Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following.
“China-U.S. Relations: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy,” updated October 1, 2007.
“North Korean Refugees in China and Human Rights Issues: International Response and U.S. Policy Options,” September 26, 2007.
“Saudi Arabia: Terrorist Financing Issues,” updated September 14, 2007.
“Terrorism in Southeast Asia,” September 11, 2007.
“Bangladesh: Background and U.S. Relations,” updated August 2, 2007.
“Cuba: Issues for the 110th Congress,” updated August 21, 2007.
“Presidential Directives: Background and Overview,” updated August 9, 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.