Brookings Institution

On April 28, 2026, the House Ways and Means Committee summoned the chief executives of four major hospital systems to testify on hospital prices and consolidation.

Summary Congress established a useful regulatory framework for defined contribution (DC) plan investments, and delegated implementation of this framework to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The DOL’s rules delineate a safe harbor limiting the liability of employers that select a menu of investments for participants in a DC plan—requiring three diversified funds with different return and risk characteristics.

In the aftermath of the recent meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that China and the U.S. would “set up a protocol” regarding “best practices for AI to make sure nonstate actors don’t get a hold of these models.” On May 19, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun confirmed the two leaders agreed to conduct an “intergovernmental dialogue” on AI.

The Greater New Orleans region is widely recognized as a cultural and economic driver for Louisiana, yet too many of its residents do not share in this prosperity—leaving the region and its people vulnerable to economic shocks. Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the federal levees, many investments have been made in state and regional economic development, but the recovery has been uneven. Economic opportunity and outcomes vary greatly by race, age, gender, and ZIP code.

Brookings convened three experts with deep backgrounds in security studies to examine two central questions about the military competition between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). First, in light of China’s rapid military modernization, in what domains does the United States continue to maintain an absolute military advantage, and where—if at all—has China gained the upper hand?

On June 18, 2026, the Congressional Study Group on Foreign Relations and National Security convened in-person on Capitol Hill to discuss how the legal landscape governing domestic military deployments has changed in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Illinois. Over the past year, the Trump administration repeatedly deployed U.S. armed forces on domestic missions in support of immigration and other federal law enforcement efforts. In its late December decision in Trump v.

Editor's note: The following is a summary of the 50th session of the Congressional Study Group on Foreign Relations and National Security, a program for congressional staff focused on critically engaging the legal and policy factors that define the role that Congress plays in various aspects of U.S. foreign relations and national security policy.

Editor's note: The following is a summary of the 49th session of the Congressional Study Group on Foreign Relations and National Security, a program for congressional staff focused on critically engaging the legal and policy factors that define the role that Congress plays in various aspects of U.S. foreign relations and national security policy.

On Feb. 20, 2026, the Congressional Study Group on Foreign Relations and National Security convened virtually to discuss the legal questions surrounding the Trump administration’s management of Venezuela’s oil revenue, sovereign debt, and economic rehabilitation. Since the Jan.

Editor's note: The following is a summary of the 47th session of the Congressional Study Group on Foreign Relations and National Security, a program for congressional staff focused on critically engaging the legal and policy factors that define the role that Congress plays in various aspects of U.S. foreign relations and national security policy. On Dec.