Home / Agencies / Independent Agencies

Independent Agencies

Executive agencies that sit outside any cabinet department and report to the President directly.

Administrative Conference of the United States
The small independent agency that studies federal agency procedures and recommends improvements in rulemaking and adjudication
AmeriCorps Reorganizing
The federal agency for national service that funds stipended members and senior volunteers working in American communities
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Reorganizing
The 2025 White House initiative to cut federal spending, staff, and contracts and modernize government technology
Federal Housing Finance Agency
The independent regulator of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks, and conservator of Fannie and Freddie since 2008
Federal Labor Relations Authority
The independent agency that oversees labor relations and union rights for most federal employees
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Reorganizing
The independent agency that mediates labor contract disputes between employers and unions to prevent or end strikes
Institute of Museum and Library Services Reorganizing
The independent agency that is the main federal funder of the nation's public libraries and museums
Merit Systems Protection Board
The quasi-judicial independent agency that hears federal employees' appeals of firings and other major personnel actions
National Endowment for the Arts
The independent agency that funds arts organizations, state arts agencies, and arts education across the country
National Endowment for the Humanities Reorganizing
The independent agency that funds research, education, preservation, and public programs in history, literature, and philosophy
National Transportation Safety Board
The independent agency that investigates aviation, rail, highway, marine, and pipeline accidents and recommends safety improvements
Office of Government Ethics
The small independent agency that leads the executive branch ethics program, including financial disclosure and conflict of interest rules
Peace Corps
The independent agency that sends American volunteers to live and work in communities abroad
Selective Service System
The independent agency that keeps a registry of young men who could be drafted into military service in a national emergency
The Central Intelligence Agency
The nation's principal foreign intelligence service: human spying, all-source analysis, and covert action abroad
The Environmental Protection Agency Reorganizing
The regulator of air, water, chemicals, pesticides, and hazardous waste
The General Services Administration Reorganizing
The government's landlord and purchasing agent: federal buildings, office leases, vehicles, supply contracts, and shared technology
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
The civilian space agency: human spaceflight, planetary science, Earth observation, and aeronautics research
The National Archives and Records Administration
Keeper of the Constitution and the government's permanent records, publisher of the Federal Register, and steward of presidential records
The National Science Foundation Reorganizing
The federal funder of basic research in every field of science and engineering except medicine
The Office of Personnel Management
The federal government's human resources agency: hiring rules, pay, benefits, and retirement for about 2.3 million civilian employees
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence Reorganizing
The head of the intelligence community: 18 agencies, one budget, and the President's Daily Brief
The Small Business Administration
Loan guarantees, disaster loans, and federal contracting preferences for the country's 34 million small businesses
The Social Security Administration
The agency that pays retirement, survivor, and disability benefits to about 70 million Americans every month
U.S. Agency for Global Media Reorganizing
The independent agency that oversees Voice of America and other government-funded international broadcasters
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
The bipartisan independent commission that investigates and reports on civil rights conditions and federal enforcement
U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
The federal development bank that lends to and invests in private projects in developing countries
U.S. Office of Special Counsel
The independent agency that protects federal employees and whistleblowers and enforces the Hatch Act
U.S. Trade and Development Agency
The small independent agency that funds early planning for infrastructure projects abroad that could use American goods and services