President Carter created the Office of Administration in 1977 through a reorganization plan and executive order, consolidating the administrative staffs that had grown up separately in each White House unit. Its job is to run the internal machinery of the Executive Office of the President so that policy offices like the National Security Council and the Office of Management and Budget do not each maintain their own.
The office handles information technology and cybersecurity for the White House complex, financial management and budgeting, human resources and payroll, procurement, facilities, the library and research service, and records management. It is led by a director, typically a senior White House staff member, and operates largely out of public view in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and nearby offices.
Its records work has drawn the most attention. In 2007 the office was at the center of a dispute over millions of missing White House emails, and in 2009 a federal appeals court ruled that it is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act because it only supports the President and his advisers rather than exercising independent authority. Its systems also carry out the preservation duties of the Presidential Records Act.
| Status | Active |
| Abbreviation | OA |
| Part of | The Executive Office of the President |
| Led by | Director |
| Legal basis | Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1977, Executive Order 12028 |
| Official site | whitehouse.gov |
| Established | 1977, Reorganization Plan No. 1 and EO 12028 |
| Serves | All units of the Executive Office of the President |
| Functions | IT, finance, HR, procurement, facilities, records |
| FOIA | Not covered, per 2009 appeals court ruling |
| Head | Director |
| Date | Established December 12, 1977 |
| Location | Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C. |