FAS

Defense Acquisition Reform, and More from CRS

01.05.18 | 1 min read | Text by Steven Aftergood

Over the last three years, Congress has sharply increased its legislative activity on defense acquisition reform, with an average of 82 new provisions in this area per year, compared to an average of 47 provisions in the previous decade. “Reform” here often means expanded authority to acquire military goods and services with increased flexibility.

A new report from the Congressional Research Service analyzes and summarizes that recent legislation, which affects contracting, auditing, major defense programs, and many other complicated but important topics. See Acquisition Reform in the FY2016-FY2018 National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAAs), January 4, 2018.

If the National Flood Insurance Program is not reauthorized by Congress prior to January 19, 2018, many of its key provisions will expire. See What Happens If the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Lapses?, CRS Insight, updated January 3, 2018

Other recent reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.

Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs: FY2018 Budget and Appropriations, updated January 3, 2018

Cyprus: Reunification Proving Elusive, updated January 2, 2018

Serbia: Background and U.S. Relations, updated January 4, 2018

Membership of the 115th Congress: A Profile, updated January 3, 2018

Clean Air Act Issues in the 115th Congress: In Brief, updated January 3, 2018

Military Service Records and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources, updated January 2, 2018

publications
See all publications
Environment
Press release
Position on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Proposal to Revoke the Endangerment Finding

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.

07.30.25 | 2 min read
read more
Emerging Technology
day one project
Policy Memo
Terminal Patients Need Better Access to Drugs and Clinical Trial Information

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.

07.30.25 | 18 min read
read more
Environment
Press release
Position on the Cool Corridors Act of 2025

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. 

07.29.25 | 1 min read
read more
Emerging Technology
Blog
What’s Progress and What’s Not in the Trump Administration’s AI Action Plan

The current lack of public trust in AI risks inhibiting innovation and adoption of AI systems, meaning new methods will not be discovered and new benefits won’t be felt. A failure to uphold high standards in the technology we deploy will also place our nation at a strategic disadvantage compared to our competitors.

07.28.25 | 6 min read
read more