This report covers issues related to the public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management(BLM) and the national forests managed by the U.S. Forest Service(FS).

This report discusses the debate over government policy regarding industrial competitiveness and technological advancement. Background, legislative initiatives, and different approaches are among topics discussed in this report.

This report includes information regarding U.S. relations and bilateral issues within Syria. Relations with Iraq, arms proliferation, and U.S. aid and sanctions are among topics discussed in this report.

This report provides an overview of major tax issues. It begins by describing three aspects of the economic context in which the tax policy debate during 2004 is likely to occur: the general state of the U.S. economy; the position of the federal budget; and the level of taxes in the United States.

This report includes information regarding intelligence issues for Congress. Recent developments, background and analysis, and selected 106th Congress legislation are among topics discussed in this report.

This report includes information about Egypt/United States relations, issues in these relations, and information regarding the United States' foreign assistance to Egypt

This document includes discussion of the debate over government policy regarding industrial competitiveness and technological advancement. Technology and competitiveness, federal roles, and various approaches are among topics mentioned in this report.

This report is on Amtrak: Budget and Reauthorization.

This report discusses legislation and proposals regarding prices of gasoline. Policy options, oil-related legislation, and crude oil prices are among topics covered in this report.

This report brief discusses the history, current posture, and outlook for federal energy tax policy.

This report includes information regarding the Law of the Sea Convention and United States policy. Background, United States interests, and Senate issues are among topics discussed in this report.

This report includes information regarding strategic petroleum reserve. Background and analysis, purchases of crude oil, and drawdown of the reserve are among topics discussed in this report.

This report mainly provides information about the Civilian Nuclear Waste Disposal.Federal policy is based on the premise that nuclear waste can be disposed of safety.

This report includes information regarding major legislative issues involving military retirement. Military retirement, retired pay and survivor benefit COLAs, and military retirement budgeting and costs are among topics discussed in this report.

With Japan the United States has had one of its most important and most difficult trading relationships. Japan ranks second to Canada as the largest U.S. export market. It is also the second largest single source of imports to the United States. Trade issues are likely to become even more important as the whole U.S.-Japanese relationship changes in the post-Cold War period. How each country views and reacts to the other is changing as economic issues replace foreign policy and national security issues as the driving force of the relationship.

This report discusses the issue of U.S. economic assistance to sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the importance of continued assistance in light of U.S. national security and also various U.S.-led efforts to promote reform amongst African citizens themselves. U.S. assistance finds its way to Africa through a variety of channels, including the USAID-administered DA program, food aid programs, and indirect aid provided through international financial institutions and the United Nations.

Congressional Research Service: Chinese Missile and Nuclear Proliferation: Issues for Congress

Concern has been growing that the pace of U.S. technological advancement is declining, with negative consequences for U.S. economic growth, productivity, and international competitiveness. Because technology can contribute to economic growth and productivity increases, congressional interest has focused on how to augment private sector technological development. Legislative activity over the past decade has created a policy for technology development, albeit an ad hoc one. Because of the lack of consensus on the scope and direction of a national policy, Congress has taken an incremental approach aimed at creating new mechanisms to facilitate technological advancement in particular areas and making changes and improvements as necessary.

In response to the foreign challenge in the global marketplace, the United States Congress has explored ways to stimulate technological advancement in the private sector. The government has supported various efforts to promote cooperative research and development activities among industry, universities, and the federal R&D establishment designed to increase the competitiveness of American industry and to encourage the generation of new products, processes, and services. Among the issues before Congress are whether joint ventures contribute to industrial competitiveness and what role, if any, the government has in facilitating such arrangements.

Over the past decade, worldwide production of illicit drugs has risen dramatically: opium and marijuana production has roughly doubled and coca production tripled. Street prices of cocaine and heroin have fallen significantly in the past 20 years, reflecting increased availability. Despite apparent national political resolve to deal with the drug problem, inherent contradictions regularly appear between U.S. anti-drug policy and other national policy goals and concerns. The mix of competing domestic and international pressures and priorities has produced an ongoing series of disputes within and between the legislative and executive branches concerning U.S. international drug policy. One contentious issue has been the Congressionally-mandated certification process, an instrument designed to induce specified drug-exporting countries to prioritize or pay more attention to the fight against narcotics businesses.

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