WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12495) on March 28, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * The Army's M-1E3 Abrams Tank Modernization Program Background The M-1 Abrams Tank (Figure 1) is designed to maneuver under fire and destroy enemy armored forces on the battlefield by means of mobility, survivability, and firepower. The M-1 is named for General Creighton Abrams, a   more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11876) on March 26, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * The Army's Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Program Background The RCV is being developed as part of the Army's Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) family of vehicles. As originally planned, the Army intended to develop three RCV variants: Light, Medium, and Heavy. The Army reported  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12619) on March 26, 2024, by transportation policy specialists John Frittelli and Ben Goldman. Here are excerpts: * * * Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) At about 1:30 a.m. on March 26, 2024, the MV Dali, a container ship departing the Port of Baltimore, struck a support tower of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, MD, causing the bridge to collapse in  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12331) on March 22, 2024, by Asian affairs specialist Ben Dolven. Here are excerpts: * * * Burma: Background and Issues for Congress Overview Burma (also known as Myanmar) is a multi-ethnic Southeast Asian nation of 57.5 million that has been under some degree of military rule since 1962 and under an authoritarian military junta since a February 2021 coup d'etat. The coup ended a deca  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12607) on March 28, 2024. The white paper was written by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte, financial economics analyst Andrew P. Scott and research assistant Graham C. Tufts. Here are excerpts: * * * Capital One-Discover Proposed Merger: Systemic Risk and Market Competition Considerations In February 2024, Capital One announced a merger deal with Discover. This In Focus ex  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12514) on March 21, 2024, by energy policy analyst Martin C. Offutt. Here are excerpts: * * * DOE Appropriations for Its Hydrogen Program: FY2024 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program addresses the development of applications that use hydrogen in place of today's fuels to provide modern energy services. The program also considers hydrogen as an established industrial ch  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12376) on March 21, 2024, by energy policy specialists Corrie E. Clark and Martin C. Offutt. Here are excerpts: * * * DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy FY2024 Appropriations The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is responsible for enabling renewable energy and end-use energy efficiency technology development a  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11072) on March 28, 2024, by legislative attorney Victoria L. Killion: * * * The First Amendment: Categories of Speech The Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from "abridging the freedom of speech" but does not define what that freedom entails. The Supreme Court has long interpreted the Clause to greatly circumscribe government regulation of "protected" sp  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10293) on March 28, 2024, by foreign affairs analyst Cory R. Gill. Here are excerpts: * * * Foreign Relations Reauthorization: Background and Issues Introduction The Constitution gives Congress the power to provide funding, authorize programs, and conduct oversight with respect to the implementation of foreign policy. In exercising these powers, Congress has enacted several laws requ  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10400) on March 21, 2024, by Clare Ribando Seelke, Latin American affairs specialist, and Liana W. Rosen, international crime and narcotics specialist: * * * Illicit Fentanyl and Mexico's Role As a primary source of, and transit country for, illicit drugs destined for the United States, Mexico is a key factor in U.S. drug control policy. Historically, reducing the supply of Mexico-produ  more

WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12525) on March 24, 2024, by public finance analyst Gary Guenther: * * * The IRS Business Systems Modernization Program: An Overview The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) collects 95% of the funds needed to operate federal government programs and agencies. In FY2022, the agency collected $4.9 trillion in taxes, processed 263 million tax returns and other forms, and issued $642 billion in r  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11122) on March 21, 2024, by public finance analyst Gary Guenther: * * * Section 199A Deduction for Pass-Through Business Income: An Overview The 2017 tax revision (P.L. 115-97, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act or TCJA) created a temporary deduction for qualified pass-through business income (QBI) under Section 199A of the federal tax code. The maximum deduction is equal to the l  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12397) on March 26, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S. Army's Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) System Background The Army is developing a new maneuver short-range air defense system, or M-SHORAD to perform short-range air defense, or SHORAD. The Army defines the SHORAD mission as '[d]edicated air defense artillery (ADA  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11284) on March 28, 2024, by Karen M. Sutter, Asian trade and finance specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S.-China Trade Relations The People's Republic of China (PRC or China) is the second-largest global economy and has been a top U.S. and global trading partner since joining the World Trade Organization in 2001. China is a key export market for U.S. aircraft, agriculture, semicon  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12575) on March 27, 2024. The white paper was written by international trade and finance specialists Shayerah I. Akhtar, Andres B. Schwarzenberg and Danielle M. Trachtenberg. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council: Background and Issues The U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) is a high-level forum between the United States and European Union (EU) that ai  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10246) on March 26, 2024. The white paper was written by Asian affairs specialist Mark E. Manyin, acting section research manager Mary Beth D. Nikitin and foreign policy legislation specialist Dianne E. Rennack. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S.-North Korea Relations Since 2016, North Korea's advances in nuclear weapons and missile capabilities under leader Kim Jong-un have catapulted Pyo  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12620) on March 27, 2024, by natural resources policy specialist Anna E. Normand. Here are excerpts: * * * The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Background and FY2025 Appropriations Background The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in the Department of the Interior (DOI), provides scientific information to support the management of water, energy, mineral, ecosystem, and land resources and to  more

WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12338) on March 25, 2024, by economic development policy analysts Julie M. Lawhorn and Adam G. Levin: * * * District Court Ruling on MBDA Business Development Program In a March 2024 decision, Nuziard et al. v. Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) et al., the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas found the MBDA's presumption of social disadvantage for certain prog  more

WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12338) on March 25, 2024, by Andres B. Schwarzenberg, international trade and finance specialist: * * * Labor Unions Request Section 301 Investigation of China's Shipbuilding and Maritime Policies On March 12, 2024, five major U.S. labor unions filed a petition under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 requesting that the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) investigate certai  more

WASHINGTON, March 25 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47818) on Feb. 23, 2024, entitled "Proposals to Limit Financial Activities of Members of Congress: Background and Analysis of Legislative Proposals." by Congress specialist Jacob R. Straus. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY In recent years, Members of Congress have proposed reforms that would prohibit the purchase, sale, or ownership of certain financial instruments by Members of Congress and  more