WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10119) by Asian trade and finance specialist Karen M. Sutter and Asian affairs specialist Susan V. Lawrence. Here are excerpts: * * * China Primer: U.S.-China Relations The United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC, or China) lead the world in the size of their economies, defense budgets, and research and technology investments. Both are among the five nuclear-armed, veto-wielding permanent members of the United N more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Budget Office issued the following report entitled "The Taxation of Social Security Benefits." Here are excerpts: * * * Social Security - the largest single program in the federal budget - has two components. Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) provides benefits to retired workers, their eligible dependents, and some survivors of deceased workers. Disability Insurance (DI) provides benefits to disabled workers and their dependents. Unlike most sources of income, which are either fully su more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47211) on Aug. 17, 2026, entitled "Criminal Justice Data: Human Trafficking" by domestic security specialist Kristin Finklea: * * * SUMMARY Human traffickers exploit vulnerable individuals for commercial sex and forced labor in a variety of legal and illegal industries, both across the United States and around the world. While some estimates of the incidence of human trafficking exist, comprehensive data on human trafficking within the Unite more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12386) by legislative attorney Valerie C. Brannon: * * * Defining Final Agency Action for APA and CRA Review Executive branch action may be subject to both judicial and congressional review. Two federal statutes authorizing such review are the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), which generally governs judicial review of agency action, and the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which provides an avenue for Congress to review agen more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11459) by legislative attorney Milan N. Ball: * * * For more than 150 years, federal law has banned individuals from distilling spirits at home. Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Sec.Sec. 5601(a)(6) and 5178(a)(1)(B) prohibit individuals from producing spirits at home for personal consumption by restricting a spirit distillery's location and attaching criminal penalties to noncompliance. In the past few years, persons seeking t more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R43311) on Aug. 19, 2026, entitled "Iran - U.S. Economic Sanctions and the Authority to Lift Restrictions" by international sanctions and financial crimes specialist Liana W. Rosen, and Middle Eastern affairs specialist Clayton Thomas. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY U.S. sanctions related to Iran are arguably among the most comprehensive of any such sanctions that the United States unilaterally maintains with respect to a foreign country.  more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12730) by Clare Y. Cho, industrial organization and business policy specialist: * * * Kids Online Safety Act Beginning in the 117th Congress, some Members of Congress introduced different versions of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) - a bill seeking to address harms to minors online by creating requirements for certain online platforms, among other provisions. In the 119th Congress, different versions of KOSA have been introd more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. R44152) by reference librarian Audrey Celeste Crane-Hirsch: * * * Labor Day Speech Resources: Fact Sheet Introduction Labor Day is a federal holiday celebrating the achievements of American workers. Labor Day also symbolically marks the end of summer and, in many states, the beginning of the school year. This guide is designed to assist congressional offices with work-related Labor Day celebrations. It contains a brief history and selec more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13098) by natural resources policy specialist Laura B. Comay and immigration policy analyst Jill H. Wilson: * * * National Park Service: Fee Increases for International Visitors Congress has debated various measures to generate additional funds for the National Park System in light of a large backlog of deferred maintenance on system lands. One option under discussion has been to raise park entrance fees for international visi more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13119) by Clare Y. Cho, natural resources policy specialist Mark K. DeSantis and energy policy analyst Lexie Ryan. Here are excerpts: * * * National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A): A Summary The National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) is a 23-million-acre area in northern Alaska owned and administered by the federal government. Originally designated as an emergency oil reserve for the United States Navy in 1923, the more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. R44178) by reference librarian Audrey Celeste Crane-Hirsch: * * * Patriot Day: Fact Sheet In 2001, P.L. 107-89 designated September 11 as Patriot Day to honor the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. The law asks the President to issue an annual Proclamation for Patriot Day that directs the U.S. flag to be flown at half-staff and a moment of silence be obser more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11772) by Clare Y. Cho, natural resources policy specialists Carol Hardy Vincent and Eric P. Nardi. Here are excerpts: * * * Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT): Section 6902 Payments Introduction Several federal programs compensate local jurisdictions for the presence of nontaxable federal lands. The widest-ranging program is the Department of the Interior's (DOI's) Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. PILT compensates un more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11472) by legislative attorney Sean Stiff: * * * Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Recent Legal Developments For nearly 20 years, Section 455(m) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended, has authorized a benefit for borrowers of federal Direct Loan program student loans commonly known as Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). First established by the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 (CCRA), the PSLF progra more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12666) by Asian trade and finance specialist Karen M. Sutter. Here are excerpts: * * * Section 301 and China: Shipping and Shipbuilding Issues Title III of the Trade Act of 1974 (Sec.Sec.301-310, 19 U.S.C. Sec.Sec.2411-2420, referred to as "Section 301") is one of the principal statutory means by which the United States enforces U.S. rights under trade agreements and addresses "unfair" foreign barriers to U.S. exports (text b more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11397) by social policy analyst T. Lynn Sears. Here are excerpts: * * * Social Security Benefit Taxation Highlights * * * At a Glance * In July 2026, the Social Security system provided over $138.4 billion in monthly benefits to more than 71.3 million retired or disabled workers and their spouses, survivors, and dependents. * Since 1984, beneficiaries with income above certain statutory thresholds are subject to federal in more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12640) by Asian trade and finance specialist Karen M. Sutter and international trade and finance analyst Michael D. Sutherland. Here are excerpts: * * * Congress and U.S. policymakers at the federal and state levels have taken steps to address their national security-related concerns about the extent to which the People's Republic of China's (PRC, or China) influences digital platforms that are directly or indirectly tied to t more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13297) by government organization and management analyst Michelle D. Christensen. Here are excerpts: * * * USPS Ballot Mail Rule: Overview and Potential Impact On March 31, 2026, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 14399, "Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections." The order states "unique ballot envelope identifiers, such as bar codes, enable confirmation that only citizens receive  more PR