Congressional Research Service Reports - 434 Matching Results
Search Results
- Fifth Circuit Declines to Lift Injunction Barring Implementation of the Obama Administration's 2014 Deferred Action Programs
- This legal sidebar discusses a decision by the Fifth Circuit in which they declined to lift an injunction barring the implementation of the Obama administration's 2014 deferred action programs. Additionally, the decision argued that the expansions are impermissible because they conflict with certain provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
- Temporarily Filling Presidentially Appointed, Senate-Confirmed Positions
- This report examines several authorities by which a vacant presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed position can be filled temporarily without going through the Senate confirmation process..
- Presidential Vetoes of Annual Defense Authorization Bills
- This report briefly discusses the historical precedent of Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter's recommendation that President Obama veto the conference report on H.R. 1735, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY2016. If Obama were to veto the measure, it would mark the fifth time since 1961 that a president has vetoed that measure.
- Presidential Permit Review for Cross-Border Pipelines and Electric Transmission
- This report focuses on the Presidential Permit review processes for cross-border energy infrastructure as implemented by the Department of State, The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and The Department of Energy (DOE). These permits have been required for the construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of certain facilities that cross the United States borders with Canada and Mexico.
- Regular Vetoes and Pocket Vetoes: In Brief
- This report presents information on the process by which Congress can override regular vetoes, the number of vetoes by each President, and the use of vetoes in relation to appropriations acts.
- Former Presidents: Pensions, Office Allowances, and Other Federal Benefits
- This report provides a legislative and cultural history of the Former Presidents Act. It details the pension and benefits provided to former U.S. presidents and their costs; Congress has the authority to reduce, increase, or maintain these benefits.
- Obama Library Likely Headed to Chicago's South Side
- This report briefly discusses the proposed construction of President Barack Obama's presidential library in the South Side of Chicago.
- Presidential Appointments to Full-Time Positions on Regulatory and Other Collegial Boards and Commissions, 112th Congress
- This report identifies all nominations submitted to the Senate for full-time positions on 34 federal regulatory boards and commissions during the 112th Congress.
- Tax Havens: International Tax Avoidance and Evasion
- This report discusses the State of the Union address, which is a communication between the President and Congress in which the chief executive reports on the current conditions of the United States and provides policy proposals for the upcoming legislative year.
- Presidential Appointments to Full-Time Positions in Independent and Other Agencies During the 112th Congress
- This report identifies, for the 112th Congress, all nominations to full-time positions requiring Senate confirmation in 40 organizations in the executive branch (27 independent agencies, 6 agencies in the Executive Office of the President [EOP], and 7 multilateral organizations) and 4 agencies in the legislative branc
- The U.S. Secret Service: History and Missions
- This report discusses potential policy questions for the upcoming 114th Congress concerning the Service’s mission and organization through an examination of the USSS history and its statutory authorities, mission, and present activities within DHS. The policy questions presented in this report are only considerations, since the Service is widely perceived to be operating and performing its missions effectively for the past 11 years as part of DHS.
- Attorney General Nominations Since the Reagan Administration
- On November 9, 2014, President Obama announced his intention to nominate U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch to replace Eric H. Holder Jr. as Attorney General (AG). Presidents have nominated a total of 11 individuals, including Lynch, for the position of AG since the beginning of the Reagan Administration in 1981. This report provides a table with information regarding these 11 nominations.
- The Defense Production Act of 1950: History, Authorities, and Considerations for Congress
- No Description Available.
- The Defense Production Act of 1950: History, Authorities, and Reauthorization
- No Description Available.
- Nominations to Cabinet Positions During Inter-Term Transitions Since 1984
- This report discusses nominations to Cabinet positions during inter-term presidential transitions. It begins with a discussion of the positions that make up the Cabinet and the process by which nominations to such positions are considered in the Senate. Following this discussion, the report provides data on, and analysis of, the pace of Senate consideration of inter-term transition nominations to Cabinet positions since 1984.
- Regular Vetoes and Pocket Vetoes: An Overview
- This report provides an overview of the President's veto power, including regular vetoes and pocket vetoes.
- The U.S. Secret Service: History and Missions
- This report discusses potential policy questions concerning the U.S. Secret Service through an examination of the Service's history and its statutory authorities, mission, and present activities within Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
- The Presidential Records Act: Background and Recent Issues for Congress
- This report discusses the Presidential Records Act (PRA) and examines policy options related to the capture, maintenance, and use of presidential records.
- Declarations of War and Authorizations for the Use of Military Force: Historical Background and Legal Implications
- This report provides historical background on the enactment of declarations of war and authorizations for the use of force and analyzes their legal effects under international and domestic law. It also sets forth their texts in two appendices. The report includes an extensive listing and summary of statutes that are triggered by a declaration of war, a declaration of national emergency, and/or the existence of a state of war. The report concludes with a summary of the congressional procedures applicable to the enactment of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of force and to measures under the War Powers Resolution.
- Former Presidents: Pensions, Office Allowances, and Other Federal Benefits
- This report provides a legislative and cultural history of the Former Presidents Act. It details the pension and benefits provided to former U.S. presidents and their costs; Congress has the authority to reduce, increase, or maintain these benefits.
- The U.S. Secret Service: History and Missions
- This report discusses potential policy questions concerning the U.S. Secret Service through an examination of the Service's history and its statutory authorities, mission, and present activities within Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
- National Monuments and the Antiquities Act
- This report discusses the Antiquities Act of 1906, monument issues and controversies, as well as administration and legislative activities.
- National Monuments and the Antiquities Act
- This report discusses the Antiquities Act of 1906, which authorizes the President to proclaim national monuments on federal lands that contain historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, or other objects of historic or scientific interest. The President is to reserve "the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected." The act was designed to protect federal lands and resources quickly, and Presidents have proclaimed a total of 137 monuments. Congress has modified many of these proclamations and has abolished some monuments. Congress also has created monuments under its own authority.
- Federal Funding of Presidential Nominating Conventions: Overview and Policy Options
- This report provides an overview and analysis of two recurring questions surrounding the federal government's role in financing presidential nominating conventions. First, how much public funding supports presidential nominating conventions? Second, what options exist for changing that amount if Congress chooses to do so?
- Executive Order 13438: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq
- This report provides a brief history of the development of presidential powers in peacetime. It discusses some of the issues that might be raised in light of the contrast between the executive order's broad language and its narrow aim (supplementation of sanctions applicable to Al Qaeda and former Iraqi regime officials to cover terrorists operating in Iraq). It also examines the reach of the executive order and provides legal analyses of some of the constitutional questions raised in the courts by similar sanctions programs, noting that the broad language of the executive order is not unprecedented.
- The President's State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications
- This report discusses the State of the Union address, which is a communication between the President and Congress in which the chief executive reports on the current conditions of the United States and provides policy proposals for the upcoming legislative year.
- The President's State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications
- This report discusses the State of the Union address, which is a communication between the President and Congress in which the chief executive reports on the current conditions of the United States and provides policy proposals for the upcoming legislative year.
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
- This report provides the results of recent elections in Latin America and the Caribbean. The report provides three tables organized by region, including the date of each country's independence, the name of the newly elected president or prime minister, and the projected date of the next election.
- Presidential Appointee Positions Requiring Senate Confirmation and Committees Handling Nominations
- This report identifies, by Senate committee, presidentially appointed positions requiring Senate confirmation based on referrals as of the date of passage of S. 679, which became P.L. 112-166 on August 10, 2012.
- Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview
- This report provides background information on funding gaps since FY 1977, and it discusses the general practice of the federal government when a funding gap occurs.
- Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview
- This report provides background information on funding gaps since FY 1977, and it discusses the general practice of the federal government when a funding gap occurs.
- Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview
- This report provides background information regarding the Antideficiency Act (31 U.S.C. 1341 1342, 1511-1519) that generally bars the obligation of funds in the absence of appropriations. The report discusses the interval during the fiscal year when appropriations for a particular project or activity are not enacted into law, either in the form of a regular appropriations act or a continuing resolution (CR), which are referred to as a funding gap.
- Recess Appointments: Frequently Asked Questions
- This report supplies brief answers to some frequently-asked questions regarding recess appointments. These are appointments to high-level policy-making positions in federal departments which are generally confirmed by the Senate. When the Senate is in recess, the President may make a temporary appointment, called a recess appointment, to any such position without Senate approval.
- Recess Appointments Made by President Barack Obama
- This report identifies recess appointments by President Obama, from the beginning of his presidency, on January 20, 2009, until June 3, 2013. The report discusses these recess appointments in the context of recess appointment authorities and practices generally, and it provides related statistics
- President Obama's First-Term U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations: An Analysis and Comparison with Presidents Since Reagan
- This report seeks to inform the current debate in three ways: first, by providing a statistical analysis of President Barack Obama's nominees, during his first term, to U.S. circuit court of appeals and U.S. district court judgeships, and of any actions taken on their nominations by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Senate; second, by using various statistical measures to compare the success of President Obama's judicial nominees, during his first term, in advancing through the Senate confirmation process with the success of the judicial nominees during the first terms of the four most recent preceding Presidents (Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush); and third, by identifying various factors which might help explain differences or variations found in judicial nomination statistics across the first terms of the five Presidents.
- Former Presidents: Pensions, Office Allowances, and Other Federal Benefits
- This report provides a legislative and cultural history of the Former Presidents Act (FPA). It details the benefits provided to former Presidents and their costs. Congress has the authority to reduce, increase, or maintain the pension and benefits provided to former Presidents of the United States. This report considers the potential effects of maintaining the FPA or amending the FPA in ways that might reduce or otherwise modify a former President's benefits.
- Nominations to Cabinet Positions During Inter-Term Transitions Since 1984
- This report documents nominations to Cabinet positions during inter-term presidential transitions since 1984. During this period, three two-term Presidents — Ronald W. Reagan, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush — made 30 nominations during inter-term transitions. For the purposes of this report, CRS considered an inter-term nomination to be one made between November 1 of a President's reelection year and April 30 of the first year of his second term.
- Counting Electoral Votes: An Overview of Procedures at the Joint Session, Including Objections by Members of Congress
- Report that describes the steps which precede the joint session and the procedures set in the Constitution and statute by which the House and Senate jointly certify the results of the electoral vote. It also discusses the procedures set in law governing challenges to the validity of an electoral vote, and makes reference to the procedures followed during the joint session in 2005 by which the election of George W. Bush was certified.
- Presidential Appointee Positions Requiring Senate Confirmation and Committees Handling Nominations
- Report that identifies, by Senate committee, presidentially appointed positions requiring Senate confirmation based on referrals as of the date of passage of S. 679, which became P.L. 112-166 on August 10, 2012. It begins with a brief description of the referral process and identify, for each committee to which referrals have been made, the positions that fall within the committee's jurisdiction.
- The Presidential Records Act: Background and Recent Issues for Congress
- Report discussing the Presidential Records Act (PRA) and examines policy options related to the capture, maintenance, and use of presidential records.
- The Electoral College: How It Works in Contemporary Presidential Elections
- This report provides information about the electoral college, its origins, who makes up the college today, the 2012 presidental election, and calls for the reform of the electoral college.
- Presidential Appointments, the Senate's Confirmation Process, and Changes Made in the 112th Congress
- This report provides information on presidential appointments in the executive and judicial branch including a brief background on advice and consent issues, an overview of the appointment process in both the executive and legislative branches, and a brief discussion of recent concerns about the system. Also, the report explores the events in the 112th Congress leading up to the introduction and passage of two measures purported to make the appointment process easier and quicker, and it concludes with an analysis of the two measures.
- 2012-2013 Presidential Election Period: National Security Considerations and Options
- This report discusses historical national security-related presidential transition activities, provides a representative sampling of national security issues a new Administration may encounter, and offers considerations and options relevant to each of the five phases of the presidential election period. Each phase has distinct challenges and opportunities for the incoming Administration, the outgoing Administration, and Congress. This report is intended to provide a framework for national security considerations during the current election period and will be updated to reflect the election outcome.
- Presidential Claims of Executive Privilege: History, Law, Practice, and Recent Developments
- This report discusses the background of claims of executive privilege, ending with a look into how President Obama has used them.
- Gifts to the President of the United States
- Report that addresses provisions of federal law and regulation restricting the acceptance of personal gifts by the President of the United States.
- Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies
- This list of about 200 congressional liaison offices is intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. In each case, the information was supplied by the agency itself and is current as of the date of publication. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.
- Federal Funding of Presidential Nominating Conventions: Overview and Policy Options
- No Description Available.
- Presidential Travel: Policy and Costs
- This report discusses the issues regarding the President, Vice President, and First Lady travels, official and political, or unofficial. Whether a trip is for official or political purposes, the Air Force pays all operational and other costs incurred by the use of the aircraft.
- The U.S. Secret Service: An Examination and Analysis of Its Evolving Missions
- The U.S. Secret Service has two missions: criminal investigations and protection. This report looks at the history of the organization and purpose as it relates to Congress.
- Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies
- This list of about 150 congressional liaison offices is intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.