Some noteworthy new reports of the Congressional Research Service include the following (all pdf).
“Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress,” updated June 20, 2007.
“Intelligence and Information-Sharing Elements of S. 4 and H.R. 1,” June 26, 2007.
“Potential F-22 Raptor Export to Japan,” June 28, 2007.
“The Department of Defense: Reducing Its Reliance on Fossil-Based Aviation Fuel — Issues for Congress,” June 15, 2007.
“India-U.S. Relations,” updated June 26, 2007.
“Pakistan-U.S. Relations,” updated June 6, 2007.
“Mongolia and U.S. Policy: Political and Economic Relations,” June 22, 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.