the United States' approach during the Cold War. The option would de-emphasize the role of U.S. combat forces in regional conflicts in favor of a heavier reliance on coalition forces in combat operations. It would call for reductions in conventional forces, such as brigade combat teams and fighter aircraft, and increases in long-range strike capabilities, such as cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and air defense missiles. [3] Option 3 focuses on maintaining the freedom of navigation in sea, air, and space around the world that the United States currently enjoys. It avoids the use of large ground forces to seize and hold territory in regional conflicts in favor of engaging enemies at standoff ranges. Although the second and third options would require the same amount of funding as the first option, they would result in different force structures and different budget allocations among the military services."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
Woodward, Matthew; Arthur, David (David Alan); Labs, Eric Jackson
2021-10-07
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Renewed Great Power Competition: Implications for Defense--Issues for Congress [Updated October 7, 2021]
From the Introduction: "This report provides a brief overview of implications for U.S. defense of 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 Biden 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
2021-10-07
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China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities--Background and Issues for Congress [Updated October 7, 2021]
From the Introduction: "This report provides background information and issues for Congress on China's naval modernization effort and its implications for U.S. Navy capabilities. 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 issue for Congress for this CRS [Congressional Research Service] report is whether the U.S. Navy is responding appropriately to China's naval modernization effort. Decisions that Congress reaches on this issue could affect U.S. and allied security, Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and the defense industrial base."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2021-10-07
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Panama: An Overview [Updated October 7, 2021]
From the Document: "Panama's central location in the Americas (linking North and South America), large financial sector, use of the U.S. dollar as currency, and transportation infrastructure-- especially the Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans--make the country a global trade hub and a strategic partner for the United States."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sullivan, Mark P.
2021-10-07
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Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP): In Brief [October 7, 2021]
From the Document: "The Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP) has been proposed in the 117th Congress as a policy aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the electric power sector. The CEPP sometimes is referred to as a clean energy standard (CES), although the CEPP and a CES generally are seen as different policies. This analysis summarizes the key elements of the proposed CEPP included in House Committee on Energy and Commerce (House E&C) budget reconciliation legislative recommendations[.] This analysis also identifies some potential considerations for lawmakers."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lawson, Ashley J.
2021-10-07
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Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program: Frequently Asked Questions [Updated October 7, 2021]
From the Document: "On March 12, 2020, the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 (P.L. [Public Law] 116-124 [hyperlink]) (Secure Networks Act) became law. The act addresses congressional concerns [hyperlink] about using telecommunications network equipment that may pose a national security threat to the United States, including equipment from the Chinese firms, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., and ZTE Corporation. Section 4 directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (Reimbursement Program) to reimburse telecommunication providers that replace 'covered' network equipment--equipment posing a national security threat. The FCC developed the Reimbursement Program (see website [hyperlink]), and is preparing to accept applications for reimbursement, starting October 29, 2021."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Gallagher, Jill C.
2021-10-07
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In Their Own Words: A Factual Summary of Testimony from Senior Justice Department Officials Relating to Events from December 14, 2020 to January 3, 2021
From the Introduction: "Three days after President Biden's inauguration, Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, under the leadership of incoming Chairman Richard J. Durbin, launched an investigation into President Trump's management of the Department of Justice (DOJ) following the 2020 election. Through their investigation, Committee Democrats focused on the weeks from December 14, 2020, to January 3, 2021, and sought to show that during his final days in office, President Trump nearly prompted a constitutional crisis with an alleged plot 'to use' and 'weaponize DOJ' in order to 'subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election.' Democrats focused much of their efforts on a January 3, 2021, Oval Office meeting where, despite his expressed concerns that Acting Attorney General Rosen had not adequately performed his job to investigate election fraud allegations, President Trump twice rejected terminating him. Moreover, in that same meeting, President Trump twice rejected DOJ attorney Jeffrey Clark's idea for DOJ to send a letter to state legislatures that recommended they convene to pick electors. [...] Based on the available evidence and witness testimony, President Trump's actions were consistent with his responsibilities as President to faithfully execute the law and oversee the Executive Branch. It is the duty of the President of the United States ensure that the federal departments and agencies under his control are doing their job on behalf of taxpayers, a position with which all witnesses agreed."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary
Grassley, Charles
2021-10-07
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Subverting Justice: How the Former President and His Allies Pressured DOJ to Overturn the 2020 Election
From the Executive Summary: "On January 22, 2021, the 'New York Times' reported that Jeffrey Bossert Clark, the former Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Civil Division, sought to involve DOJ in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and plotted with then-President Trump to oust Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, who reportedly refused Trump's demands. On January 23, 2021, the 'Wall Street Journal' reported that Trump had urged DOJ to file a lawsuit in the Supreme Court seeking to invalidate President Biden's victory. These reports followed Trump's months-long effort to undermine the results of the election, which culminated in the violent insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. [...] The report makes six primary findings: FINDING 1: President Trump repeatedly asked DOJ leadership to endorse his false claims that the election was stolen and to assist his efforts to overturn the election results. [...] FINDING 2: White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows asked Acting Attorney General Rosen to initiate election fraud investigations on multiple occasions, violating longstanding restrictions on White House-DOJ communications about specific law-enforcement matters. [...] FINDING 3: After personally meeting with Trump, Jeffrey Bossert Clark pushed Rosen and Donoghue to assist Trump's election subversion scheme--and told Rosen he would decline Trump's potential offer to install him as Acting Attorney General if Rosen agreed to aid that scheme. [...] FINDING 4: Trump allies with links to the 'Stop the Steal' movement and the January 6 insurrection participated in the pressure campaign against DOJ. [...] FINDING 5: Trump forced the resignation of U.S. Attorney Byung Jin ('BJay') Pak, whom he believed was not doing enough to address false claims of election fraud in Georgia. Trump then went outside the line of succession when naming an Acting U.S. Attorney, bypassing First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Erskine and instead appointing Bobby Christine because he believed Christine would 'do something' about his election fraud claims. [...] FINDING 6: By pursuing false claims of election fraud before votes were certified, DOJ deviated from longstanding practice meant to avoid inserting DOJ itself as an issue in the election."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary
2021-10-07?
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White House Report: Vaccination Requirements Are Helping Vaccinate More People, Protect Americans from COVID-19, and Strengthen the Economy
From the Executive Summary: "Since January, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken aggressive actions to make vaccinations free and convenient, executed a robust campaign to educate Americans about the importance of getting vaccinated, and deployed hundreds of millions of dollars in resources for states, localities, Tribes, and community organizations to encourage vaccinations. These efforts have led to tremendous success. At the start of the year, only 34% of adult Americans were eager to get vaccinated. Today, 78% of adults have at least their first shot. Overall, more than 185 million Americans are fully vaccinated--up from just 2 million when the President took office. [...] This is significant progress, but after months of education and incentives, additional actions needed to be taken in order to reach the tens of millions of people who remained unvaccinated. The strain on our hospital systems, our economy, and the risk to our children was too great not to use every tool available. To that end, last month, the President laid out a six-part plan to accelerate our path out of the pandemic. Central to that plan is getting remaining Americans vaccinated, and to do so, the President announced vaccination requirements that in total will cover approximately 100 million people. As this report demonstrates, it is clear that vaccination requirements result in millions more people getting vaccinated. Without vaccination requirements, we face endless months of chaos in our hospitals, further detrimental impacts on our economy, and anxiety in our schools. With them, we will accelerate our path out of the pandemic."
United States. White House Office
2021-10-07
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EMR-ISAC: InfoGram, Volume 21 Issue 40, October 7, 2021
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: "NVFC [National Volunteer Fire Council] and IAFC [International Association of Fire Chiefs] release update to Lavender Ribbon Report on 11 best practices to prevent firefighter cancer"; "DHS S&T [Science and Technology Directorate] field tests FirstNet push-to-talk app for communications interoperability among DHS components and first responders"; "FEMA releases major update to Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101, final webinar on Oct. 13"; "REMINDER: Deadline to request FEMA Exercise Support is Nov. 1"; "Blockchain technology could provide secure communications for robot teams"; "Coinbase says hackers stole cryptocurrency from at least 6,000 customers;" "DHS issues roadmap to help organizations prepare for quantum computing threat"; "Conti gang threatens to dump victim data if ransom negotiations leak to reporters"; and "GAO [Government Accountability Office] flags six agencies on telework security measures."
Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)
2021-10-07
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COVID States Project: A 50-State COVID-19 Survey, Report #64: Continued High Public Support for Mandating Vaccines
From the Document: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] continues to surge in the United States and elsewhere, propelled by the highly contagious Delta variant. As of this writing (on September 29, 2021), about three quarters (76% [hyperlink]) of the eligible U.S. population (age 12 and up) have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This is likely not enough to achieve herd immunity in the United States. Though the specific number remains uncertain, a recent estimate [hyperlink] by the Infectious Diseases Society of America suggests that over 80% of the 'entire' population must be 'fully' vaccinated to reach herd immunity. More worrisome, around 1 in 5 Americans, depending on the poll, continue to say they are either uncertain or will not get the vaccine. In our most recent survey wave (fielded from August 26 to September 27, 2021), 10% of respondents who indicated that they are not yet vaccinated claimed they are extremely unlikely to get it. Another 12% are 'somewhat' unlikely to seek the vaccine. In recent weeks, the Biden administration has shifted tactics in its efforts to get as many Americans as possible vaccinated. The Administration had from the outset emphasized the benefits of getting vaccinated as its primary strategy for persuading reluctant Americans to do so. [...] In this report, we update our assessment of public support for vaccine mandates, both nationally and across the 50 states, based on our September survey wave." The previous July 2021 report can be found at [https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=858570].
Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.); Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy; Harvard Medical School . . .
Baum, Matthew A., 1965-; Uslu, Ata A.; Shere, Anjuli . . .
2021-10-06
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COVID States Project: A 50-State COVID-19 Survey, Report #65: COVID-19 Vaccine Attitudes Among Healthcare Workers
From the Document: "This report is an update to our February [hyperlink], March [hyperlink], and August [hyperlink] reports on attitudes and vaccination rates of healthcare workers, including vaccine resistance, vaccine hesitancy. [...] The vaccination rates of healthcare workers are of particular importance because they are more likely to be conduits of exposure [hyperlink] for vulnerable individuals. Here we revisit our earlier report [hyperlink] on the vaccination rates of healthcare workers between June and September. From June 2021 to September 2021, vaccination rates and attitudes among healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers change only slightly, where vaccination rates increase only modestly." Previous reports can be found at [https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=850470], [https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=868016], and [https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=858568].
Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.); Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy; Harvard Medical School . . .
Lazer, David; Qu, Hong; Quintana, Alexi . . .
2021-10-06
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Congressional Reform: A Perspective [October 6, 2021]
From the Summary: "The focus of this report is on the internal operation and organization of Congress. It does not address the array of external matters that affect the House and Senate, such as campaign fundraising or gerrymandering House districts. Second, the report highlights six reform goals that commonly suffuse major congressional reorganization initiatives. They include improving efficiency, redistributing power, promoting transparency, enhancing public standing, achieving policy results, and strengthening congressional prerogatives. Each objective would likely provoke an array of discrete reform suggestions proposed by Members and many others (e.g., scholars, commentators, and think-tank analysts). Third, the bulk of the report provides an examination of three joint reorganization panels whose mission was to study and make recommendations for improving the organization, operation, and role of the legislative branch. The three joint panels were created in 1945, 1965, and 1993. Specifically, the report addresses several matters that overlap each reform committee and several that are unique to each joint panel, such as the factors and forces that influenced why these bicameral panels were created and what were several of their main recommendations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Oleszek, Walter J.
2021-10-06
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Bulgaria: An Overview [Updated October 6, 2021]
From the Document: "Bulgaria is a Southeastern European country located along the Black Sea. After decades of single-party communist rule and a turbulent transition period during the 1990s, Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union (EU) in 2007. The United States cooperates with Bulgaria on a range of security issues but also has raised concerns over corruption and the rule of law. Bulgaria has been in a political stalemate for most of 2021. Parliamentary elections in April 2021 and repeat elections in July 2021 did not result in the formation of a government. A third parliamentary election is scheduled for November 14, 2021, along with presidential elections."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Garding, Sarah E.
2021-10-06
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Defense Primer: Naval Forces [Updated October 6, 2021]
From the Document: "Although the term 'naval forces' is often used to refer specifically to Navy forces, it more properly refers to both Navy and Marine Corps forces, because both the Navy and Marine Corps are naval services. For further discussion, see CRS [Congressional Research Service] In Focus IF10484, 'Defense Primer: Department of the Navy,' by Ronald O'Rourke. For a discussion of the Marine Corps that focuses on its organization as a ground-combat force, see CRS In Focus IF10571, 'Defense Primer: Organization of U.S. Ground Forces,' by Barbara Salazar Torreon and Andrew Feickert."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2021-10-06
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Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress [October 6, 2021]
From the Summary: "The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's force-level goal, its proposed FY2022 shipbuilding program, and its longer-term shipbuilding plans. Key questions for Congress include the following: Is the Navy's emerging force-level goal appropriate for supporting U.S. national security strategy and U.S. national defense strategy? Is the more distributed fleet architecture envisioned by the Navy the most cost effective fleet architecture for meeting future mission needs? Is the Navy's proposed FY2022 shipbuilding program consistent with the Navy's emerging force-level goal? Given finite defense resources and competing demands for defense funds, what is the prospective affordability of the Navy's shipbuilding plans? Does the U.S. shipbuilding industry, including both shipyards and supplier firms, have adequate capacity for executing the Navy's shipbuilding plans?"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2021-10-06
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Qatar: Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy [Updated October 6, 2021]
From the Summary: "The State of Qatar, a small Arab Gulf monarchy which has about 300,000 citizens in a total population of about 2.4 million, has employed its ample financial resources to exert regional influence, often independent of the other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Oman) alliance. Qatar has fostered a close defense and security alliance with the United States and has maintained ties to a wide range of actors who are often at odds with each other, including Sunni Islamists, Iran and Iran-backed groups, and Israeli officials."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2021-10-06
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U.S.-China Strategic Competition in South and East China Seas: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated October 6, 2021]
From the Introduction: "This report provides background information and issues for Congress regarding U.S.-China strategic competition in the South China Sea (SCS) and East China Sea (ECS). In an international security environment described as one of renewed great power competition, the South China Sea (SCS) has emerged as an arena of U.S.-China strategic competition. China's actions in the SCS in recent years have heightened concerns among U.S. observers that China is gaining effective control of the SCS, an area of strategic, political, and economic importance to the United States and its allies and partners. Actions by China's maritime forces at the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea (ECS) are another concern for U.S. observers. Chinese domination of China's near-seas region could substantially affect U.S. strategic, political, and economic interests in the Indo-Pacific region and elsewhere. The issue for Congress is whether the Administration's strategy for competing strategically with China in the SCS and ECS is appropriate and correctly resourced, and whether Congress should approve, reject, or modify the strategy, the level of resources for implementing it, or both. Decisions that Congress makes on these issues could substantially affect U.S. strategic, political, and economic interests in the Indo-Pacific region and elsewhere."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2021-10-06
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 2415, Orphaned Well Cleanup and Jobs Act of 2021
This is the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on May 26, 2021. From the Document: "H.R. 2415 would authorize appropriations totaling $8 billion in fiscal year 2021 for the Department of the Interior (DOI) to establish an orphaned-well remediation program on federal land and to provide grants to states and Indian tribes for similar purposes. The bill also would direct DOI to collect fees for idled (or nonoperational) oil and gas wells located on onshore federal land and would authorize the department to spend those fees without further appropriation for reclamation and related administration. [...] H.R. 2415 would authorize the appropriations totaling $8 billion in fiscal year 2021. Because that fiscal year has ended, CBO assumes for this estimate that those amounts would be provided in 2022. On that basis and assuming appropriation of the specified amounts, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $7.7 billion over the 2022-2026 period."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2021-10-06
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 729, Strength in Diversity Act of 2021
This is the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the House Committee on Education and Labor on July 15, 2021. From the Document: "H.R. 729 would authorize the appropriation of whatever amounts are necessary through 2027 for the Department of Education to operate a grant program for eligible entities to develop or implement plans to improve diversity, and to reduce or eliminate racial or socioeconomic isolation in schools. That authorization would be extended through 2028 under the General Education Provisions Act. In 2017, the Congress provided $12 million for a grant program called Opening Doors, Expanding Opportunities. The program in this bill is similar to that program and CBO used that previously appropriated amount as the basis for estimating the authorization level in H.R. 729. After accounting for anticipated inflation, CBO estimates that the authorization would increase to $13 million in 2026. Based on historical spending patterns of similar programs, and assuming appropriation of the estimated amounts, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 729 would cost $48 million over the 2022-2026 period."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2021-10-06
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COVID-19: Potential Implications for International Security Environment-- Overview of Issues and Further Reading for Congress [Updated October 5, 2021]
From the Summary: "Some observers argue the COVID-19 [Coronavirus Disease 2019] pandemic could be a world-changing event with potentially profound and long-lasting implications for the international security environment. Other observers are more skeptical that the pandemic will have such effects. In reports issued in March and April 2021, the U.S. intelligence community provided assessments of the potential impact of the pandemic on the international security environment. Observers who argue the pandemic could be world-changing for the international security environment have focused on several areas of potential change, including the following, which are listed here separately but overlap in some cases and can interact with one another: [1] world order, international institutions, and global governance; [2] U.S. global leadership and the U.S. role in the world; [3] China's potential role as a global leader; [4] U.S. relations and great power competition with China and Russia; [5] the relative prevalence of democratic and authoritarian or autocratic forms of government; [6] societal tension, reform, transformation, and governmental stability in various countries; [7] the world economy, globalization, and U.S. trade policy; [8] allied defense spending and U.S. alliances; [9] the cohesion of the European Union; [10] the definition of, and budgeting for, U.S. national security; [11] U.S. defense strategy, defense budgets, and military operations; [12] U.S. foreign assistance programs, international debt relief, and refugee policy; [13] activities of non-state actors; [14] the amount of U.S. attention devoted to ongoing international issues other than the pandemic; and [15] the role of Congress in setting and overseeing the execution of U.S. foreign and defense policy."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald; McInnis, Kathleen J.
2021-10-05
