The following is a list of CBO reports and other documents reflecting recent activity, received on July 21, 2023:
Selected List of Opinion Summaries Published by Justia, Week Ending, July 21, 2023
During this past week (week ending July 21,2023) we have received listings of 35 Government and Administrative Law Summaries, 69 Constitutional Law summaries and 64 Criminal Law Summaries . We plan is to continue posting opinion summaries, under corresponding areas of law, weekly whenever possible in order to keep blog readers updated. To gain access to these case summaries, click on the corresponding links below:
Opinion Summaries Posted for Week Ending July 21, 2023:
Congressional Budget Office: Projected Costs of U.S. Nuclear Forces, 2023 – 2032
Report, July 14, 2023
CBO estimates that plans for U.S. nuclear forces, as described in the fiscal year 2023 budget and supporting documents, would cost $756 billion over the 2023–2032 period, $122 billion more than CBO’s 2021 estimate for the 2021–2030 period.
Summary:
Congressional Budget Office: S.1464, Enhancing Department of Homeland Security Drug Seizures Act
As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on May 17, 2023
This bill would:
• Authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide danger pay allowances to employees who
Selected List of Opinion Summaries Published by Justia, Week Ending July 14, 2023
During this past week (week ending July 14,2023) we have received listings of 29 Government and Administrative Law Summaries, 68 Constitutional Law summaries and 67 Criminal Law Summaries . We plan is to continue posting opinion summaries, under corresponding areas of law, weekly whenever possible in order to keep blog readers updated. To gain access to these case summaries, click on the corresponding links below:
Opinion Summaries Posted for Week Ending July 14, 2023:
The Urgency for Greater Cybersecurity
Cyber risk is one of the great concerns sitting at the top of any government, as hacker attacks and other security breaches have the potential to jeopardize the global economy and other aspects of everyday life. Wide reporting indicates the proliferation of cyber attacks worldwide at a substantial and increasing rate, thereby unleashing severe damage to companies, governments and individuals worldwide. This proliferation of widespread attacks is creating an increasingly urgent need for greater cybersecurity for those in all sectors utilizing online networks. Users include governments, corporations, various other organizations and individuals who stand to benefit from the greater convenience, efficiencies, and sometimes cost benefits made available through online use.
Cyber criminals and others in the business of victimizing online users also benefit. While some may be primarily interested in creating mischief, which can itself prove harmful, professional cybercriminals are usually looking for much more. Usually, the basis of their primary motives comes down to either money or power. For purposes of classification, their motives are typically grouped into one or more of the following three categories:
- Denial of Service. The motive for this type of attack is usually revenge. Some attackers may launch DDoS attacks as retaliation against a person, organization, or business that they perceive has wronged them. Some attackers may similarly target a competing business or organization to disrupt their services and gain an advantage in the market.
CBO Director: Testimony on Social Security’s Finances, July 12,2023
CBO’s Director, Phillip Swagel, testifies about the agency’s projections of Social Security’s finances before the Senate Budget Committee.
Established in 1974, The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a federal agency within the legislative branch of the United States government. It is charged with providing members of Congress objective analysis of budgeting and economic issues to support the congressional budget process. Each year, CBO economists and budget analysts produce dozens of reports and hundreds of cost estimates for proposed legislation. This posting includes a summary of Director Swagel’s testimony, a link to the full text of the testimony, and a list of publications that relate to the testimony.
Summary:
Selected List of Opinion Summaries Published by Justia, Week Ending July 7, 2023
During this past week (week ending July 7,2023) we have received listings of 24 Government and Administrative Law Summaries, 45 Constitutional Law summaries and 50 Criminal Law Summaries . We plan is to continue posting opinion summaries, under corresponding areas of law, weekly whenever possible in order to keep blog readers updated. To gain access to these case summaries, click on the corresponding links below:
Opinion Summaries Posted for Week Ending July 7, 2023:
SCOTUS: Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v President and Fellows of Harvard College, Remarks and Statements
On June 29,2023, the Supreme Court delivered its decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. The Court held that Harvard College’s admissions system does not comply with the principles of the equal protection clause embodied in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The decision, by a vote of 6–2, reversed the lower court ruling. In writing the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts held that affirmative action in college admissions is unconstitutional. The Court did not decide whether race-based affirmative action can continue in U.S. military academies,[9] which the solicitor general urged the Court to continue to allow in the government’s amicus brief. The the court also did not rule out race entirely in admission programs, adding, “nothing prohibits universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected the applicant’s life, so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university.”
REMARKS AND STATEMENTS:
It was only a short time after the Supreme Court announced that it had delivered its decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College that emails and other media containing messages reacting to the decision started appearing. Thinking that readers of this blog might be interested in becoming aware of, and reading, some of these messages, we started our own searching on the web. Some of our searches were general, some more specific. As the search results mounted up into the hundreds, it became clear that time and space made it impossible to tabulate all, or even most, of our search results on this blog. We have therefore resorted to presenting you a relatively short, manageable list that hopefully you will find helpful and enlightening.
The State of the Economy of the United States: As Viewed by GAO and CBO
In an earlier posting, CBO Projections: The 2023 Budget, we provided Congressional Budget Office (CBO) documents which discuss, from a budgetary perspective, their analysis and projections of what the federal budget and economy would look like over the next 20 years, if current laws generally remain unchanged. In this posting we focus primarily on material provided by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to provide more general dimension to this discussion. The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 formed the then named General Accounting Office to investigate all matters related to the use of public funds. The Act also required GAO to report its findings to Congress and recommend ways to increase economy and efficiency in government spending. It is an independent, non-partisan agency that works for Congress.
Both the GAO and the CBO are partners in supporting Congress in its effort to ensure accountability to the American people. While both can be involved in the development and analysis of federal and defense budgets, sometimes collaborating in these initiatives, the GAO is also responsible for monitoring expenditures, including excessive spending, and issuing legal decisions on matters such as those related to disputes involving the awarding of government contracts, and has the power to investigate activities of the executive branch, although its enforcement powers are considered negligible.
Regarding The State of the Economy of the United States: As Viewed by GAO and CBO, there are indications from the various federal agencies reporting on these matters that over the long term the nation’s fiscal health may be in peril if current fiscal policies remain unchanged..