Issues affecting the safety and security of athletes and spectators at the 2016 Olympic Games, which begins August 5 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were reviewed in a new report from the Congressional Research Service.
Concerns addressed in the CRS report include the Zika virus outbreak, domestic crime, the threat of terrorism, environmental hazards, and more. See The 2016 Olympic Games: Health, Security, Environmental, and Doping Issues, July 28, 2016.
Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.
Supplemental Appropriations for Zika Response: The FY2016 Conference Agreement in Brief, July 14, 2016
The Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce: Background, Analysis, and Questions for Congress, July 29, 2016
FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues, July 29, 2016
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): Analysis of Economic Studies, June 30, 2016
State Challenges to Federal Enforcement of Immigration Law: From the Mid-1990s to the Present, updated August 1, 2016
Numerical Limits on Permanent Employment-Based Immigration: Analysis of the Per-country Ceilings, updated July 28, 2016
Federal Benefits and Services for People with Low Income: Overview of Spending Trends, FY2008-FY2015, July 29, 2016
Federal Student Loan Forgiveness and Loan Repayment Programs, updated July 28, 2016
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Budget: Fact Sheet, July 28, 2016
Police Shootings and Federal Support for Law Enforcement Safety, CRS Insight, July 19, 2016
Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons, updated August 1, 2016
Turkey: Failed Coup and Implications for U.S. Policy, CRS Insight, July 19, 2016
U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Turkey, CRS Insight, August 2, 2016
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.