This report briefly examines issues regarding the Berry Amendment, which is a 1941 federal law (10 U.S.C. §2533a) requiring the Department of Defense (DOD) to purchase only wholly American-made clothing, textiles, and other essential items for the military.

This report discusses programs focused on expanding access to primary care services for populations that are typically underserved.

This report discusses the Dakota Access Pipeline including background on the project and information about siting approval, as well as opposition and litigation against the pipeline.

This report discusses certain measures of the U.S. labor market "dynamism" or "fluidity"--including job reallocation, worker churn, and geographic labor mobility-- which some observers note have been declining for the past 20 years or more.

This report discusses regulations regarding blowout preventer systems and well control for oil and gas operations on the U.S. outer continental shelf (81 Fed. Reg. 25887). The regulations aim to reduce the risk of an offshore oil or gas blowout that could jeopardize human safety and harm the environment.

This report discusses policies regarding the display of the Confederate Flag at national cemeteries. If a state observes a Confederate Memorial Day, National Park Service (NPS) cemeteries in the state may permit a sponsoring group to decorate the graves of Confederate veterans with small Confederate flags. Additionally, such flags may also be displayed on the nationally observed Memorial Day, to accompany the U.S. flag on the graves of Confederate veterans.

This report briefly discusses the recent pace of economic growth in the United States. A recent poll found that nearly 60% of U.S. adults believe that the economy is performing poorly. Although this expansion is already the fourth longest since the 1850's (34 quarters to date), the slow pace of economic growth means the overall gains have been relatively small.

This report discusses the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017 (H.R. 10), a bill that was passed by the House on June 8, 2017.

This report summarizes select EPA actions to implement the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) amendments over the past year since their passage on June 22, 2016 as a part of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for 21st Century Act (P.L. 114-182). Brief discussions and lists of various chemicals that are being evaluated or have been evaluated under the law are included.

This report discusses fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times more potent than morphine. The steep increase in overdose deaths involving fentanyl is seen as a "new chapter" in the opioid epidemic. Topics covered include the rise of fentanyl overdoses, availability of fentanyl, and policy considerations.

This report briefly discusses Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "working visit" to Washington D.C. that will include addressing Congress, the first such address by an Indian leader since 2005.

This report discusses "midnight rulemaking," referring to the phenomenon during the final months of recent presidential administrations when federal agencies have typically issued a larger number of rules relative to comparable time periods earlier in the administration. It likely occurs because the outgoing presidential administration wants to achieve certain policy goals before the end of its term.

This report briefly discusses new rules under the Military Lending Act (MLA) that change the definition of consumer credit for covered servicemembers and dependents; it will apply to transactions or accounts that are established on or after October 3, 2016. These rules may have an impact on the regulatory burdens for businesses that provide credit products to the military and may also affect military readiness.

This report discusses the North American Leaders' Summits (NALS), a trilateral summit that meets in effort to increase cooperation on broader economic and security issues between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

This report discusses the current debate surrounding the Treaty on Open Skies, which the United States, Canada, and 22 European nations signed on March 24, 1992. The treaty entered into force on January 1, 2002, and now has 34 member states. Each participant must permit unarmed observation aircraft to fly over its entire territory to observe military forces and activities.

This report discusses the policy climate surrounding gun control in the wake of the attack in an Orlando, Florida nightclub. On June 12, 2016, an armed assailant killed 49 people and wounded over 50 others in the club.

This report discusses hypoxia, caused by lack of oxygen, which has affected pilots of F-22, F/A-18, and T-45 aircraft in recent years.

This report briefly discusses the second phase of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles jointly proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on July 13, 2015.

This report discusses President's Trump's 2018 fiscal year budget request for the Department of Energy. The FY2018 request is $28.0 billion which is $2.7 billion (8.8%) less than the FY2017 enacted appropriations of $30.7 billion. While this request would reduce the total budget for DOE, it would increase overall funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and increase funding for cleanup programs within the Office of Environmental Management. The request would reduce funding for the Offices of Science, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Nuclear Energy (NE), Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE), and Fossil Energy (including the Fossil Energy Research and Development [R&D] program). It would also reduce funding for the Advanced Research Projects AgencyEnergy (ARPA-E) to wind down operations in FY2018 for cessation of its functions in FY2019, and would eliminate funding for two programs within EERE--the Weatherization Assistance Program and State Energy Program--and two programs within the Loan Program Office--Title XVII Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program (Title XVII Loan Program) and Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program in FY2018.

This report discuses the Trump Administration's 2018 fiscal year budget request for the National Science Foundation which proposed significant funding cuts across the agency's major research, education, and construction accounts. Overall, the request includes $6.653 billion for NSF, $819 million (11%) below the FY2017 enacted amount of $7.472 billion (P.L. 115-31).

This report provides an overview of several issues related to the selection of a Supreme Court nominee by a President for a vacancy on the Court.

This report discuses the National Flood Insurance Program and private flood insurance which meets federal guidelines in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA). Related legislation in the 115th Congress and options for privatizing flood insurance are also discussed.

This report discuses ransomware attacks on healthcare facilities and safeguards against loss of information in such an attack through the proper implication of HIPAA regulations for patient privacy in electronic health records.

This report discusses the process by which lower federal court judges are nominated by the President and approved by the Senate during the final year of a presidency. The eighth year of a presidency is significant, in part, because it is the final opportunity for a President to appoint individuals as U.S. circuit and district court judges.