WASHINGTON, April 5 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R42567) on April 1, 2025, entitled "U.S. Global Change Research Program: Overview and Considerations for Congress" by naval affairs specialist Ronald O'Rourke. Here are excerpts: * * * Summary Coast Guard plans call for procuring a combination of National Security Cutters (NSCs), Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs) and Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) as replacements for 90 earlier-generation Coast Guard high-e more PR

WASHINGTON, April 5 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R42567) on April 1, 2025, entitled "U.S. Global Change Research Program - Overview and Considerations for Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Issues for Congress Planned Procurement Quantities One oversight issue for Congress is whether planned procurement quantities for NSCs, OPCs, and FRCs are too high, too low, or about right. Planned procurement quantities for NSCs, OPCs, and FRCs refle more PR

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47284) on March 31, 2025, entitled "House Standing Committee Chairs and Ranking Members: 104th-118th Congresses" by senior research librarian Christina Miracle Finch. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The rules of the House of Representatives (House Rule X) establish its standing committees as permanent legislative panels. Pursuant to this legislative authority, standing committees consider bills and r more PR

WASHINGTON, April 5 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R40094) on April 1, 2025, entitled "Iran's Nuclear Program - Tehran's Compliance with International Obligations" by nonproliferation specialist Paul K. Kerr: * * * SUMMARY Several UN Security Council resolutions adopted between 2006 and 2010 required Iran to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA's) investigation of its nuclear activities, suspend its uranium enrichment prog more PR

WASHINGTON, April 5 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R40094) on April 1, 2025, entitled "Iran's Nuclear Program - Tehran's Compliance with International Obligations:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Potential Noncompliance After September 2005 Design Information Provision Iran further reduced its cooperation with the IAEA in March 2007, when the government told the agency that Tehran would stop complying with a portion of the subsidiary arrangements  more PR

WASHINGTON, April 5 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48480) on April 1, 2025, entitled "Nuclear Energy and Climate Change Mitigation" by environmental policy analyst Jonathan D. Haskett and energy policy specialist Mark Holt. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Congress has long been interested in nuclear energy policy in the context of climate change mitigation. A scientific consensus holds that human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions raise global ave more PR

WASHINGTON, April 5 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48480) on April 1, 2025, entitled "Nuclear Energy and Climate Change Mitigation:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * GHG Emissions from Nuclear Technology Advocates for the use of nuclear technology in climate change mitigation have stated that nuclear technology is a low GHG emissions energy source./53 Others have questioned this assertion, contending that while the direct generation of electricity  more PR

WASHINGTON, April 5 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48478) on April 1, 2025, entitled "U.S. Global Change Research Program: Overview and Considerations for Congress" by environmental policy analyst Kathryn G. Kynett. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is an interagency program established by Congress through the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (GCRA; P.L. 101-606) to coordinate and integrate federal res more PR

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12766) on March 28, 2025, by specialist telecommunications policy Jill C. Gallagher: * * * 4.9 GHz Public Safety Band: Competing Views on Use During the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, public safety agencies could not communicate with one another because of the high volume of calls that overwhelmed radio systems and the lack of interoperability among agencies. The 9/11 Commissio more PR

WASHINGTON, April 5 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12006) on April 4, 2025, by natural resources policy specialist Laura B. Comay. Here are excerpts: * * * Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Status of Oil and Gas Program The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR, or the Refuge) comprises 19 million acres in northeast Alaska, administered primarily by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in the Department of the Interior (DOI). ANWR's Coas more PR

WASHINGTON, April 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12459) on April 2, 2025, by natural resources policy analyst Mark K. DeSantis. Here are excerpts: * * * Electric Bicycles (E-Bikes) on Federal Lands In recent years, the sale and usage of electric bicycles (or e-bikes) in the United States has increased rapidly. Although numbers vary, some industry experts estimate that more than 1 million e-bikes were imported to the United States in 2 more PR

WASHINGTON, April 5 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12147) on April 3, 2025, by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte. Here are excerpts: * * * The Fed's Balance Sheet and Quantitative Tightening The size and composition of the Federal Reserve's (Fed's) balance sheet is a product of its monetary policy and lender of-last-resort actions. The Fed has responded to past crises by increasing its balance sheet, which peaked at 10 times  more PR

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11751) on April 1, 2025, by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte: * * * Introduction to U.S. Economy: Monetary Policy The Federal Reserve (Fed), the nation's central bank, is responsible for monetary policy. This In Focus explains how monetary policy works. Typically, when the Fed wants to stimulate the economy, it makes policy more expansionary by reducing short-term interest ra more PR

WASHINGTON, April 5 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following in focus white paper (No. IF12667) on April 3, 2025, 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 more PR

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12538) on March 31, 2025, by Dominick A. Fiorentino and Taylor N. Riccard, government organization and management analysts: * * * Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Reporting on Apportionments Congress enacts annual appropriations and other budgetary legislation to provide agencies with budget authority, which allows them to spend federal dollars. To prevent agencies from prematurely e more PR

WASHINGTON, April 2 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12953) on April 1, 2025, by natural resources policy specialist Mariel J. Murray. Here are excerpts: * * * The Office of Navajo-Hopi Relocation The federal government divided up tribal lands in the Southwest during the 19th and 20th centuries, triggering long-standing land disputes between the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe (both federally recognized Tribes). In 1868, the United State more PR

WASHINGTON, April 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12169) on April 2, 2025, by financial economics analyst Karl E. Schneider. Here are excerpts: * * * An Overview of Medical Debt: Collection, Credit Reporting, and Related Policy Issues Medical debt is a fairly common occurrence for Americans who have received medical care. This InFocus discusses medical debt; how that debt is collected and reported to credit reporting agencies (also cal more PR

WASHINGTON, April 2 -- Rep. David Schweikert, R-Arizona, issued the following statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on March 31, 2025: * * * Mr. Speaker, forgive me as we get ourselves organized here. Our friends on the other side ended a little faster than we expected. Mr. Speaker, I am going to do something a little dangerous. Have you heard the saying you should never go to bed mad? I think there should be another rule. You probably shouldn't come behind these micropho more PR

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12539) on March 31, 2025, by Christopher M. Davis, Congress and legislative process analyst: * * * Resolutions of Inquiry in the House A resolution of inquiry is a simple House resolution (H.Res.) making a direct request or demand of the President and/or the head of an executive department to provide to the House specific factual information in the Administration's possession. Under cla more PR

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12902) on March 31, 2025. The white paper is written by legislative attorney L. Paige Whitaker and American national government specialists Sarah J. Eckman and R. Sam Garrett: * * * Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act, H.R. 22/S. 128) and Federal Voter Registration Policy and Law The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act, H.R. 22/S. 128), would amend the Nat more PR

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12524) on March 31, 2025, by environmental policy specialists Elena H. Humphreys and Jonathan L. Ramseur: * * * Wastewater and Drinking Water Infrastructure Program Funding Developments The condition of municipal water infrastructure and the challenges some communities face in ensuring adequate wastewater and drinking water services continue to generate interest for Congress and for some  more PR