WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R41003) on Jan. 6, 2026, entitled "Amendments Between the Houses: Procedural Options and Effects" by Elizabeth Rybicki, Congress and legislative process specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The House and Senate must agree to the same measure with the same legislative language before a bill can be presented to the President. To resolve differences between House and Senate versions of legislation, Congress might appoint a conference com more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R41003) on Jan. 6, 2026, entitled "Amendments Between the Houses - Procedural Options and Effects:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * House Consideration of Senate Amendments When the House receives amendments from the Senate, the amendments are usually held at the Speaker's table for later consideration by the full House. The Speaker could refer Senate amendments to the committee or committees of jurisdiction, but the Speaker is likely to  more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11386) on Jan. 6, 2026, by legislative attorney April J. Anderson: * * * Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services: Reverse Discrimination and the McDonnell Douglas Evidentiary Framework On June 5, 2025, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, holding that courts cannot require an employee in a "reverse-discrimination" lawsuit (where a member of a majority group claims di more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13144) on Jan. 6, 2026, by health policy analyst Alexa C. DeBoth: * * * Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation and Oversight There has been growing interest from Congress and the Trump Administration in the availability and regulation of infertility services in the United States, which include assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Fertility clinics, embryology and clinical laboratories, and health care providers provid more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48786) on Jan. 8, 2026, entitled "Chinese Money Laundering Networks" by Liana W. Rosen, international sanctions and financial crimes specialist: * * * Contents Introduction ... 1 Background ... 2 Selected Case Studies ... 3 Policy Outlook ... 5 Contacts Author Information ... 6 * * * Introduction Illicit financial activity involving what the U.S. government terms Chinese Money Laundering Organizations or Networks (CMLOs or CMLNs) more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11882) on Jan. 7, 2026, by Kelley M. Sayler, advanced technology and global security specialist: * * * Defense Primer: Directed-Energy Weapons Senior U.S. defense officials have identified directed energy as a technology that could have a significant impact on U.S. national security in the years to come. As the Department of Defense (DOD) - which is "using a secondary Department of War designation" under Executive Order 14347 d more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11105) on Jan. 6, 2026, by Kelley M. Sayler, advanced technology and global security specialist: * * * Defense Primer: Emerging Technologies Senior U.S. defense and intelligence officials have identified a number of emerging technologies that could have a disruptive impact on U.S. national security in the years to come. These technologies include * artificial intelligence, * lethal autonomous weapon systems, * hypersonic wea more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11681) on Jan. 8, 2026, by defense policy analyst Anya L. Fink: Here are excerpts: * * * Defense Primer: LGM-35A Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile The LGM-35A Sentinel is an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system that is expected to replace the Minuteman III (MMIII) ICBM in the U.S. nuclear force structure. MMIII has served as the ground-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad - land-based ICBMs, submarine-laun more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10684) on Jan. 7, 2026, by military personnel specialist Kristy N. Kamarck and senior research librarian Carly A. Miller. Here are excerpts: * * * Defense Primer: Military Enlisted Personnel Grade and Rank The Armed Forces are hierarchical organizations with clearly defined levels of authority. These different levels are called grades, while rank refers to the order of precedence among those in different grades and within the more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10685) on Jan. 7, 2026, by military personnel specialist Kristy N. Kamarck and senior research librarian Carly A. Miller. Here are excerpts: * * * Defense Primer: Military Officers Grade and Rank The Armed Forces are hierarchical organizations with clearly defined levels of authority. The different levels for officers are defined in law and called grades, while rank refers to the order of precedence among those in different g more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11697) on Jan. 8, 2026, by defense policy analyst Anya L. Fink: * * * Defense Primer: Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) The Department of Defense (DOD), which is "using a secondary Department of War designation," under Executive Order 14347 dated September 5, 2025, is replacing many elements of the U.S. nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) architecture as part of the United States' ongoing efforts more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10483) on Jan. 8, 2026, by military personnel specialist Kristy N. Kamarck. Here are excerpts: * * * Defense Primer: Military Retirement The military retirement system is a government-funded system that provides a defined benefit to all retirees and matching government contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) for eligible servicemembers. It has historically been viewed as a significant retention incentive for military pe more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12362) on Jan. 8, 2026, by income security specialists Elizabeth A. Myers and John J. Topoleski: * * * Department of Labor Guidance and Regulations on the Exercise of Shareholder Rights by Private Sector Pension Plans Introduction The fiduciary standards in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA, P.L. 93-406, as amended) require that individuals who make decisions for private sector pension plans (referred  more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12328) on Jan. 8, 2026, by income security specialists Elizabeth A. Myers and John J. Topoleski: * * * Department of Labor Guidance and Regulations on Selecting Private-Sector Pension Plan Investments Introduction The fiduciary standards in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA; P.L. 93-406, as amended) require that individuals who make decisions for private-sector pension plans (referred to as fiduciaries more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13023) on Jan. 7, 2026, by economic policy senior specialist Jane G. Gravelle: * * * Enforcement of Remedies Against Unfair Foreign Taxes Lawmakers have proposed increasing taxes on income from U.S. sources by nonresident aliens from countries that impose taxes considered to be discriminatory (Section 899 of the Internal Revenue Code). For example, the version of H.R. 1 (also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), passed by  more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13146) on Jan. 8, 2026, by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte: * * * Federal Reserve Independence The Federal Reserve (Fed) is more independent from Congress and the President than most agencies are. Theory and evidence support the view that independence facilitates a less political, longer-term perspective to monetary policymaking that generally leads to better long-run economic outcomes, such as lower inflation. The more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11874) on Jan. 7, 2026, by economic policy senior specialist Jane G. Gravelle: * * * International Tax Proposals Addressing Profit Shifting: Pillars 1 and 2 On June 5, 2021, finance ministers of the Group of 7 (G7) countries, including the United States, agreed in a communique to two proposals addressing global profit shifting. They agreed to Pillar 1, allocating rights of taxation of residual profits to market countries for la more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10054) on Jan. 7, 2026, by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte. Here are excerpts: * * * Introduction to Financial Services: The Federal Reserve Structure of the Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 created the Federal Reserve (Fed) as the nation's central bank. The Fed is composed of 12 regional Federal Reserve banks overseen by a Board of Governors in Washington, DC. Figure 1 illustrates the city in whic more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11751) on Jan. 7, 2026, by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte: * * * Introduction to U.S. Economy: Monetary Policy Topic The Federal Reserve (Fed), the nation's central bank, is responsible for monetary policy. This In Focus explains how monetary policy works. Typically, when the Fed wants to stimulate the economy, it reduces short-term interest rates to make policy more expansionary. When it wants to make policy more more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R44972) on Jan. 5, 2026, entitled "Navy Constellation (FFG-62) and FF(X) Class Frigate Programs: Background and Issues for Congress" by naval affairs specialist Ronald O'Rourke. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Constellation (FFG-62) class program. The Navy began procuring Constellation (FFG-62) class frigates in FY2020. Prior to November 2025, Navy plans called for procuring a total of at least 20. Six were procured through FY2025, including more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R44972) on Jan. 5, 2026, entitled "Navy Constellation (FFG-62) and FF(X) Class Frigate Programs - Background and Issues for Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 3) * * * Navy's Desired Approach for Restructuring Frigate Acquisition Overview As discussed earlier, in June 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth indicated that the FFG-62 program was being reviewed as one of several "difficult decisions" to be made by the Department of Defense  more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R44972) on Jan. 5, 2026, entitled "Navy Constellation (FFG-62) and FF(X) Class Frigate Programs - Background and Issues for Congress:" (Continued from Part 2 of 3) * * * New Frigate Design If the second or fourth general approach outlined in the previous section is pursued, and a new frigate design is consequently to be procured, a follow-on potential oversight issue for Congress would be whether the Navy's desired design - an FF(X) based on more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12084) on Jan. 8, 2026, by defense policy analyst Anya L. Fink. Here are excerpts: * * * Nuclear-Armed Sea-Launched Cruise Missile (SLCMN) Congress and the executive branch have debated the merits of a new nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N) since the weapon was proposed by the first Trump Administration in 2018. The Biden Administration proposed cancelling the SLCM-N program following its 2022 Nuclear Posture R more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12528) on Jan. 8, 2026, by energy policy analyst Martin C. Offutt. Here are excerpts: * * * Recent Executive Action on Spending: Potential Impact on Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58) authorized and funded an $8 billion program on Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (Section 40314 and Division J, Title III, of IIJA) - networks of hydrogen producers, consumers, and infrastructure more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11387) on Jan. 7, 2026, by Linda R. Rowan, natural resources and earth sciences analyst: Here are excerpts: * * * Stand With Us v. MIT: MIT Not Liable for Anti-Israel Activity on Campus Since October 7, 2023, the federal government has devoted significant attention to protest activity at colleges and universities related to the Israel-Hamas war. The Trump Administration, for example, has cited schools' alleged failures t more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12483) on Jan. 8, 2026, by nonproliferation specialist Paul K. Kerr: * * * U.S. Arms Transfer Restrictions and AUKUS Cooperation On September 15, 2021, Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States announced an "enhanced trilateral security partnership," named AUKUS after the participating countries. The partnership consists of two lines of effort, known as pillars: Pillar One is to provide Australia with a nuclear- more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12618) on Jan. 6, 2026, by Latin American affairs specialist Clare Ribando Seelke: * * * U.S. Capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro: Considerations for Congress On January 3, 2026, President Trump announced that the U.S. military had launched strikes across Venezuela that culminated in the capture and arrest of President Nicolas Maduro (2013-2026) and his wife Cilia Flores in an operation that resulted in few U.S. casualties. Ma more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13145) on Jan. 7, 2026, by Linda R. Rowan, natural resources and earth sciences analyst: * * * U.S. Geological Survey's Critical Minerals List Multiple Congresses and Administrations have considered and developed policies to make U.S. critical mineral supply chains more resilient. In 2020, Congress amended its minerals policies, defined the term critical mineral, and directed the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to develop and upd more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12636) on Jan. 6, 2026, by aviation policy specialist Bart Elias and transportation and industry analyst Rachel Y. Tang: * * * U.S. Military Action in Venezuela Triggers Caribbean Airspace Closures and Flight Disruptions On January 3, 2026, U.S. military and law enforcement agencies executed a joint operation, which involved the capture and extraction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife. In response, the Federal Avi more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12945) on Jan. 6, 2026, by defense policy analysts Jennifer DiMascio and Anya L. Fink: * * * U.S. Strategic Bombers The U.S. Air Force deploys three strategic (or heavy) bombers - the B-52, B-1B, and B-2 - to carry bombs or air-to-surface missiles for conventional and nuclear missions. Bombers carry heavy ordnance loads across long distances, for long periods of time, to strike adversary targets of tactical and strategic import more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RS22654) on Jan. 5, 2026, entitled "Veto Override Procedure in the House and Senate" by Elizabeth Rybicki, Congress and legislative process specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * Summary A bill or joint resolution that has been vetoed by the President can become law if two-thirds of the Members voting in the House and the Senate each agree to pass it over the President's objection. The chambers act sequentially on vetoed measures: The House act more PR