Islamic State: Frequently Asked Questions, & More from CRS
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that were issued last week — but withheld from public release — include the following.
The Islamic State — Frequently Asked Questions: Threats, Global Implications, and U.S. Policy Responses, November 19, 2015
The “Islamic State” and U.S. Policy, updated November 18, 2015 (and still using the quotation marks that have now been dropped in the titles of other CRS reports)
Coalition Contributions to Countering the Islamic State, updated November 18, 2015
Syrian Refugee Admissions and Resettlement in the United States: In Brief, November 19, 2015
Can States and Localities Bar the Resettlement of Syrian Refugees Within Their Jurisdictions?, CRS Legal Sidebar, November 18, 2015
Immigration: Visa Security Policies, updated November 18, 2015
Paris Attacks and “Going Dark”: Intelligence-Related Issues to Consider, CRS Insight, November 19, 2015
France: Efforts to Counter Islamist Terrorism and Radicalization, CRS Insight, updated November 18, 2015
The recent decision to deploy “fewer than 50” U.S. special operations personnel to Syria is addressed in the latest update of U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress, November 19, 2015.
Over time, five countries have actually been removed from the lists of designated sponsors of terrorism, CRS noted in State Sponsors of Acts of International Terrorism–Legislative Parameters: In Brief, updated November 19, 2015.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): In Brief, November 19, 2015
U.S. Agent Orange/Dioxin Assistance to Vietnam, November 13, 2015
Puerto Rico and Health Care Finance: Frequently Asked Questions, November 18, 2015
Malaysia: Background and U.S. Relations, updated November 19, 2015
Air travelers should not expect to catch direct flights between the United States and Iran any time soon, CRS said in Iran-U.S. Air Service Not Imminent, CRS Insight, November 18, 2015.
Investing in interventions behind the walls is not just a matter of improving conditions for incarcerated individuals—it is a public safety and economic imperative. By reducing recidivism through education and family contact, we can improve reentry outcomes and save billions in taxpayer dollars.
The U.S. government should establish a public-private National Exposome Project (NEP) to generate benchmark human exposure levels for the ~80,000 chemicals to which Americans are regularly exposed.
The federal government spends billions every year on wildfire suppression and recovery. Despite this, the size and intensity of fires continues to grow, increasing costs to human health, property, and the economy as a whole.
To respond and maintain U.S. global leadership, USAID should transition to heavily favor a Fixed-Price model to enhance the United States’ ability to compete globally and deliver impact at scale.