The 2019 budget request for U.S. Special Operations Command — $13.6 billion — is 10% higher than the 2018 level and is the largest budget request ever submitted by US SOCOM.
U.S. special operations forces, which are currently deployed in 90 countries, have more than doubled in size from 33,000 personnel in 2001 to around 70,000 personnel in early 2018. Next year’s budget, if approved, would make them larger still.
For a newly updated overview from the Congressional Research Service, see U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress, April 13, 2018.
Other recent CRS reports that have not otherwise been made publicly available include the following.
Federal Election Commission: Membership and Policymaking Quorum, In Brief, April 12, 2018
Regulatory Reform 10 Years After the Financial Crisis: Systemic Risk Regulation of Non-Bank Financial Institutions, April 12, 2018
Abortion At or Over 20 Weeks’ Gestation: Frequently Asked Questions, April 11, 2018
Millennium Challenge Corporation, updated April 12, 2018
Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections, updated April 11, 2018
Softwood Lumber Imports From Canada: Current Issues, updated April 12, 2018
Yemen: Civil War and Regional Intervention, updated April 12, 2018
As Congress begins the FY27 appropriations process this month, congress members should turn their eyes towards rebuilding DOE’s programs and strengthening U.S. energy innovation and reindustrialization.
Politically motivated award cancellations and the delayed distribution of obligated funds have broken the hard-earned trust of the private sector, state and local governments, and community organizations.
In the absence of guardrails and guidance, AI can increase inequities, introduce bias, spread misinformation, and risk data security for schools and students alike.
Over the course of 2025, the second Trump administration has overseen a major loss in staff at DOE, but these changes will not deliver the energy and innovation impacts that this administration, or any administration, wants.