Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs articles from January 2007

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs archives from January 2007

Previewing a 2007 farm bill.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 3, 2007 Summary Federal farm support, food assistance, agricultural trade, marketing, and rural development policies are governed by a variety of separate laws. However, many of these laws periodically are evaluated,...

Introduction.(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... What Is the "Farm Bill"? The first session of the 110th Congress is expected to consider major agriculture and food legislation in an omnibus multi-year authorizing bill, commonly called the "farm bill." Federal commodity support,...

General policy considerations (4).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... Economic Situation For the last four years, including the forecast for 2006, crop and livestock marketing receipts generally have been strong, and in cases where prices have declined, government payments have largely made up the...

Farm income and commodity price support (13).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... The economic argument for federal support of farms, in contrast to nonfarm businesses, is that markets do not efficiently balance commodity supply with demand. Imbalances in agricultural markets develop because consumers do not respond to price...

Specialty crops (26).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... Sales of fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts account for nearly one-third of U.S. crop cash receipts and one-fifth of U.S. agricultural exports, according to USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS). (27) When floriculture, greenhouse, and nursery...

Animal agriculture (31).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... The meat and poultry industries do look to the federal government for leadership and support in resolving foreign trade disputes, establishing transparent, sciencebased rules for importing and exporting animal products, and reassuring domestic...

Trade and export promotion (35).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... The United States is the world's largest exporter of agricultural products. The volume of U.S. agricultural exports, as a share of production, has ranged from 21% to 23% in recent years. The value of U.S. agricultural exports, as a share of the...

Crop insurance and disaster assistance (37).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... Agriculture is generally viewed as an inherently risky enterprise. Farm production levels can vary significantly from year to year and by location, primarily because farmers operate at the mercy of nature, and frequently are subjected to...

Agricultural credit (45).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... The federal government has a long history of providing credit assistance to farmers. USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) issues direct loans and guarantees loans made by commercial lenders. (46) The direct and guaranteed loans are intended to...

Conservation and environment (50).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... Federal agriculture conservation programs have largely addressed soil and water conservation and pollution problems associated with crop and livestock production. However, increasing attention is being paid to wetlands restoration, wildlife...

Energy (51).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... Agriculture-based renewable energy production--especially biofuels and wind power--has expanded dramatically during the past two years, with profound implications for the U.S. agricultural sector. Most notably, the escalating demand for corn as...

Agricultural research, extension, and education (58).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... Several factors have emerged since 2002 that could influence the consideration of agricultural research, education, and extension policies when Congress next visits this USDA mission area in the context of a 2007 farm bill. The current farm...

Rural development (67).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... Some rural areas, such as those within commuting distances of metropolitan areas or with environmental amenities and/or affluent retirees, are thriving. Other rural areas with sparse populations and declining economies continue to face...

Foreign food aid (71).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... The United States is the world's leading supplier of food aid for humanitarian relief and economic development. During the period 1995-2005, the United States contributed almost 60% of total global food aid. The European Union is the second...

Domestic nutrition assistance (72).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... The nutrition title accounts for approximately 62% of all farm bill spending. The lion's share of this nutrition spending is for the Food Stamp program, which is widely viewed as the federal government's primary response to the food needs of...

Forestry (78).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... Forestlands in the United States total nearly 747 million acres, about a third of all land in the country. These lands provide wood for lumber, plywood, paper, and other materials, as well as a host of environmental and ecological services,...

Appendix: titles and subtitles of the 2002 farm bill (Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, P.L. 107-171).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
January 1, 2007... I. Commodity Programs A. Direct Payments and Counter-Cyclical Payments B. Marketing Assistance Loans and Loan Deficiency Payments C. Peanuts D. Sugar E. Dairy F. Administration II. Conservation A....

Iran: U.S. concerns and policy responses summary.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 5, 2007 Summary According to the Administration's "National Security Strategy" document released on March 16, 2006, the United States "may face no greater challenge from a single country than Iran." That perception,...

Trade Promotion Authority and fast-track negotiating authority for trade agreements: major votes.
January 1, 2007... Update January 3, 2007 Summary This report profiles significant legislation from 1974 to the present that authorizes the use of presidential Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), previously known as fast-track trade negotiating authority....

India-U.S. relations.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 3, 2007 Summary Long considered a "strategic backwater" from Washington's perspective, South Asia has emerged in the 21st century as increasingly vital to core U.S. foreign policy interests. India, the region's...

Russian natural gas: regional dependence.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 5, 2007 Summary Russia is the dominant natural gas supplier to Europe and neighboring former Soviet states, as well as a major provider of oil. Some countries are entirely or largely dependent upon Russian energy...

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 110th Congress: conflicting values and difficult choices.
January 1, 2007... Update January 16, 2007 Summary The 110th Congress is likely to oversee implementation and funding of the Endangered Species Act (ESA; P.L. 93-205, 16 U.S.C. [subsection]1531-1543) and to consider proposals to amend the act. Major...

Lobbying disclosure: themes and issues, 110th Congress.
January 1, 2007... January 12, 2007 Summary Recent incidents concerning a convicted lobbyist and the provision of privately funded travel, free meals and entertainment by lobbyists to Members of Congress, congressional staff, and some executive branch...

Climate change: design approaches for a greenhouse gas reduction program.
January 1, 2007... January 16, 2007 Summary With the passage of the 2005 Sense of the Senate climate change resolution calling on the Congress to enact a mandatory, market-based program to slow, stop, and reverse the growth of greenhouse gases, the...

The Iraqi security forces: the challenge of sectarian and ethnic influences.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 18, 2007 Summary The Bush Administration has deemed the creation of an effective Iraqi fighting force that is representative of Iraqi society at large as key to stabilizing Iraq and expediting the eventual withdrawal of...

Iraq: Post-Saddam governance and security.(Saddam Hussein)
January 1, 2007... Updated January 17, 2007 Summary Operation Iraqi Freedom overthrew Saddam Hussein's regime, but Iraq remains unstable because of Sunni Arab resentment and a related insurgency, compounded by Sunni-Shiite violence that some believe is...

Royalty relief for U.S. deepwater oil and gas leases.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 16, 2007 Summary The most common incentives for offshore oil and gas development include various forms of royalty relief. The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to grant...

Trade preferences for developing countries and the WTO.(World Trade Organization)
January 1, 2007... Updated January 8, 2007 Summary World Trade Organization (WTO) Members must grant immediate and unconditional most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment to the products of other Members with respect to tariffs and other trade-related...

Millennium challenge account.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 3, 2007 Summary In a speech on March 14, 2002, President Bush outlined a proposal for a major new U.S. foreign aid initiative. The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) is managed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation...

Maritime security: potential terrorist attacks and protection priorities.
January 1, 2007... January 9, 2007 Summary A key challenge for U.S. policy makers is prioritizing the nation's maritime security activities among a virtually unlimited number of potential attack scenarios. While individual scenarios have distinct...

The budget for fiscal year 2007.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 11, 2007 Summary Congress used three continuing resolutions on appropriations (CRs) to fund all but two appropriation acts in the first half of fiscal year (FY) 2007. The third one (P.L.109-383; December 9, 2006), runs...

Afghanistan: post-war governance, security, and U.S. Policy.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 11, 2007 Summary Afghanistan's political transition was completed with the convening of a parliament in December 2005, but in 2006 insurgent threats to Afghanistan's government escalated to the point that some experts...

Iran: U.S. concerns and policy responses.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 23, 2007 Summary According to the Administration's "National Security Strategy" document released on March 16, 2006, the United States "may face no greater challenge from a single country than Iran." That perception,...

Energy efficiency and renewable energy legislation in the 110th Congress.
January 1, 2007... January 25, 2007 Summary This report reviews the status of energy efficiency and renewable energy legislation introduced during the 110th Congress. Action has focused on the CLEAN Energy Act (H.R. 6), which passed the House on January...

U.S. immigration policy on temporary admissions.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 25, 2007 Summary U.S. law provides for the temporary admission of various categories of foreign nationals, who are known as nonimmigrants. Nonimmigrants are admitted for a designated period of time and a specific...

Border security: the complexity of the challenge.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 24, 2007 Summary Border security is a pivotal function in protecting the American people from terrorists and their instruments of destruction. This report uses a series of graphical presentations to form one possible...

Trade promotion authority and fast-track negotiating authority for trade agreements: major votes.
January 1, 2007... January 31, 2007 Summary This report profiles significant legislation from 1974 to the present that authorizes the use of presidential Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), previously known as fast-track trade negotiating authority. It...

Iraq: elections, constitution, and government.
January 1, 2007... January 26, 2007 Summary Elections in 2005 for a transition government (January 30, 2005), a permanent constitution (October 15), and a permanent (four year) government (December 15) produced a Shiite-led government that many Sunnis...

The strategic energy efficiency and renewables reserve in the Clean Energy Act of 2007 (H.R. 6).
January 1, 2007... January 22, 2007 Summary H.R. 6 proposes to use revenue from certain oil and natural gas policy revisions to create an Energy Efficiency and Renewables Reserve aimed at reducing foreign oil dependence. The actual uses of the Reserve...

The federal government debt: its size and economic significance.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 25, 2007 Summary After being in surplus between FY1998 and FY2001, the federal budget has now registered deficits for the last four fiscal years. The budget, given current policies, is now projected to remain in deficit...

The economics of the federal budget deficit.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 24, 2007 Summary The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the federal budget deficit for FY2006 was $247.6 billion, a decline from the $318.3 billion deficit recorded in FY2005. The CBO baseline deficit...

U.S.-Canada WTO corn trade dispute.(World Trade Organization)
January 1, 2007... January 31, 2007 Summary On January 8, 2007, Canada initiated a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement case (DS357) against certain aspects of U.S. commodity programs in general, and the U.S. corn program in particular, by...

Climate Change: greenhouse gas reduction bills in the 110th Congress.
January 1, 2007... January 31, 2007 Summary A number of congressional proposals to advance programs that reduce greenhouse gases have been introduced in the 110th Congress. Proposals receiving particular attention would create market-based greenhouse gas...

Islamist extremism in Bangladesh.
January 1, 2007... January 31, 2007 Summary There is concern among observers that the secular underpinnings of moderate Bangladesh are being undermined by a culture of political violence and the rise of Islamist extremists. A further deterioration of...

Afghan refugees: current status and future prospects.(Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)
January 1, 2007... January 26, 2007 Summary The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has helped 3.69 million Afghan refugees return to Afghanistan since March 2002, marking the largest assisted return operation in its history. In...

Congressional authority to limit U.S. military operations in Iraq.
January 1, 2007... January 29, 2007 Summary On October 16, 2002, President Bush signed the Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq Resolution of 2002. Since the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, Congress has enacted appropriation bills to fund...

Post-war Iraq: foreign contributions to training, peacekeeping, and reconstruction.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 22, 2007 Summary Securing and maintaining foreign contributions to the reconstruction and stabilization of Iraq has been a major priority for U.S. policymakers since the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003....

Turkmenistan's political succession: developments and implications.(Saparamurad Niyazov passed away)
January 1, 2007... January 18, 2007 Summary This report discusses the political succession in Turkmenistan following the death of long-time authoritarian leader Saparamurad Niyazov in December 2006. Implications for Turkmenistan and U.S. interests in...

Critical infrastructures: background, policy and implementation.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 8, 2007 Summary The nation's health, wealth, and security rely on the production and distribution of certain goods and services. The array of physical assets, functions, and systems across which these goods and...

Nuclear arms control: the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 3, 2007 Summary On May 24, 2002, President Bush and Russia's President Putin signed the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (known as the Treaty of Moscow) that will reduce strategic nuclear weapons to between 1,700...

North Korea's nuclear weapons development and diplomacy.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 3, 2007 Summary North Korea's first test of a nuclear weapon on October 9, 2006, and its multiple missile tests of July 4, 2006, escalate the issue of North Korea in U.S. foreign policy. These acts show a North Korean...

International terrorism: threat, policy, and response.
January 1, 2007... Updated January 3, 2007 Summary This report examines international terrorist actions, threats, U.S. policies and responses. It reviews the nation's use of tools at its disposal to combat terrorism, from diplomacy, international...

Iraq: regional perspectives and U.S. policy.
January 1, 2007... January 12, 2007 Summary Iraq's neighbors have influenced events in Iraq since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003, and developments in Iraq have had political, economic, and security implications for Iraq's neighbors and...

Congressional restrictions on U.S. military operations in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Somalia, and Kosovo: funding and non-funding approaches.
January 1, 2007... January 16, 2007 Summary The main body of this report is a series of tables and an appendix that summarize and cite bill language that was intended to end or restrict U.S. military operations in Indochina between 1970 and 1973, in...

U.S. strategic and defense relationships in the Asia-Pacific region.
January 1, 2007... January 22, 2007 Summary This report begins with a question. What changes in U.S. strategic and defense relationships in the Asia-Pacific region, if any, are needed to respond to major developments in the region, particularly China's...

Defense contracting in Iraq: issues and options for Congress.
January 1, 2007... January 26, 2007 Summary The Department of Defense (DOD) is the largest agency in the federal government. It obligated nearly $270 billion on contracts for goods and services in FY2005--an 88% increase over the amount obligated in the...

Iran: profile and statements of presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
January 1, 2007... January 16, 2007 Summary On June 24, 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the presidency of Iran, in a run-off against the former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, where he also became the first non-cleric president in 24 years. This...