Presidential Signing Statements, and More from CRS
President Obama has used “signing statements” to take exception to provisions of law enacted by Congress with significantly less frequency than did President George W. Bush. He has also abandoned reference to the “unitary executive” concept that was favored by the Bush Administration.
In most other respects, however, the Obama Administration’s use of signing statements is consistent and continuous with recent past practice, according to a newly updated report from the Congressional Research Service. The report reviewed the basis for signing statements, their legal implications, and the controversy that has surrounded them. See Presidential Signing Statements: Constitutional and Institutional Implications, January 4, 2012.
Some other new or newly updated CRS reports that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf).
Legal Issues Associated with the Proposed Keystone XL Pipeline, January 23, 2012
“Who is a Veteran?” — Basic Eligibility for Veterans’ Benefits, January 23, 2012
Federal Aid to Roads and Highways Since the 18th Century: A Legislative History, January 6, 2012
Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress, January 6, 2012
Iran Sanctions, January 6, 2012
No one will be surprised if we end up with a continuing resolution to push our shutdown deadline out past the midterms, so the real question is what else will they get done this summer?
Rebuilding public participation starts with something simple — treating the public not as a problem to manage, but as a source of ingenuity government cannot function without.
If the government wants a system of learning and adaptation that improves results in real time, it has to treat translation, utilization, and adaptation as core functions of governance rather than as afterthoughts.
Coordination among federal science agencies is essential to ensure government-wide alignment on R&D investment priorities. However, the federal R&D enterprise suffers from egregious siloization.