This report provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Columbia-class program, a program to design and build a new class of 12 ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) to replace the Navy's current force of 14 Ohio-class SSBNs.

This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) program. Decisions that Congress makes on procurement of Virginia-class boats could substantially affect U.S. Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.

This report discusses U.S. sanctions against Iran and the 2016 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement which led to the lifting of sanctions based on nuclear proliferation in Iran. The bulk of the report outlines the various sanctions against Iran and their current implementation status, international efforts to bring about compliance, and their effects. Recent discussions regarding President's Trump announcement that the U.S. was decertifying the nuclear agreement and the possibility of reinstating certain sanctions are also discussed.

This report begins with a brief legislative and regulatory history of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, with a brief description of how the program works. It also describes several selected program issues that have received recent congressional and stakeholder attention, issues identified in reviews of the program, and issues that have been raised by researchers, analysts, and other entities outside of the government.

This report discusses deeming resolutions, which are used by Congress as a substitute when budget resolution bills are not passed. It provides historical notes about how frequently deeming resolutions have been used and how they have varied, and also alternate options for budgetary enforcement.

This report is the part two of two of a report on the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) recently concluded its investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (the "Section 301 Investigation") "to determine whether acts, policies, and practices of the Government of China related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict U.S. commerce." This part of the report applies the general legal framework to this specific Section 301 Investigation, providing background on the investigation, describing the USTR's findings and the President's directives, and concluding by addressing what legal issues lie ahead.

This report discusses health insurance premium tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies which assist low-income individuals and families in buying health insurance.

This report discusses House and and Senate committee rules regarding subpoenas. It begins with an explanation of how to analyze committees' subpoena rules. The report then first surveys House committees' subpoena rules, followed by a survey of Senate committees' subpoena rules. Both surveys begin with a brief description of chamber rules, followed by a short summary of that chamber's committees' rules that are ancillary to committee subpoena authorization procedures or appear in only one or two committees' rules. The surveys each include a table that compares the chamber's committees' rules on authorizing and issuing subpoenas, with table notes adding further detail.

This report provides background information about health plans sold in the private health insurance (PHI) market and briefly describes state and federal regulation of private plans. The second part summarizes selected federal requirements and indicates each requirement's applicability to one or more of the following types of private health plans: individual, small group, large group, and self-insured. Many of the federal requirements described in this report were established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended); however, some were established under federal laws enacted prior to the ACA.

This report discusses the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) and proposed reforms to how it handles harassment claims through the bill H.R. 4822. The report highlights and considers some of the major differences between the current process provided under the CAA and the process that would exist if H.R. 4822 were enacted, as well as other changes proposed by the bill that could affect both legislative branch employees and Members of Congress.

This report discusses regulations for large banks under the Dodd-Frank Act and recently proposed changes to the regulations proposed in S. 2155.

This report discusses twelve temporary business tax extenders which expired at the end of 2017.

This report discusses the Small Business Lending Fund (SBLF). The report concludes with an examination of the program's implementation and a discussion of bills introduced during recent Congresses to amend the SBLF.

This report discusses the federal debt limit and its suspensions and resets since 2011.

This report describes the federal tax structure and system in effect for 2018, incorporating the recent changes made by P.L. 115-97. The report also provides selected statistics on the tax system as a whole.

This report discusses multi-employer defined benefit (DB) pension plans which are pensions sponsored by more than one employer and maintained as part of a collective bargaining agreement and recent legislation related to them.

This report discusses the background of the case of "Cyan Inc. v. Beaver County Employees Retirement Fund", the Supreme Court's decision, and the decision's implications for securities litigation.

This report discusses the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement and the successful conclusion of negotiations between the party countries after the U.S. withdrawal from negotiations.

This report discusses the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) recent investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to determine whether acts, policies, and practices of the Government of China related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation were unreasonable or discriminatory and burdening or restricting U.S. commerce and President Trumps's memorandum in response.

This report reviews cyber supply chain risks, discusses ways in which they are currently managed, and provides issues that Congress may consider.

This report discusses the case United States v. Melgar-Cabrera. A panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (Tenth Circuit) recently upheld the murder conviction of the defendant who the court conceded had been "convicted of a crime that is not a crime."

This report begins by providing a profile of the U.S. research and development (R&D) enterprise, including historical trends and current funding by sector and by whether the R&D is basic research, applied research, or development. The final section of this fact sheet includes data on R&D performance by sector.

This report discusses Special Operations Forces (SOF), which play a significant role in U.S. military operations and, in recent years, have been given greater responsibility for planning and conducting worldwide counterterrorism operations.

This report provides background history of the World Trade Organization (WTO), its organization, and current status of negotiations. It also explores concerns regarding the WTO's future direction and key policy issues for Congress.