WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12178) on Belarus on Dec. 6, 2023, by presidential management fellow Shelby B. Senger and Russian and European affairs specialist Cory Welt. Here are excerpts: * * * Belarus: An Overview Belarus, located in eastern Europe, is a close ally of Russia. Alexander Lukashenko, an authoritarian leader, has served as president of Belarus for almost 30 years. Lukashenko has increased Belarus's de  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12233) on Farm Bill Primer - budget dynamics on Dec. 4, 2023, by agricultural policy specialist Jim Monke. Here are excerpts: * * * Farm Bill Primer: Budget Dynamics Congress is considering a new farm bill because provisions authorized in the 2018 farm bill (P.L. 115-334) began expiring at the end of FY2023 (CRS Report R47659, Expiration of the Farm Bill ). In November 2023, Congress ena  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12178) on India's climate change issues on Dec. 5, 2023. The white paper was written by South Asian affairs specialist K. Alan Kronstadt, research librarian Claire M. Jordan and research and library services section head Kezee Procita: * * * India: Climate Change Issues Global climate change presents multiple challenges to India. The country is faced with meeting its energy and economic   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10532) on regular military compensation on Dec. 5, 2023, by military manpower specialist Kristy N. Kamarck. Here are excerpts: * * * Defense Primer: Regular Military Compensation Congress sets compensation levels for members of the Armed Forces through statutory authorizations and appropriations. When people talk about military pay, they are often only referring to "basic pay." Although   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11991) on the U.S. Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon on Dec. 4, 2023, by military ground forces specialist Jim Monke Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * The U.S. Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) What Is the Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon? The Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) (Figure 1), with a reported range of 1,725 miles, consists of a ground-launched  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10622) on the USDA's Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards regulations on Dec. 5, 2023, by agricultural policy specialist Renee Johnson: * * * USDA's Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards Regulations In November 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) finalized its Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards (OLPS) rulemaking (88 Federal Register 75394). The final rule updates re  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12094) on atmospheric rivers on Dec. 4, 2023, by natural resources policy specialists Nicole T. Carter and Eva Lipiec. Here are excerpts: * * * Atmospheric Rivers: Background and Forecasting An atmospheric river (AR) consists of a long band of water vapor moving through the atmosphere, typically resulting in heavy precipitation over land (Figure 1). Improved AR observations and understand  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12283) on commercial real estate markets and potential macroeconomic stress on Dec. 6, 2023, by macroeconomic policy analyst Lida R. Weinstock and financial economics analyst Andrew P. Scott. Here are excerpts: * * * Commercial Real Estate Markets and Potential Macroeconomic Stress The commercial real estate (CRE) industry comprises different real estate sectors, including office, industr  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12173) on expired and expiring National Institutes of Health provisions on Dec. 6, 2023, by health policy analyst Kavya Sekar: * * * Expired and Expiring National Institutes of Health (NIH) Provisions The National Institutes of Health (NIH), based in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is the primary federal agency responsible for medical and health research. NIH is made up   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11084) on Clear Statement Rules, Textualism and the Administrative State on Dec. 4, 2023, by legislative attorneys Benjamin M. Barczewski and Valerie C. Brannon. Here are excerpts: * * * Clear Statement Rules, Textualism, and the Administrative State A "clear statement rule" is a judicial presumption that courts should not interpret a statute a certain way unless Congress made a "c  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11086) on the Congressional displacement of the state secrets privilege and Article II on Dec. 5, 2023, by legislative attorney Karen Sokol: * * * Congressional Displacement of the State Secrets Privilege and Article II Supreme Court cases addressing the state secrets privilege are few and far between. Before the 2021 term, when the applicability of the privilege was at issue in two  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11085) on the recent appellate decisions of interest to lawmakers, Nov. 27 - Dec. 3, 2023, on Dec. 4, 2023, by deputy assistant director Michael John Garcia and section research manager Christina L. Shifton: * * * Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (November 27-December 3, 2023) The federal courts issue hundreds of decisions every week i  more