Some recently updated reports of the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf).
“Congressional Oversight Manual,” updated May 1, 2007.
“China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues,” updated May 9, 2007.
“Sea-Based Ballistic Missile Defense — Background and Issues for Congress,” updated April 27, 2007.
“Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment,” updated April 26, 2007.
“The Military Commissions Act of 2006: Analysis of Procedural Rules and Comparison with Previous DOD Rules and the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” updated January 26, 2007.
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.