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Taiwan: Select Political and Security Issues [Updated September 26, 2019]
From the Document: "Taiwan, which officially calls itself the Republic of China (ROC), is an island democracy of 23.6 million people located across the Taiwan Strait from mainland China. Since January 1, 1979, U.S.-Taiwan relations have been unofficial, a consequence of the Carter Administration's decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and break formal diplomatic ties with self-ruled Taiwan, over which the PRC claims sovereignty. The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA, P.L. 96-8; 22 U.S.C. 3301 'et seq.'), enacted on April 10, 1979, provides a legal basis for this unofficial bilateral relationship. It also includes commitments related to Taiwan's security."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lawrence, Susan V.
2019-09-26
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Report to Congress on Proposed Refugee Admissions for FY 2020
From the Media Note: "Today, the Department of State, along with the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Health and Human Services, submitted the President's annual Report to Congress on Proposed Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. The official Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions Numbers for FY 2020 will be issued following consultation with Congress. The United States anticipates receiving more than 368,000 new refugees and asylum claims in FY 2020. Of them, 18,000 would be refugees we propose to resettle under the new refugee ceiling; we also anticipate processing more than 350,000 individuals in new asylum cases."
United States. Department of State
2019-09-26
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Coast Guard Shore Infrastructure: Actions Needed to Better Manage Assets and Reduce Risks and Costs, Statement of Nathan Anderson, Director, Homeland Security and Justice, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives
From the GAO [Government Accountability Office] Highlights: "This statement summarizes GAO findings related to the condition of Coast Guard shore infrastructure, actions the Coast Guard has taken to improve its management of its shore infrastructure, and additional actions it needs to take. This statement is based on three GAO products issued from October 2017 through September 2019, along with selected updates on actions the Coast Guard has taken to address GAO's recommendations from these reports. GAO analyzed relevant Coast Guard documents, management processes and decisions, and interviewed Coast Guard officials. To conduct updates, GAO also reviewed information on the Coast Guard's actions to implement its prior recommendations."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Anderson, Nathaniel
2019-09-25
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 2548, Hazard Eligibility and Local Projects Act
This is the Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on June 26, 2019. From the Document: "H.R. 2548 would expedite the approval of grants for certain property acquisition and relocation projects that are funded by those programs. The bill would require FEMA to approve grants for all applications submitted under those programs--including those submitted after January 1, 2016--if a project satisfies the following two conditions: [1] The project is for acquisition or relocation of a vulnerable property, regardless of whether the applicant initiated planning or construction before or after applying for assistance; and [2] The project is exempt from environmental review requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2019-09-25
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 2004, Ensuring FEDVIP and FLTCIP Coverage During Shutdowns Act
This is the Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on June 12, 2019. From the Document: "H.R. 2004 would prohibit plans that offer insurance through the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) or the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) from cancelling policies as a result of nonpayment during a government shutdown. Under current law, individuals bear the full cost of premiums for dental, vision, and long term care coverage through payroll deductions; none of the costs are borne by the federal government. Therefore, although the premiums paid to insurers through federal payroll deduction would not occur during a government shutdown, enacting H.R. 2004 would not affect the federal budget."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2019-09-25
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Qatar: Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy [Updated September 25, 2019]
From the Document: "The State of Qatar has employed its ample financial resources to exert regional influence separate from and independent of Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Oman), an alliance of six Gulf monarchies. While fostering a close defense and security alliance with the United States, Qatar has intervened in several regional conflicts and has, at times, engaged Sunni Islamists, Iran and Iran-backed groups, and Israeli officials. Qatar has maintained consistent dialogue with Iran while also supporting U.S. efforts to limit Iran's regional influence and U.S. combat against major regional terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State organization."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2019-09-25
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Campaign Planning Handbook: Academic Year 2020
From the Introduction: "The purpose of this document is to assist United States Army War College students during the Military Strategy and Campaigning (MSC) course. It also serves to assist commanders, planners, and other staff officers in combatant commands (CCMD), joint task forces (JTF), and service component commands. It supplements joint doctrine and contains elements of emerging doctrine as practiced globally by joint force commanders (JFCs). It portrays a way to apply published doctrine and emerging doctrine at the higher levels of joint command, with a primary emphasis at the combatant command level. [...] In the wake of the publication of the National Defense Strategy and National Military Strategy, campaign planning has received renewed attention within the Department of Defense. As directed by the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, combatant commanders and subordinate commanders develop a comprehensive set of nested strategies and plans that must address global priorities while incorporating regional or functional strategies and campaign objectives which are supported by other specific plans like theater security cooperation, contingency, and posture plans. [...] While joint and Service doctrine remain authoritative sources for planning, this handbook provides ideas and insights for those charged with developing theater strategies and campaign plans, whether as a coordinating authority or as a collaborator. This handbook focuses at the combatant command and subordinate joint force command levels. In some cases, where there are apparent differences between joint and Service doctrine, the handbook reconciles the differences where possible and focuses on 'best practices' for theater commanders."
Army War College (U.S.). Department of Military Strategy, Planning, and Operations
Haseman, Mark
2019-09-25?
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'Landlord and Tenant: The Trump Administration's Oversight of the Trump International Hotel Lease,' Statement of Michael A. Foster, Legislative Attorney, Before Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, U.S. House of Representatives [September 25, 2019]
From the Document: "For most of their history, the Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Clauses (collectively, the 'Emoluments Clauses' or the 'Clauses') were little discussed and largely unexamined by the courts. But recent litigation involving President Trump has led to multiple federal court decisions more fully addressing the Clauses' scope and application. This testimony will accordingly provide an overview of the Emoluments Clauses as they relate to the President, focusing on the legal issues that have been central to the recent litigation. More specifically, this testimony will discuss (1) the history and purpose of the Clauses; (2) whether the President is a person holding an 'Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States]' for purposes of the Foreign Emoluments Clause; (3) the scope of the Emoluments Clauses, focusing specifically on disputes over the breadth of the term 'emolument'; and (4) whether the Clauses may be enforced in court and by whom."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Foster, Michael A.
2019-09-25
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Federal Energy Development: Challenges to Ensuring a Fair Return for Federal Energy Resources, Statement of Frank Rusco, Director Natural Resources and Environment, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, Committee on Natural Resources, House of Representatives
From the GAO [Government Accountability Office] Highlights: "This testimony discusses GAO's work related to ensuring a fair return on resources from federal lands. To do this work, GAO drew on reports issued from May 2007 through September 2019 and preliminary observations from ongoing work. GAO reviewed relevant federal and state laws, regulations, and policies; analyzed federal data; and interviewed federal, state, and industry officials, among others."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Rusco, Frank
2019-09-24
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Effects of Rules Committee Print 116-27, the Homeland Security Improvement Act
of 2019, as Reported by the House Committee on Homeland Security, with Modifications
From the Document: "Rules Committee Print 116-27, a modified version of the text of H.R. 2203, as reported by the House Committee on Homeland Security, would make several changes to immigration policy and to the operations and oversight of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Among those changes, section 208 of the bill would terminate DHS's Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection's policy of limiting the number of prospective asylum applicants who may cross the international border based on the space available at the port of entry (known as metering). Ending MPP and metering would allow more aliens (non-U.S. nationals) who have expressed a fear of returning to their country of nationality to enter the United States while awaiting removal proceedings before an immigration judge. It is at such proceedings that affected aliens have the opportunity to seek relief from removal."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2019-09-24
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U.S.-China Strategic Competition in South and East China Seas: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated September 24, 2019]
From the Summary: "In an international security environment described as one of renewed great power competition, the South China Sea (SCS) has emerged as an arena of U.S.-China strategic competition. U.S.-China strategic competition in the SCS forms an element of the Trump Administration's more confrontational overall approach toward China, and of the Administration's efforts for promoting its construct for the Indo-Pacific region, called the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). China's actions in the SCS in recent years--including extensive island-building and base-construction activities at sites that it occupies in the Spratly Islands, as well as actions by its maritime forces to assert China's claims against competing claims by regional neighbors such as the Philippines and Vietnam--have heightened concerns among U.S. observers that China is gaining effective control of the SCS, an area of strategic, political, and economic importance to the United States and its allies and partners."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2019-09-24
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Emoluments Clauses of the U.S. Constitution [Updated September 24, 2019]
From the Document: "Recent litigation involving President Trump has raised a number of legal issues concerning formerly obscure constitutional provisions that prohibit the acceptance or receipt of 'emoluments' in certain circumstances. This In Focus provides an overview of these constitutional provisions, highlighting several unsettled legal areas concerning their meaning and scope, and reviewing the status of ongoing litigation against President Trump based on alleged violations of the Emoluments Clauses."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hickey, Kevin J.; Foster, Michael A.
2019-09-24
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Renewed Great Power Competition: Implications for Defense--Issues for Congress [Updated September 24, 2019]
From the Summary: "World events in recent years have led observers, particularly since late 2013, to conclude that the international security environment in recent years has undergone a shift from the post-Cold War era that began in the late 1980s and early 1990s, also sometimes known as the unipolar moment (with the United States as the unipolar power), to a new and different situation that features, among other things, renewed great power competition with China and Russia and challenges by these two countries and others to elements of the U.S.-led international order that has operated since World War II."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2019-09-24
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American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics [Updated September 24, 2019]
From the Summary: "This report provides U.S. war casualty statistics. It includes data tables containing the number of casualties among American military personnel who served in principal wars and combat operations from 1775 to the present. It also includes data on those wounded in action and information such as race and ethnicity, gender, branch of service, and cause of death. [...] Wars covered include the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam Conflict, and the Persian Gulf War. Military operations covered include the Iranian Hostage Rescue Mission; Lebanon Peacekeeping; Urgent Fury in Grenada; Just Cause in Panama; Desert Shield and Desert Storm; Restore Hope in Somalia; Uphold Democracy in Haiti; Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF); Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF); Operation New Dawn (OND); Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR); and Operation Freedom's Sentinel (OFS)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
DeBruyne, Nese F.
2019-09-24
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China's Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Agriculture: In Brief [September 24, 2019]
From the Overview: "The U.S.-China trade dispute started in March 2018, when President Trump announced tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum imports (with some flexibility on the application of tariffs by country) using presidential powers granted under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. [...] China has retaliated with tariffs on a wide range of U.S. imports, including agricultural products. [...] During 2018 and 2019, the United States and China have taken a number of actions to escalate the trade dispute. This report provides a timeline of U.S. action and Chinese retaliation on U.S. agricultural products. It also provides a broad overview of Chinese retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural products as of September 2019 and the proposed additional Chinese tariffs that may be in effect by December 2019. It concludes with key issues for Congress to consider."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Regmi, Anita
2019-09-24
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S. Rept. 116-112: Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act, Report to Accompany S. 734, Including Cost Estimate of the Congressional Budget Office, September 23, 2019
From the Purpose and Summary: "The purpose of S. 734, the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2019, is to proactively mitigate the risks posed by inadequately-secured Internet of Things (IoT) devices through the establishment of minimum security standards for IoT devices purchased by the Federal Government. The bill codifies the ongoing work of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop standards and guidelines, including minimum-security requirements, for the use of IoT devices by Federal agencies. The bill also directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to issue the necessary policies and principles to implement the NIST standards and guidelines on IoT security and management. Additionally, the bill requires NIST, in consultation with cybersecurity researchers and industry experts, to publish guidelines for the reporting, coordinating, publishing, and receiving of information about Federal agencies' security vulnerabilities and the coordinate resolutions of the reported vulnerabilities. OMB will provide the policies and principles and DHS will develop and issue the procedures necessary to implement NIST's guidelines on coordinated vulnerability disclosure for Federal agencies."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019-09-23
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U.S.-Iran Tensions and Implications for U.S. Policy [Updated September 23, 2019]
From the Document: "Since May 2019, U.S.-Iran tensions have escalated significantly, but have stopped short of erupting into armed conflict. The Trump Administration, following its 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA), has taken several steps in its campaign of applying 'maximum pressure' on Iran. Iran and Iranlinked forces have attacked and seized commercial ships, caused destruction of some critical infrastructure in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, and posed threats to U.S. forces and interests, including downing a U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle. Iran has exceeded some nuclear limitations stipulated in the JCPOA. The Administration has sent additional military assets to the region to try to deter future Iranian actions and has continued to impose additional U.S. sanctions on Iran."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth; Thomas, Clayton; McInnis, Kathleen J.
2019-09-23
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 3702, Reforming Disaster Recovery Act of 2019
This is the Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the House Committee on Financial Services on July 16, 2019. From the Document: "H.R. 3702 would codify several practices currently used by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program (CDBG-DR), which provides grants to help cities, counties, and states recover from presidentially declared disasters. The bill also would establish new requirements that aim to make the allocation of appropriated disaster relief funds more efficient and program information more accessible to the public."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2019-09-23
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 2211, STURDY Act
This is the Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on July 17, 2019. From the Document: "H.R. 2211 would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to issue a final safety standard for clothing storage units. On the basis of information from the CPSC, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] expects that the commission would require, on average, the equivalent of one full-time employee annually over the 2020-2024 period to complete and enforce the final rule. CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 2211 would cost about $1 million over the 2020-2024 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2019-09-23
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U.S. Payment System Policy Issues: Faster Payments and Innovation [September 23, 2019]
From the Document: "This report examines technological innovation in payment systems generally and particular policy issues as a result of retail (i.e., point of sale) payment innovation. The report also discusses wholesale payment, clearing, and settlement systems that send payment messages between banks and transfer funds, including the 'real-time payments' service being introduced by the Federal Reserve. This report includes an Appendix that describes interbank payment, clearing, and settlement systems related to U.S. payments."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cooper, Cheryl R.; Perkins, David W.; Labonte, Marc
2019-09-23
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Contraceptive Coverage Requirement and Legal Challenges Five Years After 'Hobby Lobby' [September 23, 2019]
From the Document: "When Congress enacted the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, it required employment-based health plans and health insurance issuers to cover certain preventive health services without cost sharing. Those services, because of agency guidelines and rules, would soon include contraception for women. The 'contraceptive coverage requirement,' or 'contraceptive mandate' as it came to be known, was heavily litigated in the years to follow. These challenges primarily concerned (1) what types of employers and institutions should be exempt from the requirement based on their religious or moral objections to contraception; (2) what procedures the government can require for an entity to invoke a religious-based accommodation; and (3) how much authority federal agencies have to create exceptions to the coverage requirement. As originally formulated, only houses of worship and similar entities were exempt from the requirement, but the government later added an accommodation process for certain religious nonprofit organizations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Killion, Victoria L.
2019-09-23
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Homeland Security Research and Development: Homeland Security Issues in the 116th Congress [Updated September 23, 2019]
From the Overview: "In the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Directorate of Science and Technology (S&T) has primary responsibility for establishing, administering, and coordinating research and development (R&D) activities. The Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMDO) is responsible for R&D relating to detection of nuclear and radiological threats. Several other DHS components, such as the Coast Guard, also fund R&D and R&D-related activities associated with their missions. The Common Appropriations Structure that DHS introduced in its FY2017 budget includes an account titled Research and Development in seven different DHS components. Issues for DHS R&D in the 116th Congress may include coordination, organization, and impact."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Morgan, Daniel (Daniel L.)
2019-09-23
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Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protections [Updated September 23, 2019]
From the Document: "'Whistleblowing' can be defined as 'the act of reporting waste, fraud, abuse and corruption in a lawful manner to those who can correct the wrongdoing.' Intelligence community (IC) whistleblowers are those employees or contractors working in any of the 17 elements of the IC who reasonably believe there has been a violation of law, rule, or regulation; gross mismanagement; waste of resources; abuse of authority; or a substantial danger to public health and safety. The IC has publicly recognized the importance of whistleblowing, and supports protections for whistleblowers who conform to guidelines to protect classified information. [...] In early 2018, Congress passed legislation to address perceived gaps in protections for IC contractors. Separate legislation under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, along with DOD implementing guidance, provides protections for members of the Armed Forces, including those assigned to elements of the IC."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
DeVine, Michael E.
2019-09-23
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U.N. Peacekeeping Operations in Africa [September 23, 2019]
From the Document: "Many Members of Congress have demonstrated an interest in the mandates, effectiveness, and funding status of United Nations (U.N.) peacekeeping operations in Africa as an integral component of U.S. policy toward Africa and a key tool for fostering greater stability and security on the continent. [...] The United States, as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, plays a key role in establishing, renewing, and funding U.N. peacekeeping operations, including those in Africa. For 2019, the U.N. General Assembly assessed the U.S. share of U.N. peacekeeping operation budgets at 27.89%; since the mid-1990s Congress has capped the U.S. payment at 25% due to concerns that the current assessment is too high. [...] This report focuses on U.N. peacekeeping missions in Africa; it does not address broader policy issues related to U.N. peacekeeping, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), or the U.N. Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Blanchfield, Luisa; Arieff, Alexis; Blanchard, Lauren Ploch
2019-09-23
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Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated September 23, 2019]
From the Summary: "The diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to increased human activities in the Arctic, and has heightened interest in, and concerns about, the region's future. The United States, by virtue of Alaska, is an Arctic country and has substantial interests in the region. Record low extents of Arctic sea ice over the past decade have focused scientific and policy attention on links to global climate change and projected ice-free seasons in the Arctic within decades. These changes have potential consequences for weather in the United States, access to mineral and biological resources in the Arctic, the economies and cultures of peoples in the region, and national security."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald; Leggett, Jane A.; Comay, Laura B. . . .
2019-09-23
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A Brief History of U.S. Electricity Portfolio Standard Proposals [September 20, 2019]
From the Document: "Electricity portfolio standards are designed to change the set of energy sources used to generate electricity, usually by establishing requirements on utilities to procure a percentage of electricity from specified eligible sources. Since the 105th Congress, over 70 proposals for a national portfolio standard have been introduced, but none has become law. This analysis provides historical context on federal portfolio standard proposals."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lawson, Ashley J.
2019-09-20
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Israel: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief [Updated September 20, 2019]
From the Introduction: "Strong relations between the United States and Israel have led to bilateral cooperation in many areas. Matters of particular significance include the following: [1] Israel's own capabilities for addressing threats, and its cooperation with the United States. [2] Shared U.S.-Israel concerns about Iran's nuclear program and regional influence, including with Iran's Lebanon-based ally Hezbollah. Israel has reportedly engaged in airstrikes against Iranian or Iran-allied targets in Syria and Iraq. [3] Israeli-Palestinian issues and U.S. policy, including the Trump Administration's actions on political and economic matters to date. [4] Israeli domestic political issues, including the uncertainty surrounding efforts to form a government following elections held on September 17, 2019. The process may extend into November, or another round of elections could occur if neither Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz nor Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu succeeds in attracting majority support from the Knesset (Israel's parliament)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Zanotti, Jim
2019-09-20
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LIBOR Transition
From the Document: "LIBOR [London Interbank Offering Rate] is a key benchmark interest rate underpinning many financial contracts; this rate, however, might disappear as soon as 2021. This In Focus discusses efforts to transition away from the use of LIBOR in financial products in order to avoid disruption if LIBOR disappears."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Labonte, Marc
2019-09-20
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Debt Limit [Updated September 20, 2019]
From the Overview: "The debt limit places a statutory constraint on the amount of money that Treasury may borrow to fund federal operations. The debt limit is currently suspended, and scheduled for reinstatement on August 1, 2021, at a level precisely accommodating federal borrowing at that point. Congress may debate the merits of various debt limit modifications in advance of that date or later if Treasury implements 'extraordinary measures' to prevent a binding debt limit after reinstatement. This In Focus provides background information and discusses recent legislative activity."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Driessen, Grant A.
2019-09-20
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Defense Primer: Department of the Navy [Updated September 20, 2019]
From the Document: "The Department of the Navy (DON) is a single military department that includes two military services--the Navy and the Marine Corps. As such, DON has a single civilian leader, the Secretary of the Navy, and two four-star military service chiefs--an admiral whose title is the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), and a general whose title is the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Although the title 'Secretary of the Navy' includes only the term 'Navy,' the secretary serves as the civilian leader for both the Navy and Marine Corps. The CNO and the Commandant of the Marine Corps are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2019-09-20
