WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12749) on Aug. 21, 2025, by natural resources policy specialist Carol Hardy Vincent. Here are excerpts: * * * Bureau of Land Management: FY2025 Appropriations The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in the Department of the Interior (DOI), manages 245 million acres of federal land, nearly all in the West. Under its multiple-use mission, BLM manages lands for diverse purposes, inc more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12489) on Aug. 21, 2025, by senior research librarian Ben Leubsdorf: * * * Congressional District Geography Workbook (119th Congress): An Interactive Tool for Congressional Users This Insight accompanies the Congressional District Geography Workbook, a Microsoft Excel file that congressional users can download from CRS.gov. The workbook provides information about U.S. House dist more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12596) on Aug. 18, 2025, by macroeconomic policy analyst Lida R. Weinstock. Here are excerpts: * * * The Consumer Price Index: Data Quality Questions have recently arisen surrounding the reliability and usefulness of certain federally produced data, including the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The President's recent removal of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, which more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10908) on Aug. 20, 2025, by Peter J. Meyer, Latin American and Canadian affairs specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * Costa Rica: An Overview Costa Rica historically has been a bastion of stability in Central America and at times has been a key U.S. partner for advancing policy goals in the region. The 118th Congress enacted appropriations and other legislation (P.L. 118-159, S more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12597) on Aug. 19, 2025, by nonproliferation specialist Mary Beth D. Nikitin: * * * Counterproliferation in U.S. Policy The United States uses diplomatic, military, law enforcement, intelligence, and financial means to disrupt, preempt, or respond to the acquisition or use of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, also referred to as weapons of mass destruction (WMD). This ef more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13089) on Aug. 21, 2025, by public finance analyst Nicholas E. Buffie: * * * Economic Perspectives on Electric Vehicle Tax Credits P.L. 119-21, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), terminated three tax credits for plug-in electric vehicle (EV) purchases: the used clean vehicle credit (UCVC), the credit for qualified commercial clean vehicles (CQCCV), and th more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11218) on Aug. 18, 2025, by foreign affairs analyst Joshua Klein. Here are excerpts: * * * Ecuador: Country Overview and U.S. Relations Ecuador is an ethnically and geographically diverse country of 18.1 million people, encompassing parts of South America's Pacific coast, Amazon Basin, and Andean highlands (see Figure 1). Ecuador faces a security crisis, with gangs fighting fo more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48183) on July 14, 2025, entitled "The Estate and Gift Tax: An Overview" by economic policy senior specialist Jane G. Gravelle. Here are excerpts: * * * The estate tax is imposed on bequests at death, whereas the gift tax applies to inter vivos (during life) gifts. A certain amount of combined estates and gifts - recently set at $15 million by P.L. 119-21 (commonly known as the One Big Beauti more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48183) on July 14, 2025, entitled "The Estate and Gift Tax - An Overview:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Issues and Options The estate tax is controversial, with both supporters, who would like the tax increased, and critics, who would like to maintain a small tax or eliminate it entirely. Progressivity is perhaps the principal justification advanced by supporters of the tax. The filin more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48585) on July 30, 2025, entitled "Federal Civil Aviation Programs: Background and Issues for Congress" by aviation policy specialist Bart Elias and transportation and industry analyst Rachel Y. Tang. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Civil aviation programs address air traffic control and aviation safety, funding for air traffic control facilities and equipment, grants for airports under the more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48585) on July 30, 2025, entitled "Federal Civil Aviation Programs - Background and Issues for Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Aviation Workforce Airline travel has rebounded from the downturn experienced in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Airlines have struggled to meet the rapid rise in demand. One challenge is labor shortages, particularly a lack of pilots at re more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10404) on Aug. 21, 2025, by Middle Eastern affairs specialist Christopher M. Blanchard. Here are excerpts: * * * Iraq The Republic of Iraq (Figure 1) sits at an intersection within the Middle East region, with ties to Iran, Turkey, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula shaping its interests, constraints, and opportunities. Iraq is emerging from decades of strife and conflict,  more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 -- The Library of Congress issued the following news: * * * Library of Congress Reaches Major Milestone in Bringing Collections to Users * The Library of Congress has publicly launched the next phase of its generational effort to replace legacy systems and revolutionize core functions -- including cataloging, acquisition and collections access. The Library Collections Access Platform serves as the heart of the Library's collections discovery, description and management  more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13088) on Aug. 20, 2025, by health care financing analyst Marco A. Villagrana. Here are excerpts: * * * Medicare Graduate Medical Education, 2025 Medicare makes a significant investment in medical residency training (or graduate medical education [GME]). It paid an estimated $21.2 billion in FY2023, primarily to hospitals. The Government Accountability Office has found that Me more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48480) on July 1, 2025, entitled "Nuclear Energy and Climate Change Mitigation" by environmental policy analyst Jonathan D. Haskett and energy policy specialist Mark Holt. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Congress has long been interested in nuclear energy policy in the context of climate change mitigation. A scientific consensus holds that human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions raise g more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48480) on July 1, 2025, entitled "Nuclear Energy and Climate Change Mitigation:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Developing Nuclear Energy Capacity This section presents information on current nuclear capacity and on options for increasing nuclear energy capacity in the United States and globally. Current Nuclear Energy Capacity The United States has the largest nuclear power industry i more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12538) on Aug. 21, 2025, by Dominick A. Fiorentino and Taylor N. Riccard, government organization and management analysts: Here are excerpts: * * * Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Reporting on Apportionments Congress enacts annual appropriations and other budgetary legislation to provide agencies with budget authority, which allows them to spend federal dollars. To preven more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12538) on Aug. 20, 2025, by Dominick A. Fiorentino and Taylor N. Riccard, government organization and management analysts: * * * Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Reporting on Apportionments Congress enacts annual appropriations and other budgetary legislation to provide agencies with budget authority, which allows them to spend federal dollars. To prevent agencies from prem more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13086) on Aug. 19, 2025, by nonproliferation specialist Paul K. Kerr: * * * Pakistan's New Long-Range Missile Development On December 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of State announced the imposition of sanctions on Pakistan's National Development Complex (NDC), which "has worked to acquire items in furtherance of Pakistan's long range ballistic missile program." The State Depart more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. R44178) on Aug. 21, 2025, 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  more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R46806) on Aug. 14, 2025, entitled "Rules Governing Senate Committee and Subcommittee Assignment Procedures" by Michael Greene, Congress and legislative process analyst. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Each Congress, the Senate appoints its members to committees. In order to make these assignments, each party conference typically holds an organizational meeting following an election and prio more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12503) on Aug. 18, 2025, by Asian affairs specialist Susan V. Lawrence: * * * The U.S. "One-China" Policy and Taiwan Introduction Since establishing diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1979, the U.S. government has recognized the PRC as "the sole legal Government of China" and maintained relations with Taiwan on an unofficial basis. This approach  more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10183) on Aug. 20, 2025, by Emily M. McCabe, foreign assistance and foreign policy specialist and Nick M. Brown, foreign assistance analyst. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S. Foreign Assistance What Is U.S. Foreign Assistance? Foreign assistance has been an instrument of U.S. foreign policy through which the U.S. government has provided resources to countries policymakers have de more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11662) on Aug. 18, 2025, by defense policy analyst Anya L. Fink and nonproliferation specialist Mary Beth D. Nikitin: * * * U.S. Nuclear Weapons Tests The United States has observed a voluntary moratorium on nuclear explosive testing since 1992, although it has maintained the ability to resume these tests at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). Since 1993, it has used a pr more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R45280) on July 21, 2025, entitled "U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors: Overview and Pending Nominees" by Michelle D. Christensen and Meghan M. Stuessy, government organization and management analysts. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Unlike other executive agencies, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is governed not by a single presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed agency head but rathe more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12452) on Aug. 19, 2025, by Middle Eastern affairs specialist Clayton Thomas: * * * Pakistan's New Long-Range Missile Development Since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the United States has used sanctions of various types as key tools of U.S. policy toward the government of Iran. The U.S. government uses sanctions to deter, constrain, and encourage change in the adversarial beh more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10256) on Aug. 18, 2025, by Karen M. Sutter, Asian trade and finance specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S.-Taiwan Trade and Economic Relations Taiwan is a top U.S. trade partner and a key link in global technology and manufacturing supply chains. Taiwan's economy is highly dependent on global trade; exports account for about 70% of its gross domestic product (GDP). Taiwan' more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47621) on July 1, 2025, entitled "The Universal Service Fund and Related FCC Broadband Programs: Overview and Considerations for Congress" by Patricia Moloney Figliola, internet and telecommunications policy specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Universal service is the principle that all Americans should have access to communications services. It is the cornerstone of the Communicati more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47621) on July 1, 2025, entitled "The Universal Service Fund and Related FCC Broadband Programs - Overview and Considerations for Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Lifeline Programs Through the Lifeline Program, the FCC provides subsidies to broadband service providers to cover monthly subscription discounts for qualified consumers or households. Eligibility is limited to one ben more PR