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Sub-Saharan Africa: Key Issues, Challenges, and U.S. Responses [March 21, 2017]
"The 115th Congress and the Trump Administration are reviewing existing U.S. policies and programs in sub-Saharan Africa (henceforth, 'Africa') as they establish their budgetary and policy priorities toward the region while also responding to emerging crises. Africa-specific policy questions did not feature prominently in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, and the views of the Trump Administration on many U.S.-Africa policy issues remain unspecified. The Obama Administration's 'Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa' identified its policy priorities as strengthening democratic institutions; spurring economic growth, trade, and investment; advancing peace and security; and promoting opportunity and development. Analysts continue to debate whether that Strategy reflected an appropriate mix and ranking of priorities, as well as the degree to which the Obama Administration's actions reflected its stated goals."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cook, Nicolas; Arieff, Alexis; Blanchard, Lauren Ploch . . .
2017-03-21
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State and Local 'Sanctuary' Policies Limiting Participation in Immigration Enforcement [March 23, 2017]
"The federal government is vested with the exclusive power to create rules governing which aliens may enter the United States and which aliens may be removed. However, the impact of alien migration-whether lawful or unlawful-is arguably felt most directly in the communities where aliens reside. State and local responses to unlawfully present aliens within their jurisdictions have varied considerably, particularly as to the role that state and local police should play in enforcing federal immigration law. While some states and municipalities actively participate in or cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts, others have actively opposed federal immigration authorities' efforts to identify and remove certain unlawfully present aliens within their jurisdictions. [...] This report provides examples of various state and local laws and policies that fall into one of these sanctuary categories. The report also discusses federal measures designed to counteract sanctuary policies. [...] Additionally, the report discusses legal issues relevant to sanctuary policies. In particular, the report examines the extent to which states, as sovereign entities, may decline to assist in federal immigration enforcement and the degree to which the federal government can stop state measures that undermine federal objectives in a manner that is consistent with the Supremacy Clause and the Tenth Amendment."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Herman, Sarah S.
2017-03-23
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Issues with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards [March 24, 2017]
"Federal motor vehicle safety regulation was established more than 50 years ago by the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (P.L. 89-563) to address the rising number of motor vehicle fatalities and injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) administers vehicle safety laws and has issued dozens of safety standards, including regulations affecting windshield wipers, hood and door latches, tires, and airbags. [...] Many emerging technologies, such as automatic emergency braking and lane departure warning, are expected to reduce vehicle injuries and deaths in the future. Over time, these separate technologies will be combined as vehicles are built with higher levels of automation. To deal with these rapid changes, NHTSA has broadened the agency's approach beyond the traditional rulemaking to include new means of interacting with manufacturers and other vehicle safety stakeholders, such as voluntary agreements to accelerate use of life-saving technologies. [...] Congress remains interested in motor vehicle safety; proposed legislation calls for used vehicles to be subject to recalls, NHTSA to provide more public access to safety information, civil penalties to be increased, regional recalls to be terminated, and federal standards to be issued to secure electronic motor vehicle data from hackers."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Canis, Bill
2017-03-24
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Proposed Multiemployer Composite Plans: Background and Analysis [March 27, 2017]
"Multiemployer pension plans are sponsored by more than one employer in the same industry and are maintained as part of a collective bargaining agreement. The challenges facing one type of multiemployer plans-defined benefit (DB) plans, in which participants receive regular monthly benefit payments in retirement-have led stakeholders to seek alternative pension plan designs that could alleviate some of the concerns but retain some of the beneficial features. [...] This report provides background on multiemployer pension plans; summarizes the discussion draft authorizing composite plans and explains the main features of these proposed plans; and explores various policy discussions surrounding composite plans, including their potential benefits and drawbacks for employers and employees, their possible implications for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), and their potential effects on the broader retirement system."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Topoleski, John J.
2017-03-27
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FY2017 Defense Appropriations Fact Sheet: Selected Highlights of H.R. 5293, S. 3000, and H.R. 1301 [March 28, 2017]
"This Fact Sheet summarizes selected highlights of the version of the FY2017 Defense Appropriations Act passed in the 114th Congress by the House on June 16, 2016 (H.R. 5293), the version reported by the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 26, 2016 (S. 3000), and H.R. 1301, a third version of the bill to which House and Senate negotiators agreed on March 2, 2017. The Senate did not complete action on the Senate committee-reported version of the bill during 2016; however H.R. 1301 amounts to the product of an informal conference committee on the two earlier versions. The House passed H.R. 1301 on March 8, 2017 by a vote of 371-48. This Fact Sheet does not account for additional FY2017 DOD funds requested by President Trump on March 16, 2017."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Towell, Pat; Williams, Lynn M.
2017-03-28
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Cyprus: Reunification Proving Elusive [April 18, 2017]
"As 2017 began, Cyprus entered its 53rd year as a politically separated nation and its 43rd year as a physically divided country. Long under the auspices of the United Nations, unification talks progressed from a period of stalemate, suspension, missed opportunities, and general pessimism beginning in 2012 to a period of new energy and an atmosphere of 'high but cautious optimism' by the end of 2016. This optimism was due to the apparent personal relationship between Republic of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci, leader of the Turkish Cypriots, and their commitment to achieving a settlement. A permanent solution to end the island's division has remained elusive. However, a flurry of intense negotiations between December 2016 and January 2017, when Anastasiades and Akinci met first in Mont Pelerin and then Geneva, Switzerland, led many observers to note that the two Cypriot leaders appeared to have come closer to reaching a settlement than at any time since 2004, when the so-called Annan Plan for the unification of the island was voted on but rejected (by the Greek Cypriots). [...] This report provides a brief overview of the history of the negotiations and a description of some of the issues involved in those talks."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Morelli, Vincent L.
2017-04-18
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U.S. - UK Free Trade Agreement: Prospects and Issues for Congress [April 14, 2017]
"Prospects for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and the United Kingdom (UK) are of increasing interest for both sides. In a national referendum held on June 23, 2016, a majority of British voters supported the UK exiting the European Union (EU), a process known as 'Brexit.' The Brexit referendum has prompted calls from some Members of Congress and the Trump Administration to launch U.S.-UK FTA negotiations, though some Members have moderated their support with calls to ensure that such negotiations do not constrain the promotion of broader transatlantic trade relations. On January 27, 2017, President Trump and UK Prime Minister Theresa May discussed how the two sides could launch high-level talks and 'lay the groundwork' for a future U.S.-UK FTA. Negotiations on a bilateral FTA between the United States and UK would represent a change in U.S. transatlantic trade policy, which has recently focused on negotiating a U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) FTA."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Akhtar, Shayerah Ilias
2017-04-14
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Presidential Permit Review for Cross-Border Pipelines and Electric Transmission [April 19, 2017]
"Executive permission in the form of a Presidential Permit has long been required for the construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of certain facilities that cross the United States borders with Canada and Mexico. The constitutional basis for the President's cross-border permitting authority has been addressed by the courts, but questions remain about the manner in which this authority is exercised among the agencies to which it has been delegated. In particular, some Members of Congress and affected stakeholders seek greater clarity about how Presidential Permit applications are reviewed for various kinds of cross-border energy projects."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Luther, Linda G.; Parfomak, Paul W.
2017-04-19
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France's 2017 Presidential Election: In Brief [April 13, 2017]
"France is scheduled to hold the first round of what is expected to be a two-round presidential election on April 23, 2017. The second round would take place on May 7. The presidential campaign has exposed apparent wide-scale public dissatisfaction both with the presidency of outgoing President François Hollande and, more broadly, with a French political establishment perceived by many as self-entitled and increasingly out of touch with the French electorate. Unprecedented in modern France, the two current front-runners for the presidency represent political parties outside the mainstream. The leading candidates' calls to uproot a French political system long dominated by one large center-right and one large center-left party appear to be resonating with an electorate that has experienced a decade of economic stagnation and a series of terrorist attacks which claimed the lives of more than 240 people over the past two years. Consequently, many analysts in France and elsewhere maintain that the 2017 election could have far-reaching implications for the French political system, French society, and even the future of the European Union (EU)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Belkin, Paul
2017-04-13
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National Health Service Corps: Background, Funding, and Programs [April 18, 2017]
"The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is a pipeline for clinician recruitment and training. Its program objective is to increase the availability of primary care services to populations in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). It aims to increase clinician availability by making loan repayments and awarding scholarships to individuals in exchange for their agreement to serve as NHSC clinicians (or providers) at approved sites. NHSC providers are mainly physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and behavioral/mental health professionals who must serve for a minimum of two years at an approved facility. An approved facility, for example, may be a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and FQHC Look-Alike, American Indian and Native Alaska Health Clinic, Rural Health Clinic, Critical Access Hospital, School-Based Clinic, Mobile Unit, Free Clinic, or Community Mental Health Center, and must be located in a federally designated HPSA. All NHSC providers must fulfill a minimum of two-year service commitment at an NHSC-approved site. The NHSC is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Congress created the NHSC in the Emergency Health Personnel Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-623), and since then has reauthorized and amended its programs several times. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA; P.L. 111-148) permanently reauthorized the NHSC."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Reyes-Akinbileje, Bernice
2017-04-18
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Senate Proceedings Establishing Majority Cloture for Supreme Court Nominations: In Brief [April 14, 2017]
"On April 6, 2017, the Senate reinterpreted Rule XXII to allow a majority of Senators voting, a quorum being present, to invoke cloture on nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court. Before the Senate reinterpreted the rule, ending consideration of nominations to the Supreme Court required a vote of three-fifths of Senators duly chosen and sworn (60 Senators unless there was more than one vacancy). The practical effect of the Senate action on April 6 was to reduce the level of Senate support necessary to confirm a Supreme Court nominee. [...] This brief report explains the actions taken on April 6, 2017, by which the Senate effectively extended to Supreme Court nominations its November 2013 reinterpretation of Rule XXII. It concludes with a list of related CRS [Congressional Research Service] products that provide more history and context regarding the method used to reinterpret the Senate Rule, the nominations process, and cloture and filibusters."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Heitshusen, Valerie
2017-04-14
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Westinghouse Bankruptcy Filing Could Put New U.S. Nuclear Projects at Risk [April 19, 2017]
"Westinghouse Electric Company, a major nuclear technology firm that supplied nearly half of the 99 currently operating U.S. commercial reactors, filed for bankruptcy reorganization on March 29, 2017. The bankruptcy filing raised fundamental questions about the future of the U.S. nuclear power industry, and particularly whether four new reactors that Westinghouse is constructing for electric utilities in Georgia and South Carolina will be completed. The four reactors are the first to begin construction in the United States since the mid-1970s, and the nuclear industry had hoped they would pave the way for many more."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Holt, Mark
2017-04-19
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Marshall Plan: 70th Anniversary [April 18, 2017]
"June 5, 2017, marks the 70th anniversary of the Marshall Plan-considered by many to be one of the most successful foreign policy initiatives and foreign aid programs ever undertaken by the United States. In a speech at Harvard University on June 5, 1947, Secretary of State George Marshall suggested that, if European countries working together came up with a proposal, the United States would be willing to provide assistance in response to the dire political, social, and economic conditions in which Europe found itself at that time. The speech set in motion a diplomatic and legislative train of events that led to the Economic Recovery Program (ERP), also known as the Marshall Plan, an ambitious effort to stimulate economic growth in a despondent and near-bankrupt post-World War II Europe, prevent the spread of communism beyond the 'iron curtain,' and encourage development of a healthy and stable world economy. [...] The Marshall Plan was designed to accomplish these goals through achievement of three objectives: the expansion of European agricultural and industrial production; the restoration of sound currencies, budgets, and finances in individual European countries; and the stimulation of international trade among European countries and between Europe and the rest of the world."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Tarnoff, Curt
2017-04-18
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Judge Neil M. Gorsuch: His Jurisprudence and Potential Impact on the Supreme Court [March 8, 2017]
From the Document: "On January 31, 2017, President Donald J. Trump announced the nomination of Judge Neil M. Gorsuch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (Tenth Circuit) to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court of the United States created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016. Judge Gorsuch was appointed to the Tenth Circuit by President George W. Bush in 2006. The Tenth Circuit's territorial jurisdiction covers Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming, and parts of Yellowstone National Park that extend into Idaho and Montana. […] This report provides an overview of Judge Gorsuch's jurisprudence and discusses how the Supreme Court might be affected if he were to succeed Justice Scalia. In particular, the report focuses on those areas of law where Justice Scalia can be seen to have influenced the High Court's approach to particular issues or provided a fifth and deciding vote on the Court, with a view toward how the nominee might approach those same issues. The report begins by discussing the nominee's views on two cross-cutting issues-the role of the judiciary and statutory interpretation. It then addresses fourteen separate areas of law, arranged in alphabetical order, from 'administrative law' to 'takings.' The report includes a table that notes the cases where the Supreme Court has reviewed majority opinions written or joined by Judge Gorsuch. Another set of tables in this report analyzes the nominee's concurrences and dissents and those of his colleagues on the Tenth Circuit."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Nolan, Andrew; Lewis, Caitlain Devereaux; Manuel, Kate . . .
2017-03-08
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Defense Primer: Ballistic Missile Defense [December 12, 2016]
From the Document: "The United States has been developing and deploying ballistic missile defenses (BMD) to defend against enemy missiles since the late 1940s. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the United States deployed a limited nuclear-tipped BMD system to protect a portion of its U.S. land-based nuclear ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) force in order to preserve a strategic deterrent against a Soviet nuclear attack on the Homeland. That system was dismantled in 1975 because of concerns over cost and effectiveness, and in FY1975 the Army started funding research into hit-to-kill or kinetic energy interceptors as an alternative. In 1983, President Reagan announced an enhanced effort for BMD. Since the start of the Reagan initiative in 1985, BMD has been a key national security interest in Congress. It has appropriated over $200 billion for a broad range of research and development programs and deployment of BMD systems. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is charged with the mission to develop, test, and field an integrated, layered, BMD system (BMDS) to defend the United States, its deployed forces, allies, and friends against all ranges of enemy ballistic missiles in all phases of flight. U.S. statute and BMD policy, however, are not directed at the strategic nuclear deterrent forces of Russia and China."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hildreth, Steven A.
2016-12-12
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Defense Primer: Legal Authorities for the Use of Military Forces [December 7, 2016]
From the Document: "By the Framers' apparent design, in order to keep the nation's 'purse' and the 'sword' in separate hands and in other ways hinder its embroilment in unnecessary wars, the Constitution divides war powers between Congress and the President. Congress is empowered to declare war, provide for and regulate the Armed Forces, and issue letters of marque and reprisal, as well as to call forth the militia to suppress an insurrection, repel an invasion, or 'execute the Laws of the Union.' The President, as the Commander in Chief, has the responsibility to direct the Armed Forces as they conduct hostilities, put down insurrections, or execute the law when constitutionally authorized to do so. But the extent to which the President has independent authority under the Constitution, without explicit statutory support, to use the military for purposes other than to repel a sudden attack is the subject of long-standing debate. At the same time, efforts in Congress to exercise its constitutional war powers in some way that is perceived to constrain military operations have met with objections that the constitutional separation of powers is imperiled."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Elsea, Jennifer
2016-12-07
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Defense Primer: Cyberspace Operations [December 8, 2016]
From the Document: "The Department of Defense (DOD) has defined cyberspace as a global domain within the information environment consisting of the interdependent network of information technology infrastructures and resident data, including the Internet, telecommunications networks, computer systems, and embedded processors and controllers. The DOD Information Network (DODIN) is a global infrastructure carrying DOD, national security, and related intelligence community information and intelligence. Cyberspace operations are composed of the military, intelligence, and ordinary business operations of the DOD in and through cyberspace. Military cyberspace operations use cyberspace capabilities to create effects that support operations across the physical domains and cyberspace. Cyberspace operations differ from information operations (IO), which are specifically concerned with the use of information-related capabilities, such as military information support operations or military deception, during military operations to affect the decision making of adversaries while protecting our own. IO may use cyberspace as a medium, but it may also employ capabilities from the physical domains."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Theohary, Catherine A.
2016-12-08
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Defense Primer: The Department of Defense [December 13, 2016]
From the Document: "The Department of Defense (DOD) was established after World War II through the 1947 National Security Act. At the time, some, including President Truman, took the view that the different components of the U.S. military had been insufficiently integrated to wage World War II effectively. The intention of the 1947 Act was therefore to create, for the first time, an integrated institution that combined the Departments of War and Navy, and to establish a policy architecture for overseeing the newly reorganized military apparatus. Over time, DOD has grown into one of the largest bureaucracies in the world, comprising over 3 million employees stationed across the United States and around the globe."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
McInnis, Kathleen J.
2016-12-13
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Defense Primer: Special Operations Forces [December 13, 2016]
From the Document: "Special Operations Forces (SOF) are those active duty and reserve component forces of the military services designated by the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) and specifically selected, organized, trained, and equipped to conduct and support special operations. Special operations frequently require unique modes of employment, tactics, techniques, procedures, and equipment. They are often conducted in hostile, politically, and/or diplomatically sensitive environments, and are characterized by one or more of the following: time-sensitivity, clandestine or covert nature, low visibility, work with or through indigenous forces, greater requirements for regional orientation and cultural expertise, and a high degree of risk. SOF's core activities are listed below."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Torreon, Barbara Salazar; Feickert, Andrew
2016-12-13
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Defense Primer: Reserve Forces [December 9, 2016]
From the Document: "The term 'reserve component' (RC) refers collectively to the seven individual reserve components of the Armed Forces. Congress exercises authority over the reserve components under its constitutional authority 'to raise and support Armies,' 'to provide and maintain a Navy,' and 'to provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia....' (Article I, Section 8) There are seven reserve components. [...] The purpose of these seven reserve components, as codified in law, is to 'provide trained units and qualified persons available for active duty in the armed forces, in time of war or national emergency, and at such other times as the national security may require, to fill the needs of the armed forces whenever more units and persons are needed than are in the regular components.' The Army National Guard and the Air National Guard also have an important role under state authority, responding to various emergencies such as disasters and civil disorders."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kapp, Lawrence
2016-12-09
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Defense Primer: Commanding U.S. Military Operations [December 13, 2016]
From the Document: "Military operations, both in peacetime and in war, are an inherently complex undertaking. One key to success, therefore, is a clear, unified chain of command. This enables senior leaders in the U.S. government--in particular, the President and the Secretary of Defense--to command and control military forces around the world."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
McInnis, Kathleen J.
2016-12-13
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Defense Primer: Department of the Army [December 13, 2016]
From the Document: "Article I, Section 8, Clause 12 of the Constitution stipulates, "The Congress shall have power ... to raise and support Armies ... make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces ... for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions." The Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments reporting to the Department of Defense (DOD). The Army's primary mission is to fight and win the nation's ground wars. The Army's mission is both operational and institutional, and it is composed of four distinct components: the regular Active component (AC), the reserve components of the United States Army Reserve (USAR), the Army National Guard (ARNG), and Department of the Army civilians (DAC)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Torreon, Barbara Salazar; Feickert, Andrew
2016-12-13
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Defense Primer: United States Airpower [December 13, 2016]
From the Document: "Almost since the invention of heavier-than-air flight, control of the air has been seen as a military advantage. Over time, the United States has come to treat air superiority as a necessity, and built such capable air forces that no enemy aircraft has killed U.S. ground troops since 1953. Modern airpower is able to provide a full range of effects, from strategic operations at intercontinental ranges to direct support of troops in combat. Today, every branch of the U.S. military employs air forces for various purposes, employing nearly 14,000 aircraft."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Gertler, Jeremiah
2016-12-13
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Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)/Frigate Program: Background and Issues for Congress [March 21, 2017]
"The Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)/Frigate program is a program to procure a large number of LCSs and modified LCSs. The modified LCSs are to be referred to as frigates. The LCS program has been controversial over the years due to past cost growth, design and construction issues with the lead ships built to each design (including, most recently, multiple problems with the ships' propulsion systems), concerns over the ships' survivability (i.e., ability to withstand battle damage), concerns over whether the ships are sufficiently armed and would be able to perform their stated missions effectively, and concerns over the development and testing of the ships' modular mission packages. The Navy's execution of the program has been a matter of congressional oversight attention for several years. Two very different baseline LCS designs are currently being built. [...] The LCS program poses several issues for Congress, including whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's FY2017 funding requests for the program, and whether to approve, reject, or modify the Secretary of Defense's December 2015 direction to the Navy to reduce the program from 52 ships to 40, and to neck down to a single design variant not later than FY2019."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2017-03-21
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U.S. Direct Investment Abroad: Trends and Current Issues [March 21, 2017]
"The United States is the largest investor abroad and the largest recipient of direct investment in the world. For some Americans, the national gains attributed to investing overseas are offset by such perceived losses as displaced U.S. workers and lower wages. Some observers believe U.S. firms invest abroad to avoid U.S. labor unions or high U.S. wages, however, 74% of the accumulated U.S. foreign direct investment is concentrated in high income developed countries, who are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Even more striking is the fact that the share of investment going to developing countries has fallen in recent years. Most economists conclude that direct investment abroad as a whole does not lead to fewer jobs or lower incomes overall for Americans and that the majority of jobs lost among U.S. manufacturing firms over the past decade reflect a broad restructuring of U.S. manufacturing industries responding primarily to domestic economic forces. In the 115th Congress, Members introduced a number of measures that would affect U.S. multinational companies in their foreign investment activities: (1) H.R. 685 and S. 247 (Bring Jobs Home Act) that would provide certain tax exemptions to U.S. multinational firms to induce them to redirect economic activity from a foreign subsidiary to a domestic U.S. operation."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Jackson, James K., 1949-
2017-03-21
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Defense Primer: The National Defense Budget Function (050) [March 17, 2017]
From the Document: "The budget function classification system provides a framework for examining spending patterns of the federal government by category of activity, rather than by agency or type of financing. Within the system, spending categories are called functions, and each is coded with both an explanatory title and numeric code ending in zero (and shown in parenthesis). This defense primer addresses the National Defense Budget (050), which is frequently used to explain trends in military spending but which also includes some activities not conducted by the Department of Defense."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Mann, Christopher
2017-03-17
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Iran Sanctions [March 31, 2017]
From the Summary: "The comprehensive nuclear accord (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA), finalized on July 14, 2015, provides Iran broad relief from U.S., U.N., and multilateral sanctions on Iran's civilian economic sectors. On January 16, 2016, upon the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certification that Iran had complied with the stipulated nuclear dismantlement commitments. U.S. administration waivers of relevant sanctions laws took effect and relevant Executive Orders (E.O.s) were revoked, and corresponding U.N. and EU sanctions were lifted ('Implementation Day'). Remaining in place are those secondary sanctions (sanctions on foreign firms) that have been imposed because of Iran's support for terrorism, its human rights abuses, its interference in specified countries in the region, and its missile and advanced conventional weapons programs. Also remaining in place are U.S. and most EU sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), its sanctioned sub-units, commanders, and affiliates. A general ban on U.S. trade with and investment in Iran, including regulations barring transactions between U.S. and Iranian banks, remain in place. Under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, most U.N. sanctions terminated as of Implementation Day, but some U.N. restrictions on Iran's development of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and its importation or exportation of arms remain in place for several years. Iran was able to develop its nuclear and missile programs and to assist pro-Iranian movements and governments in the region even when sanctions had maximum effect. Still, the relief from sanctions on Iran's most vital sectors has returned Iran's economy to growth and enabled Iran to potentially expand its weapons programs and increase its regional influence."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2017-03-31
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Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)/Frigate Program: Background and Issues for Congress [April 6, 2017]
From the Summary: "The Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)/Frigate program is a program to procure a large number of LCSs and modified LCSs. The modified LCSs are to be referred to as frigates. The LCS program has been controversial over the years due to past cost growth, design and construction issues with the lead ships built to each design (including, most recently, multiple problems with the ships' propulsion systems), concerns over the ships' survivability (i.e., ability to withstand battle damage), concerns over whether the ships are sufficiently armed and would be able to perform their stated missions effectively, and concerns over the development and testing of the ships' modular mission packages. The Navy's execution of the program has been a matter of congressional oversight attention for several years. [...] The Navy's proposed FY2017 budget requests $1,125.6 million for the procurement of the 27th and 28th LCSs, or an average of $562.8 million for each ship. The Navy's proposed FY2017 budget also requests $86 million in so-called "cost-to-complete" procurement funding to cover cost growth on LCSs procured in previous fiscal years, and $139.4 million for procurement of LCS mission module equipment. The LCS program poses several issues for Congress, including whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's FY2017 funding requests for the program, and whether to approve, reject, or modify the Secretary of Defense's December 2015 direction to the Navy to reduce the program from 52 ships to 40, and to neck down to a single design variant not later than FY2019."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2017-04-06
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Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) [March 31, 2017]
From the Summary: "The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is comprised of nine members, two ex officio members, and other members as appointed by the President representing major departments and agencies within the federal executive branch. While the group generally has operated in relative obscurity, the proposed acquisition of commercial operations at six U.S. ports by Dubai Ports World in 2006 placed the group's operations under intense scrutiny by Members of Congress and the public. Prompted by this case, some Members of the 109th and 110th Congresses questioned the ability of Congress to exercise its oversight responsibilities given the general view that CFIUS's operations lack transparency. Other Members revisited concerns about the linkage between national security and the role of foreign investment in the U.S. economy. Some Members of Congress and others argued that the nation's security and economic concerns had changed following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and that those concerns were not being reflected sufficiently in the Committee's deliberations. In addition, anecdotal evidence seemed to indicate that the CFIUS process was not market neutral. Instead, a CFIUS investigation of an investment transaction may have been perceived by some firms and by some in the financial markets as a negative factor that added to uncertainty and may have spurred firms to engage in behavior that may not have been optimal for the economy as a whole."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Jackson, James K., 1949-
2017-03-31
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Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Federal Funding and Issues [April 4, 2017]
From the Summary: "The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) receives its funding through federal appropriations; overall, about 15% of public television and 10% of radio broadcasting funding comes from the federal appropriations that CPB distributes. CPB's appropriation is allocated through a distribution formula established in its authorizing legislation and has historically received two-year advanced appropriations. Congressional policymakers are increasingly interested in the federal role in supporting CPB due to concerns over the federal debt, the role of the federal government funding for public radio and television, and whether public broadcasting provides a balanced and nuanced approach to covering news of national interest. It is also important to note that many congressional policymakers defend the federal role of funding public broadcasting. […] The two-year advanced appropriations process for CPB means that in any given year congressional policymakers are considering what the CPB appropriations will be two years from that time. So as Congress continues to consider funding for the FY2017 fiscal year, that deliberation will include CPB funding for FY2019. On June 9, 2016, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 29-1 to approve S.Rept. 114-274, the FY2017 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill. Included in this report is $445 million for CPB in FY2019. However, Congress has not passed a final FY2017 appropriations bill; the most recent funding is a continuing resolution bill, P.L. 114-223, which was signed into law by President Obama on December 9, 2016. The Trump administration has requested zero funding for CPB in FY2018."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
McLoughlin, Glenn J.; Gomez, Lena A.
2017-04-04
