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
Datasets and variables that do not align with Administration priorities, or might reflect poorly on Administration policy impacts, seem to be especially in the cross-hairs.
One month of a government shutdown is in the books, but how many more months will (or can) it go? Congress is paralyzed, but there are a few spasms of activity around healthcare and the prospects of a continuing resolution to punt this fight out until January or later.
At a period where the federal government is undergoing significant changes in how it hires, buys, collects and organizes data, and delivers, deeper exploration of trust in these facets as worthwhile.
Moving postsecondary education data collection to the states is the best way to ensure that the U.S. Department of Education can meet its legislative mandates in an era of constrained federal resources.