WASHINGTON, June 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12094) on June 16, 2025, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * The Army's XM-30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle (Formerly Known as the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle [OMFV]) Background The Army's Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) is being designed to replace the M-2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) (see Figure 1 f more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13029) on June 12, 2025, by legislative attorney Kevin J. Hickey. Here are excerpts: * * * Pharmaceutical Patent Disputes: Biosimilar Entry Under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) Patent rights play an important role in the development and pricing of pharmaceuticals, including biological products (biologics). Patent law seeks to encourage innovation by more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12010) on June 17, 2025, by Kelley M. Sayler, advanced technology and global security specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * Bureau of Indian Affairs: Background and Annual FY2026 Appropriations Congress authorized the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) within the Department of the Interior (DOI) to manage various programs for federally recognized Tribes (hereinafter Tribes). BIA is more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13030) on June 12, 2025, by immigration policy specialists Audrey Singer and William A. Kandel. Here are excerpts: * * * The CBP Home Mobile Application and "Self-Departure" On May 9, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation, "Establishing Project Homecoming," to give certain aliens (any person not a U.S. citizen or national) without lawful status in the United States the c more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11324) on June 17, 2025, by legislative attorney Joanna R. Lampe: * * * Civil Procedure at the Supreme Court: Selected Cases from the October 2024 Term During the October 2024 term, the Supreme Court considered multiple cases focused on procedural issues. Among them were cases raising questions related to jurisdiction over suits removed from state court to federal court,  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12935) on June 12, 2025. The white paper is written by legislative attorney David H. Carpenter, financial economics analysts Karl E. Schneider and Paul Tierno: * * * Congress Repeals Rule That Would Have Subjected Large, Nonbank Digital Wallet and Payment App Providers to CFPB Supervision On December 10, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published a final r more PR

WASHINGTON, June 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11303) on June 9, 2025, by African affairs specialist Lauren Ploch Blanchard. Here are excerpts: * * * Djibouti Djibouti, a small, arid country in the Horn of Africa, is strategically located on one of the world's busiest shipping routes at the Bab el Mandeb Strait - the gateway from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Its geographic position is its greatest  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13027) on June 12, 2025, by defense infrastructure policy analyst Alexandra G. Neenan: * * * DOD Cost Overruns and The Nunn-McCurdy Act Since the U.S. Department of Defense's (DOD) establishment, Congress has expressed interest in ensuring that DOD procures major weapons systems efficiently, including that a program maintain the same projected costs throughout its lifecycle. DO more PR

WASHINGTON, June 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13023) on June 9, 2025, by economic policy senior specialist Jane G. Gravelle: * * * Enforcement of Remedies Against Unfair Foreign Taxes in H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act On May 22, 2025, the House passed H.R. 1 (also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), which includes provisions to increase taxes on income from U.S. sources by nonresident aliens from countries th more PR

WASHINGTON, June 20 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R45699) on June 18, 2025, entitled "The Federal Communications Commission: Structure, Operations and Budget" by Patricia Moloney Figliola, internet and telecommunications policy specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent federal agency established by the Communications Act of 1934 (1934 Act, or "Communications Act"). The agency i more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12562) on June 18, 2025, by health care financing specialist Bernadette Fernandez: * * * Financing Cost-Sharing Reduction Reimbursements to Private Health Plans H.R. 1 includes a provision (Sec.44202) that would provide indefinite appropriations for reimbursements to private health plans that provide cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) for each plan year beginning on or after January more PR

WASHINGTON, June 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB10922) on June 16, 2025, by legislative attorney Christopher T. Zirpoli: * * * Innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) have raised several new questions in the field of copyright law. Generative AI programs - such as Open AI's DALL-E and ChatGPT programs, Stability AI's Stable Diffusion program, and Midjourney's self-titled program - are able to generate new images, te more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13028) on June 12, 2025, by legislative attorney Kevin J. Hickey. Here are excerpts: * * * Pharmaceutical Patent Disputes: Generic Entry for Small-Molecule Drugs Under the Hatch-Waxman Act Patent rights play an important role in the development and pricing of pharmaceutical drugs. Patent law seeks to encourage innovation by granting the holder of a valid patent a temporary mon more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13035) on June 17, 2025, by defense policy analyst Daniel M. Gettinger and Middle Eastern affairs specialist Clayton Thomas. Here are excerpts: * * * Iran's Ballistic Missile Programs: Background and Context Iran's ballistic missile programs have long been subjects of congressional attention and legislative action in view of concerns about Iran's nuclear program and its suppor more PR

WASHINGTON, June 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13032) on June 16, 2025, by Middle Eastern affairs specialists Clayton Thomas and Jim Zanotti. Here are excerpts: * * * Israel's Attack on Iran and Ongoing Conflict On June 13, 2025, Israel began a major military operation against Iran, including air strikes and reported covert action. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue attacks for "as many days as it takes,"  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN11798) on June 17, 2025, by energy policy specialist Paul W. Parfomak. Here are excerpts: * * * Line 5 Pipeline: Relocation and Permitting The Line 5 Pipeline is a 30-inch diameter, 645-mile pipeline owned by Enbridge carrying up to 540,000 barrels per day of crude oil and natural gas liquids from Superior, WI, to Sarnia, Ontario (Figure 1). A key segment of Line 5 is an underw more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12010) on June 17, 2025, by Kelley M. Sayler, advanced technology and global security specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * Military Applications of Extended Reality Although commercial and consumer industries have been investing in extended reality (XR) for decades, recent advances have expanded the number of potential applications for the U.S. military. As such, the Office of more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12566) on June 18, 2025, by European affairs analyst Paul Belkin. Here are excerpts: * * * NATO's June 2025 Summit in The Hague Heads of state and government from the 32 member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are scheduled to meet in The Hague, the Netherlands, on June 24-26, 2025. According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, "the core deliverable" of more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12010) on June 17, 2025. The white paper is written by natural resources policy specialist Laura B. Comay, energy policy specialist Corrie E. Clark and public finance specialist Donald J. Marples: * * * Offshore Wind: Status and Issues for the 119th Congress The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, as amended (OCSLA; 43 U.S.C. 1337(p)), authorizes the Secretary of the Interior  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13029) on June 12, 2025, by legislative attorney Kevin J. Hickey. Here are excerpts: * * * Pharmaceutical Patent Disputes: Biosimilar Entry Under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) Patent rights play an important role in the development and pricing of pharmaceuticals, including biological products (biologics). Patent law seeks to encourage innovation by more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48545) on June 18, 2025, entitled "Public Broadcasting: Background Information and Current Issues for Congress" by Brian E. Humphreys, science and technology policy analyst. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Discussion of public interest in educational or noncommercial programming dates to the early days of broadcasting. In 1938, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set aside a portion more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48545) on June 18, 2025, entitled "Public Broadcasting: Background Information and Current Issues for Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * CPB Support for Independent Broadcasters and Producers Congress created the CPB to provide federal support for consistent funding for content production and distribution that would support a national public broadcasting enterprise (see the "The  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN11982) on June 16, 2025, by natural resources policy specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * Responding to Drought in the Colorado River Basin The Colorado River Basin covers more than 246,000 square miles in seven U.S. states and Mexico. Basin waters are governed by multiple documents, known collectively as the Law of the River. The Colorado River Compact of 1922  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11714) on June 12, 2025, by financial economics specialist Eva Su. Here are excerpts: * * * Introduction to Financial Services: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Congress passed the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (P.L. 73-291) to create the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the wake of the stock market crash in 1929 to help restore confidence in capital m more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12566) on June 12, 2025, by energy policy specialists Melissa N. Diaz and Corrie E. Clark: * * * Status of Federal Implementation of EV Charging Infrastructure Shifts in policy priorities around electric vehicles (EVs) and other actions taken by the second Trump Administration have been followed by legal challenges and further perspectives regarding the federal role in EV chargi more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11325) on June 18, 2025, by legislative attorney Matthew D. Trout: * * * Supreme Court Upholds ATF "Ghost Gun" Regulation in Bondi v. VanDerStok On March 26, 2025, the Supreme Court issued an opinion in Bondi v. VanDerStok upholding a 2022 rule promulgated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) that targeted certain unmarked firearms, along with more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IN12566) on June 18, 2025, by European affairs analyst Paul Belkin. Here are excerpts: * * * Farm Bill Primer: Trade and Export Promotion Programs Agricultural exports are significant to farmers and the U.S. economy. With the productivity of U.S. agriculture growing faster than domestic demand, farmers and agriculturally oriented firms rely on export markets to sustain prices an more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12945) on June 18, 2025, by defense policy analysts Jennifer DiMascio and Anya L. Fink: * * * U.S. Strategic Bombers The U.S. Air Force deploys three strategic (or heavy) bombers - the B-52, B-1B, and B-2 - to carry bombs or air-to-surface missiles for conventional and nuclear missions. Bombers carry heavy ordnance loads across long distances, for long periods of time, to strik more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. LSB11325) on June 18, 2025, by economic policy senior specialist Jane G. Gravelle: * * * Value-Added Taxes (VATs) And Tariffs During recent policy discussions concerning taxes and tariffs, value added taxes (VATs) have been characterized by some as trade barriers. Although VATs, a form of consumption tax, are imposed on imports and rebated on exports, they are not generally chara more PR