President George W. Bush has stated that tax reform will be one of his top priorities in the 109th Congress. Some form of a value-added tax (VAT) has been frequently discussed as a replacement to the U.S. income tax system. In addition, some Members of Congress has expressed interest in the feasibility of using a value-added tax to finance health care reform.

This report discusses the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2005 , which would reauthorize ONDCP for five years, through FY2010, and authorize funding in specific annual amounts for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program, the media campaign, a Southwest Border violence study, and several anti-methamphetamine initiatives.

Two separate but closely related issues confront Congress each time the President introduces armed forces into a situation abroad that conceivably could lead to their involvement in hostilities. One issue concerns the division of war powers between the President and Congress, whether the use of armed forces falls within the purview of the congressional power to declare war and the War Powers Resolution. The other issue is whether or not Congress concurs in the wisdom of the action. This issue brief does not deal with the substantive merits of using armed forces in specific cases, but rather with the congressional authorization for the action and the application and effectiveness of the War Powers Resolution. The purpose of the War Powers Resolution (P.L. 93-148, passed over President Nixon’s veto on November 7, 1973) is to ensure that Congress and the President share in making decisions that may get the U.S. involved in hostilities.

None

Congress generally authorizes Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) water resources projects before considering them in the annual appropriations process. The 109th Congress is considering authorizing Corps projects through two Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bills — S. 728 and H.R. 2864. The House passed H.R. 2864 in July 2005; S. 728 was placed on the Senate calendar in April 2005. Previous WRDAs followed a loosely biennial schedule; however, the last WRDA was enacted in 2000.

This report discusses various wetland policy topics, of particular interest are statements by the Bush Administration shortly after the 2004 election that restoration of 3 million wetland acres would be a priority.

None

None

None

None

None