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Tipoffs: Congressional Research Service Reports (W) Newsletter for 2025-06-29 ( 34 items )  
Affirmative Action at Military Service Academies Under Trump Administration Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13038) on June 23, 2025, by legislative attorney Dave S. Sidhu: * * * Affirmative Action at Military Service Academies Under the Trump Administration In 2023, in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard, the Supreme Court held that the race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina (UNC) were unconstitutional. The Court reasoned more PR

Circuit Splits From May 2025 Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11328) on June 23, 2025, by deputy assistant director Michael John Garcia: * * * Congressional Court Watcher: Circuit Splits from May 2025 The U.S. Courts of Appeals for the thirteen "circuits" issue thousands of precedential decisions each year. Because relatively few of these decisions are ultimately reviewed by the Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals are often th more PR

Economic Forecasts & Projections Topic of CRS Fact Sheet (10)
WASHINGTON, June 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. R47295) on June 24, 2025, by senior research librarian Ben Leubsdorf: * * * SUMMARY Economic projections (also called forecasts) are predictions about the future behavior of economic and financial indicators. They can help lawmakers in assessing the likelihood of key events such as recessions, addressing budget and economic challenges, and estimating the effects of policy changes. Many gov more PR

Emergency Alert System - Status of Current Funding for Improvements Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12998) on June 24, 2025, by telecommunications policy analyst Amanda H. Peskin. Here are excerpts: * * * The Emergency Alert System: Status of Current Funding for Improvements Emergency Alerts: Background and Distribution Methods Responsive and effective emergency alerts can increase the likelihood that people will take protective action to mitigate the risk of harm during an more PR

Farm Bill Programs Without Budget Baseline & Trade Promotion, Research, Horticulture & Animal Health Programs With Budget Baseline Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12573) on June 26, 2025, by agricultural policy specialist Jim Monke: * * * Budget Reconciliation: Farm Bill Programs Without a Budget Baseline and Trade Promotion, Research, Horticulture, and Animal Health Programs with a Budget Baseline The agriculture title of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Title I of House-passed H.R. 1) and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, a more PR

Federal Debt & Debt Limit in 2025 Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12045) on June 24, 2025, by economic policy analyst D. Andrew Austin. Here are excerpts: * * * Federal Debt and the Debt Limit in 2025 The federal debt limit was reinstated on January 2, 2025, at $36.1 trillion. On that date, debt held by the public totaled $28.8 trillion and intergovernmental accounts accounted for $7.3 trillion. The statutory debt limit constrains nearly all  more PR

Federal Grants to State & Local Governments - Trends & Issues Topic of CRS Report (Part 1 of 2) (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R40638) on June 26, 2025, entitled "Federal Grants to State and Local Governments: Trends and Issues" by economic development policy analyst Adam G. Levin. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY In FY2024, the federal government provided an estimated $1.1 trillion to state and local governments in federal grants, funding a wide range of public policy initiatives such as health care, transportation, more PR

Federal Grants to State & Local Governments - Trends & Issues Topic of CRS Report (Part 2 of 2) (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R40638) on June 26, 2025, entitled "Federal Grants to State and Local Governments - Trends and Issues:" by economic development policy analyst Adam G. Levin. Here are excerpts: * * * Number of Federal Grants to State and Local Governments In the past, the now-defunct U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) occasionally estimated the number of federal grant programs for  more PR

Federal Preemption & Texas S.B. 4 Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11330) on June 26, 2025, by legislative attorney Alejandra Aramayo: * * * Federal Preemption and Texas S.B. 4 In November 2023, Texas passed Senate Bill 4 (S.B. 4), which makes it a crime for an alien to, among other things, enter or attempt to enter the state from a foreign nation through a location other than a lawful port of entry. The law - which would require an alie more PR

Federal Reserve Board - Current & Historical Membership Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48233) on June 26, 2025, entitled "Federal Reserve Board: Current and Historical Membership" by senior research librarian Ben Leubsdorf. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The Federal Reserve (Fed), the U.S. central bank, is led by a seven-member Board of Governors based in Washington, DC. The President appoints governors for 14-year terms with the advice and consent of the Senate. Governors  more PR

Hemp Restrictions in FY2026 Agriculture Appropriations Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12565) on June 26, 2025, by agricultural policy specialist Renee Johnson: * * * Hemp Restrictions in FY2026 Agriculture Appropriations On June 23, 2025, the House Committee on Appropriations approved its FY2026 Agriculture appropriations bill (H.R. 4121). Among its many provisions, the House-reported bill would prohibit the commercial production, sale, and distribution of certai more PR

Indian Energy Programs at DOE Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11793) on June 25, 2025, by energy policy specialists Corrie E. Clark, Mark Holt and Lexie Ryan. Here are excerpts: * * * Indian Energy Programs at the Department of Energy Indian energy programs at the Department of Energy (DOE) are carried out primarily by the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs (IE) and the Loan Programs Office (LPO). IE funds various activities tha more PR

Israel-Iran Conflict, U.S. Strikes & Ceasefire Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13032) on June 26, 2025, by Middle Eastern affairs specialists Clayton Thomas and specialist Jim Zanotti. Here are excerpts: * * * Israel-Iran Conflict, U.S. Strikes and Ceasefire On June 13, 2025, Israel began a major military operation against Iran, including air strikes and reported covert action. Iran retaliated by launching waves of ballistic missiles against Israel. See  more PR

Joint Light Tactical Vehicle Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11729) on June 25, 2025, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) Background The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) Family of Vehicles (FoV) is an Army-led, joint-service program designed to replace a portion of each service's light tactical wheeled vehicle fleets. The JLTV FoV consists of two variants more PR

Legislative Proposals Affecting Capital Markets Funding Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12999) on June 25, 2025, by financial economics specialist Eva Su. Here are excerpts: * * * Legislative Proposals Affecting Capital Markets Funding Capital markets - the marketplace where securities such as stocks and bonds are issued and traded - provide major sources of funding for U.S. business operations. This In Focus summarizes selected legislative proposals aiming to ex more PR

National Environmental Policy Act - Judicial Review & Remedies Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13032) on June 26, 2025, by legislative attorney Kristen Hite: * * * National Environmental Policy Act: Judicial Review and Remedies The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is one of the most frequently litigated federal environmental statutes. This is perhaps not surprising given NEPA's broad applicability to over 100,000 actions each year, with a historical average of 10 more PR

National Environmental Policy Act Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12560) on June 26, 2025, by legislative attorney Kristen Hite and environmental policy analyst Heather McPherron: * * * National Environmental Policy Act: An Overview Introduction and Background Since 1970, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has set forth a national policy with respect to environmental quality. For decades, NEPA has required agencies to integrate env more PR

National Instant Criminal Background Check System Reporting of Veterans With Fiduciaries Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13041) on June 23, 2025, by firearms policy analyst Jordan B. Cohen: * * * NICS Reporting of Veterans with Fiduciaries: Issues for Congress Under 18 U.S.C. Sec.922(g)(4), persons "adjudicated as a mental defective" are prohibited from legally buying, selling, or possessing a firearm. Veterans that have a fiduciary appointed to them because they are deemed unable to manage their more PR

National Volcano Early Warning & Monitoring System Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11987) on June 23, 2025, by Linda R. Rowan, natural resources and earth sciences analyst. Here are excerpts: * * * The National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System In 2019, Congress established a National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System (NVEWS; P.L. 116-9, Sec.5001; 43 U.S.C. Sec.31k). The law directed the Secretary of the Interior acting through the Direct more PR

Overview of EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13040) on June 23, 2025, by immigration policy analyst Holly Straut-Eppsteiner. Here are excerpts: * * * Overview of the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program allows foreign national investors to qualify for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status (i.e., a green card) by investing a specified amount of capital in a U.S. enterprise and creating at l more PR

Proposed Elimination of Penny Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12572) on June 24, 2025. The white paper is written by Congress specialist Jacob R. Straus, financial economics specialist Andrew P. Scott and acting head of research and library services Kathleen E. Marchsteiner. Here are excerpts: * * * Proposed Elimination of the Penny: Frequently Asked Questions The Secretary of the Treasury, through the U.S. Mint, is authorized to issue c more PR

Reauthorizing Defense Production Act Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12484) on June 25, 2025. The white paper is written by economic development policy analyst Adam G. Levin, defense infrastructure policy analyst Alexandra G. Neenan and defense logistics and resource management policy analyst Cameron M. Keys: * * * Reauthorizing the Defense Production Act The Defense Production Act of 1950, or DPA (P.L. 81-774; 50 U.S.C. Sec.Sec.4501 et seq.) pr more PR

Rule of Two in Federal Procurement Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13046) on June 26, 2025, by R. Corinne Blackford, small business and economic development policy analyst. Here are excerpts: * * * The Rule of Two in Federal Procurement Background and Overview The so-called "Rule of Two" underpins the small business contracting policy known as a contract set-aside, through which the federal government limits competition for contract awards t more PR

Social Security - Selected Findings of 2025 Annual Report Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13045) on June 25, 2025, by social policy analyst Barry F. Huston. Here are excerpts: * * * Social Security: Selected Findings of the 2025 Annual Report According to the 2025 report of the Board of Trustees of the Social Security Trust Funds, the program's finances are in a similar, albeit marginally worse, position in 2025 relative to what they were in 2024. Under intermediat more PR

Supreme Court Affirms State Ban Against Certain Medical Treatments for Transgender Minors Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11329) on June 25, 2025, by legislative attorneys Jared P. Cole and Madeline W. Donley: * * * United States v. Skrmetti: Supreme Court Affirms State Ban Against Certain Medical Treatments for Transgender Minors On June 18, 2025, the Supreme Court affirmed a decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, ruling that a Tennessee law "banning certain medical ca more PR

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN11810) on June 24, 2025, by natural resources policy specialist Anna E. Normand and deputy assistant director and specialist Nicole T. Carter. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works: Primer and Resources Congress plays a role in the nation's water resource development through authorization and appropriations of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) pro more PR

U.S. Cyber Command Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13042) on June 25, 2025, by Air Force fellow Robert Switzer and national security policy, cyber and information operations analyst Catherine A. Theohary: * * * Defense Primer: U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM, commonly referred to as CYBERCOM), is the Department of Defense (DOD) functional combatant command (CCMD) responsible for cyberspace operati more PR

U.S. Northern Command Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13044) on June 25, 2025, by Air Force fellow Robert Switzer and Latin American affairs specialist Clare Ribando Seelke. Here are excerpts: * * * Defense Primer: U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM, commonly referred to as NORTHCOM) is the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) unified combatant command (CCMD) responsible for the defense of North Amer more PR

U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise - Background & Possible Issues for Congress Topic of CRS Report (Part 1 of 3) (10)
WASHINGTON, June 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48194) on June 23, 2025, entitled "The U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise: Background and Possible Issues for Congress" by defense policy analyst Anya L. Fink. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Created in 2000, the Department of Energy's (DOE's) semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is responsible for managing the U.S. stockpile of nuclear warheads that the Department  more PR

U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise - Background & Possible Issues for Congress Topic of CRS Report (Part 2 of 3) (10)
WASHINGTON, June 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48194) on June 23, 2025, entitled "The U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise - Background and Possible Issues for Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 3) * * * Nuclear Security Enterprise Facilities Title 50, Section 2501 of the U.S. Code (50 U.S.C. Sec.2501) defines the NNSA "nuclear security enterprise" (NSE) as "the physical facilities, technology, and human capital of the national security la more PR

U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise - Background & Possible Issues for Congress Topic of CRS Report (Part 3 of 3) (10)
WASHINGTON, June 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48194) on June 23, 2025, entitled "The U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise - Background and Possible Issues for Congress:" (Continued from Part 2 of 3) * * * Possible Issues for Congress As Congress conducts oversight of DOE's and NNSA's management, operations, and programs, and also authorizes and appropriates funds for NNSA Weapons Activities, it may address a range of issues. This section of more PR

U.S. Strikes on Nuclear Sites in Iran Topic of White Paper From CRS (10)
WASHINGTON, June 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12571) on June 23, 2025, by Middle Eastern affairs specialist Clayton Thomas. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S. Strikes on Nuclear Sites in Iran On the evening of June 21, 2025, the United States carried out air- and sea-launched strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran in an operation that U.S. officials have said was "very narrowly tailored" to "destroy or severely degrade Ira more PR

War Powers Resolution - Expedited Procedures in House & Senate Topic of CRS Report (Part 1 of 2) (10)
WASHINGTON, June 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47603) on June 24, 2025, entitled "War Powers Resolution: Expedited Procedures in the House and Senate" by Congress and legislative process analyst Michael Greene: * * * SUMMARY The War Powers Resolution (WPR), first adopted in 1973 over the veto of President Richard Nixon, establishes presidential reporting requirements and parliamentary procedures intended to reaffirm the constitutional rol more PR

War Powers Resolution - Expedited Procedures in House & Senate Topic of CRS Report (Part 2 of 2) (10)
WASHINGTON, June 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47603) on June 24, 2025, entitled "War Powers Resolution - Expedited Procedures in the House and Senate:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Repealing an AUMF The WPR does not provide any expedited procedures for the consideration of a measure to repeal an AUMF that has been enacted into law. The House can take up repeal legislation through its usual procedures (i.e., suspension of the rule more PR