The Debt Limit: CRS Experts
Donald J. Marples
Section Research Manager
July 28, 2011
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R41943
CRS Report for Congress
Pr
epared for Members and Committees of Congress

The Debt Limit: CRS Experts

The following table provides access to names and contact information for CRS experts on policy
concerns relating to the debt limit and legislative proposals to raise the debt limit. Policy areas
identified include
• cross-cutting debt limit issues;
• domestic social policy-related programs and agencies;
• foreign affairs, defense, and trade-related programs and agencies; and
• agriculture, environment, natural resources, science and technology, and
transportation programs and agencies.
Table 1. The Debt Limit: CRS Experts
Legislative Issues
Name/Title
Phone
E-mail
General debt limit issues
Impact of Reaching the Debt
Mindy R. Levit
7-7792 mlevit@crs.loc.gov

Limit on economy and
Analyst in Public Finance
financial markets
Marc Labonte
7-0640 mlabonte@crs.loc.gov
Specialist in Macroeconomic Policy
D. Andrew Austin
7-6552 aaustin@crs.loc.gov
Analyst in Economic Policy
Spending caps, sequestration,
Bill Heniff Jr.
7-8646 wheniff@crs.loc.gov
and other budget process
Analyst on Congress and the Legislative
Process
Megan Suzanne Lynch
7-7853 mlynch@crs.loc.gov
Analyst on Congress and the Legislative
Process
Expedited process
Christopher M. Davis
7-0656 cmdavis@crs.loc.gov
Analyst on Congress and the Legislative
Process
Legal issues
Todd B. Tatelman
7-4697 ttatelman@crs.loc.gov
Legislative Attorney

Thomas J. Nicola
7-5004 tnicola@crs.loc.gov
Legislative Attorney

Kenneth R. Thomas
7-5006 kthomas@crs.loc.gov
Legislative Attorney
Cross-cutting issues
Congressional operations
Ida A. Brudnick
7-6460 ibrudnick@crs.loc.gov
Analyst on the Congress
R. Eric Petersen
7-0643 epetersen@crs.loc.gov
Specialist in American National
Government
Executive branch operations
Clinton T. Brass
7-4536 cbrass@crs.loc.gov
Analyst in Government Organization and
Management
Virginia A. McMurtry
7-8678 vmcmurtry@crs.loc.gov

Specialist in American National
Government
Congressional Research Service
1

The Debt Limit: CRS Experts

Legislative Issues
Name/Title
Phone
E-mail
Judiciary operations
Lorraine H. Tong
7-5846 ltong@crs.loc.gov
Analyst in American National
Government
Denis Steven Rutkus
7-7162 drutkus@crs.loc.gov
Specialist on the Federal Judiciary
Entitlement Payments
Kathleen S. Swendiman
7-9105 kswendiman@crs.loc.gov
Legislative Attorney
Government contracts law
Kate M. Manuel
7-4477 kmanuel@crs.loc.gov
Legislative Attorney
Kathleen S. Swendiman
7-9105 kswendiman@crs.loc.gov
Legislative Attorney
Federal grants law
Kathleen S. Swendiman
7-9105 kswendiman@crs.loc.gov
Legislative Attorney
Domestic social policy-related programs and agencies
Medicare and Medicaid
Patricia A. Davis
7-7362 pdavis@crs.loc.gov
Specialist in Health Care Financing
Pell Grants
Shannon M. Mahan
7-7759 smahan@crs.loc.gov
Specialist in Education Policy

David P. Smole
7-0624 dsmole@crs.loc.gov
Specialist in Education Policy
Social Security
Dawn Nuschler
7-6283 dnuschler@crs.loc.gov

Specialist in Income Security
Unemployment insurance
Katelin P. Isaacs
7-7355 kisaacs@crs.loc.gov

Analyst in Income Security
Discretionary Health
C. Stephen Redhead
7-2261 credhead@crs.loc.gov
Programs
Specialist in Health Policy
Social Security/SSI Disability
Scott Szymendera
7-0014 sszymendera@crs.loc.gov
Determinations
Analyst in Disability Policy
Health Care Fraud and Abuse
Cliff Binder
7-7965 cbinder@crs.loc.gov
Analyst in Health Care Financing
Foreign affairs, defense, and trade-related programs and agencies
Coordinator
Gary J. Pagliano
7-1750 gpagliano@crs.loc.gov

Section Research Manager
(will help identify subject
matter experts for unlisted
areas)
Department of Defense
Stephen Daggett
7-7642 sdaggett@crs.loc.gov

(DOD) operations
Specialist in Defense Policy and Budgets

Amy Belasco
7-7627 abelasco@crs.loc.gov

Specialist in Defense Policy and Budgets
Sovereign debt in advanced
Rebecca Nelson
7-6819 rnelson@crs.loc.gov

economies
Analyst in International Trade and
Finance

James Jackson
7-7751 jjackson@crs.loc.gov

Specialist in International Trade and
Finance
Congressional Research Service
2

The Debt Limit: CRS Experts

Legislative Issues
Name/Title
Phone
E-mail
International Credit Ratings
James Jackson
7-7751 jjackson@crs.loc.gov

Specialist in International Trade and
Finance
Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources, Science and Technology, and Transportation programs and
agencies

Coordinator
Ralph M. Chite
7-7296
rchite@crs.loc.gov
(will help identify subject matter
Section Research Manager
experts for all areas)


Author Contact Information

Donald J. Marples

Section Research Manager
dmarples@crs.loc.gov, 7-3739


Congressional Research Service
3