Noteworthy new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf).
“U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and Issues,” updated August 5, 2008.
“Russia-Georgia Conflict in South Ossetia: Context and Implications for U.S. Interests,” updated August 29, 2008.
“Defense: FY2009 Authorization and Appropriations,” updated August 1, 2008.
“Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV): Background and Issues for Congress,” August 28, 2008.
“Distribution of Homeland Security Grants in FY2007 and P.L. 110-53, Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act,” updated January 28, 2008.
“Globalization, Worker Insecurity, and Policy Approaches,” updated July 31, 2008.
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.
FAS is launching the Center for Regulatory Ingenuity (CRI) to build a new, transpartisan vision of government that works – that has the capacity to achieve ambitious goals while adeptly responding to people’s basic needs.