Topic: U.S. Congressional Research Service
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Sequester 101: What happens if $85 billion in cuts hit on March 1
The sequester is a complex concept with a tortuous history. Here are the basics on the automatic spending reductions set to kick in March 1.
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Briefing US gun industry by the numbers
As the debate over gun control rages on, the firearms industry in the United States is thriving. Here are seven key figures.
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Gas prices fact check: Six ideas in Congress, but can they work?
Soaring gas prices have also shown a consistent and significant ability to push members of Congress over the deep end. Here's the experts' take on 6 ideas floating through Congress.
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East Asia's top 5 island disputes
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Out of options in debt ceiling talks? Nope, here are five.
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Out of options in debt ceiling talks? Nope, here are five.
How many ways are there to resolve the debt ceiling crisis? Negotiators meeting at the White House seem to hit one impasse after another, and frustration on both sides is mounting as an Aug. 2 deadline looms to avoid default on America’s debt obligations. Still, at least five options for handling the matter have been discussed in recent days and months. Other possible solutions may well emerge, but here’s the state of play on the options to date.
07/14/2011 05:11 pm -
Afghanistan troop drawdown: why Congress doesn't like it
In a break with prevailing patterns on Capitol Hill, the response to President Obama’s announcement about a troop drawdown in Afghanistan is not playing out strictly along party lines.
06/23/2011 04:52 pm -
Ethanol vote: First step toward extinction for federal tax subsidies?
Sen. Tom Coburn's bid to end tax subsidies for ethanol failed. But the measure got 34 GOP votes, suggesting that many Republicans are open to eliminating tax breaks to trim the deficit.
06/14/2011 09:58 pm -
The Daily Reckoning Which is worse, China's debt problem or ours?
The US is in bad shape with subprime debt, but China's local governments aren't doing so well either
06/14/2011 03:04 pm -
Tax VOX Is corporate tax reform realistic?
International tax experts say that the US lags behind other nations in terms of corporate tax reform. Is there any hope of changing the system?
05/20/2011 11:36 am -
Democrats' deficit-cutting plan: Big Oil subsidies the first target
Senate Democrats on Tuesday began enumerating ways to cut the US budget deficit. Tax breaks for oil and gas companies topped their list, as they challenged Republicans to whittle 'subsidies.'
05/10/2011 09:38 pm -
Decoder Wire John Boehner's tough talk on debt limit: a departure from history
Speaker John Boehner would exact a stiff price for once again raising the debt ceiling: trillions in spending cuts. Guess how many times Congress has raised debt limit since 1962?
05/10/2011 03:23 pm -
The Monitor's View Did Navy SEALs bring a peace dividend for Obama?
The killing of Osama bin Laden by the Navy SEALS should compel a more sober risk assessment of the terrorist threat by Congress and the Obama administration. Bin Laden himself wanted to bankrupt the US by causing overreaction to fear.
05/06/2011 04:25 pm -
Qaddafi claims Al Qaeda could overrun Libya. Could it?
While most experts say Qaddafi is grossly exaggerating the influence of Al Qaeda, new questions are being raised about its true scope as Washington debates arming the opposition.
03/30/2011 05:31 pm -
Tax VOX Ease corporate tax by hitting up shareholders
A higher tax on investors and a lower tax on corporations could keep more investments in the US.
03/30/2011 09:45 am -
Medicare premium hike could offset Social Security raise
Medicare price increases could wipe out any gain from a Social Security cost-of-living-adjustment next year for three-quarters of Medicare beneficiaries, estimates AARP.
03/28/2011 03:57 pm -
Why Libya's Qaddafi could survive like Saddam in 1991
Rather than the euphoric victories in Tunisia and Egypt, Libya's conflict now evokes another uprising: Iraqis' 1991 failed bid to overthrow Saddam Hussein, who ruled for another 12 years.
03/08/2011 12:40 pm -
If a government shutdown occurs, what actually happens?
Here’s what to expect if Republicans and Democrats in Congress don't reconcile their differences on spending for the last half of this fiscal year ... and a government shutdown ensues.
02/23/2011 03:19 pm -
Why Qaddafi is losing parts of Libya
As Qaddafi's rule frays, so do some of the ties that bind Libya together. Geography is one force that could pull the country apart. But the promise of oil profits might help it stick together.
02/23/2011 02:11 pm -
Decoder Wire US aid to Egypt: What does it buy?
Since 1979, Egypt has averaged $2 billion a year in US aid. Lately, the military has received at least half that, using it to cover most of its weapons purchases.
02/15/2011 02:22 pm -
Decoder Wire How does seating at the State of the Union speech work?
For the most part, seating at the State of the Union is first come first serve, so even members of Congress must camp out for prime seating
01/25/2011 09:31 am -
Decoder Wire The scoop on what really occurs at swearing-in for new members of Congress
The swearing-in of new members of Congress can be a moving scene, but it's not actually how it appears in pictures. What are the rules for taking the oath of office?
01/05/2011 09:29 am -
Top 5 overlooked stories of 2010
History, it seems, will remember 2010 in the United States as the year of health-care reform, the Gulf oil spill, and the tea party movement. But the most widely covered stories are clearly not the only events that could shape the future of the nation. Here we note five overlooked stories of 2010 – developments that might have received some press coverage but perhaps not as much as they should have, given the impact they could have on various aspects of American life in the years ahead.
12/24/2010 01:25 pm -
Decoder Wire Federal pay freeze? Here's the flip side.
Obama's proposal for a pay freeze for federal employees meets with approval of most Americans. But not too long ago, the problem was lagging pay.
12/17/2010 11:14 am -
Stuxnet 'virus' could be altered to attack US facilities, report warns
Stuxnet 'virus,' a cyberweapon aimed at Iran's nuclear facilities, could be redirected to launch a broad attack on US basic services, such as water and power supplies, says a report to Congress.
12/15/2010 01:54 pm -
North Korea: Cold-war legacy
12/12/2010 11:11 am -
Africa Monitor Congress talks about the Congo
At a hearing on the Congo, time spent framing the conflict as a US national security issue would have been better spent showing ways that the US can aid resolution.
12/06/2010 11:18 am -
North Korean attack on South Korea: 8 provocations of the past decade
North Korea shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong island Tuesday, killing two South Korean marines and injuring more than a dozen people. South Korea returned fire. Both sides claimed that the other fired first. While the South has engaged in past attacks – notably in November 2009, when it fired on a North Korean patrol boat, and in June 1999, when it sunk a North Korean vessel – history shows that Pyongyang is often the instigator. A 2007 report from the US Congressional Research Service documents dozens of provocations, ranging from low-level naval warfare to assassinations of South Korean cabinet officers. Here are seven examples of the North's military provocations over the past decade.
11/23/2010 04:10 pm -
North Korean attack: What are US options for response?
North Korean attack presents America with a sudden and serious geopolitical challenge. The overriding US goal is to prevent further escalation of the conflict.
11/23/2010 01:19 pm -
The Vote Now that Mitch McConnell is aboard, how much would earmark ban save?
Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to back a ban on earmarks. 'Pork barrel' projects in appropriations bills account for between 1 and 2 percent of total federal spending.
11/16/2010 01:01 pm
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