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Many of the urgent policy concerns identified here are critical and time sensitive and require prioritized federal action. They include: oversight of financial institutions and markets, U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, protecting the homeland, undisciplined defense spending, improving the U.S. image abroad, finalizing plans for the 2010 Census, caring for service members,
preparing for public health emergencies, revamping oversight of food safety, restructuring the approach to surface transportation, retirement of the Space Shuttle, ensuring an effective transition to digital TV, and rebuilding military readiness.”