Some noteworthy new reports of the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf).
“Iran: Profile and Statements of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,” January 16, 2007.
“Iraq: Regional Perspectives and U.S. Policy,” January 12, 2007.
“A Joint Committee on Intelligence: Proposals and Options from the 9/11 Commission and Others,” updated December 20, 2006.
“Sea-Based Ballistic Missile Defense — Background and Issues for Congress,” updated December 19, 2006.
“Federal Emergency Management Policy Changes After Hurricane Katrina: A Summary of Statutory Provisions,” December 15, 2006.
January saw us watching whether the government would fund science. February has been about how that funding will be distributed, regulated, and contested.
This rule gives agencies significantly more authority over certain career policy roles. Whether that authority improves accountability or creates new risks depends almost entirely on how agencies interrupt and apply it.
Our environmental system was built for 1970s-era pollution control, but today it needs stable, integrated, multi-level governance that can make tradeoffs, share and use evidence, and deliver infrastructure while demonstrating that improved trust and participation are essential to future progress.
Durable and legitimate climate action requires a government capable of clearly weighting, explaining, and managing cost tradeoffs to the widest away of audiences, which in turn requires strong technocratic competency.