Public policy of the United States

The policies of the United States of America comprise all actions taken by its federal government. The executive branch is the primary entity through which policies are enacted, however the policies are derived from a collection of laws, executive decisions, and legal precedents.

The United States Capitol.

Types of policies
Main article: List of public policy topics by country § United States

The Almanac of Policy Issues, which provides background information, archived documents, and links to major U.S. public policy issues, organized the public policy of the United States into nine categories.

Agricultural policy

Agricultural policy of the United States is the governing policy for agriculture in the United States and is composed primarily of the periodically renewed federal U.S. farm bills.

In "A New Agricultural Policy for the United States," authors Dennis Keeney and Long Kemp summarize the agricultural policy of the United States as follows: "Because of its unique geography, weather, history and policies, the United States has an agriculture that has been dominated by production of commodity crops for use in animal, industrial and export enterprises. Over time agricultural policies evolved to support an industrialized, commodity-based agriculture. This evolution resulted in farmers leaving the land with agriculture moving to an industrial structure."[19]

Drug Policy

The drug policy of the United States is established by The Office of National Drug Control Policy, a former cabinet-level[20] component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, which was established by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. Its stated goal is to establish policies, priorities, and objectives to eradicate illicit drug use, drug manufacturing, and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences in the U.S.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy's two current specific goals are to "curtail illicit drug consumption in America" and to "improve the public health and public safety of the American people by reducing the consequences of drug abuse."[21] They plan to achieve these goals by taking the following actions:

  • Strengthen efforts to prevent drug use in communities
  • Seek early intervention opportunities in health care
  • Integrate treatment for substance use disorders into health care, and expand support for recovery
  • Break the cycle of drug use, crime, delinquency, and incarceration
  • Disrupt domestic drug trafficking and production
  • Strengthen international partnerships
  • Improve information systems for analysis, assessment, and local management[21]

Energy policy

The energy policy of the United States addresses issues of energy production, distribution, and consumption, such as building codes and gas mileage standards. The United States Department of Energy plays a major role, and its mission is "to ensure America's security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions."

Moreover, the White House provides a summary of the United States' current condition regarding its energy policy: "For decades it has been clear that the way Americans produce and consume energy is not sustainable. Our addiction to foreign oil and fossil fuels puts our economy, our national security and our environment at risk. To take this country in a new direction, the President is working with Congress to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation to protect our nation from the serious economic and strategic risks associated with our reliance on foreign oil, to create jobs, and to cut down on the carbon pollution that contributes to the destabilizing effects of climate change."

The following is a snapshot of the United States' current energy policy goals:

  • Clean Energy Economy: make the investments in clean energy sources that will put Americans back in control of our energy future, create millions of new jobs and lay the foundation for long-term economic security. This will be accomplished by taking the following actions:
    • Initiating recovery act investments in clean energy
    • Applying more stringent appliance efficiency standards
    • Leading the way in sustainability
    • Creating efficiency standards for cars and trucks
    • Making homes more energy efficient

Foreign policy

The foreign policy of the United States defines how the United States interacts with foreign nations. It only addresses the security of the American people and promotes international order. The following are the most prominent foreign policies of the United States:

  • Refocusing on the threat from al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan
  • Ending the war in Iraq responsibly
  • Keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists
  • Promoting interest and security in Israel and the Middle East
  • Re-energizing America's alliances
  • Maintaining core American values
  • Restoring American leadership in Latin America
  • Ensuring energy security and fighting climate change

Policy responses to the late-2000s recession
Main article: United States policy responses to the Great Recession

The Federal Reserve, Treasury, and Securities and Exchange Commission took several steps on September 19 to intervene in the crisis. To stop the potential run on money market mutual funds, the Treasury also announced on September 19 a new $50 billion program to insure the investments, similar to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) program.[22] Part of the announcements included temporary exceptions to section 23A and 23B (Regulation W), allowing financial groups to more easily share funds within their group. The exceptions would expire on January 30, 2009, unless extended by the Federal Reserve Board.[23] The Securities and Exchange Commission announced termination of short-selling of 799 financial stocks, as well as action against naked short selling, as part of its reaction to the mortgage crisis.[24]

Citation
  1. Almanac of Policy Issues "Capital Punishment 2000", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 21, 2011.
  2. Almanac of Policy Issues "Drug Abuse in America:2001", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 21, 2011.
  3. Almanac of Policy Issues "Gun Control", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 21, 2011.
  4. Almanac of Policy Issues "Abortion Law Development: A Brief Overview" Archived 2011-05-14 at the Wayback Machine, Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 21, 2011.
  5. Almanac of Policy Issues "Arts and humanities", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 21, 2011.
  6. Almanac of Policy Issues "Federal Anti-Discrimination Laws", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 21, 2011.
  7. Almanac of Policy Issues "Budget and Taxes", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 30, 2011.
  8. Almanac of Policy Issues "The State of U.S. Education", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 30, 2011.
  9. Almanac of Policy Issues "Post-Secondary Education Statistics", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 30, 2011.
  10. Almanac of Policy Issues "Plain English Guide To The Clean Air Act", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 30, 2011.
  11. Almanac of Policy Issues "Climate Change", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 30, 2011.
  12. Almanac of Policy Issues "Summary of the Shay's-Meehan Campaign Finance Reform Law", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 30, 2011.
  13. Almanac of Policy Issues "Charity and Volunteerism", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 30, 2011.
  14. Almanac of Policy Issues "Health Insurance Coverage", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 30, 2011.
  15. Almanac of Policy Issues "2000 Ways and Means Green Book: Medicare", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 30, 2011.
  16. Almanac of Policy Issues "Social Security Reform", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 30, 2011.
  17. Almanac of Policy Issues "Welfare Reform: An Issue Overview", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 30, 2011.
  18. Almanac of Policy Issues "FY 2004 Pentagon Budget", Almanac of Policy Issues, September 23, 2004, accessed March 30, 2011.
  19. The Minnesota Project A New Agricultural Policy of the United States., July, 2003, accessed February 16, 2011.
  20. Cook, Dave (2009-03-11). "New drug czar gets lower rank, promise of higher visibility". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2009-03-16. For one thing, in the Obama administration the Drug Czar will not have Cabinet status, as the job did during George W. Bush's administration.
  21. President Obama "2010 National Drug Control Policy.", Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2010, accessed February 21, 2011.
  22. Gullapalli, Diya and Anand, Shefali. "Bailout of Money Funds Seems to Stanch Outflow", The Wall Street Journal, September 20, 2008.
  23. (Press Release) FRB: Board Approves Two Interim Final Rules, Federal Reserve Bank, September 19, 2008.
  24. Boak, Joshua (Chicago Tribune). "SEC temporarily suspends short selling", San Jose Mercury News, September 19, 2008.
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