Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress' request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This month brings us reports on the budget, foreign relations, military issues, and much more. Although these reports are in the public domain, there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report, you can request it from your senator or representative. These reports were discovered by Secrecy News:

• Congressional Oversight of Intelligence: Current Structure and Alternatives
• Congressional Oversight of Agency Public Communications:  Implications of Agency New Media Use
• The Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI): Budget Authority and Request, FY2010-FY2013
• Russia’s March 2012 Presidential Election:  Outcome and Implications
• Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA): What Is It, and How Has It Been Utilized? 
• The U.S. Income Distribution and Mobility: Trends and International Comparisons 
• Changing the Federal Reserve’s Mandate: An Economic Analysis 
• Cybersecurity: Cyber Crime Protection Security Act (S.2111) — A Legal Analysis 
• Change in the Middle East: Implications for U.S. Policy 
• U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel 
• Cuba: Issues for the 112th Congress 
• Europe’s Energy Security: Options and Challenges to Natural Gas Supply Diversification 
• China’s Banking System: Issues for Congress
• Rising Gasoline Prices 2012
• Gun Control Legislation
• Budget Process Reform: Proposals and Legislative Actions in 2012
• Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses
• North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons: Technical Issues
• Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians
• The Eurozone Crisis: Overview and Issues for Congress
• Sovereign Debt in Advanced Economies: Overview and Issues for Congress
• Direct Overt U.S. Aid and Military Reimbursements to Pakistan, FY2002-FY2012
• Military Construction: A Snapshot of the President’s FY2013 Appropriations Request
• The Depreciating Dollar:  Economic Effects and Policy Response
• Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions
• Evaluating the Current Stance of Monetary Policy Using a Taylor Rule
• Who Earns Pass-Through Business Income? An Analysis of Individual Tax Return Data
• Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990
• Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress
• Energy Projects on Federal Lands:  Leasing and Authorization
• Financial Performance of the Major Oil Companies, 2007-2011 
• Representatives and Senators: Trends in Member Characteristics Since 1945
• The Federal Communications Commission: Current Structure and Its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape
• F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
• War Powers Litigation Initiated by Members of Congress Since the Enactment of the War Powers Resolution
• Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy 
• Extraterritorial Application of American Criminal Law 
• Civilian Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act: Federal Contractor Criminal Liability Overseas
• Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons
• The U.S. Export Control System and the President’s Reform Initiative
• NATO Common Funds Burdensharing: Background and Current Issues
• The Federal Budget: Issues for FY2013 and Beyond, 
• Reducing the Budget Deficit: Policy Issues
• Burma’s Political Prisoners and U.S. Sanctions
• Previewing the Next Farm Bill

Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the Congressional database, which has reports dating back to 1916.

Not on campus but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.