WASHINGTON, May 16 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11859) on May 15, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * The Army's M-10 Booker (Formerly Known as Mobile Protected Firepower [MPF]) System What Is the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) System? The Army's MPF system is intended to address an operational shortfall in infantry units: 'Currently the Army's Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) d more PR

WASHINGTON, May 14 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11471) on May 13, 2024, by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte and international trade and finance specialist Rebecca M. Nelson: * * * Central Bank Digital Currencies Policymakers have debated whether the Federal Reserve (Fed) should create a central bank digital currency (CBDC) - a "digital dollar." A CBDC would share some of the features of cryptocurrencies (crypto) - that is,  more PR

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10590) on May 16, 2024, by social policy specialist Emilie Stoltzfu. Here are excerpts: * * * Child Welfare: Purposes, Federal Programs, and Funding The Work of Child Welfare Agencies Children depend on adults - usually their parents - to protect and support them. The broadest mission of public child welfare agencies is to strengthen families so that children can depend on their parents  more PR

WASHINGTON, May 14 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12666) on May 13, 2024, by Andres B. Schwarzenberg, international trade and finance specialist: * * * Section 301 Investigation: China's Maritime, Shipbuilding, and Logistics Policies On April 17, 2024, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it had initiated a new investigation pursuant to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. This investigation focuses more PR

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10767) on May 16, 2024, by agricultural policy specialist Jim Monke. Here are excerpts: * * * Farm Credit Administration and Its Board Members Overview Congress oversees the Farm Credit Administration (FCA), which is the federal financial regulator responsible for ensuring the safety and soundness of Farm Credit System (FCS) institutions and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation more PR

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12653) on May 15, 2024, by agricultural policy analyst Joel L. Greene: * * * Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Dairy Herds The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed a strain (H5N1) of highly pathogenic avian Influenza A virus (HPAI) in dairy herds in Texas and Kansas on March 25, more PR

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12667) on May 13, 2024, by natural resource policy specialist Eva Lipiec: Here are excerpts: * * * National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2025 Budget Request and Appropriations The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an agency in the Department of Commerce whose mission is to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts; s more PR

WASHINGTON, May 14 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11346) on May 13, 2024, by Andres B. Schwarzenberg, international trade and finance specialist: * * * Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 grants the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) a range of responsibilities and authorities to investigate and take action to enforce U.S. rights under trade agreements and respond to certain fore more PR

WASHINGTON, May 14 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11582) on May 13, 2024, by Andres B. Schwarzenberg, international trade and finance specialist: * * * Section 301 Tariff Exclusions on U.S. Imports from China In 2018, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) determined, pursuant to an investigation under "Section 301" (Title III of the Trade Act of 1974, 19 U.S.C. Sec.Sec.2411-2420), that China's acts, policies, and practices related to tec more PR

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12421) on May 16, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * The U.S. Army's Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) System Background Protecting high-value military sites against enemy cruise missile (CM), unmanned aerial system (UAS), and rocket, artillery, and mortar (RAM) attacks has long been an important consideration in protecting mili more PR

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12653) on May 16, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S. Army's Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) System Background The Army is developing a new maneuver short-range air defense system, or M-SHORAD to perform short-range air defense, or SHORAD. The Army defines the SHORAD mission as '[d]edicated air defense artillery (ADA) an more PR

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11859) on May 15, 2024, by defense policy analyst Daniel M. Gettinger. Here are excerpts: * * * The U.S. Army's Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems The U.S. Army is acquiring a family of small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS) for ground maneuver elements at the battalion level and below to provide real-time reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) capabilities. For the pa more PR

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11859) on May 15, 2024, by Michael E. DeVine, intelligence and national security analyst: * * * Defense Primer: Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security The Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (USD(I&S)) is a civilian official, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, who reports directly to the Secretary of Defense. The USD(I&S) is the  more PR

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12331) on May 16, 2024, by Latin American affairs specialists Karla I. Rios and Clare Ribando Seelke: * * * Haiti in Crisis: What Role for a Multinational Security Support Mission? The political and security situation in Haiti has deteriorated since the start of 2024; more than 2,500 people were killed or injured by gang violence between January and March 2024. The gangs - some of which ar more PR

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN11748) on May 15, 2024, by social policy specialist Jessica Tollestrup: * * * Overview of Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Access to Taxpayer Data and Recent Legislation (S. 3154 and H.R. 7906) Legislation introduced in the Senate (S. 3154, on October 26, 2023) and the House (H.R. 7906, on April 9, 2024) contains a proposal related to Child Support Enforcement (CSE) access to federal taxpay more PR

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12358) on May 15, 2024. The white paper is written by government organization and management specialist Maeve P. Carey and financial economics analysts Andrew P. Scott and Paul Tierno: * * * Potential Disapproval of SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121 Under the Congressional Review Act A growing number of firms are providing platforms for crypto transactions, which has prompted the Secu more PR

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11164) on May 13, 2024, by deputy assistant director Michael John Garcia and legislative attorney Alejandra Aramayo: * * * Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (May 6 - May 12, 2024) The federal courts issue hundreds of decisions every week in cases involving diverse legal disputes. This Sidebar series selects decisions from the past week  more PR

WASHINGTON, May 16 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47688) on May 15, 2024, entitled "Department of Homeland Security Appropriations: FY2024 State of Play" by William L. Painter, homeland security and appropriations specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * Contents Introduction ... 1 Quick Summary: FY2024 DHS Appropriations Current Status ... 1 DHS Appropriations Timing ... 1 The FY2024 DHS Appropriations Process ... 3 Advance Supplemental  more PR