The Congressional Research Service, at congressional direction, does not permit direct public access to its products. Members of the public must connive or contrive to gain such access. So we do.
Some recent CRS reports that caught our eye include these (all pdf).
“Presidential Claims of Executive Privilege: History, Law, Practice and Recent Developments,” updated July 5, 2007.
“The Palestinian Territories: Background and U.S. Relations,” July 5, 2007.
“Restructuring EPA’s Libraries: Background and Issues for Congress,” updated June 15, 2007.
“U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress,” updated June 28, 2007.
“Airborne Laser (ABL): Issues for Congress,” updated July 9, 2007.
The potential implication of these evidence gaps becomes more consequential when you look at how institutions actually make decisions day to day.
Every new institution inherits something – existing incentives, existing staff, decades of prior investment that shaped what’s possible.
This is not the first time Google has agreed to censor imagery at the behest of governments, but be warned: obfuscation at this broad level poses a direct threat to the public’s ability to monitor and scrutinize government operations.
America’s affordability problem is bigger than home prices and rents. The best housing policies make it easier to build homes, and recognize how housing connects to other domains.