The complexities and some of the potential pitfalls of the presidential transition period are described in a newly updated report from the Congressional Research Service.
“A variety of events, decisions, and activities contribute to what some may characterize as the unfolding drama of a presidential transition. Interparty transitions in particular might be contentious.”
The report addresses the use of executive orders, record preservation and clemency actions by the outgoing Administration, as well as cybersecurity, budget preparation, political appointments, and so forth. See Presidential Transitions: Issues Involving Outgoing and Incoming Administrations, updated November 16, 2016.
Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.
Counting Electoral Votes: An Overview of Procedures at the Joint Session, Including Objections by Members of Congress, updated November 15, 2016
The Congressional Review Act: Frequently Asked Questions, updated November 17, 2016
Infrastructure Finance and Debt to Support Surface Transportation Investment, updated November 17, 2016
Prevalence of Mental Illness in the United States: Data Sources and Estimates, updated November 16, 2016
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) Transitional Reinsurance Program, November 16, 2016
CRISPR: A Revolutionary Tool for Editing the Code of Life?, CRS Insight, November 17, 2016
Certain U.S. Laws for Foreign Workers Draw Fire from India in the WTO, CRS Legal Sidebar, November 16, 2016
Justice Department’s Role in Cyber Incident Response, CRS Insight, November 15, 2016
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay: History and Legal Issues Regarding Its Lease Agreements, updated November 17, 2016
Iran Sanctions, updated November 16, 2016
Yemen: Civil War and Regional Intervention, updated November 16, 2016
We sat down with biomedical research pioneer Lee Hood to talk moonshots, metascience in medicine, and the Human Phenome Initiative.
DNA synthesis and export controls remain the primary regulatory safeguards against de novo production of harmful biological agents, yet governance frameworks lack the situational awareness and enforcement capacity to keep pace with rapidly falling technical barriers.
Called today to speak on behalf of U.S. science and technology, Dr. Jedidah Isler, astrophysicist, educator, strategist, policy-maker, and science communicator, will provide constructive, nonpartisan feedback to the House Committee’s hearing “American Global Competitiveness at 250: Legislative Proposals to Secure U.S. Technology Leadership.”
“Federal data and access to it is not a partisan issue. It is a people issue. Our country cannot achieve greatness without access to the data that measure what we value, who we are, and where we’re heading.”