A campaign by citizens’ groups in Germany last month persuaded the Bundestag (the German parliament) to authorize the release of thousands of research reports prepared by the Wissenschaftlicher Dienst, the German equivalent of the Congressional Research Service.
“But not only that: The Parliament also changed its publication policy regarding all new reports. In the future, they will be released by the Parliament after a protective period of four weeks,” according to a blog post on the campaign from FragDenStaat.
Our own Congress is still not quite ready to follow suit.
For now, the latest products of the Congressional Research Service must be obtained through alternate channels:
Nigeria: Current Issues and U.S. Policy, March 11, 2016
Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) Program: Frequently Asked Questions, March 11, 2016
Legal Issues with Federal Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food: In Brief, updated March 11, 2016
Veterans’ Benefits: Burial Benefits and National Cemeteries, updated March 11, 2016
FY2017 Budget Documents: Internet and GPO Availability, updated March 10, 2016
Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs: Background and Issues for Congress, updated March 10, 2016
U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and Issues, updated March 10, 2016
While it seems that the current political climate may not incentivize the use of evidence-based data sources for decision making, those of us who are passionate about ensuring results for the American people will continue to firmly stand on the belief that learning agendas are a crucial component to successfully navigate a changing future.
In recent months, we’ve seen much of these decades’ worth of progress erased. Contracts for evaluations of government programs were canceled, FFRDCs have been forced to lay off staff, and federal advisory committees have been disbanded.
This report outlines a framework relying on “Cooperative Technical Means” for effective arms control verification based on remote sensing, avoiding on-site inspections but maintaining a level of transparency that allows for immediate detection of changes in nuclear posture or a significant build-up above agreed limits.
At a recent workshop, we explored the nature of trust in specific government functions, the risk and implications of breaking trust in those systems, and how we’d known we were getting close to specific trust breaking points.