Federal Agencies and Departments
Executive Branch Agencies
- Boards, Commissions, Committees, Quazi-Official Agencies, and Miscellaneous
- Executive Branch Agencies
- Independent Establishments and Government Corporations
Department of Agriculture
http://www.usda.gov/
The USDA helps America's farmers and ranchers; leads the Federal anti-hunger effort with the Food Stamp, School Lunch, School Breakfast, and the WIC Programs; is the steward of our nation's 192 million acres of national forests and rangelands; is the country's largest conservation agency, encouraging voluntary efforts to protect soil, water, and wildlife on the 70 percent of America's lands that are in private hands; brings housing, modern telecommunications, and safe drinking water to rural America; is responsible for the safety of meat, poultry, and egg products; is a research leader in everything from human nutrition to new crop technologies that allow us to grow more food and fiber using less water and pesticides; and helps ensure open markets for U.S. agricultural products and provides food aid to needy people overseas.
Department of Commerce
http://home.doc.gov/
The Department of Commerce promotes job creation, economic growth, sustainable development and improved living standards for all Americans by working in partnership with business, universities, communities and workers to: Build for the future and promote U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace by strengthening and safeguarding the nation's economic infrastructure; Keep America competitive with cutting-edge science and technology and an unrivaled information base; Provide effective management and stewardship of the nation's resources and assets to ensure sustainable economic opportunities. The DOC makes possible the weather reports heard every morning; it facilitates technology that Americans use in the workplace and home every day; it supports the development, gathering and transmitting of information essential to competitive business; it makes possible the diversity of companies and goods found in America's (and the world's) marketplaces; it supports environmental and economic health for the communities in which Americans live and it conducts the constitutionally mandated decennial census which is the basis of representative democracy.
Department of Defense
http://www.defenselink.mil/
The Department of Defense trains and equips the armed forces through their three military departments -- the Army, Navy and Air Force. The Marine Corps, being mainly an amphibious force, is part of the Department of the Navy. The primary job of the military departments is to train and equip their personnel to perform war fighting, peacekeeping and humanitarian/disaster assistance tasks.
Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/
The Department of Education houses and supports a number of organizations that provide research, evaluation, and statistical information, including the Office of Educational Research and Improvement; National Center for Education Statistics, the main federal organization responsible for collecting and analyzing data on education; Planning and Evaluation Service, which oversees evaluations of major federal education programs; National Assessment of Educational Progress -- 'the nation's report card" and the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas; Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, which supports innovative projects for improving postsecondary education; National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, which administers research in support of the full inclusion, social integration, employment, and independent living of disabled individuals of all ages; Organizations sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs, many of which provide information about research findings related to special education; and National Research and Dissemination Centers for Career and Technical Education, which provide research-based information about career and technical education programs.
Department of Energy
http://www.energy.gov/
The Department of Energy's overarching mission is enhancing national security. Responsibility for accomplishing this mission is shared between four principle program lines. (1) The National Defense Programs of the Department which has four overriding priorities which include insuring the integrity and safety of the country's nuclear weapons; promoting international nuclear safety; advancing nuclear non-proliferation, and, continuing to provided safe, efficient, and effective nuclear power plants for the United States Navy. (2) The Department's energy programs is to: increase domestic energy production; revolutionize our approach energy conservation and efficiency; and, promote the development of renewable and alternative energy sources. (3) The priorities of Department's environmental programs is to: ensure that safety legacies of the cold war are addressed and resolved and done so in a manner that does not impede future national security missions; and, to permanently and safely disposing of the nation's radioactive wastes. (4) The top priority of the Department's science program is the sponsorship of cutting-edge science & technology research and development that revolutionizes how we find, produce, and deliver energy.
Department of Health and Human Services
http://www.dhhs.gov/
The Department of Health and Human Services is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. The department includes more than 300 programs, covering a wide spectrum of activities. HS is the largest grant-making agency in the federal government, providing some 60,000 grants per year. HHS' Medicare program is the nation's largest health insurer, handling more than 900 million claims per year.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
http://www.hud.gov/
The Department of Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 created HUD as Cabinet-level agency.
Department of the Interior
http://www.doi.gov/
Interior, Department of the, executive department of the United States government, established by Congress in 1849. The department is headed by a secretary appointed by the president with the approval of the Senate. As the nation's principal conservation agency, the department has the responsibility of protecting and conserving the country's land, water, minerals, fish, and wildlife; of promoting the wise use of all these natural resources; of maintaining national parks and recreation areas; and of preserving historic places. It also provides for the welfare of Native American reservation communities and of inhabitants of island territories under U.S. administration.
Department of Justice
http://www.usdoj.gov/
The position of Attorney General was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789. In June 1870, Congress enacted a law entitled "An Act to Establish the Department of Justice." This Act established the Attorney General as head of the Department of Justice and gave the Attorney General direction and control of U.S. Attorneys and all other counsel employed on behalf of the United States. The Act also vested in the Attorney General supervisory power over the accounts of U.S. Attorneys, U.S. Marshals, clerks, and other officers of the federal courts. The mission of the Office of the Attorney General is to supervise and direct the administration and operation of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Bureau of Prisons, Office of Justice Programs, and the Offices of U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals, which are all within the Department of Justice.
Department of Labor
http://www.dol.gov/
The U.S. Department of Labor was created by Congress in 1913. The Department of Labor fosters and promotes the welfare of the job seekers, wage earners, and retirees of the United States by improving their working conditions, advancing their opportunities for profitable employment, protecting their retirement and health care benefits, helping employers find workers, strengthening free collective bargaining, and tracking changes in employment, prices, and other national economic measurements. In carrying out this mission, the Department administers a variety of Federal labor laws including those that guarantee workers' rights to safe and healthful working conditions; a minimum hourly wage and overtime pay; freedom from employment discrimination; unemployment insurance; and other income support.
Department of State
http://www.state.gov/
The Department of State is the lead U.S. foreign affairs agency, and the Secretary of State is the President's principal foreign policy adviser. The Department advances U.S. objectives and interests in shaping a freer, more secure, and more prosperous world through its primary role in developing and implementing the President's foreign policy. The Department also supports the foreign affairs activities of other U.S. Government entities including the Department of Commerce and the Agency for International Development. It also provides an array of important services to U.S. citizens and to foreigners seeking to visit or immigrate to the U.S.
Department of Transportation
http://www.dot.gov/
Leadership of the DOT is provided by the Secretary of Transportation, who is the principal adviser to the President in all matters relating to federal transportation programs. The Secretary is assisted by the Deputy Secretary in this role. The Office of the Secretary (OST) oversees the formulation of national transportation policy and promotes intermodal transportation. Other responsibilities range from negotiation and implementation of international transportation agreements, assuring the fitness of US airlines, enforcing airline consumer protection regulations, issuance of regulations to prevent alcohol and illegal drug misuse in transportation systems and preparing transportation legislation.
Department of the Treasury
http://www.ustreas.gov/
Mission of the Department of the Treasury is to: Promote Prosperous and Stable American and World Economies; Manage the Government's Finances; Safeguard Our Financial Systems, Protect Our Nation's Leaders, and Secure a Safe and Drug-Free America; and Continue to Build a Strong Institution.
Department of Veteran Affairs
http://www.va.gov/
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was established on March 15, 1989. It succeeded the Veterans Administration and has responsibility for providing federal benefits to veterans and their dependents. Headed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, VA is the second largest of the 14 Cabinet departments and operates nationwide programs of health care, financial assistance and national cemeteries.
Farm Credit Administration
http://www.fca.gov/
The Farm Credit Administration (FCA or Agency) is an independent agency in the executive branch of the U.S. Government. It is responsible for the regulation and examination of the banks, associations, and related entities that collectively comprise what is known as the Farm Credit System (System), including the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac). Initially created by an Executive order of the President in 1933, the Agency now derives its powers and authorities from the Farm Credit Act of 1971, as amended (Act). FCA's mission is to promote a safe and sound, competitive Farm Credit System.
Food and Drug Administration
http://www.fda.gov/
The origins of the Food and Drug Administration can be traced back to 1862, when President Lincoln appointed chemist Charles M. Wetherill to head the Chemical Division in the new U. S. Department of Agriculture. In the following the division grew into the Bureau of Chemistry in 1901. The bureau was charged to enforce the first comprehensive federal statute of its kind, the Federal Food and Drugs Act, when that law was passed in 1906. In 1927 Congress authorized the formation of the Food, Drug, and Insecticide Administration from the regulatory wing of the Bureau of Chemistry; the aim of the agency was shortened to the Food and Drug Administration in 1930. The FDA strives to maximize public health protection while minimizing regulatory burden.
Internal Revenue Services
http://www.irs.gov/
The Internal Revenue Service is the nation's tax collection agency and administers the Internal Revenue Code enacted by Congress. Its mission: to provide America's taxpayers with top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and by applying the tax law with integrity and fairness to all. The IRS, a branch of the Department of Treasury, deals directly with more Americans than any other institution, public or private. It also is one of the world's most efficient tax agencies. In 2000, the IRS collected more than $2 trillion in revenue and processed 226 million tax returns. It cost taxpayers 39-cents for each $100 collected by the IRS, the lowest cost/collection ratio since 1954.
Office of the Federal Environmental Executive
http://www.ofee.gov/
On October 20, 1993, the President signed Executive Order 12873, Federal Acquisition, Recycling, and Waste Prevention. This Order established the position of Federal Environmental Executive (FEE) to provide clear national direction for Federal agencies, track government's progress and to ensure compliance with E.O. 12873. It also created the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE), made of Agency representatives which support the FEE in conducting his/her responsibilities. The mission statement of FEE is to advocate, coordinate, and assist environmental efforts of the Federal community in waste prevention, recycling, the affirmative procurement of guideline items and the acquisition of recycled and environmentally preferable products and services.
Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive
http://www.nacic.gov/
On December 28, 2000, Presidential Decision Directive (PDD)-75 was enacted to improve the national counterintelligence organization and capability of the United States. The central feature of PDD-75 was the establishment of the Office of the Counterintelligence Executive which will be headed by a national CI Executive. The CI Board of Directors also includes the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and a Department of Justice official representing the Attorney General. The CI Executive serves as the substantive leader of national level counterintelligence in the United States and is responsible and reports to the Counterintelligence Board of Directors. The NCIX responsibilities include protection against economic espionage. It provides national-level counterintelligence products and services for the US Government and the U.S. private sector as well as providing national-level counterintelligence products and services for the US Government and the U.S. private sector.
President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
http://www.pcah.gov/
The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities plays a key role within each Administration in identifying issues and developing initiatives in the arts and the humanities of critical importance to the nation. Established by Executive Order in 1982 to help restore and incorporate the arts and humanities in government objectives, the Committee serves the Administration by advising on the effectiveness of these endeavors, providing a mechanism for interagency collaboration, and undertaking projects extending the reach and quality of national arts and the humanities programs.
U.S. Department of the Interior
www.doi.gov/
Responsible for the management of federal lands, including the entire National Park System. Also responsible for enforcing laws that protect threatened and endangered species and that govern the management of wildlife refugees. Review its divisions and collection of resources relating to preserving and protecting natural resources.
U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE)
http://www.usoge.gov/
The Office of Government Ethics (OGE), a small agency within the executive branch, was established by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. Originally part of the Office of Personnel Management, OGE became a separate agency on October 1, 1989 as part of the Office of Government Ethics Reauthorization Act of 1988. The Office of Government Ethics exercises leadership in the executive branch to prevent conflicts of interest on the part of Government employees, and to resolve those conflicts of interest that do occur. In partnership with executive branch agencies and departments, OGE fosters high ethical standards for employees and strengthens the public's confidence that the Government's business is conducted with impartiality and integrity.
