Domestic Terrorism Again a Priority at DOJ, and More from CRS
The threat of domestic terrorism is receiving greater attention at the Department of Justice with the reestablishment in June of the Domestic Terrorism Executive Committee, the Congressional Research Service noted last week.
“The reestablishment suggests that officials are raising the profile of domestic terrorism as an issue within DOJ after more than a decade of heightened focus on both foreign terrorist organizations and homegrown individuals inspired by violent jihadist groups based abroad,” CRS wrote. See Domestic Terrorism Appears to Be Reemerging as a Priority at the Department of Justice, CRS Insights, August 15, 2014.
Other new or updated CRS products include the following.
Latin America: Terrorism Issues, updated August 15, 2014:
Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances, updated August 19, 2014:
Preparing for Disasters: FEMA’s New National Preparedness Report Released, CRS Insights, August 12, 2014
Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Debate, CRS Insights, August 18, 2014:
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Appropriations for FY2014 in P.L. 113-76, August 15, 2014:
Senate Unanimous Consent Agreements: Potential Effects on the Amendment Process, updated August 15, 2014
Synthetic Drugs: Overview and Issues for Congress, updated August 15, 2014
The proposed Office will resurrect the long-closed Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), the archive of which has been maintained by FAS for decades at https://ota.fas.org/.
If Congress needs help understanding the risks and rewards of a piece of technology, they shouldn’t have to rely solely on the sparknotes from a salesman. The rub is much simpler: Congress needs nerds.
If we set up the new OTA to do its job well, members will see it as the first stop to see what issues are lurking around the corner. They will bring their questions early. And they will keep coming back for more.
Even the best-designed policy rests on assumptions about who will staff it, how it will be funded, whether the responsible institutions have ever coordinated, and if the goals are achievable.