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Coast Guard Deepwater Acquisition Programs: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress

Description: The term Deepwater refers to a collection of more than a dozen Coast Guard acquisition programs for replacing and modernizing the service's aging fleet of deepwater-capable ships and aircraft. Currently, there are plans to increase and enhance the Coast Guard's fleet through the Deepwater acquisition program. This report details the Coast Guard's budget requests and explains how the Coast Guard has improved its organization and management over the past several years.
Date: May 29, 2009
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Hiring and Pay Authorities for Federal Scientific and Technical (S&T) Personnel

Description: This report provides an illustrative overview of statutory authorities relating to the hiring of, and pay for, federal scientific and technical (S&T) personnel.The report then analyzes several key factors that are affecting the S&T workforce, both overall in the United States and in the federal government.
Date: May 29, 2009
Creator: Stine, Deborah D. & Brass, Clinton T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Navy Nuclear-Powered Surface Ships: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

Description: This report discusses the possibility of increasing the number of Navy surface ships powered by nuclear energy, including the Navy's planned CG(X) cruiser. The report explores a 2006 Navy study that discusses budget considerations, the cost of a nuclear-powered ship compared to a ship powered by crude oil, and other suggestions relating to this proposed expansion. The overall report has a specific emphasis on the planned CG(X) cruiser, and how the implementation of this cruiser may be delayed b… more
Date: May 29, 2009
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Navy Nuclear-Powered Surface Ships: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

Description: This report discusses the possibility of increasing the number of Navy surface ships powered by nuclear energy, including the Navy's planned CG(X) cruiser. The overall report has a specific emphasis on the planned CG(X) cruiser, and how the implementation of this cruiser may be delayed by current budget proposals.
Date: May 29, 2009
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives After 15 Years: Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives' (OTI's) origin, its past and present activities, and issues about the program's impact, structure, and role within USAID that may be of interest to Congress. OTI's activities are overtly political, based on the idea that in the midst of political crisis and instability abroad there are local agents of change whose efforts, when supported by timely and creative U.S. assistance, can tip the balance toward peaceful and democratic outc… more
Date: May 27, 2009
Creator: Lawson, Marian L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Guam: U.S. Defense Deployments

Description: The United States military has been building up forces on the U.S. territory of Guam to increase deterrence and power projection for possible responses to crises and disasters, counter-terrorism, and contingencies in support of South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, or elsewhere in Asia. But the defense buildup on Guam is moderate. China has concerns about the defense buildup. Guam's role has increased with plans to withdraw some U.S. forces from Japan and South Korea. This report describ… more
Date: May 22, 2009
Creator: Kan, Shirley A. & Niksch, Larry A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Landsat and the Data Continuity Mission

Description: This report discusses the U.S. Landsat Mission, which has collected remotely sensed imagery of the Earth's surface for more than 35 years. The two satellites currently in orbit are operating beyond their designed life and may fail at any time. Most Landsat data is used by federal agencies. Efforts to commercialize Landsat operations have not been successful. This report discusses issues facing Congress regarding funding for new Landsat satellites.
Date: May 22, 2009
Creator: Behrens, Carl E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Peacekeeping/Stabilization and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on the Civilian Response/Reserve Corps and other Civilian Stabilization and Reconstruction Capabilities

Description: This report provides background information relating to the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) in the Office of the Secretary of State. This report also discusses proposals and tracks related legislative action.
Date: May 22, 2009
Creator: Serafino, Nina M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security Administration: Administrative Budget Issues

Description: The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers the Social Security program (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance, or OASDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and provides administrative support to Medicare and several other federal programs. Total SSA spending in FY2008 was about $658 billion, about 99% of which was mandatory spending on benefit payments. This report focuses on SSA’s administrative spending, which is discretionary and amounts to about 1% of SSA’s … more
Date: May 18, 2009
Creator: Romig, Kathleen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Increases in Tricare Costs: Background and Options for Congress

Description: This report discusses budgetary matters for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), specifically regarding past instances of debate regarding the Tricare system. The dollar amounts allocated to health care in the budget of the DOD have more than doubled since FY2001, growing from about $17 billion to over $44.8 billion in FY2009.
Date: May 14, 2009
Creator: Jansen, Don J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding

Description: This report discusses the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, also known as fire grants of the FIRE Act grant program, which provides federal grants directly to local fire departments and unaffiliated Emergency Medical Services (EMS) organizations to help address a variety of equipment, training, and other firefighter-related and EMS needs. This report also discusses the possible reauthorization of AFG and the related Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Firefighters (S… more
Date: May 8, 2009
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense: FY2010 Authorization and Appropriations

Description: On February 26, 2009, the Administration released the broad outlines of its federal budget request for FY2010, listing for each Cabinet department and for several independent agencies the total discretionary budget authority President Obama would request, but providing no additional details. Full details of the request were made public May 7, 2009. This report summarizes the budget request in an abbreviated yet detailed format.
Date: May 8, 2009
Creator: Towell, Pat
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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FY2009 Spring Supplemental Appropriations for Overseas Contingency Operations

Description: This report discusses the White House's request for supplemental appropriations that include funding for defense, foreign affairs, and domestic fire fighting. The report details the different programs and areas that the appropriations would fund, including operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, preparedness and emergency management measures relating to the swine flu outbreak, border security between the United States and Mexico, benchmark assessment in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and other general d… more
Date: May 5, 2009
Creator: Daggett, Stephen; Epstein, Susan B.; Margesson, Rhoda; Nakamura, Kennon H.; Tarnoff, Curt; Kronstadt, K. Alan et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Long-Range Ballistic Missile Defense in Europe

Description: This report discusses how successive U.S. governments have urged the creation of an anti-missile system to protect against long-range ballistic missile threats from adversary states. The proposed U.S. system has encountered resistance in some European countries and beyond.
Date: May 5, 2009
Creator: Hildreth, Steven A. & Ek, Carl
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases

Description: This report discusses how the total debt of the federal government can increase, a historical overview of debt limits, and how the current economic slowdown has led to higher deficits and thereby a series of debt limit increases, as well as legislation related to these increases.
Date: May 30, 2008
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Second FY2008 Supplemental Appropriations for Military Operations, International Affairs, and Other Purposes

Description: This report discusses a bill providing $212.2 billion in supplemental appropriations for FY2008 and FY2009. The measure includes $169.1 billion for military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, $9.9 billion for international affairs programs, and $33.1 billion for domestic programs, of which $15.6 billion is for extended unemployment compensation.
Date: May 30, 2008
Creator: Daggett, Stephen; Epstein, Susan B.; Margesson, Rhoda; Tarnoff, Curt & Loane, Shannon S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Protective Service and Contract Security Guards: A Statutory History and Current Status

Description: The Federal Protective Service (FPS) -- within U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) -- is responsible for protecting federal government property, personnel, visitors, and customers, including property leased by the General Services Administration (GSA). FPS currently employs over 15,000 contract security guards to protect federal property. DHS intends, according to its FY2009 budget justification, to continue the use of contract security guards… more
Date: May 29, 2008
Creator: Reese, Shawn
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Navy F/A-18E/F and EA-18G Aircraft Procurement and Strike Fighter Shortfall: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses the Navy's proposed FY2010 budget requests (about $1.0 billion) for the procurement of 22 F/A- 18E/F Super Hornet strike fighters and about $1.6 billion for the procurement of 12 EA-18G Growler electric attack aircraft. The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's FY2010 funding request for procurement of nine F/A-18E/Fs, and whether to approve a third MYP arrangement for procuring Super Hornets and Growlers in FY2010-FY2014.
Date: May 29, 2008
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Budget Process Reform in the 110th Congress: A Brief Overview

Description: This report briefly discusses the context in which federal budget process changes are made and identifies selected reform proposals by major category. The identification of reform proposals in this report is not intended to be comprehensive; other CRS reports discuss different aspects of budget process reform in more detail.
Date: May 28, 2008
Creator: Keith, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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