WASHINGTON, April 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12495) on April 23, 2026, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert and Army fellow Ebrima M'Bai. Here are excerpts: * * * The Army's M-1E3 Abrams Tank Modernization Program Background The M-1 Abrams Tank is designed to maneuver under fire and destroy enemy armored forces on the battlefield. The M-1 is named for General Creighton Abrams, a World War II armored bat more PR

WASHINGTON, April 23 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12094) on April 22, 2026, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert and Army fellow Ebrima M'Bai. Here are excerpts: * * * The Army's XM-30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle (Formerly the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle [OMFV]) Background The Army's XM-30, previously known as the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV), is being designed to replace the M-2 B more PR

WASHINGTON, April 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13013) on April 20, 2026, by American national government analyst Karen L. Shanton. Here are excerpts: * * * Conditioning Federal Funding on Elections Policies: Options and Considerations for Congress Congress has broad authority to regulate many aspects of the administration of federal elections. Members might sometimes wish to influence state or local policy on aspects of e more PR

WASHINGTON, April 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11420) on April 20, 2026, by legislative attorney Alexander H. Pepper and deputy assistant director Michael John Garcia: * * * Congressional Court Watcher: Circuit Splits from March 2026 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 Supre more PR

WASHINGTON, April 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R44243) on April 21, 2026, entitled "Electing the Speaker of the House of Representatives: Frequently Asked Questions" by Congress and legislative process specialist Valerie Heitshusen. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Current practice for electing a Speaker, either at the start of a Congress or in the event of a vacancy (e.g., death or resignation), is by roll call vote, during which Member more PR

WASHINGTON, April 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11286) on April 20, 2026, by American national government analyst Karen L. Shanton. Here are excerpts: * * * Election Security: Federal Funding for Securing Election Systems Foreign efforts to interfere in the 2016 elections highlighted the potential for threats to the technologies, facilities, and processes used to administer elections. The federal government has responded t more PR

WASHINGTON, April 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11961) on April 20, 2026, by American national government analyst Karen L. Shanton. Here are excerpts: * * * Elections Grant Programs: Authorizations and Appropriations Congress first authorized major federal grant programs for elections in the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA; P.L. 107-252). HAVA was enacted in response to issues with the conduct of the 2000 elections. Li more PR

WASHINGTON, April 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10753) on April 20, 2026, by energy policy specialist Corrie E. Clark. Here are excerpts: * * * ENERGY STAR Program Overview ENERGY STAR(R) is an internationally recognized voluntary labeling program for energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, and manufacturing plants that is managed jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of En more PR

WASHINGTON, April 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10753) on April 23, 2026, by energy policy specialist Corrie E. Clark. Here are excerpts: * * * ENERGY STAR Program Overview ENERGY STAR(R) is an internationally recognized voluntary labeling program for energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, and manufacturing plants that is managed jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of En more PR

WASHINGTON, April 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11421) on April 20, 2026, by legislative attorney Cassandra J. Barnum and coordinator of research planning Erin H. Ward: * * * ESA "God Squad" Exemption for Gulf Oil and Gas Activities: Background and Current Litigation On March 31, 2026, the Endangered Species Committee - colloquially referred to as the "God Squad" because of its power to determine the fate of species - more PR

WASHINGTON, April 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11962) on April 20, 2026, by American national government analyst Karen L. Shanton. Here are excerpts: * * * Establishing and Funding Elections Grant Programs: Policy Options Recent congressional activity on elections issues has often taken the form of action on grant programs or funding. One type of action Members have increasingly explored in recent legislative proposals is more PR

WASHINGTON, April 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12317) on April 20, 2026, by health policy analyst Alexandria K. Mickler. Here are excerpts: * * * Family-to-Family Health Information Centers Family-to-Family Health Information Centers (F2F HICs) receive mandatory appropriations to provide support and information to families of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). Currently, the F2F HIC program receive more PR

WASHINGTON, April 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12155) on April 21, 2026, by agricultural policy analyst Benjamin Tsui. Here are excerpts: * * * Farm Bill Primer: Trade and Export Promotion Programs Agricultural exports are significant to farmers and the U.S. economy. With the productivity of U.S. agriculture growing faster than domestic demand, farmers and agriculturally oriented firms rely on export markets to sustain pr more PR

WASHINGTON, April 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12681) on April 20, 2026, by agricultural policy analyst Laura Pineda-Bermudez: * * * Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Response to a Raw Dairy Toxic E. coli Outbreak Introduction On March 15, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS's) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and certain state public health o more PR

WASHINGTON, April 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RL34498) on April 21, 2026, entitled "Federal Individual Income Tax Brackets, Standard Deductions and Personal Exemption: 1988 to 2026" by public finance analysts Nicholas E. Buffie and Brendan McDermott. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY This report tracks changes in federal individual income tax brackets, the standard deduction, and the personal exemption since 1988. All three tax items hav more PR

WASHINGTON, April 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13173) on April 24, 2026, by natural resources policy specialist Mariel J. Murray: * * * Federal Management of Tribal Trust Funds: Overview and Selected Issues for Congress Congress has passed various laws to fulfill the federal trust responsibility, a legal obligation under which the United States - through treaties, acts of Congress, and court decisions - "has charged itself more PR

WASHINGTON, April 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13208) on April 24, 2026, by immigration policy specialists William A. Kandel and Audrey Singer. Here are excerpts: * * * Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Non-Detained Docket (NDD) Background The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA, Title 8 of the U.S. Code) authorizes and sometimes requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain aliens (f more PR

WASHINGTON, April 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IN12682) on April 23, 2026, by Congress specialist Jacob R. Straus. Here are excerpts: * * * Kings and Queens Addressing Joint Meetings of Congress On April 1, 2026, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries jointly invited King Charles III of the Uni more PR

WASHINGTON, April 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11755) on April 21, 2026, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * The Marine Corps' Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) Background The Marine Corps describes the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) as a 'next-generation, eight-wheeled vehicle designed to move Marines from ship to shore. The vehicle will be the primary means of tactical mobilit more PR

WASHINGTON, April 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11422) on April 20, 2026, by legislative attorneys Jared P. Cole and Whitney K. Novak: * * * Parental Rights and Student Gender Transitions at School: Legal Developments How public schools should treat transgender students has generated substantial debate, raising legal questions in contexts such as bathroom access, athletics participation, and pronoun usage. One particu more PR

WASHINGTON, April 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12669) on April 21, 2026, by Kelley M. Sayler, advanced technology and global security specialist: * * * Pentagon-Anthropic Dispute over Autonomous Weapon Systems: Potential Issues for Congress On February 27, 2026, President Donald J. Trump directed federal agencies to "IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of [American AI company] Anthropic's technology." Secretary of Defense Pete Hegset more PR

WASHINGTON, April 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12501) on April 20, 2026, by American national government analyst Karen L. Shanton: * * * Private Funding for Election Administration State and local election offices sometimes receive private donations of money, goods, or services to help them carry out their work. Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2020 election cycle, private individuals funded grant progra more PR

WASHINGTON, April 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48916) on April 23, 2026, entitled "Retailer Inventory and Pricing Behavior During Supply Chain Disruptions" by Michael Alan Havlin and Clare Y. Cho, industrial organization and business policy specialists. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Recent supply chain disruptions have contributed to price increases for certain consumer goods, such as vehicles, groceries, apparel, and consumer electr more PR

WASHINGTON, April 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48916) on April 23, 2026, entitled "Retailer Inventory and Pricing Behavior During Supply Chain Disruptions:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Selected Policy Options for Congress Some Members of Congress have expressed concern about retailers' price increases and perceptions of price gouging, particularly during supply chain disruptions. These concerns tend to be focused on retailers of  more PR

WASHINGTON, April 23 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12672) on April 22, 2026, by defense policy analyst Anya L. Fink: * * * Russia's Nuclear Weapons According to the Pentagon's 2026 National Defense Strategy, Russia "possesses the world's largest nuclear arsenal, which it continues to modernize and diversify, as well as undersea, space, and cyber capabilities that it could employ against the U.S. Homeland." Since Russia's Febr more PR

WASHINGTON, April 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48917) on April 23, 2026, entitled "S.Con.Res. 33: The Senate-Adopted FY2026 Budget Resolution" by Congress and legislative process specialists Drew C. Aherne and Megan S. Lynch. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY On April 23, 2026, the Senate adopted S.Con.Res. 33, a budget resolution for FY2026. The budget resolution generally represents an agreement between the House and Senate on a budget more PR

WASHINGTON, April 23 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48469) on April 21, 2026, entitled "The Seafood Import Monitoring Program" by natural resources policy analyst Anthony R. Marshak. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) The Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) is a federal risk-based seafood traceability program that sets reporting and recordkeeping requirements from the point of harvest to entry more PR

WASHINGTON, April 23 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48469) on April 21, 2026, entitled "The Seafood Import Monitoring Program:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Recent Agency Actions Regarding the Seafood Import Monitoring Program NOAA has considered potential expansions and refinements to SIMP's implementation, including in response to an evaluation of the program. In December 2022, NMFS issued a proposed rule to expand SIMP in accordance more PR

WASHINGTON, April 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12614) on April 23, 2026, by international trade and finance analyst Kyla H. Kitamura. Here are excerpts: * * * Section 232 National Security Tariffs on Copper Imports Congress has constitutional authority over foreign commerce and tariffs, a power it has partially delegated to the President. Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. Sec.1862) authorizes the Pr more PR

WASHINGTON, April 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48725) on April 23, 2026, entitled "Social Security Administration Staffing Levels: Data Brief" by income security specialist William R. Morton. Here are excerpts: * * * Contents Introduction ... 1 Recent Staffing Levels ... 1 Historical Staffing Levels ... 3 Figures Figure 1. SSA Total Staff on Duty at the End of the Month ... 1 Figure 2. SSA Total Staff on Duty at the End of the  more PR

WASHINGTON, April 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48179) on April 22, 2026, entitled "Tickets for Live Entertainment Events:" (Continued fromPart 1 of 2) * * * Selected Legislative Options Some Members of the 118th and 119th Congresses have introduced bills related to ticketing services for live events. The provisions in some of these bills aimed to increase protections for consumers by, for example, increasing transparency about the tick more PR

WASHINGTON, April 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13200) on April 24, 2026, by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte and international trade and finance specialist Rebecca M. Nelson. Here are excerpts * * * Treasury's Exchange Stabilization Fund The Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF) is an emergency reserve fund of the Department of the Treasury created by Congress in 1934. The ESF has evolved from its original purpose more PR

WASHINGTON, April 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12135) on April 20, 2026, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * The U.S. Army's Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) System What Is the Army's Mid-Range Capability System? Improved Chinese and Russian long-ranged artillery systems, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), and the proliferation of special munitions have renewed concerns about the more PR

WASHINGTON, April 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R46412) on April 24, 2026, entitled "Veterans Service Organizations: Frequently Asked Questions" by senior research librarian Tamar B. Breslauer: * * * SUMMARY Veterans service organizations (VSOs) offer a range of services for veterans, servicemembers, dependents, and survivors. Some VSOs may provide programming for veterans in their communities, such as job fairs. Others may organize events more PR