When new leadership takes control in the 110th Congress, the public may finally gain routine online access to finished products of the Congressional Research Service.
The prospects for adopting this simple change in disclosure policy are enhanced by the fact that such a move would not require Bush Administration concurrence.
For the time being, however, congressional policy prohibits direct public access to CRS reports.
Some notable new CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News that are not otherwise available online include the following (all pdf).
“Intelligence Estimates: How Useful to Congress?”, November 21, 2006.
“Iraqi Civilian Deaths Estimates,” November 22, 2006.
“Televising Supreme Court and Other Federal Court Proceedings: Legislation and Issues,” updated November 8, 2006.
“Anti-Terrorism Authority Under the Laws of the United Kingdom and the United States,” September 7, 2006.
The new alignment signals a clear shift in priorities: offices dedicated to clean energy and energy efficiency have been renamed, consolidated, or eliminated, while new divisions elevate hydrocarbons, fusion, and a combined Office of AI & Quantum.
We came out of the longest shutdown in history and we are all worse for it. Who won the shutdown fight? It doesn’t matter – Americans lost. And there is a chance we run it all back again in a few short months.
Promising examples of progress are emerging from the Boston metropolitan area that show the power of partnership between researchers, government officials, practitioners, and community-based organizations.
Americans trade stocks instantly, but spend 13 hours on tax forms. They send cash by text, but wait weeks for IRS responses. The nation’s revenue collector ranks dead last in citizen satisfaction. The problem isn’t just paperwork — it’s how the government builds.