Congressional Research Service Reports - 158 Matching Results
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- FY2011 Budget Proposals and Projections
- This report provides an overview of major budget estimates and projections for the FY2011 federal budget cycle. The report presents and compares budget projections calculated by the Obama Administration's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
- The Debt Limit Since 2011
- This report discusses the federal debt limit and its suspensions and resets since 2011.
- Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview
- This report provides a graphical overview of historical trends in discretionary budget authority (BA) from FY1976 through FY2011, enacted levels for FY2012 spending, and the levels consistent with President Obama's proposals for FY2013 through FY2017. It also includes a background on functional categories and a section discussing historical spending trends.
- Running Deficits: Positives and Pitfalls
- This report discusses how deficit finance can help governments manage their economies and how large and persistent deficits can lead to severe economic problems.
- The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases
- This report discusses how the total debt of the federal government can increase, an 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.
- Mandatory Spending Since 1962
- Federal spending is divided into three broad categories: discretionary spending, mandatory spending, and net interest. Federal spending has outrun federal revenues for the last 10 fiscal years. In the long term, projections suggest that if current policies remain unchanged, the United States faces a major fiscal imbalance, largely due to rising health care costs and impending Baby Boomer retirements. Because discretionary spending is a smaller proportion of total federal outlays compared to mandatory spending, some budget experts contend that any significant reductions in federal spending must include cuts in entitlement spending. Other budget and social policy experts contend that cuts in entitlement spending could compromise their goals: the economic security of the elderly and the poor.
- Energy and Water Development: FY2011 Appropriations
- This report covers key budgetary issues involving the Energy and Water Development appropriations bill, which provides funding for civil works projects of the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, the Department of Energy (DOE), and a number of independent agencies.
- The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11
- This report analyzes war funding for the Department of Defense (DOD) and tracks funding for USAID and Veteran's Affairs (VA) Medical funding. Information on costs helps Congress to assess the FY2010 Supplemental for war costs for the Department of Defense (DOD) and State/USAID FY2011 war requests; conduct oversight of past war costs; and consider the longer-term costs implications of the buildup of troops in Afghanistan and potential problems in the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
- Should the United States Levy a Value-Added Tax for Deficit Reduction?
- This report discusses the levying of a value-added tax (VAT), a broad-based consumption tax, to potentially assist in resolving United States fiscal problems. It considers the experiences of the 29 nations with value-added taxes (VATs) in the 30-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) which are relevant to the feasibility and operation of a possible U.S. VAT.
- Value-Added Tax (VAT) as a Revenue Option: A Primer
- This report summarizes issues, arguments, and concerns relevant to a value-added tax (VAT).
- Community Development Block Grants: Funding Issues in the 113th Congress
- This report is a review of the Community Development Fund (CDF) account's funding history from FY2000 to FY2013, as well as current funding in FY2014. It includes a discussion of the three primary components of the CDF account: CDBG formula grants; CDBG-related set-asides and earmarks; and CDBG-linked supplemental and special appropriations.
- Community Development Block Grants: Funding Issues in the 113th Congress
- This report is a review of the Community Development Fund (CDF) account's funding history from FY2000 to FY2014, as well as current funding in FY2015. It includes a discussion of the three primary components of the CDF account: CDBG formula grants; CDBG-related set-asides and earmarks; and CDBG-linked supplemental and special appropriations.
- Economic Development Administration: Reauthorization and Funding Issues in the 112th Congress
- The 112th Congress may consider legislation to reauthorize and amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act (PWEDA), whose statutory authority expired on September 30, 2008. As part of those deliberations, Congress may consider a number of changes in the structure of Economic Development Administration (EDA) assistance programs.
- Interim Continuing Resolutions (CRs): Potential Impacts on Agency Operations
- This report discusses how an interim continuing resolutions (CRs), provisions and requirements may impact directly upon an agency. Second, the report analyzes Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and agency documents that have provided guidance or requirements for how an agency should navigate through periods of interim CRs. Third, the report analyzes brief mentions of claims of impact contained in Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports from a 20-year span.
- Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects
- This report discusses the causes of funding gaps and shutdowns of the federal government, processes that are associated with shutdowns, and how agency operations may be affected by shutdowns. The report concludes with a discussion of potential issues for Congress.
- United Nations System Funding: Congressional Issues
- This report tracks the process by which Congress provides the funding for U.S. assessed contributions to the regular budgets of the United Nations, its agencies, and U.N. peacekeeping operation accounts, as well as for U.S. voluntary contributions to U.N. system programs and funds. It includes information on the President's request and the congressional response, as well as congressional initiatives during this legislative process. Basic information is provided to help the reader understand this process.
- Legislative Branch: FY2011 Appropriations
- This report gives an overview of the status of FY2011 appropriations and funding issues for the Senate, House of Representatives, and support agencies.
- The President's Budget: Overview of Structure and Timing of Submission to Congress
- This report provides information on the origins, content, and submission dates of the President's budget.
- The President's Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Request for the Department of Energy
- This report discusses President Trump's FY2019 budget request for the Department of Energy (DOE) and it compares it with past budgets.
- A Unified National Security Budget? Issues for Congress
- This report describes and characterizes the unified national security budgeting school's broadly shared critique of the current system; describes and analyzes various proposed unified national security budgeting approaches; and offers a succinct list of considerations for Members and staff of Congress who may be interested in this issue.
- Overview of Health Care Changes in the FY2014 Budget Proposal Offered by House Budget Committee Chairman Ryan
- This report summarizes the proposed changes to Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance as described in H.Con.Res. 25, the accompanying committee report, and Chairman Ryan's Path to Prosperity report. Additionally, it briefly examines the potential impact of the proposed changes on health care spending and coverage.
- Defense Authorization and Appropriations Bills: FY1970-FY2014
- This report is a research aid, which lists the Department Of Defense authorization bills and appropriations bills for FY1970-FY2011. It includes key definitions and all the pertinent information on the passage of these bills through the legislative process: bill numbers, report numbers, dates reported and passed, recorded vote numbers and vote tallies, dates of passage of the conference reports with their numbers and votes, vetoes, substitutions, dates of final passage, and public law numbers.
- Defense Authorization and Appropriations Bills: FY1970-FY2015
- This report is a research aid which lists the Department of Defense authorization bills and appropriations bills for FY1970-FY2015. This report includes all the pertinent information on the passage of these bills through the legislative process: bill numbers, report numbers, dates reported and passed, recorded vote numbers and vote tallies, dates of passage of the conference reports with their numbers and votes, vetoes, substitutions, dates of final passage, and public law numbers.
- Federal Grants to State and Local Governments: A Historical Perspective on Contemporary Issues
- This report provides a historical synopsis of the evolving nature of the federal grants-in-aid system, focusing on the role Congress has played in defining the system's scope and nature.
- The Federal Budget: Overview and Issues for FY2017 and Beyond
- This report summarizes issues surrounding the federal budget and discusses policy changes relevant to the budget framework for FY2017. It also discusses the major policy proposals included in the President's FY2017 budget and, when available, the House and Senate budget resolutions. Finally, this report addresses major short- and long-term fiscal challenges facing the federal government.
- NATO Common Funds Burdensharing: Background and Current Issues
- This report discusses North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) burdensharing--the funding, via individual contributions from NATO member states, of certain commonly conducted activities. The report discusses how each NATO member state's contribution is negotiated, and how member states are reconsidering their defense budgets (and, thereby, their willingness and ability to contribute to NATO operations) in light of the global financial crisis.
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization: An Overview of Legislative Action in the 111th Congress
- This report tracks the status of ongoing legislative action and debate related to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization. It is organized into six major program areas: aviation system finance; airport financing; FAA management and organizational issues; system capacity and safety; environmental issues; and airline industry issues. In several cases, provisions that appear in various unrelated sections of proposed legislation have been rearranged in this report in an effort to group and discuss related items in an issue-driven or programmatic context. Since this report is primarily written as a means of communicating key legislative provisions under consideration in the ongoing FAA reauthorization process, it does not go into detail regarding the specific policy issues behind these legislative proposals.
- Fact Sheet: The FY2012 State and Foreign Operations Budget Request
- This fact sheet provides a brief overview of the Obama Administration's request for International Affairs programs.
- Fact Sheet: The FY2013 State and Foreign Operations Budget Request
- On February 13, 2012, the Obama Administration submitted its FY2013 budget request, including $54.7 billion for State Department, Foreign Operations, and Related Appropriations. Of the total request, $18.6 billion is for programs funded through the State operations and related agencies (a 4.6% increase over FY2012 estimates), and $36.1 billion is for foreign operations (a 0.1% increase over FY2012 estimates). This fact sheet provides a brief overview of the request.
- The Army;s Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV): Background and Issues for Congress
- This report discusses the Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) program and outlines its basic functions, procurement plans, and funding requests for FY2019.
- Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC): Background and Issues for Congress
- This report discusses issues surrounding the funding for development of Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACVs) and Marine Personnel Carriers (MPCs). The Marines are required by law to have the necessary equipment to conduct amphibious operations and land operations.
- Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV): Background and Issues for Congress
- This report discusses the development and procurement of the Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and the FY2019 budget request for the ACV program.
- The Marines' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV): Background and Issues for Congress
- This report discusses the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), which is an armored amphibious vehicle program that originated two decades ago to replace the 1970s-era Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV). The EFV has experienced a variety of developmental difficulties, which this report explores. This report also discusses potential related issues for Congress.
- The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Background, Funding, and Activities
- In the early 1990s, Congress recognized that several federal agencies had ongoing high performance computing programs, but no central coordinating body existed to ensure long-term coordination and planning. To provide such a framework, Congress passed the High-Performance Computing and Communications Program Act of 1991 to enhance the effectiveness of the various programs. In conjunction with the passage of the act, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released Grand Challenges: High-Performance Computing and Communications. Current concerns are the role of the federal government in supporting IT R&D and the level of funding to allot to it. This report also looks at federal budgets for the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program.
- Air Force KC-X Tanker Aircraft Program: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report discusses issues for Congress in FY2011, which are whether to approve, reject, or modify DOD's new KC-X competition strategy, and whether to approve, reject, or modify the Air Force's request for FY2011 research and development funding for the new KC-X program.
- V-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotor Aircraft: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report discusses background information on the V-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotor Aircraft, as well as procurement issues for FY2012 and related oversight issues for Congress.
- Defense Logistical Support Contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan: Issues for Congress
- This report examines logistical support contracts for troop support services in Iraq and Afghanistan administered through the U.S. Army's Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP). LOGCAP is an initiative designed to manage the use of civilian contractors that perform services during times of war and other military mobilizations.
- Bonus Depreciation: Economic and Budgetary Issues
- This report discusses bonus depreciation as either a temporary stimulus provision or a permanent part of the tax code.
- Restrictions on Itemized Tax Deductions: Policy Options and Analysis
- This report analyzes various proposals to restrict itemized deductions--both across-the-board and individually tailored--using standard economic criteria of economic efficiency, distribution, simplicity, and estimated revenue effects. In particular, this report estimates each proposal's potential to contribute to revenue-neutral reductions in income tax rates and the consequences for economic behavior.
- FY2011 Appropriations: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Key Proposals
- FY2011 funding levels were not enacted in the 111th Congress. Thus, the debate over FY2011 appropriations has continued into the 112th Congress. This report is intended to facilitate comparison of three key spending proposals for FY2011-the Administration's budget request, H.R. 1, and S.Amdt. 149 to H.R. 1-to FY2010 enacted funding levels. The report begins with a brief analysis of how each proposal may impact the federal budget deficit. The bulk of the report consists of a funding table that details the recommended appropriations in these proposals, by subcommittee and bill title, and compares them with FY2010 appropriations.
- Guantanamo Detention Center: Legislative Activity in the 111th Congress
- This report analyzes relevant provisions in enacted legislation and selected pending bills relating to the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a facility in which alleged enemy belligerents are detained.
- The Financial Action Task Force: An Overview
- This report provides an overview of the Financial Action Task Force and of its progress to date in gaining broad international support for its recommendations.
- Limiting Central Government Budget Deficits: International Experiences
- This report focuses on how major developed and emerging-market country governments, particularly the G-20 and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, limit their fiscal deficits.
- The Bureau of Prisons (BOP): Operations and Budget
- This report consists of the bureau of prisons in operations and budget.
- Overview of FY2017 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS)
- This report tracks and describes actions taken by the Administration and Congress to provide FY2017 appropriations for the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) accounts. It also provides an overview of FY2016 appropriations for agencies and bureaus funded as part of annual CJS appropriations.
- Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2011 Appropriations
- This report provides an overview of actions taken by Congress to provide FY2011 appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS). It also provides an overview of FY2010 appropriations for agencies and bureaus funded under the CJS bill.
- Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2013 Appropriations
- This report will track and describe actions taken by the Administration and Congress to provide FY2013 appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) accounts. It also provides an overview of FY2012 appropriations for agencies and bureaus funded as a part of the annual appropriation for CJS.
- Grants Work in a Congressional Office
- This report discusses the federal grants funding that goes to state and local governments. Members of Congress receive numerous requests from grant seekers, including state and local governments, nonprofit social service and community action organizations, private research groups, small businesses, and individuals, for information and help in obtaining funds for projects.
- DOD's Troops to Teachers Program (TTT)
- This report describes the U.S. Department of Defense's Troops to Teachers (TTT) program which provides assistance to veterans pursuing careers in education.
- An Overview of Major Tax Proposals in the President's FY2012 Budget
- The Obama Administration released the President's FY2012 budget proposal on February 14, 2011. According to the Administration's estimates, the tax proposals in the budget would increase revenues $280 billion over the next 10 years. This report provides a broad overview of the provisions included in the President's FY2012 budget request.