WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12378) by macroeconomic policy Marc Labonte: * * * Bank Failures: The FDIC's Systemic Risk Exception When Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank failed in March 2023, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) guaranteed uninsured deposits at those banks under the statutory systemic risk exception to least-cost resolution (LCR; 12 U.S.C. Sec.1823(c)(4)(G)). (The FDIC insures deposits up to a statutory limit of $250, more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48089) on July 31, 2026, entitled "Columbia River System Operations and the Future of the Lower Snake River Dams:" (Continued from Part 2 of 4) * * * Conserving and Restoring Snake River Fishes Federal, state, local, and tribal stakeholders have conducted activities to conserve and restore Snake River salmon and steelhead trout. Most federal activities aimed at restoring salmon and steelhead trout in the Columbia River Basin are implemented  more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Budget Office issued the following report entitled "Federal Excise Tax Revenues." Here are excerpts: * * * Federal excise taxes are imposed on the production or purchase of specific types of goods or services. In 2025, revenues from those taxes were $106 billion - which was about 2 percent of total federal revenues and 0.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Most revenues from federal excise taxes come from a few sources. In 2025, 88 percent of excise tax revenues came from highway taxes more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Budget Office issued the following report entitled "The Navy's New Battleship Program: Costs and Implications for the Shipbuilding Industrial Base." Here are excerpts: * * * Summary In this report, the Congressional Budget Office estimates the potential costs of the Navy's new nuclear-powered battleship procurement program. It also assesses how the new battleship and frigate programs outlined in the Navy's most recent shipbuilding plan would affect the shipbuilding industrial base. CBO's fin more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47911) on July 24, 2026, entitled "Freight Rail Safety Issues in the 119th Congress" by transportation policy analyst Ben Goldman. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The February 3, 2023, train derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, OH, raised the profile of rail safety issues. Railroad labor organizations and some state and local governments have voiced concerns about railroad business practices that, in their view, put employees an more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47911) on July 24, 2026, entitled "Freight Rail Safety Issues in the 119th Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Prevention of Train Derailments Derailments account for roughly two-thirds of rail safety incidents (not including grade crossing incidents). In raw terms and on a per-train-mile basis, more derailments tend to occur on yard, siding, or industry tracks, as opposed to occurrences on main line tracks as in the East Palestin more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R49041) on July 22, 2026, entitled "Full Privatization of U.S. Airports - Potential Issues and Options for Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * AIPP Privatization Challenges In its 30-year history, the AIPP and its predecessor pilot program have not been successful in stimulating wide interest in airport privatization. The program's modest results appear to have several causes. AIPP Application Process The process of applying to p more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R49015) on July 24, 2026, entitled "Institutional Investors and Single-Family Housing: In Brief." The report is written by financial economics specialists Darryl E. Getter and Eva Su and housing policy specialist Katie Jones. Here are excerpts: * * * Contents Introduction ... 1 Who Owns SF Houses? ... 2 What Are Institutional Investors? ... 3 What Challenges Exist in Measuring Ownership? ... 4 How Many SF Units Do Large Investors Own? . more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R49049) on July 30, 2026, entitled "Legislative Branch: FY2027 Appropriations" by Congress specialist Ida A. Brudnick. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The legislative branch appropriations bill provides funding for the Senate; House of Representatives; Joint Items; Capitol Police; Office of Congressional Workplace Rights; Congressional Budget Office; Architect of the Capitol; Library of Congress, including the Congressional Research Service; more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R49049) on July 30, 2026, entitled "Legislative Branch - FY2027 Appropriations:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * FY2027 Legislative Branch Funding Issues The following sections discuss the various legislative branch accounts. During consideration of the legislative branch bills, the House and Senate conform to a "longstanding practice under which each body of Congress determines its own housekeeping requirements and the other concurs wit more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48845) on July 27, 2026, entitled "Surface Transportation Reauthorization: Federal Highway Programs" by transportation policy analyst Ali E. Lohman. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Federal funding for public roads is provided primarily through highway programs administered by the Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Congress most recently authorized the federal highway programs for FY2022-FY2026 as p more PR