WASHINGTON, July 10 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11667) on July 9, 2024, by Karen M. Sutter, Asian trade and finance specialist, and Michael D. Sutherland, international trade and finance analyst. Here are excerpts: * * * China's Economy: Current Trends and Issues The International Monetary Fund (IMF) assesses that the People's Republic of China's (PRC's or China's) real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 5.2% in 2023 and projects 5 more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11672) on July 10, 2024, by naval affairs specialist Ronald O'Rourke. Here are excerpts: * * * Coast Guard Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) Program: Background and Issues for Congress Introduction The Coast Guard's Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) program envisages procuring 30 replacements for the Coast Guard's 35 aging river buoy tenders (WLRs), inland construction tenders (WLICs), and more PR

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12706) on July 8, 2024, by American national government analyst Sarah J. Eckman and senior research librarian Maria Kreiser: * * * CRS Services to District and State Offices: Overview and Selected Resources The Congressional Research Service (CRS) serves all congressional offices - those on Capitol Hill, as well as those in a Member's home district or state office. This resource guide pro more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10484) on July 10, 2024, by naval affairs specialist Ronald O'Rourke: * * * Defense Primer: Department of the Navy One Military Department with Two Military Services 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 m more PR

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12233) on July 8, 2024, by agricultural policy specialist Jim Monke. Here are excerpts: * * * Farm Bill Primer: Budget Dynamics Congress is considering a new farm bill because provisions in the 2018 farm bill (P.L. 115-334) began expiring at the end of FY2023 (CRS Report R47659, Expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill and Extension in 2024). In November 2023, Congress enacted a one-year extensi more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10485) on July 10, 2024, by naval affairs specialist Ronald O'Rourke: * * * Defense Primer: Geography, Strategy, and U.S. Force Design World geography is an influence on U.S. strategy, which in turn helps shape the design of U.S. military forces. World Geography and U.S. Strategy Most of the world's people, resources, and economic activity are located not in the Western Hemisphere, bu more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11385) on July 11, 2024. The white paper is written by Congress specialist Jacob R. Straus, senior research librarian Christina Miracle Finch and emergency management and homeland security policy analyst Shawn Reese. Here are excerpts: * * * Inauguration Security and Operations Introduction Since the ratification of the 20th Amendment (1933), the oath of office for President of the Un more PR

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12709) on July 9, 2024, by legislative attorney Joanna R. Lampe: * * * Legislative Scheduling of Controlled Substances The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) regulates drugs and other substances deemed to pose a risk of abuse and dependence. Drugs become subject to the CSA by being placed in one of five lists, known as Schedules I-V. A lower schedule number corresponds to greater restrictio more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11385) on July 11, 2024, by defense policy analyst Anya L. Fink. Here are excerpts: * * * Defense Primer: LGM-35A Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile The LGM-35A Sentinel is an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system that is expected to replace the Minuteman III (MMIII) ICBM in the U.S. nuclear force structure. MMIII has served as the ground-based leg of the U.S. nuclea more PR

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12709) on July 9, 2024, by government organization and management specialist Maeve P. Carey and Congress and legislative process analyst Christopher M. Davis: * * * The Congressional Review Act: The Lookback Mechanism and Presidential Transitions The Congressional Review Act (CRA, 5 U.S.C. Sec.Sec.801-808) is a tool that Congress can use to overturn federal regulations. Enacted in 1996,  more PR

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10885) on July 8, 2024, by health care financing specialists Paulette C. Morgan and Phoenix Voorhies. Here are excerpts: * * * Medicare Overview Medicare is a federal program that pays for covered health care services of qualified beneficiaries. It was established in 1965 under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide health insurance to individuals aged 65 and older, and it was more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10486) on July 10, 2024, by naval affairs specialist Ronald O'Rourke: * * * Defense Primer: Naval Forces "Naval Forces" Refers to Both the Navy and Marine Corps Although the term naval forces is often used to refer specifically to Navy forces, it more properly refers to both Navy and Marine Corps forces, because both the Navy and Marine Corps are naval services. For further discussion, s more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11679) on July 10, 2024, by naval affairs specialist Ronald O'Rourke. Here are excerpts: * * * Navy DDG(X) Next-Generation Destroyer Program: Background and Issues for Congress Introduction The Navy's DDG(X) program envisages procuring a class of next-generation guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) to replace the Navy's Ticonderoga (CG-47) class Aegis cruisers and older Arleigh Burke (DDG- more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11674) on July 10, 2024, by naval affairs specialist Ronald O'Rourke. Here are excerpts: * * * Navy Light Replenishment Oiler (TAOL) Program: Background and Issues for Congress Introduction The Navy's Light Replenishment Oiler (TAOL) program, previously called the Next-Generation Logistics Ship (NGLS) program, envisages procuring a new class of potentially 13 at-sea resupply ships for  more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11826) on July 10, 2024, by naval affairs specialist Ronald O'Rourke. Here are excerpts: * * * Navy Next-Generation Attack Submarine (SSN[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress Introduction The Navy has been procuring Virginia-class nuclear powered attack submarines (SSNs) since FY1998. The Navy's envisaged successor to the Virginia-class design is the Next-Generation Attack S more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11838) on July 10, 2024, by naval affairs specialist Ronald O'Rourke. Here are excerpts: * * * Navy TAGOS-25 Ocean Surveillance Shipbuilding Program: Background and Issues for Congress Introduction The Navy in FY2022 procured the first of a planned class of seven new TAGOS-25 class ocean surveillance ships. Under the Navy's FY2025 budget submission, the Navy is proposing to defer procu more PR

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12707) on July 5, 2024, by transportation policy analyst Ben Goldman: * * * Options for Railroad Electrification and Decarbonization Introduction and Background Compared to most other modes of freight and passenger transportation, railroads consume energy more efficiently and pollute less. Nevertheless, because most trains rely on diesel engines for power, they can generate harmful air  more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10487) on July 11, 2024, by Middle Eastern affairs specialist Jim Zanotti and acting section research manager Clayton Thomas: * * * Turkey (Turkiye)-U.S. Relations: Timeline and Brief Historical Context This timeline tracks major developments from the beginning of close U.S.-Turkey (Turkiye) ties after World War II to the present. The information provides context for lawmakers assessing  more PR

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12467) on July 9, 2024, by Ben Wilhelm, government organization and management analyst: * * * U.S. Center for SafeSport: A Primer The U.S. Center for SafeSport ("the Center") is the primary amateur athletics organization in the United States with responsibility for preventing and responding to sexual and other abuse. Between its creation in 2017 and December 2023, the Center received ove more PR

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12595) on July 8, 2024, by Kyla H. Kitamura, international trade and finance analyst. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S.-Canada Trade Relations The United States and Canada have one of the largest bilateral commercial relationships in the world, including a highly integrated energy and automotive market. Over the past 30 years, U.S.-Canada trade relations have been governed first by the 1989  more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11385) on July 11, 2024, by Bryce H. P. Mendez, defense health care policy analyst. Here are excerpts: * * * The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences In 1972, Congress established two programs to support the recruitment and retention of uniformed medical professionals: (1) a health professions scholarship program to train and prepare civilian students for a variety of c more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11672) on July 11, 2024, by natural resources policy specialist Anna E. Normand and acting section research manager Nicole T. Carter: * * * Water Resources Development Acts: Primer and Action in the 118th Congress The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is a Department of Defense agency that, among other missions, develops water resource projects, principally to improve navigable channe more PR

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12389) on July 5, 2024, by American national government analyst Karen L. Shanton and research assistant Tyler L. Wolanin. Here are excerpts: * * * Election Policy Fundamentals: The Secret Ballot Provisions for a secret ballot appear in all states' laws or constitutions. Consensus that the ballot should be secret - that voters should not be able to be linked to their selections - is a some more PR

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12390) on July 9, 2024, by Asian policy analyst Maria A. Blackwood. Here are excerpts: * * * Parliamentary Elections in Mongolia Mongolia, an important U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific region, held parliamentary elections on June 28. Sharing borders with Russia and the People's Republic of China (PRC, or China), Mongolia stands out among its neighbors as a multiparty parliamentary democr more PR

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12386) on July 8, 2024, by European affairs specialist Derek E. Mix: * * * The United Kingdom's 2024 Election The center-left Labour Party won the general election held in the United Kingdom (UK) on July 4, 2024. With 34% of the vote, Labour won 411 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons (lower house of Parliament), a gain of 209 seats compared with the previous election in 2019. Party le more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11126) on July 111, 2024, by legislative attorney Peter G. Berris: * * * Corner Post and the Statute of Limitations for Administrative Procedure Act Claims On July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Corner Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, addressing when a plaintiff may bring a facial challenge to a final agency action under the Adminis more PR

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11194) on July 5, 2024, by legislative attorney Todd Garvey: * * * Presidential Immunity from Criminal Prosecution in Trump v. United States On July 1, the Supreme Court issued a divided 6-3 opinion in Trump v. United States addressing, for the first time, the existence and scope of a constitutionally based presidential immunity from criminal indictment and prosecution. The decision more PR

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11195) on July 8, 2024, by deputy assistant director Michael John Garcia and legislative attorney Dorothy C. Kafka: * * * Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (July 1-July 7, 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 th more PR

WASHINGTON, July 13 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11196) on July 12, 2024, by legislative attorney Wen W. Shen: * * * Supreme Court Allows Emergency Abortions in Idaho but Leaves Litigation Unresolved On June 27, 2024, the Supreme Court, in a one-sentence, unsigned (per curiam) order accompanied by four concurring and/or dissenting opinions, concluded that it had "improvidently granted" review before judgment in Moyle v. United St more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11126) on July 10, 2024, by legislative attorney Peter G. Berris: * * * Fischer v. United States: Supreme Court Reads Federal Obstruction Provision Narrowly in Capitol Breach Prosecution On June 28, 2024, the Supreme Court issued an opinion in Fischer v. United States, a case concerning whether a federal obstruction of justice statute covers a defendant's alleged participation in t more PR

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11037) on July 5, 2024, by legislative attorney Dave S. Sidhu: * * * The U.S. Sentencing Commission Seeks to Limit the Use of Acquitted Conduct in Federal Sentencing Consider a defendant who is a part of a group that robs a pharmacy. In a dispute about how to divide up the proceeds, one of the robbers kills another in the group. The defendant is charged both with the robbery and the more PR

WASHINGTON, July 10 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48122) on July 9, 2024, entitled "2024 Presidential Nominating Process - Frequently Asked Questions" by American national government specialist R. Sam Garrett: * * * SUMMARY The presidential nominating process is one of the most complex aspects of American politics. This report provides brief answers to selected frequently asked questions about that process in 2024. In some cases, the topics a more PR

WASHINGTON, July 9 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47470) on July 8, 2024, entitled "Membership of the 118th Congress: A Profile" by senior research librarian Jennifer E. Manning. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY This report presents a profile of the membership of the 118th Congress (2023-2024) as of July 8, 2024, or at the beginning of the 118th Congress (January 3, 2023), where noted. Statistical information is included on selected character more PR

WASHINGTON, July 9 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48121) on July 5, 2024, entitled "NATO's July 2024 Washington, DC Summit: In Brief" by acting section research manager Paul Belkin. Here are excerpts: * * * Contents Introduction ... 1 Collective Defense and Deterrence ... 2 Defense Spending and Investment ... 4 NATO Support for Ukraine ... 7 Security Threats from China and Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific Region ... 10 Issues for Co more PR

WASHINGTON, July 10 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RS22937) on July 9, 2024, entitled "Nuclear Cooperation with Other Countries: A Primer" by nonproliferation specialists Paul K. Kerr and Mary Beth D. Nikitin. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY In order for the United States to engage in significant civilian nuclear cooperation with other states, it must conclude a framework agreement that meets specific requirements under Section 123 of the Ato more PR

WASHINGTON, July 11 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48123) on July 10, 2024, entitled "U.S. Overseas Basing: Background and Issues for Congress" by defense infrastructure policy analysts Luke A. Nicastro and Andrew Tilghman. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Since World War II, the U.S. military has maintained a large network of overseas bases (that is, military facilities located outside the United States and its territories). Currently, the U more PR

WASHINGTON, July 11 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48123) on July 10, 2024, entitled "U.S. Overseas Basing - Background and Issues for Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Authorities and Management Treaties and International Agreements To acquire, lease, or otherwise obtain access to land and facilities for the purpose of overseas basing, the United States enters into diplomatic arrangements with foreign governments. Generally spea more PR