CBO Report: “The debt limit—commonly referred to as the debt ceiling—is the maximum amount of debt that the Department of the Treasury can issue to the public and to other federal agencies. That amount is set by law and has been increased over the years in order to finance the government’s operations. The debt ceiling… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
CRS – Poverty in the United States: 2012
Poverty in the United States: 2012 – Thomas Gabe , Specialist in Social Policy. November 13, 2013 “In 2012, the U.S. poverty rate was 15.0%—46.5 million persons were estimated as having income below the official poverty line. Neither the poverty rate nor the number of persons counted as poor in 2012 differed statistically from 2011 or 2010. In… Continue Reading
Chairman Bernanke: Communication and Monetary Policy
Chairman Ben S. Bernanke At the National Economists Club Annual Dinner, Herbert Stein Memorial Lecture, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2013. [snipped] “In coming meetings, in evaluating the outlook for the labor market, we will continue to consider both the cumulative progress since September 2012 and the prospect for continued gains. We have seen meaningful improvement in… Continue Reading
Recently declassified Section 501 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act documents
“The recently declassified Section 501 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) documents have been posted on the Office of the Director of National Intelligence site (ODNI). These documents include: orders and opinions of the Foreign Surveillance Court; reports to Congress; other reports; training slides and other internal documents. More information about this as well as links to… Continue Reading
Global economy recovering at moderate pace but more risks ahead, says OECD
“The global economy is expected to continue expanding at a moderate pace over the coming two years, but policymakers must ensure that instability in financial markets and underlying fragility in some major economies are not allowed to derail growth, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook…GDP growth across the 34-member OECD is projected to accelerate from… Continue Reading
OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard
‘Science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship – which foster competitiveness, productivity, and job creation – are important mechanisms for encouraging sustainable growth. The 260 indicators in the OECD Science, Technology and Industry (STI) Scoreboard 2013 show how OECD and partner economies are performing in a wide range of areas to help governments design more effective and… Continue Reading
Agencies Release a Regulatory Capital Estimation Tool for Community Banks
“The federal bank regulatory agencies today released an estimation tool to help community banks understand the potential effects of the recently revised regulatory capital framework on their capital ratios. The revised framework implements the Basel III regulatory capital reforms and certain changes required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. In July… Continue Reading
DOJ, Federal and State Partners Secure Record $13 Billion Global Settlement with JPMorgan
DOJ news release: “The Justice Department, along with federal and state partners, today announced a $13 billion settlement with JPMorgan – the largest settlement with a single entity in American history – to resolve federal and state civil claims arising out of the packaging, marketing, sale and issuance of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) by JPMorgan,… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Maritime Security, Navy Shipbuilding
MARITIME SECURITY – DHS Could Benefit from Tracking Progress in Implementing the Small Vessel Security Strategy, GAO-14-32, Oct 31, 2013 MARITIME SECURITY – Progress and Challenges in Key DHS Programs to Secure the Maritime Borders, GAO-14-196T, Nov 19, 2013 NAVY SHIPBUILDING – Opportunities Exist to Improve Practices Affecting Quality, GAO-14-122, Nov 19, 2013 Continue Reading
Cryptographer and Harvard Scholar – NSA broke Internet’s security for everyone
Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica: “To say that there are a lot of people who are angry with the National Security Agency (NSA) right now would be an understatement. But the things that are getting the most political attention right now—such as the invasion of the privacy of American citizens and spying on the leaders of American… Continue Reading
IG – EPA Does Not Adequately Follow National Security Information Classification Standards
EPA Does Not Adequately Follow National Security Information Classification Standards, Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General, November 15, 2013. “Our review of both originally and derivatively EPA’s national security information could be classified documents generated by three offices improperly classified found that the EPA does not sufficiently follow without improved national security information classification standards. procedures. Of the… Continue Reading
Report – A Scarcity of Rare Metals Is Hindering Green Technologies
Nicola Jones: A shortage of “rare earth” metals, used in everything from electric car batteries to solar panels to wind turbines, is hampering the growth of renewable energy technologies. Researchers are now working to find alternatives to these critical elements or better ways to recycle them. “The move toward new and better technologies — from… Continue Reading
