Declarations of War: Background and Implications, and More from CRS
Over the course of American history, Congress has formally enacted 11 declarations of war, as well as a similar number of statutory authorizations for the use of military force.
The differences between these two categories of legislative action, which are quite distinct, are detailed in a Congressional Research Service report that was updated earlier this year. See Declarations of War and Authorizations for the Use of Military Force: Historical Background and Legal Implications, January 11, 2013.
As Congress weighs its response to an Obama Administration request to authorize the use of military force in Syria, another newly updated CRS report provides background on Armed Conflict in Syria: U.S. and International Response, September 6, 2013.
The 52 American diplomatic and military personnel who were taken hostage in Tehran during the Iranian Revolution in 1979 have been unsuccessful in their attempts to recover financial damages from the Government of Iran, but they are still trying. A new CRS report refreshes the story. See The Iran Hostages: Efforts to Obtain Compensation, September 5, 2013.
Other new and updated CRS reports that Congress has withheld from direct public access include the following.
China’s Economic Rise: History, Trends, Challenges, and Implications for the United States, September 5, 2013
China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities — Background and Issues for Congress, September 5, 2013
Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress, September 6, 2013
Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress, September 6, 2013
Sexual Assaults Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ): Selected Legislative Proposals, September 6, 2013
Federal Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Statutes, September 9, 2013
Confronting this crisis requires decision-makers to understand the lived realities of wildfire risk and resilience, and to work together across party lines. Safewoods helps make both possible.
Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed revoking its 2009 “endangerment finding” that greenhouse gases pose a substantial threat to the public. The Federation of American Scientists stands in strong opposition.
Modernizing ClinicalTrials.gov will empower patients, oncologists, and others to better understand what trials are available, where they are available, and their up-to-date eligibility criteria, using standardized search categories to make them more easily discoverable.
The Federation of American Scientists supports H.R. 4420, the Cool Corridors Act of 2025, which would reauthorize the Healthy Streets program through 2030 and seeks to increase green and other shade infrastructure in high-heat areas.