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
Could the largest U.S. public-private critical minerals deal of the decade be a model for the future?
“My job is to make that space honest, human, and useful by always asking questions, listening longer, and following the science. So that our decisions are grounded in evidence and driven by care.”
By better harnessing the power of data, we can build a learning healthcare system where outcomes drive continuous improvement and where healthcare value leads the way.
In this unprecedented inflection point (and time of difficult disruption) for higher education, science funding, and agency structure, we have an opportunity to move beyond incremental changes and advocate for bold, new ideas that envision a future of the scientific research enterprise that looks very different from the current system.