WASHINGTON, March 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13184) on March 17, 2026, by Air Force fellow Joshua Korzilius. Here are excerpts: * * * Airlift Aircraft: Background and Issues for Congress The U.S. Air Force operates airlift aircraft to transport personnel, equipment, and supplies in support of military operations worldwide. Airlift aircraft support a function known as rapid global mobility, enabling the United States to  more PR

WASHINGTON, March 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R45951) on March 4, 2026, entitled "Apportionment and Redistricting Process for the U.S. House of Representatives" by American national government analyst Sarah J. Eckman. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The census, apportionment, and redistricting are interrelated activities that affect representation in the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressional apportionment (or reapportionment) is more PR

WASHINGTON, March 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R45951) on March 4, 2026, entitled "Apportionment and Redistricting Process for the U.S. House of Representatives:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Redistricting Process/26 Congressional redistricting involves creating or redrawing geographic boundaries for U.S. House districts within a state. Redistricting procedures are largely determined by state law and vary across states, but states more PR

WASHINGTON, March 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11471) on March 18, 2026, by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte and international trade and finance Rebecca M. Nelson: * * * Central Bank Digital Currencies Policymakers have debated whether the Federal Reserve (Fed) should create a central bank digital currency (CBDC) - a "digital dollar." A CBDC would share some of the technical features of cryptocurrencies (crypto more PR

WASHINGTON, March 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13186) on March 18, 2026, by legislative attorney Jay B. Sykes: * * * Corporate Governance The corporation is the primary means of organizing large-scale economic production in modern capitalist societies. The governance of corporations - i.e., the allocation of rights and duties among shareholders, directors, and officers - is thus a subject of great practical significance to more PR

WASHINGTON, March 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. R47295) on March 16, 2026, by senior research librarian Ben Leubsdorf: * * * Economic Forecasts and Projections: Fact Sheet 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  more PR

WASHINGTON, March 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11405) on March 17, 2026, by legislative attorneys Jared P. Cole and Madeline W. Donley: * * * Education Department's DEI Certification Requirement for Schools: Overview and Legal Challenges Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs that receive federal funding. On February 14, 2025, the Departm more PR

WASHINGTON, March 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10639) on March 16, 2026, by Kelsi Bracmort, natural resources and energy policy specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * Farm Bill Primer: Energy Title Omnibus farm bills have been enacted periodically to address agricultural and food programs. The most recent farm bill - the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 farm bill; P.L. 115-334) - contains 12 titles, including Title more PR

WASHINGTON, March 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12101) on March 20, 2026, by agricultural policy analyst Christine Whitt. Here are excerpts: * * * Farm Bill Primer: Disaster Assistance Agricultural production involves risks related to weather, yield, markets, price, and other factors. Congress has authorized several federal programs to help agricultural producers recover from the effects of natural disasters, including the more PR

WASHINGTON, March 20 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10613) on March 19, 2026, by international sanctions and financial crimes specialist Liana W. Rosen and foreign affairs analyst Shelby B. Senger. Here are excerpts: * * * The Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) List Congress has shown recurring interest in the administration of the State Department's list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) - one of several terrorism-r more PR

WASHINGTON, March 20 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13177) on March 19, 2026, by environmental policy specialists Jonathan L. Ramseur and Elena H. Humphreys. Here are excerpts: * * * FY2026 Appropriations for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Water Infrastructure Programs Many policymakers and stakeholders have raised concerns about the condition of the nation's local drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and t more PR

WASHINGTON, March 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12671) on March 20, 2026, by financial economics specialist Andrew P. Scott: * * * H.R. 6955: Main Street Capital Access Act On March 4, 2026, the House Financial Services Committee ordered H.R. 6955, as amended, to be reported. The bill contains a package of bank regulatory relief provisions that, among other things, aim to encourage new bank formation and update regulatory th more PR

WASHINGTON, March 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12033) on March 20, 2026, by American national government analyst Karen L. Shanton: * * * The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA): An Overview The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA; P.L. 107-252; 52 U.S.C. Sec.Sec.20901-21145) is perhaps the closest thing in federal law to a general election administration statute. It is (1) more wide-ranging in the topics it aims to addres more PR

WASHINGTON, March 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. 98-684) on March 16, 2026, by senior research librarian Carla Y. Davis-Castro. Here are excerpts: * * * Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections This report provides the results of recent presidential elections in Latin America and the Caribbean. Below are three tables, organized by region, that include the date of each country's independence, the name of the  more PR

WASHINGTON, March 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12921) on March 18, 2026, by senior research librarian Maria Kreiser and economic development policy analyst Adam G. Levin: * * * Letters of Support for Grant Seekers: Considerations for a Congressional Office Congressional Member offices are often approached by constituents who are applying for federal grants and would like the Member to write a letter of support to accompany more PR

WASHINGTON, March 20 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11407) on March 19, 2026, by legislative attorney David H. Carpenter: * * * Litigation Over the Trump Administration's Grant Terminations Since the beginning of President Trump's second term, the Administration has paused payments under a number of existing grants and terminated billions of dollars' worth of grant awards under a variety of different programs. The Adminis more PR

WASHINGTON, March 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48884) on March 17, 2026, entitled "Office of the U.S. Trade Representative: Overview and Issues for Congress in Brief" by international trade and finance specialist Shayerah I. Akhtar: * * * SUMMARY The Office of the United States Trade Representative (Office of the USTR) is located in the Executive Office of the President (EOP). It is headed by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), an amba more PR

WASHINGTON, March 20 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13105) on March 19, 2026, by American national government specialist Taylor R. Knoedl. Here are excerpts: * * * Introduction As a Department of Commerce agency, the U.S. Census Bureau is primarily funded through the annual Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill. This In Focus provides an overview of FY2026 appropriations for the U.S. Census more PR

WASHINGTON, March 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. IF13185) on March 18, 2026. Here are excerpts: * * * Prediction Markets and Insider Trading Law The past two years have witnessed the dramatic growth of prediction markets - i.e., online platforms that allow users to buy or sell contracts with payoffs tied to the occurrence or nonoccurrence of specific events, such as sporting event outcomes, political election results, an more PR

WASHINGTON, March 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13187) on March 20, 2026, by financial economics specialists Karl E. Schneider and Rena S. Miller: * * * Prediction Markets: Policy Issues for Congress Prediction markets are exchange platforms that specialize in offering event contracts. Event contracts refer to contracts with a binary payoff structure tied to the occurrence or non-occurrence of a specific event. Users purcha more PR

WASHINGTON, March 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R46491) on March 18, 2026, entitled "Resources for Tracking Federal COVID-19 Spending" by senior research librarians Jennifer Teefy and Maria Kreiser: * * * SUMMARY Congress responded to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with supplemental appropriations measures providing relief and assistance to individuals and families, state and local governments, businesses, health care pro more PR

WASHINGTON, March 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12645) on March 18, 2026, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) System Background According to the Department of Defense (DOD), the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system (Figure 1) is a key element of U.S. ballistic missile defense (BMD). THAAD employs interceptor missiles,  more PR

WASHINGTON, March 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12645) on March 20, 2026, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) System Background According to the Department of Defense (DOD), the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system (Figure 1) is a key element of U.S. ballistic missile defense (BMD). THAAD employs interceptor missiles,  more PR

WASHINGTON, March 20 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10733) on March 19, 2026, by international trade and finance analyst Liana Wong and Asian affairs specialist Mark E. Manyin. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S.-South Korea Bilateral Trade Relations South Korea (or the Republic of Korea, ROK), a U.S. ally since 1953, is one of the United States' most important economic partners in Asia. It is the eighth-largest U.S. goods trading p more PR

WASHINGTON, March 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13185) on March 18, 2026. The white paper is written by research assistant Sylvia L. Bryan and income security specialists John J. Topoleski and Elizabeth A. Myers. Here are excerpts: * * * Worker Participation in Employer-Sponsored Pensions in 2025 In March 2025, about 74% of all U.S. workers had access to employer-sponsored pensions, and 56% of U.S. workers participated in more PR