WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48606) on Dec. 31, 2025, entitled "2025 Army Transformation Initiative Force Structure and Organizational Proposals: Background and Issues for Congress" by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert: * * * SUMMARY On April 30, 2025, Secretary of Defense (War) Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum, "Army Transformation and Acquisition Reform," directing the Secretary of the Army to implement  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48776) on Dec. 22, 2025, entitled "Cellular Network Outage Reporting & Restoration During Disasters" by telecommunications policy analyst Amanda H. Peskin. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Communications during disasters are critical for first responders, public officials, and individuals. Should cellular network outages occur during or after a disaster, knowledge of where the outages have o more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12880) on Dec. 29, 2025, by senior research librarian Ben Leubsdorf: * * * Connecting Constituents with Federal Assistance for Community Centers Introduction Federal grant, loan, and technical assistance programs can support the creation of community centers run by nonprofit organizations or local, state, territorial, and tribal governments. These buildings often host social,  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12548) on Dec. 28, 2025, by social policy analyst Kara Clifford Billings: * * * Efforts to Return Higher-Fat Milks to the School Lunch Program The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 (S. 222) was passed by the Senate on November 20, 2025, and by the House on December 15, 2025 (it has not been signed into law as of the date of this report). The bill proposes to allow whole an more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13141) on Dec. 29, 2025, by American national government specialist R. Sam Garrett: * * * Federal Role in U.S. Campaigns and Elections: Highlights The federal role in elections is limited yet complicated. The Constitution and federalism limit the federal government's roles, resulting in a set of tasks that support states, territories, and localities. Within its purview, however more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13143) on Dec. 31, 2025, by public finance analyst Nicholas E. Buffie. Here are excerpts: * * * Federal Tax Filing Statuses When taxpayers file their federal income taxes, they select one of five tax filing statuses. This In Focus describes the various statuses and their effects on income tax payments. The Five Tax Filing Statuses When submitting IRS Form 1040 - the most comm more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13142) on Dec. 30, 2025, by naval affairs specialist Ronald O'Rourke. Here are excerpts: * * * Navy Guided Missile Battleship (BBG[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress Introduction On December 22, 2025, the Trump Administration announced a proposed program to build a new class of guided missile battleships (BBG[X]s) for the Navy. BBG(X)s would be the first battleshi more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12715) on Dec. 30, 2025, by Lisa N. Sacco, illicit drugs and crime policy specialist: * * * Rescheduling Marijuana: Implications for Criminal and Collateral Consequences Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. The number of adults who use marijuana has continued to increase, as has the number of states that allow for its use. Under the Controlled  more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48780) on Dec. 30, 2025, entitled "U.S. Financial Support to Argentina" by foreign affairs analyst Joshua Klein and international trade and finance specialist Rebecca M. Nelson. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Since assuming office in December 2023, President Javier Milei has sought to overhaul Argentina's economy through pro-market and public sector reforms, while increasing foreign policy  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. white paper) by natural resources policy specialist Caitlin Keating-Bitonti: * * * U.S. Interest in Seabed Mining in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction: Brief Background and Recent Developments In 1980, Congress passed the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA; 30 U.S.C. Sec.Sec.1401 et seq.) as an interim measure to allow the United States to proceed with seabed mining  more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48781) on Dec. 30, 2025, entitled "U.S.-Canada Softwood Lumber Trade: Current Issues for Congress" by international trade and finance analyst Kyla H. Kitamura and natural resources policy specialist Anne A. Riddle. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The United States and Canada have one of the largest bilateral commercial relationships in the world and have maintained largely duty-free trade un more PR