Advanced search Help
Clear all search criteria
Only 2/3! You are seeing results from the Public Collection, not the complete Full Collection. Sign in to search everything (see eligibility).
-
When Can You Be Convicted of a Crime That Is Not a Crime? [June 29, 2018]
"A panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (Tenth Circuit) recently upheld the murder conviction of a defendant who the court conceded had been 'convicted of a crime that is not a crime.' The case, United States v. Melgar-Cabrera, is the product of extradition and an underappreciated landmark Supreme Court decision, Apprendi v. New Jersey. Melgar-Cabrera began when the defendant and two cohorts robbed a Denny's restaurant and killed a waitress. They were charged with three offenses: (1) robbery in violation of the Hobbs Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1951; (2) using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c); and (3) murder committed during the Section 924(c) firearms offense, 18 U.S.C. § 924(j). Before he could be tried, the defendant fled to El Salvador. Salvadoran authorities agreed to his extradition, but only under the Hobbs Act and the murder charges. They denied extradition on the Section 924(c) firearms charge."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Doyle, Charles
2018-06-29
-
Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations [June 27, 2018]
"Venezuela remains in a deep political crisis under the authoritarian rule of President Nicolás Maduro of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). On May 20, 2018, Maduro defeated Henri Falcón, a former governor, in a presidential election boycotted by the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) of opposition parties and dismissed by the United States, the European Union, and 18 Western Hemisphere countries as illegitimate. Maduro, who was narrowly elected in 2013 after the death of President Hugo Chávez (1999-2013), is unpopular. Nevertheless, he has used the courts, security forces, and electoral council to repress the opposition."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Seelke, Clare Ribando; Nelson, Rebecca M.; Brown, Phillip (Specialist in Energy Policy) . . .
2018-06-27
-
FEMA and SBA Disaster Assistance for Individuals and Households: Application Process, Determinations, and Appeals [June 22, 2018]
"Individuals and households that suffer uninsured or underinsured losses under a major disaster declaration typically apply for Individual Assistance (IA), administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and may also apply for disaster loans, administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). This report opens with an overview of the two programs and a discussion about how declarations are used to put them into effect. The report also discusses their respective application processes and eligibility criteria used by FEMA and SBA to make grant and loan determinations, respectively. The report then describes the appeals process before concluding with policy observations and considerations. FEMA IA and the SBA Disaster Loan Program are interlaced to a certain degree. Functionally, SBA and FEMA have a computer matching agreement (CMA) to share real-time data on assistance provided to applicants. SBA and FEMA use the interface between their systems to identify potential duplication of benefits (DOB) and determine loan and grant eligibility. From an administrative perspective, eligibility and assistance from one source can impact eligibility and assistance from the other source."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lindsay, Bruce R.; Reese, Shawn
2018-06-22
-
Farm Bills: Major Legislative Actions, 1965-2018 [June 29, 2018]
"The farm bill provides an opportunity for Congress to address agricultural and food issues comprehensively about every five years. Over time, farm bills have tended to become more complicated and politically sensitive. As a result, the timeline for reauthorization has become less certain, and in general recent farm bills have taken longer to enact than in previous decades. Recent farm bills, beginning with the 2008 farm bill (P.L. 110-246), have been subject to various developments that have delayed enactment, such as insufficient votes to pass the House floor, presidential vetoes, and short-term extensions. The 2014 farm bill took more than 21 months from introduction to enactment and spanned the 112th and 113th Congresses. The House rejected a bill in 2013 and then passed separate farm and nutrition assistance components before procedurally recombining them for conference with the Senate. Somewhat similarly, the 2008 farm bill took more than a year to enact and was complicated by revenue provisions from another committee of jurisdiction, temporary extensions, and vetoes."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Monke, Jim
2018-06-29
-
Trade Deficits and U.S. Trade Policy [June 28, 2018]
"The economic effects of the U.S. trade deficit have been a topic of long-standing congressional interest. The U.S. Constitution grants authority to Congress to regulate commerce with foreign nations and to lay and collect duties, and Congress exercises this authority in numerous ways. These include oversight of trade policy and consideration of legislation to implement trade agreements and to authorize trade programs. In some cases, Congress has delegated certain authorities over trade policy to the Executive Branch: for example, to facilitate trade negotiations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Jackson, James K., 1949-
2018-06-28
-
Rule XIX Call to Order for Disorderly Language in Senate Debate [June 27, 2018]
"The Senate has, from the 1st Congress (1789-1790), valued the importance of decorum in debate and included a 'call to order' mechanism in its rules to sanction Senators who use 'disorderly' language. The rules adopted in 1789 contained such a call-to-order provision, and its language has been amended multiple times over the years. Table 1 of this report details the historical evolution of the rule. The present form of the Senate's call-to-order provision was adopted on June 14, 1962. Senate Rule XIX identifies specific language that is considered disorderly. This includes language directly or indirectly imputing to another Senator or Senators 'any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator' (paragraph 2) and referring 'offensively to any State of the Union' (paragraph 3). Rule XIX prohibits imputing conduct or motive 'by any form of words' to a sitting Senator, which includes not just original words spoken in debate but quotes, news articles, and other materials. The statements in paragraphs 2 and 3 are not considered to be a comprehensive recitation of language that may violate decorum in Senate debate. Although precedents on the subject are mixed, Senators have at times also been called to order for making disparaging references in debate to the House of Representatives or its Members."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Davis, Christopher M., 1966-; Greene, Michael
2018-06-27
-
Legislative Actions to Modify the Affordable Care Act in the 111th-115th Congresses [June 27, 2018]
From the Document: "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148) was signed into law on March 23, 2010. The law comprises numerous provisions in 10 titles. The provisions in Titles IVIII largely relate to how health care in the United States is financed, organized, and delivered. Title IX contains revenue provisions. Title X reauthorizes the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, establishes some new programs and requirements, and amends provisions included in the other nine titles of the ACA. On March 30, 2010, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (HCERA; P.L. 111-152) was signed into law, which included new provisions and amended several ACA provisions. Since enactment of the ACA and HCERA, lawmakers have repeatedly debated the laws' implementation and considered bills to repeal, defund, or otherwise amend them. This report summarizes legislative actions taken during the 111th-115th Congresses to modify the health care-related provisions of the ACA and HCERA."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Mach, Annie L.; Kinzer, Janet
2018-06-27
-
Federal Disaster Assistance Response and Recovery Programs: Brief Summaries [June 20, 2018]
"This report is designed to assist Members of Congress and their staff as they address the needs of their states, communities, and constituents after a disaster. It includes a summary of federal programs that provide federal disaster assistance to individual survivors, states, territories, local governments, and nongovernmental entities following a natural or man-made disaster. A number of federal agencies provide financial assistance through grants, loans, and loan guarantees to assist in the provision of critical services, such as temporary housing, counseling, and infrastructure repair. The programs summarized in the report fall into two broad categories. First are programs specifically authorized for disaster situations. Most of these programs are administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Second are general assistance programs that in some instances may be used either in disaster situations or to meet regular service needs. Many federal agencies, including the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD), administer programs that may be included in the second category."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kreiser, Maria; Mullins, Maura
2018-06-20
-
Iran Sanctions [June 29, 2018]
"The multilateral nuclear accord (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA) provided Iran broad relief from U.N. and multilateral sanctions, as well as U.S. secondary sanctions (sanctions on foreign firms that do business with Iran) on Iran's civilian economic sectors. Upon the January 16, 2016, implementation of the JCPOA, U.S. Administration waivers of relevant sanctions laws took effect, relevant executive orders (E.O.s) were revoked, and corresponding U.N. and EU sanctions were lifted. Remaining in place were a general ban on U.S. trade with Iran and U.S. secondary sanctions imposed on Iran's support for regional governments and armed factions, its human rights abuses, its efforts to acquire missile and advanced conventional weapons capabilities, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Some additional sanctions on these entities and activities were made mandatory by the Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA, P.L. 115-44), which also increases sanctions on Russia and North Korea."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2018-06-29
-
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) [July 3, 2018]
"The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is an interagency body comprised of nine Cabinet members, two ex officio members, and other members as appointed by the President, that assists the President in overseeing the national security aspects of foreign direct investment in the U.S. economy. While the group often operated in relative obscurity, the perceived change in the nation's national security and economic concerns following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the proposed acquisition of commercial operations at six U.S. ports by Dubai Ports World in 2006 placed CFIUS's review procedures under intense scrutiny by Members of Congress and the public. Prompted by this case, some Members of Congress questioned the ability of Congress to exercise its oversight responsibilities given the general view that CFIUS's operations lacked transparency. The current CFIUS process reflects changes Congress initiated in the first session of the 110th Congress, when the House and Senate adopted S. 1610, the Foreign Investment and National Security Act of 2007 (FINSA). In the 115th Congress, the House and Senate adopted measures that would mark the most comprehensive reform of CFIUS since FINSA in 2007 (S. 2987/H.R. 5515), the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2017)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Jackson, James K., 1949-
2018-07-03
-
Navy Virginia (SSN-774) Class Attack Submarine Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress [June 29, 2018]
"This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) program. The Navy's proposed FY2019 budget requests $7,169.8 million (i.e., about $7.2 billion) in procurement and advance procurement (AP) funding for the program. Decisions that Congress makes on procurement of Virginia-class boats could substantially affect U.S. Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2018-06-29
-
Military Enjoined from Transferring American ISIS Suspect to Foreign Country--at Least for Now [June 20, 2018]
"In Doe v. Mattis, a case with potential ramifications regarding the authority to conduct military operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (D.C. Circuit) upheld 2-1 the district court's injunctions temporarily protecting 'John Doe' from forcible transfer to another country from Iraq, where he is currently being held by the U.S. military as a suspected ISIS combatant. Doe, a dual U.S.-Saudi national who surrendered to Syrian Democratic Forces and was subsequently transferred to U.S. custody, seeks to end his detention through a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the federal district court for the District of Columbia. The Department of Defense (DOD) seeks to transfer him involuntarily to the custody of one of two countries (the names of which remain classified). Doe asked the district court to prevent his transfer during the pendency of his litigation, but DOD claimed the authority to transfer him as soon as diplomatic arrangements could be made. The district court judge issued two orders, one requiring DOD to provide 72 hours' notice to the court prior to Doe's transfer to another country and a second enjoining the government from transferring Doe, once the government gave notice to the court of its intent to transfer him. DOD appealed both orders."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Elsea, Jennifer K.
2018-06-20
-
Ebola: Democratic Republic of Congo [June 12, 2018]
"On May 8, 2018, health officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) that two Ebola cases had been detected in the Equateur province, a rural area in the northwestern portion of the country. The disease has since spread to Mbandaka, a city that holds 1.2 million people and serves as a regional trade hub. As of June 10, 2018, WHO reported a total of 55 cases, including 28 deaths. Of these cases, 69% were confirmed through diagnostics. WHO asserts that 14 of these cases were probably Ebola, but could not collect laboratory specimens before the burial. This is the ninth Ebola outbreak in DRC since the disease was discovered in 1976, when an outbreak infected 318 people and killed 280 (Figure 1). WHO considers the public health risk of transmission to be very high at the national level due to the serious nature of the disease, insufficient epidemiological capacity, and delayed detection of the first case. At the global level, however, the risk is considered low. The outbreak appears to have been contained in the most populous areas and active transmission appears to be occurring only in rural areas."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salaam-Blyther, Tiaji; Chavers, Monyai L.
2018-06-12
-
June 12 Trump-Kim Jong-un Summit [June 12, 2018]
From the Document: "On June 12, 2018, President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met in Singapore to discuss North Korea's nuclear program, building a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, and the future of U.S. relations with North Korea (known officially as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK). During their summit, the first-ever meeting between leaders of the two countries, Trump and Kim issued a brief joint statement in which Trump 'committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK,' and Kim 'reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.'"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Manyin, Mark E.; Nikitin, Mary Beth Dunham
2018-06-12
-
FY2018 Military Construction Authorizations and Appropriations [June 6, 2018]
"On May 23, 2017, the Trump Administration delivered its first full budget proposal to the 115th Congress, a request that included $10.4 billion for military construction activities. Of this amount, the Administration requested $9.8 billion for military construction and family housing in the base budget, and $0.6 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations funds. House and Senate negotiations on the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes funding for military construction projects for the Department of Defense, concluded early in November 2017. The final bill, H.R. 2810, passed the House on November 14, 2017, and the Senate on November 16, 2017. The final legislation was sent to the President for his signature on November 30, 2017, and was signed two weeks later, on December 12, 2017."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Mann, Christopher T.
2018-06-06
-
FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act [June 4, 2018]
"The Trump Administration's initial FY2018 budget request, released on May 23, 2017, included a total of $677.1 billion for the national defense budget function (Budget Function 050), which encompasses all defense-related activities of the federal government. Of that amount, $659.8 billion was for appropriation accounts for which authorization is provided in the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The remainder of the request was either for mandatory funds not requiring annual authorization or for discretionary funds outside the scope of the NDAA. That initial Administration request included $595.3 billion in discretionary funding for the socalled base budget, that is, funds intended to pay for activities that the Department of Defense (DOD) and other national defense-related agencies would pursue even if U.S. forces were not engaged in contingency operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere. The remaining $64.6 billion of the request, formally designated as funding for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), would fund the incremental cost of those ongoing operations as well as any other DOD costs that Congress and the President agree to so designate."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Towell, Pat
2018-06-04
-
Recent Violent Crime Trends in the United States [June 20, 2018]
"Media accounts of increasing violent crime rates, especially homicides, in some cities raise broad concerns about decreasing levels of public safety. This report provides an analysis of changes in violent crime since 1960, with a focus on changes from 2014 to 2016 in violent crime and homicide rates in the 48 largest cities in the United States for which violent crime and homicide data were submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
James, Nathan
2018-06-20
-
Indexing Capital Gains Taxes for Inflation [June 18, 2018]
"Recently, proposals to index capital gains for inflation have re-entered the public debate. The proposed change would eliminate the part of capital gains that reflects inflation by increasing the basis (i.e., the amount subtracted from sales price to determine capital gains) by inflation occurring since acquisition of the asset. President Trump's head of the White House National Economic Council, Larry Kudlow, has long proposed the indexation of capital gains for inflation through regulation, and Americans for Tax Reform has urged Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to index capital gains. Senators Ted Cruz and James Inhofe have introduced S. 2688, the Capital Gains Inflation Relief Act of 2018, which would index the basis of assets for purposes of the capital gains tax. Capital gains already receive benefits including (along with dividends) lower tax rates, tax deferral until assets are sold, and gains exclusion on assets passed on at death. Capital gains earned in retirement and pension plans are also effectively exempt from income tax. Other types of earnings from capital (such as interest and business investments) are also taxed on nominal income, but those effects are also offset by other tax benefits."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Gravelle, Jane
2018-06-18
-
Economic and Fiscal Conditions in the U.S. Virgin Islands [June 20, 2018]
"Fiscal and economic challenges facing the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) government raise several issues for Congress. Congress may choose to maintain oversight of federal policies that could affect the USVI's long-term fiscal stability. Congress also may consider further legislation that would extend or restructure long-range disaster assistance programs to mitigate those challenges and promote greater resiliency of infrastructure and public programs. Federal responses to the USVI's fiscal distress could conceivably affect municipal debt markets more broadly. The USVI, like many other Caribbean islands acquired by European powers, were used to produce sugar and other tropical agricultural products and to further strategic interests such as shipping and the extension of naval forces. Once the United States acquired the U.S. Virgin Islands shortly before World War I, they effectively ceased to have major strategic importance. Moreover, at that time the Virgin Islands' sugar-based economy had been in decline for decades."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Austin, D. Andrew
2018-06-20
-
United Arab Emirates (UAE): Issues for U.S. Policy [June 22, 2018]
"The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been a significant U.S. partner in Gulf security for more than two decades, helping to address multiple regional threats. About 5,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed at UAE military facilities, hosted there under a bilateral defense cooperation agreement (DCA) that remains in effect. The UAE is a significant buyer of U.S. military equipment, including the most sophisticated missile defense system sold by the United States, demonstrating support for U.S. efforts to forge a coordinated missile defense network. As the UAE has gained capability to project force, it has increasingly asserted itself in the region. The UAE is part of a Saudi-led military effort to pressure the Iran-backed Zaidi Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, an effort to which the United States provides logistical support. In partnership with U.S. special operations forces, UAE forces also are combatting Al Qaeda's affiliate in that country. In recent years, UAE forces have used several bases in East African countries to train allied forces and facilitate UAE operations in Yemen. The UAE is supporting an anti-Islamist commander in eastern Libya who thus far has not agreed to join a unified political structure."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2018-06-22
-
Federal Quantum Information Science: An Overview [July 2, 2018]
"Combining elements of mathematics, computer science, engineering, and physical sciences, quantum information science (QIS) has the potential to provide capabilities far beyond what is possible with the most advanced technologies available today. This In Focus provides an overview of QIS technologies, including examples of their existing and future applications; brief summaries of funding and selected initiatives in research and development (R&D) in the United States and elsewhere around the world; a description of U.S. congressional activity; and a discussion of related policy considerations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Figliola, Patricia Moloney
2018-07-02
-
Defense Primer: Understanding the Process for Auditing the Department of Defense [June 26, 2018]
From the Document: "The Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 (CFO Act, P.L. 101-576) requires annual audits of financial statements for federal agencies. Under the CFO Act, audits of federal agencies are the responsibility of the agency's inspector general (IG), but the IG may contract with one or more external auditors to perform the audit. While a number of Department of Defense (DOD) components already undergo annual audits (e.g., the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Defense Contract Audit Agency, and National Reconnaissance Office), DOD is undergoing its first-ever agency-wide financial audit in FY2018. Generally, the process and standards used to audit DOD are the same as those used to audit other federal agencies. Understanding why and how the DOD audit is conducted can help Congress evaluate the results and usefulness of the audit. DOD has contracted with external accounting firms to conduct its FY2018 audit. Different components within DOD are currently being audited by different firms. DOD expects to spend more than $340 million to conduct the FY2018 audit and to release the results in November 2018. It is to submit a full report to Congress by March 31, 2019. Thereafter, final audit reports are to be issued annually in November, covering the prior fiscal year."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Schwartz, Moshe; Gnanarajah, Raj
2018-06-26
-
Defense Acquisitions: How and Where DOD Spends Its Contracting Dollars [July 2, 2018]
"The Department of Defense (DOD) has long relied on contractors to provide the U.S. military with a wide range of goods and services, including weapons, vehicles, food, uniforms, and operational support. Without contractor support, the United States would not be able to arm and field an effective fighting force. Costs and trends associated with contractor support provide Congress more information upon which to make budget decisions and weigh the relative costs and benefits of different force structures and different military operations--including contingency operations and maintaining bases around the world. This report examines (1) how much money DOD obligates on contracts, (2) what DOD is buying, and (3) where that money is being spent. This report also examines the extent to which these data are sufficiently reliable to use as a factor when developing policy or analyzing government operations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Schwartz, Moshe; Sargent, John F., Jr.; Mann, Christopher T.
2018-07-02
-
Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Program: Background and Issues for Congress [May 23, 2018]
"This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the Coast Guard's program for acquiring new polar icebreakers. The Coast Guard's proposed FY2019 budget requests $750 million in acquisition funding for the program. The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Administration's FY2019 acquisition funding request for the polar icebreaker program, and, more generally, whether to approve, reject, or modify the Coast Guard's overall plan for procuring new polar icebreakers. Congress's decisions on this issue could affect Coast Guard funding requirements, the Coast Guard's ability to perform its polar missions, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2018-05-23
-
Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements: Issues for Congress [May 17, 2018]
"Congress plays a central role in the negotiation, approval and implementation of U.S. trade agreements, reflecting its constitutional authority over foreign commerce. Congress shapes the Administration's trade agreement negotiations through enacting statutory U.S. trade negotiating objectives, ongoing consultations and oversight, and ratification of concluded agreements through implementing legislation. It also oversees trade agreement implementation and the enforcement of commitments. U.S. trade agreements can affect many facets of U.S. economic activity, including the cost and availability of goods and services in the United States, the competitiveness of U.S. firms both domestically and abroad, employment opportunities for U.S. workers, as well as broader U.S. strategic interests. The Trump Administration has altered U.S. trade agreement policy by withdrawing from the then-pending Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), starting renegotiations or modification of two existing free trade agreements (FTAs), and stating a preference for bilateral FTAs. It also has put forth a more skeptical approach toward multilateral trade agreements under the World Trade Organization (WTO), and has viewed bilateral trade imbalances as a measure of trade agreement success or failure. As Congress works with the Trump Administration in establishing and implementing U.S. trade policy, it may have interest in more closely examining the implications of the type and content of U.S. trade agreements and those pursued by major U.S. trading partners that exclude the United States."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Williams, Brock R.
2018-05-17
-
Iran: Politics, Human Rights, and U.S. Policy [May 21, 2018]
"Since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, the United States and Iran have been broadly at odds. During the 1980s and 1990s, U.S. officials identified Iran's support for militant Middle East groups as the primary threat posed by Iran to U.S. interests and allies. Iran's nuclear program took precedence in U.S. policy after 2002 as the potential for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon increased. Beginning in 2010, the United States orchestrated broad international economic pressure on Iran to persuade it to agree to strict limits on the program--pressure that contributed to the June 2013 election of the relatively moderate Hassan Rouhani as president of Iran and the eventual negotiation of a 'Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action' (JCPOA). The JCPOA, which took effect in January 2016, exchanged broad sanctions relief for temporary limits on Iran's nuclear program. The JCPOA reduced the potential threat from Iran's nuclear program, but did not directly address the full range of threats posed by Iran, including from its ballistic missile program; its regional influence and support for armed factions; its conventional military programs; and its human rights abuses."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2018-05-21
-
Liberia: Political Transition and U.S. Relations [May 15, 2018]
From the Document: "The United States has maintained close bilateral ties with Liberia for nearly 200 years, with periodic exceptions. Ties were particularly close during the Sirleaf years. The U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have administered a wide range of post-war bilateral assistance programs, especially in the areas of health and economic development. Liberia also benefits from programs administered by other U.S. agencies, including the Department of the Treasury, Peace Corps, Defense Department, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Congress has maintained an interest in Liberia, and has held hearings on its post-war development, stability, and democratization trajectories. Congress has appropriated more than $5 billion in post-war aid and assistance to halt the Ebola outbreak, and helped to foster relations through a House Democracy Partnership with the Liberian legislature. Some Members of Congress, often those with politically active Liberian-American constituencies, have also supported the immigration rights of noncitizen Liberians resident in the United States."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cook, Nicolas
2018-05-15
-
Advanced Pilot Training (T-X) Program: Background and Issues for Congress [May 21, 2018]
"On December 30, 2016, the United States Air Force (USAF) issued a final solicitation and request for proposal (RFP) to industry to replace the USAF trainer fleet of T-38C Talon aircraft and associated ground-based training systems. The USAF intends to buy 350 Advanced Pilot Training (APT T-X) aircraft and 46 Ground-Based Training Systems (GBTS), a contract valued at roughly $1.5 billion for the research, design, test, and evaluation phase of the program and estimated $18 billion in future procurement. The FY2019 Administration budget request included $265.465million for the T-X. Contract award was anticipated in December 2017. However, the FY2019 defense budget submission now projects an award sometime in FY2018. According to the USAF, the T-38C trainer fleet is old, costly, and outdated. It lacks the technology to train future pilots for fifth-generation fighter and bomber operations. Based on Air Education Training Command's evaluation of the required capabilities to train future pilots for fifth-generation fighters and bombers, the T-38C falls short in 12 of 18 capabilities, forcing the USAF to train for those capabilities in operational units where flying hours are costly and can affect fleet readiness."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Gertler, Jeremiah
2018-05-21
-
Federal Budget: Overview and Issues for FY2019 and Beyond
"The federal budget is a central component of the congressional 'power of the purse.' Each fiscal year, Congress and the President engage in a number of activities that influence short- and longrun revenue and expenditure trends. This report offers context for the current budget debate and tracks legislative events related to the federal budget. After a decline in budget deficits over the past several years, the deficit is projected to increase significantly in FY2019. Enactment of the 2017 tax revision (P.L. 115-97) and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA 2018; P.L. 115-123) are projected to decrease revenues and increase outlays relative to past years, thus increasing deficits. The Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA; P.L. 112-25) implemented several measures intended to reduce deficits from FY2012 through FY2021, and deficits declined from FY2012 through FY2015. In its April 2018 forecast, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) baseline projects that the FY2019 deficit will equal $981 billion (4.6% of GDP), its highest value since the economy was recovering from the Great Recession in FY2012."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Driessen, Grant A.
2018-05-21
-
Issues in Autonomous Vehicle Deployment [May 17, 2018]
"Autonomous vehicles, which would carry out many or all of their functions without the intervention of a driver, may bring sweeping social and economic changes in their wake. The elderly, disabled Americans, urban residents, and those who do not own a car may have new travel options. Travel on public roads and highways could become less congested. Highway travel could become safer as well: U.S. roadway fatalities rose in 2015 and 2016, the first annual increases in more than 50 years, and a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has shown that 94% of crashes are due to human errors, which autonomous vehicles could reduce. As a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) report noted, highly automated vehicles 'hold a learning advantage over humans. While a human driver may repeat the same mistakes as millions before them, a [highly automated vehicle] can benefit from the data and experience drawn from thousands of other vehicles on the road.'"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Canis, Bill
2018-05-17
