Yemen
Untangling the Yemen Arms Sales Debate
Scott R. Anderson Fri, Jun 14, 2019, 1:10 PM
The fight over U.S. involvement in Yemen is shifting to new legal terrain: the president’s authority to engage in arms sales.
Scott R. Anderson is a David M. Rubenstein fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. He previously served as an Attorney-Adviser in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State and as the legal advisor for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.
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Documents
Committees in the House of Representatives Have Released Drafts of the F2020 NDAA and Defense Authorization Bill
Scott R. Anderson, Hadley Baker Wed, Jun 12, 2019, 2:02 PM
On June 11, the House Armed Services Committee released its draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the 2020 fiscal year (H.R. 2500). The committee’s summary states that the proposed bill focuses on addressing threats to the United States by authorizing a defense system that is “inclusive, accountable, and responsible in the management of its resources.” The proposal authorizes defense spending up to $733 billion dollars.
Congress
The House Streamlines Subpoena Enforcement
Molly E. Reynolds, Scott R. Anderson Wed, Jun 12, 2019, 10:11 AM
A new measure makes changes that increase the power of House committees to pursue enforcement of additional subpoenas.
Trade and Security
The Legal Authority Behind Trump’s New Tariffs on Mexico
Scott R. Anderson, Kathleen Claussen Mon, Jun 3, 2019, 4:19 PM
The Trump administration’s latest tariff action isn’t necessarily unprecedented. But that doesn’t make it any less exceptional.
Secrecy: FOIA
Why We’re Suing the FBI (Again)
Scott R. Anderson, Benjamin Wittes Mon, May 20, 2019, 5:22 PM
Like last year, we’ve asked the FBI for the results of its internal climate survey. And once again, we’re going to court to get them.
Secrecy: FOIA
Closing the Book on Spanberger’s SF-86
Evan Kielar, Scott R. Anderson Mon, May 13, 2019, 5:25 PM
Last year, one of us filed a “meta-FOIA” request with Benjamin Wittes seeking information on how former CIA officer and then-congressional candidate (now congresswoman) Abigail Spanberger’s unredacted SF-86 form was released in response to a right-wing advocacy group’s FOIA request. We petitioned both the National Archives and Records Administrations (NARA) and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), each of which had played a role in the release.
Terrorism
How Trump Might Designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Terrorist Organization
Scott R. Anderson Mon, May 13, 2019, 12:10 PM
Experts have focused on the possibility that the Trump administration will designate the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. But there are other tools the Trump administration could use.