The Congressional Research Service has cranked out a 76-page overview of the major issues that lie ahead for the new Congress. Heading the list, of course, is “what to do in Iraq.” The CRS notes that lawmakers must, in addition to evaluating the Iraq Study Group recommendations, decide what role Congress must play, suggesting that the issue of supplemental appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan could be the pivotal tool in any debate. CRS includes overall defense spending in its list of “major issues.”
The Air Force has spent more than two years studying cancer risks to Airmen who work with the service's intercontinental ballistic missiles. Now lawmakers in Congress are placing fresh scrutiny on the issue and have prepared legislation that would direct the service to clean silos and launch facilities.