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Navy Constellation (FFG-62) Class Frigate Program: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated May 11, 2022]
From the Introduction: "This report provides background information and discusses potential issues for Congress regarding the Navy's Constellation (FFG-62) class frigate program, a program to procure a new class of 20 guided-missile frigates (FFGs). The Navy's proposed FY2023 budget requests the procurement of the fourth ship in the program. The FFG-62 program presents several potential oversight issues for Congress. Congress's decisions on the program could affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2022-05-11
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Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated May 2, 2022]
From the Introduction: "This report presents background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Navy's Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) and Zumwalt (DDG-1000) class destroyer programs. The Navy began procuring DDG-51s, also known as Aegis destroyers, in FY1985, and a total of 89 have been procured through FY2022, including two in FY2022. The Navy procured three DDG-1000 class destroyers in FY2007-FY2009 and plans no further procurement of DDG-1000s. The Navy's FY2023 budget requests the procurement of two DDG-51s in FY2023. The Navy's FY2023 budget submission also requests and multiyear procurement (MYP) contract for DDG-51s scheduled for procurement in FY2023-FY2027. Potential issues for Congress for the DDG-51 program in FY2023 include the number of firm ships to include in an MYP contract for the DDG-51 program for FY2023-FY2027, the Navy's future force-level goal for large surface combatants (or LSCs, meaning cruisers and destroyers), and how the Navy proposes to transition several years from now from procurement of DDG-51s to procurement of a successor destroyer design now in development called the DDG(X). Decisions that Congress makes on these issues could substantially affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2022-05-02
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Multiyear Procurement (MYP) and Block Buy Contracting in Defense Acquisition: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated May 4, 2022]
From the Introduction: "This report provides background information and issues for Congress on multiyear procurement (MYP) and block buy contracting (BBC), which are special contracting mechanisms that Congress permits the Department of Defense (DOD) to use for a limited number of defense acquisition programs. Compared to the standard or default approach of annual contracting, MYP and BBC have the potential for reducing weapon procurement costs by a few or several percent. Potential issues for Congress concerning MYP and BBC include whether to use MYP and BBC in the future more frequently, less frequently, or about as frequently as they are currently used; whether to create a permanent statute to govern the use of BBC, analogous to the permanent statute that governs the use of MYP; and whether the Coast Guard should begin making use of MYP and BBC. Congress's decisions on these issues could affect defense acquisition practices, defense funding requirements, and the defense industrial base."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2022-05-04
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Navy Shipboard Lasers: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated May 9, 2022]
From the Introduction: "This report provides background information and issues for Congress on shipboard solid state lasers (SSLs) that the Navy is developing for surface-ship self-defense. The Navy's proposed FY2023 budget requests continued research and development funding for these efforts. The issue for Congress is whether to modify, reject, or approve the Navy's acquisition strategies and funding requests for shipboard laser development programs. Decisions that Congress makes on this issue could affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements and the defense technology and industrial base."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2022-05-09
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Navy Light Amphibious Warship (LAW) Program: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated May 3, 2022]
From the Introduction: "This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the Navy's new Light Amphibious Warship (LAW) program, which envisions procuring a class of up to 35 new amphibious ships to support the Marine Corps, particularly in implementing a new Marine Corps operational concept called Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO). The Navy had previously envisioned procuring the first LAW in FY2023, but the Navy's FY2023 budget submission defers the procurement of the first LAW to FY2025. The Navy's proposed FY2023 budget requests $12.2 million in research and development funding for the program. The LAW program poses a number of potential oversight matters for Congress. The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's annual funding requests and envisioned acquisition strategy for the program. Congress's decisions regarding the program could affect Navy and Marine Corps capabilities and funding requirements and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2022-05-03
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Navy LPD-17 Flight II and LHA Amphibious Ship Programs: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated May 4, 2022]
From the Introduction: "This report provides background information and issues for Congress on two types of amphibious ships being procured for the Navy: LPD [landing platform/dock]-17 Flight II class amphibious ships and LHA [landing helicopter assault]-type amphibious assault ships. Both types are built by Huntington Ingalls Industries/Ingalls Shipbuilding (HII/Ingalls) of Pascagoula, MS. The Navy's LPD-17 Flight II and LHA shipbuilding programs pose multiple oversight issues for Congress. Congress's decisions on the LPD-17 Flight II and LHA programs could affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements and the shipbuilding industrial base."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2022-05-04
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Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources [Updated May 9, 2022]
From the Summary: "This guide provides information on locating military unit histories and individual service records of discharged, retired, and deceased military personnel. It also provides information on locating and replacing military awards and medals. Included is contact information for military history centers, websites for additional sources of research, and a bibliography of other publications, including related CRS [Congressional Research Service] reports."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Torreon, Barbara Salazar
2022-05-09
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Latin America and the Caribbean: Impact of COVID-19 [Updated May 4, 2022]
From the Document: "The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having widespread economic, social, and political effects on Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). As of May 3, 2022, the region had nearly 1.7 million deaths (over 27% of deaths worldwide). Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and Argentina had the region's highest numbers of deaths. Looking at deaths per 100,000 people, Peru had the highest recorded COVID-19 mortality rate in the region, followed by Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, and Trinidad and Tobago[.]" This document discusses economic impact, political impact, and U.S. policy considerations.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Meyer, Peter J.; Sullivan, Mark P.
2022-05-04
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Office of Investigations Strategy: FY 2021-2027
From the Summary: "Mission: The U.S. Secret Service's Office of Investigations (INV)--through its global network of field offices, task forces, and partnerships--detects and arrests those that engage in crimes that undermine the integrity of U.S. financial and payment systems. INV does this while fully supporting U.S. Secret Service protection responsibilities and developing its partners, thereby continuing the Secret Service's over 150-year legacy of safeguarding U.S. national and economic security. Vison: The Office of Investigations operates as a global network of multi-functional teams, conducting high-impact criminal investigations that safeguard the integrity of financial and payment systems, while fully supporting all protective requirements."
United States. Secret Service. Office of Investigations
2021-01-04?
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Abuses of the Federal Notice-And-Comment Rulemaking Process
From the Executive Summary: "Federal agencies depend on relevant, substantive information from a wide variety of parties to assist them in developing and updating federal regulations. This information includes comments submitted by members of the public, businesses, non-profit organizations, and academics. This process, known as 'notice-and-comment rulemaking,' transitioned from paper to the internet in the early 2000s. As a result, the public has more opportunity than ever to engage in the federal rulemaking process by reviewing electronic regulatory dockets and submitting comments through portals like Regulations.gov and the Federal Communications Commission's ('FCC') Electronic Comment Filing System ('ECFS'). [...] After the FCC received nearly 24 million comments in the course of just one rulemaking proceeding in 2017 and its website crashed due to the volume of comments submitted simultaneously, the Subcommittee initiated a review of federal commenting systems to understand their flaws and develop recommendations to improve them."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
Carper, Thomas R., 1947-; Portman, Robert J. (Robert Jones), 1955-
2019-10-24?
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Fiscal Year 2021 Overview of Federal Criminal Cases
From the Document: "The United States Sentencing Commission received information on 57,377 federal criminal cases in which the offender was sentenced in fiscal year 2021. Among these cases, 57,287 involved an individual offender and 90 involved a corporation or other 'organizational' offender. The Commission also received information on 4,680 cases in which the court resentenced the offender or otherwise modified the sentence that had been previously imposed. This publication provides an overview of these cases."
United States Sentencing Commission
Schmitt, Glenn R.; Jeralds, Lindsey
2022-04
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General Debate on the Impact of Long Covid on the UK Workforce
From the Background: "The latest data from the Office for National Statistics [hyperlink] (ONS) estimates that 1.5 million people in the UK (2.4% of the population) were experiencing long Covid [coronavirus disease] as of the end of January. This is based on self-reporting of Covid symptoms persisting for over four weeks. 71% of those reporting long Covid first had (or suspected they had) Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] at least twelve weeks prior to the study. 65% of those reporting long Covid said that it adversely affected their day-to-day activities. Fatigue is the most common reported symptom of long Covid (reported in 51% of cases), followed by shortness of breath (35%). Reported long Covid was most common in those aged 35-49, females, people living in more deprived areas, those employed in education or health and social care, and people who already had another health condition or disability that limits their day-to-day activities."
Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Library
Powell, Andrew; Powell, Tom, 1976-; Baker, Carl . . .
2022-03-22
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 3470, End Human Trafficking in Government Contracts Act of 2022
From the Document: "Under S. 3470, any federal agency receiving a substantiated claim that a grant or contract recipient is engaging in human trafficking would be required to refer the matter to the agency's suspension and debarment official. Under current law, such a referral is optional. The head of the contracting agency would have the authority to impose various sanctions, including terminating the contract. The bill also would require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to report on efforts to end human trafficking in government contracting. [...] CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that the cost of meeting the bill's reporting requirements would be less than $500,000 over the 2022-2027 period."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-05-16
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Presidential Policy Directive 43: Directive on United States-Cuba Normalization
From the Document: "This directive: (1) describes the U.S. vision for normalization with Cuba and how our policy aligns with U.S. national security interests; (2) assesses progress toward normalization; (3) describes the current and foreseen strategic landscape; (4) describes priority objectives for normalization; and (5) directs actions required to implement this PPD [Presidential Policy Directive]."
United States. White House Office
Obama, Barack
2016-10-14
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Art Industry and U.S. Policies That Undermine Sanctions, Staff Report, Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, United States Senate
From the Executive Summary: "The United States government imposes economic sanctions on foreign adversaries in attempt to change their behavior. In theory, sanctions are simple. U.S. persons and companies are prohibited from doing business with sanctioned persons and entities. This prohibition should bar access to the world's largest economy. The United States imposes sanctions for a wide range of reasons. For example, the United States has imposed sanctions on Russia for election interference, human rights abuses, providing support to Venezuela and Syria, but mainly in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This report focuses, in particular, on a case study documenting how certain Russian oligarchs appear to have used transactions involving high-value art to evade sanctions imposed on them by the United States on March 20, 2014 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
2020-07-29?
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Mass Casualty Commission [website]
From the Website: "The Mass Casualty Commission is an independent public inquiry created to examine the April 18-19, 2020 mass casualty in Nova Scotia and to provide meaningful recommendations to help keep communities safer. On October 21, 2020 the Government of Canada and Province of Nova Scotia each issued an Order in Council (OIC) officially establishing the Commission and announcing the appointment of the three Commissioners and the beginning of this important work."
Mass Casualty Commission
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Legislation Partially Addresses Fatal 'Duck Boat' Accidents [April 29, 2022]
From the Document: "Amphibious passenger vehicles (APVs), widely known as 'duck boats,' are tourist vehicles designed to drive on roads and operate as boats in water. Several fatal accidents have drawn attention to potential shortcomings in regulation of these unique vehicles (also known while afloat as 'vessels'), which are subject to oversight by multiple federal and state agencies. Legislation passed in the House and pending in the Senate would bring tighter regulation of duck boats while afloat but does not address recommendations intended to increase their safety while operating on the road. Duck boats host thousands of tours for more than one million passengers annually. About 200 such vehicles operate domestically. The original vehicles, referred to as DUKW, were built during World War II to deliver cargo from ships at sea directly to the shore and often to evacuate injured military personnel. The name DUKW, which became 'duck' over time, is from military terminology--D refers to the year designed (1942); U refers to utility; K to all-wheel drive powertrain; and W to dual-powered rear axles. Some of the vehicles in use today have been refurbished, and others were built more recently. Many duck boats are operated under a license from the private company Ride the Ducks International (RTDI), but others may be operated independently. [...] The 116th Congress considered legislation to improve Coast Guard regulation of APVs, with the Senate passing S. 1031, the Duck Boat Safety Enhancement Act of 2020, in December 2020. Similar legislation, S. 62, has been introduced in the 117th Congress. On March 29, 2022, the House passed legislation reported by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure--H.R. 6865, the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022--which includes new requirements for the Coast Guard's regulation of APVs."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Canis, Bill
2022-04-29
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Lebanon's 2022 Parliamentary Elections [May 12, 2022]
From the Document: "Lebanon plans to hold parliamentary elections on May 15, the first since the emergence in 2019 of a protest movement calling for the removal of the country's ruling political elite. Parties allied with the March 14 political coalition--which seeks close ties with the United States, France, and Saudi Arabia-- hope to win a majority in parliament. The 2018 elections resulted in a parliamentary--and therefore cabinet--majority for the March 8 political coalition of Hezbollah and its allies, which seeks close ties with Syria and Iran[.] As of 2022, forces opposed to Hezbollah remain splintered, and some analysts question [hyperlink] whether the election can overturn the current March 8 majority. The relative strength of Hezbollah and its allies in the next government may impact congressional consideration of additional aid to Lebanon, as the country struggles with an economic crisis the World Bank described [hyperlink] as possibly among the top three 'most severe crises episodes globally since the mid-nineteenth century.'"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Humud, Carla E.
2022-05-12
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Northern Ireland's 2022 Assembly Election: Outcome and Implications [May 11, 2022]
From the Document: "On May 5, 2022, voters in Northern Ireland--a part of the United Kingdom (UK)--went to the polls in elections for Northern Ireland's Assembly, its regional legislature. In a landmark outcome [hyperlink], the all-Ireland Sinn Fein party--which supports a united Ireland--came in first place. The Assembly is a key institution in Northern Ireland's devolved government, established by the 1998 peace agreement [hyperlink] aimed at ending 'the Troubles,' a 30-year sectarian conflict in which roughly 3,500 people died. The peace accord mandates power sharing in the devolved government between Northern Ireland's two dominant communities: 'unionists,' or Protestants who largely define themselves as British and support remaining part of the UK, and 'nationalists,' or Catholics who consider themselves Irish and may favor a united Ireland. Despite a much improved security situation since 1998, peace and stability in Northern Ireland remain fragile and of continued interest to many in Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Archick, Kristin
2022-05-11
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Role of the House Majority Leader: An Overview [Updated May 3, 2022]
From the Summary: "The majority leader in the contemporary House is second-in-command behind the Speaker of the House. Typically, the majority leader functions as the Speaker's chief lieutenant or 'field commander' for day-to-day management of the floor. Although the majority leader's duties are not especially well-defined, they have evolved to include two fundamental and often interlocking responsibilities that orient the majority leader's work: to the institution of the House, and to the majority party conference. From an institutional perspective, the majority leader has a number of duties. Scheduling floor business is a prime responsibility of the majority leader. Although scheduling the House's business is a collective activity of the majority party, the majority leader has a large say in shaping the chamber's overall agenda and in determining when, whether, how, or in what order legislation is taken up. In addition, the majority leader is active in constructing winning coalitions for the party's legislative priorities; acting as a public spokesperson--defending and explaining the party's program and agenda; serving as an emissary to the White House, especially when the President is of the same party; and facilitating the orderly conduct of House business. From a party perspective, three key activities undergird the majority leader's principal goal of maintaining the party's majority status in the House. First, the majority leader assists in the reelection campaigns of party incumbents by raising and donating campaign funds and traveling to scores of House districts to campaign with incumbents or challengers of the party. Second, the majority leader promotes the party's agenda by developing themes and issues important to core supporters and the general public. Third, the majority leader encourages party cohesion by working to minimize internal factional disagreements that may undermine the majority party's ability to govern the House."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Oleszek, Mark J.; Oleszek, Walter J.
2022-05-03
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Role of Executive Agencies in Budget Development: In Brief [May 5, 2022]
From the Introduction: "The federal budget sustains government functions and plays an important role in shaping policy decisions. In practice, the process for developing and executing the federal budget is multifaceted. The Constitution vests Congress with the power of the purse, with provisions that refer to congressional authority to levy taxes, authorize the issuance of debt, and make appropriations to fund the federal government. The Constitution does not provide an explicit role for the President in the budget process. Rather, the executive budget process exists primarily due to statutes enacted by Congress, and it specifies roles for the President, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and executive agencies. The executive budget process is a complex set of activities that includes (1) development of the President's budget proposal, (2) submission and justification of the President's budget proposal, and (3) execution of enacted appropriations and other budgetary legislation. While some of the activities must be completed by specific dates, many follow a more flexible schedule established by formal and informal rules and procedures. This report briefly covers agencies' roles in budget development in the context of the executive budget process."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Heniff, Bill; Fiorentino, Dominick A.
2022-05-05
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Refining 'Reed: City of Austin' Updates Test for Content-Based Speech Restrictions [May 2, 2022]
From the Document: "The Supreme Court's April 21, 2022, decision in 'City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC' [hyperlink] is the latest development in the Court's free speech jurisprudence on content neutrality. Content neutrality is important because it largely determines the level of scrutiny that a court would apply to a law regulating speech in a First Amendment challenge, with content-neutral laws receiving less rigorous scrutiny than content-based ones do. In this case, the Court held [hyperlink] that the city's restriction on 'off-premises' signs--signs advertising or directing readers to businesses or activities at another location-- was content neutral on its face because it regulated signs based on their location rather than their subject matter or topic. This Sidebar provides a brief overview of how the Court's standards for evaluating content neutrality have changed over time. It then discusses the 'City of Austin' decision and why the case could have implications beyond sign ordinances, potentially paving the way for broader location- or function-based regulation of speech, including online speech."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Killion, Victoria L.
2022-05-02
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Role of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in Budget Development: In Brief [May 5, 2022]
From the Introduction: "The federal budget sustains government functions and plays an important role in shaping policy decisions. In practice, the process for developing and executing the federal budget is multifaceted. The Constitution vests Congress with the power of the purse, with provisions that refer to congressional authority to levy taxes, authorize the issuance of debt, and make appropriations to fund the federal government. The Constitution does not provide an explicit role for the President in the budget process. Rather, the executive budget process exists primarily due to statutes enacted by Congress, and it specifies roles for the President, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and agencies. The executive budget process consists of three main phases: development of the President's budget proposal, submission and justification of the President's budget proposal, and execution of enacted annual appropriations and other budgetary legislation. Congress may become involved in any of these phases. Under current law, the President must develop and submit a consolidated budget to Congress no later than the first Monday in February prior to the start of the upcoming fiscal year. OMB assists the President in carrying out budgetary duties. Originally created by the 1921 Budget and Accounting Act as the Bureau of the Budget, it was reconstituted as OMB in 1970. One of OMB's primary functions is to oversee the development of the President's budget proposal. This report briefly highlights the roles of OMB in budget development."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Riccard, Taylor N.
2022-05-05
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Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs: An Overview and Issues for Congress [May 10, 2022]
From the Document: "Congress is considering the establishment of a new regional technology and innovation hub program in U.S. competition legislation. The House and Senate are reconciling H.R. 4521 [hyperlink], the America COMPETES Act of 2022, as agreed to by the House on February 4, 2022, with the version [hyperlink] as agreed to by the Senate on March 28, 2022. The Senate substituted the text of H.R. 4521 with S. 1260, the United States Competitiveness and Innovation Act. Both bills would establish a competitive award program to plan for or implement regional consortia in an effort to advance innovation and technology-based economic development. This Insight provides a brief overview of regional innovation and technology-based economic development; describes key features of the proposed program--including differences in the House and Senate bills; and highlights potential considerations for Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lawhorn, Julie M.; Gallo, Marcy E.
2022-05-10
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Role of the President in Budget Development: In Brief [May 5, 2022]
From the Introduction: "The federal budget sustains government functions and plays an important role in shaping policy decisions. In practice, the process for developing and executing the federal budget is multifaceted. The Constitution vests Congress with the power of the purse, with provisions that refer to congressional authority to levy taxes, authorize the issuance of debt, and make appropriations to fund the federal government. The Constitution does not provide an explicit role for the President in the budget process. Rather, the executive budget process exists primarily due to statutes enacted by Congress, and it specifies roles for the President, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and agencies. The executive budget process consists of three main phases: development of the President's budget proposal, submission and justification of the President's budget proposal, and execution of enacted annual appropriations and other budgetary legislation. Congress may become involved in any of these phases. The President's budget proposal--referred to by statute as the 'Budget of the United States Government'--is required by law to be submitted annually. [...] This report briefly highlights the role of the President in budget development. For a detailed overview of the development, submission, and justification of the President's budget proposal, see CRS [Congressional Research Service] Report R47019, 'The Executive Budget Process: An Overview,' by Dominick A. Fiorentino and Taylor N. Riccard."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Riccard, Taylor N.
2022-05-05
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U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues [February 14, 2014]
"The U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement entered into force on May 15, 2012. It is a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and Colombia, which will eventually eliminate tariffs and other barriers in bilateral trade in goods and services. On October 3, 2011, President Barack Obama submitted draft legislation (H.R. 3078/S. 1641) to both houses of Congress to implement the agreement. On October 12, 2011, the House passed H.R. 3078 (262-167) and sent it to the Senate. The Senate passed the implementing legislation (66-33) on the same day. The agreement was signed by both countries almost five years earlier, on November 22, 2006. The Colombian Congress approved it in June 2007 and again in October 2007, after it was modified to include new provisions agreed to in the May 10, 2007, bipartisan understanding between congressional leadership and President George W. Bush. The United States is Colombia's leading trade partner. Colombia accounts for a very small percentage of U.S. trade (1% in 2013), ranking 31st among U.S. export markets and 33rd among foreign exporters to the United States. Because the FTA has been in effect for less than two years, the effect of the agreement is not yet clear. Economic studies estimate that, upon full implementation, the impact on the United States would be positive but very small due to the small size of the Colombian economy when compared to that of the United States (about 2.2%)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Villarreal, M. Angeles
2014-02-14
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Supply Disruptions and the U.S. Economy [May 13, 2022]
From the Document: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has disrupted the production of many goods and services. Although those disruptions have waned since spring 2020, some continue to constrain production, exacerbating inflationary pressures [hyperlink]. The Biden Administration has announced a series of initiatives to address supply chain disruptions, which are detailed in CRS [Congressional Research Service] Insight IN11927 [hyperlink]. This Insight discusses some of the factors contributing to supply disruptions and policy considerations surrounding this issue."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Labonte, Marc; Weinstock, Lida R.
2022-05-13
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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Supplemental Appropriations [Updated May 2, 2022]
From the Document: "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is a Department of Defense agency with civil works responsibilities, consisting largely of water resource projects to maintain navigable channels, reduce flood and storm damage, and restore aquatic ecosystems. USACE also has a role in responding to natural disasters, especially floods. This In Focus covers the appropriations that Congress has provided USACE that are in addition to annual appropriations, referred to as 'supplemental appropriations.' Congress may consider both the amount of USACE supplemental appropriations and how effectively and efficiently the agency uses these funds. [...] Issues for Congress include oversight of USACE's short-term and long-term implementation of supplemental appropriations. There may be questions regarding how efficiently the funds are spent on projects and how effective the funded projects are in accomplishing the purposes set out by Congress. Implementation concerns have arisen with USACE emergency appropriations at times; for example, an August 2021 Senate Appropriations Committee report, S.Rept. 117-36, identified shortcomings in the pace and approach to managing supplemental construction funding and in compliance with required reporting. An ongoing challenge for USACE is that numerous authorized studies and construction projects remain unfunded. In spring 2021, USACE estimated its construction backlog at $109 billion. To what extent supplemental appropriations have helped address the USACE backlog remains uncertain, and the aggregate effect of supplemental appropriations on accomplishing the agency's water resource missions nationally remains unknown."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Carter, Nicole T.; Normand, Anna E.
2022-05-02
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Supplemental Funding for Ukraine: Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) [Updated May 6, 2022]
From the Document: "As of April 28, 2022, the Biden Administration had submitted to Congress two emergency supplemental funding requests to address the crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine [hyperlink]. The first, submitted on March 2, 2022, included $5 billion for Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations accounts, among other funding. On March 15, 2022, Congress enacted the Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act (USAA, P.L. 117-103, Div. N), which provided $6.8 billion for SFOPS accounts. The Administration's second supplemental funding request, submitted to Congress on April 28, called for an additional $14.75 billion in SFOPS funding related to Ukraine. Reports suggest [hyperlink] Congress may pursue another emergency supplemental funding package, though it remains to be seen what that package may include and whether domestic priorities affect its consideration."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Morgenstern, Emily M.
2022-05-06
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U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues [Updated May 4, 2022]
From the Summary: "The U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement entered into force on May 15, 2012. It is a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and Colombia, which will eventually eliminate tariffs and other barriers in bilateral trade in goods and services. [...] The United States is Colombia's leading trade partner in both imports and exports. Colombia accounts for a very small percentage of U.S. trade (less than 1% in 2021), ranking 21st among U.S. export markets and 32nd among foreign exporters to the United States in 2021. The economic effects of the U.S.-Colombia FTA are difficult to measure because of the large number of economic variables that affect trade as well as investor confidence. Some economic studies estimated that, upon full implementation, the impact on the United States would likely be positive but very small due to the small size of the Colombian economy. The congressional debate surrounding the U.S.-Colombia FTA mostly centered on violence, labor, and human rights issues in Colombia. Numerous Members of Congress opposed passage of the agreement because of concerns about alleged targeted violence against union members in Colombia, inadequate efforts to bring perpetrators to justice, and weak protection of worker rights. [...] To address the concerns related to labor rights and violence in Colombia, the United States and Colombia agreed upon an 'Action Plan Related to Labor Rights' that included specific and concrete steps to be taken by the Colombian government with specific timelines. It included numerous commitments to protect union members, end impunity, and improve worker rights."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Villarreal, M. Angeles
2022-05-04
