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Departments

The fifteen executive departments, their major bureaus and sub-agencies, and the cabinet secretaries who run them. · 158 entries

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The Department of Labor
Wages and hours, workplace safety, pensions, job training, and the statistics that measure work in America
The National Park Service
The agency that runs 433 parks, monuments, battlefields, and historic sites for more than 300 million visitors a year
The Department of Health and Human Services Reorganizing
The biggest budget in government: Medicare, Medicaid, the FDA, the CDC, the NIH, and the social services agencies
The National Institutes of Health
The largest funder of medical research in the world: 27 institutes, 47 billion dollars, and 300,000 scientists on its grants
Browse by Subcategory
State
7 entries
The department that conducts American diplomacy, runs the embassies, and issues passports and visas.
Treasury
11 entries
The department that collects taxes, prints the money, manages the national debt, and polices the financial system.
Defense
20 entries
The Pentagon and the military departments, intelligence agencies, and commands under it.
Justice
16 entries
The federal law enforcement and litigating department: the FBI, DEA, Marshals, U.S. Attorneys, and the Solicitor General.
Interior
11 entries
The steward of federal land, parks, wildlife, water, minerals, and the trust relationship with tribal nations.
Agriculture
11 entries
Farm programs, food safety, nutrition assistance, rural development, and the national forests.
Commerce
11 entries
The census, the weather service, patents, standards, trade promotion, and economic statistics.
Labor
9 entries
Wages, workplace safety, job training, and the statistics that measure the American labor market.
Health and Human Services
13 entries
The largest civilian department by budget: Medicare, Medicaid, the FDA, the CDC, the NIH, and the social service agencies.
Housing and Urban Development
6 entries
Public housing, mortgage insurance, fair housing enforcement, and community development grants.
Transportation
10 entries
Aviation, highways, rail, transit, pipelines, and the safety regulators for each.
Energy
9 entries
The nuclear weapons complex, the national laboratories, energy data, and energy research.
Education
6 entries
Federal student aid, civil rights enforcement in schools, education statistics, and grants to states.
Veterans Affairs
5 entries
Health care, benefits, and burial for the men and women who served.
Homeland Security
13 entries
Borders, immigration enforcement, aviation security, disaster response, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service.
All Departments (A–Z) A–Z By date
A B C D E F G H I J M N O P R S T U V W

A

Administration for Children and Families Reorganizing
The HHS division that runs TANF, Head Start, child care, child support, foster care, and refugee resettlement programs
Administration for Community Living Reorganizing
The HHS agency that funds services helping older adults and people with disabilities live in their own homes and communities
Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response Reorganizing
The HHS agency that prepares for pandemics, bioterrorism, and disasters and manages the Strategic National Stockpile
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Reorganizing
The HHS research agency that studies patient safety, health care quality, and how the health system works
Agricultural Research Service
The USDA's in-house scientific research agency, with labs and field stations across the country
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
The Treasury bureau that collects federal excise taxes on alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and ammunition and regulates the alcohol industry
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
The USDA agency that guards American livestock and crops against pests and diseases and enforces the Animal Welfare Act
Antitrust Division
The Justice Department division that enforces the antitrust laws against monopolies, cartels, and anticompetitive mergers
ARPA-E
The Energy Department agency, modeled on DARPA, that funds high-risk, high-reward energy technology research

B

Board of Veterans' Appeals
The VA body whose judges decide appeals of veterans' benefit claims
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Justice Department agency that enforces federal gun, explosives, and arson laws and licenses firearms dealers
Bureau of Consular Affairs
The State Department bureau that issues passports and visas and helps Americans in trouble abroad
Bureau of Diplomatic Security
The State Department's law enforcement and security arm, protecting diplomats, embassies, and visiting foreign dignitaries
Bureau of Economic Analysis
The Commerce Department statistical agency that measures gross domestic product and the national accounts
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
The Treasury bureau that prints the nation's paper money
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The oldest bureau in the Interior Department, carrying out the federal government's trust and treaty obligations to tribal nations
Bureau of Industry and Security
The Commerce Department agency that controls exports of sensitive technology and runs national security tariff investigations
The Bureau of Labor Statistics
The agency behind the jobs report, the unemployment rate, and the Consumer Price Index
The Bureau of Land Management
The landlord of the American West: 245 million acres of public rangeland, desert, and forest, and the minerals beneath far more
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
The Interior Department agency that leases federal offshore waters for oil, gas, wind, and minerals
Bureau of Reclamation
The Interior Department agency that built the great western dams and remains the largest wholesaler of water in the country
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
The Interior Department agency that inspects offshore oil and gas operations and enforces safety and spill prevention rules
Bureau of the Fiscal Service
The Treasury bureau that pays the government's bills, borrows its money, and keeps its books

C

The Census Bureau
The agency that counts every resident every ten years and decides how 435 House seats and trillions in funding are divided
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Reorganizing
The national public health agency: outbreak detection, immunization, disease surveillance, and the data behind them
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
The agency that pays for health care for 160 million Americans and spends more than any other part of the government
Civil Rights Division Reorganizing
The Justice Department division that enforces federal civil rights laws on voting, discrimination, policing, and disability access
Combatant Commands
The eleven unified commands through which the President and Secretary of Defense direct American forces around the world
Community Relations Service Reorganizing
The Justice Department's mediation office for community conflicts over race, ethnicity, religion, and hate crimes
Criminal Division
The Justice Department division that develops federal criminal enforcement policy and prosecutes complex national and international crimes
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
The DHS agency that defends federal civilian networks and helps protect the nation's critical infrastructure from cyber and physical threats

D

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
The Pentagon's high-risk research agency, whose projects helped create the internet, GPS, and stealth aircraft
Defense Contract Management Agency
The Pentagon agency that oversees defense contractors after contracts are signed, checking quality, cost, and delivery
Defense Health Agency
The agency that runs the military health system, including TRICARE and the military hospitals and clinics
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Pentagon's all-source intelligence agency, focused on foreign militaries and threats to U.S. forces
Defense Logistics Agency
The Pentagon's supply chain manager, buying the fuel, food, spare parts, and medical supplies the military runs on
The Department of Agriculture
Farm programs, food stamps, meat inspection, rural loans, and the national forests, all under one roof
The Department of Commerce
The census, the weather forecast, patents, standards, trade enforcement, and the numbers that measure the economy
The Department of Defense
The largest employer on earth: the Pentagon, three military departments, the combatant commands, and a budget near 900 billion dollars
The Department of Education Reorganizing
Student loans and grants, aid to low-income schools and students with disabilities, civil rights enforcement, and education statistics
The Department of Energy
Mostly a nuclear weapons agency: the warheads, the national laboratories, the cleanup, and the energy research
The Department of Health and Human Services Reorganizing
The biggest budget in government: Medicare, Medicaid, the FDA, the CDC, the NIH, and the social services agencies
The Department of Homeland Security
The newest cabinet department: borders, immigration, aviation security, disaster response, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service
The Department of Housing and Urban Development
Public housing, rental vouchers, mortgage insurance, fair housing enforcement, and grants to cities
The Department of Justice
The federal government's lawyer and police force: the FBI, DEA, Marshals, prisons, U.S. Attorneys, and the Attorney General
The Department of Labor
Wages and hours, workplace safety, pensions, job training, and the statistics that measure work in America
The Department of State Reorganizing
The oldest cabinet department: American diplomacy, the embassies, passports, and visas
The Department of the Air Force
The youngest military department, home to the Air Force and, since 2019, the Space Force
The Department of the Army
The military department that recruits, trains, and equips the land force, the oldest and largest of the services
The Department of the Interior
The steward of a fifth of the nation's land: parks, public rangeland, wildlife, water, minerals, and the trust relationship with tribes
The Department of the Navy
The military department for the fleet and the Marine Corps: two services, one secretary
The Department of the Treasury
The department that collects the taxes, prints the money, manages the debt, and polices the financial system
The Department of Transportation
Aviation, highways, railroads, transit, shipping, pipelines, and the safety regulators for each
The Department of Veterans Affairs
Health care, disability compensation, pensions, education benefits, home loans, and burial for 18 million veterans
DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis Reorganizing
The Homeland Security intelligence office that shares threat information with state, local, tribal, and private partners
DHS Science and Technology Directorate
The Homeland Security research arm that develops and tests technology for border, transportation, cyber, and biodefense missions
DOE Office of Science
The Energy Department office that is the largest federal funder of basic research in the physical sciences and runs ten national laboratories
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Justice Department agency that enforces federal drug laws at home and against trafficking networks abroad

E

Economic Development Administration
The Commerce Department agency that makes grants to economically distressed communities for infrastructure and job creation
Employee Benefits Security Administration
The Labor Department agency that enforces ERISA and oversees private pension, 401(k), and employer health plans
Employment and Training Administration
The Labor Department agency that oversees unemployment insurance, job training, apprenticeships, Job Corps, and foreign labor certification
Energy Information Administration
The Energy Department's independent statistical agency for data and forecasts on oil, gas, electricity, coal, and renewables
Executive Office for Immigration Review Reorganizing
The Justice Department agency that runs the nation's immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals

F

Farm Service Agency
The USDA agency that runs farm commodity payments, farm loans, disaster aid, and the Conservation Reserve Program through county offices
The Federal Aviation Administration
The agency that runs air traffic control, certifies every aircraft and pilot, and oversees 45,000 flights a day
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
The principal federal investigative agency: 38,000 employees, 55 field offices, and a director with a ten-year term
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Justice Department agency that runs the federal prison system
The Federal Emergency Management Agency Reorganizing
The agency that coordinates the federal response to disasters and pays for much of the recovery
The Federal Highway Administration
The agency that funds the interstates and the 1 million miles of federal-aid roads that states build and maintain
The Federal Housing Administration
The mortgage insurer that created the 30-year fixed loan and still backs about one in six new home purchases
Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers
The DHS agency that trains officers and agents for more than a hundred federal law enforcement organizations
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The Transportation Department agency that regulates the safety of interstate trucks, buses, and commercial drivers
Federal Railroad Administration
The Transportation Department agency that regulates railroad safety and funds intercity passenger rail
Federal Student Aid Reorganizing
The office behind the FAFSA, Pell Grants, and a 1.6 trillion dollar portfolio of student loans held by 42 million borrowers
Federal Transit Administration
The Transportation Department agency that funds and oversees the safety of local bus, subway, light rail, and ferry systems
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
The Treasury bureau that collects and analyzes financial data to fight money laundering, terrorist financing, and fraud
The Food and Drug Administration
The regulator of drugs, vaccines, medical devices, food, tobacco, and cosmetics, roughly a fifth of what Americans buy
The Food and Nutrition Service
The USDA agency behind SNAP, school meals, and WIC, which together feed more than one in eight Americans
Food Safety and Inspection Service
The USDA agency that inspects the nation's meat, poultry, and processed egg products
Foreign Assistance After USAID Reorganizing
How U.S. foreign aid is organized after the 2025 dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development
The Foreign Service
The career corps of diplomats who staff American embassies and consulates around the world

G

Ginnie Mae
The government corporation within HUD that guarantees mortgage-backed securities made up of federally insured home loans
Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
The Transportation Department corporation that operates the U.S. locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic

H

Health Resources and Services Administration Reorganizing
The HHS agency that funds community health centers, the Ryan White HIV program, and health care for underserved areas
HHS Office for Civil Rights
The HHS office that enforces civil rights in health care and the HIPAA privacy and security rules

I

Indian Health Service
The HHS agency that provides or funds health care for American Indians and Alaska Natives as part of the federal trust responsibility
Institute of Education Sciences Reorganizing
The Education Department's research, evaluation, and statistics arm
The Internal Revenue Service Reorganizing
The tax collector: five trillion dollars a year, 160 million returns, and the most contact most Americans have with Washington
International Trade Administration
The Commerce Department agency that promotes U.S. exports and investigates unfairly priced and subsidized imports

J

The Joint Chiefs of Staff
The senior uniformed leaders who advise the President and Secretary of Defense but command no troops

M

Maritime Administration
The Transportation Department agency that supports the U.S. merchant marine, shipbuilding, ports, and the sealift reserve fleet
Mine Safety and Health Administration
The Labor Department agency that inspects every mine in the country and enforces mine safety and health standards
Missile Defense Agency
The Pentagon agency that develops systems to detect and destroy incoming ballistic and hypersonic missiles

N

National Agricultural Statistics Service
The USDA statistical agency that publishes crop and livestock estimates and runs the Census of Agriculture
National Cemetery Administration
The VA administration that runs national cemeteries and provides headstones and burial benefits for veterans
National Center for Education Statistics Reorganizing
The federal statistical agency for education data and the home of the Nation's Report Card
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
The agency that analyzes satellite and aerial imagery and produces the maps and geographic data used by the military and intelligence community
National Guard Bureau
The federal office that links the states' National Guard forces to the Army, the Air Force, and the Pentagon
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The Transportation Department agency that sets vehicle safety standards, orders recalls, and regulates fuel economy
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The Commerce Department laboratory that keeps the nation's measurement standards and sets technical standards from cybersecurity to AI
The National Institutes of Health
The largest funder of medical research in the world: 27 institutes, 47 billion dollars, and 300,000 scientists on its grants
The National Laboratories
Seventeen government-owned, contractor-run research centers born from the Manhattan Project
The National Nuclear Security Administration
The agency that designs, builds, and certifies the nation's nuclear weapons and powers its nuclear navy
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The weather forecast, the hurricane center, the fisheries, the nautical charts, and the satellites that watch the planet
The National Park Service
The agency that runs 433 parks, monuments, battlefields, and historic sites for more than 300 million visitors a year
National Reconnaissance Office
The agency that designs, builds, launches, and operates the nation's spy satellites
National Security Agency
The intelligence agency that intercepts foreign communications and protects the government's most sensitive networks
National Security Division
The Justice Department division that handles terrorism, espionage, and intelligence surveillance cases
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
The Commerce Department agency that advises the President on telecommunications, manages federal spectrum, and runs the national broadband program
National Weather Service
The NOAA agency that issues the nation's official weather forecasts, watches, and warnings
Natural Resources Conservation Service
The USDA agency born of the Dust Bowl that helps farmers and ranchers conserve soil, water, and habitat on private land

O

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The agency that writes and enforces workplace safety rules for 130 million workers with fewer than 2,000 inspectors
Office for Civil Rights (Education) Reorganizing
The Education Department office that enforces civil rights laws in schools and colleges, including Title VI and Title IX
Office of Community Planning and Development
The HUD office that runs Community Development Block Grants, HOME, disaster recovery grants, and homelessness programs
Office of Environmental Management
The Energy Department office cleaning up radioactive and hazardous waste left by decades of nuclear weapons production
Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
The HUD office that enforces the Fair Housing Act against discrimination in renting, buying, and lending
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Reorganizing
The Labor Department office that enforces nondiscrimination requirements for companies holding federal contracts
Office of Foreign Assets Control
The Treasury office that administers and enforces U.S. economic sanctions
Office of Insular Affairs
The Interior Department office that coordinates federal policy for four U.S. territories and the freely associated states of the Pacific
Office of Legal Counsel
The Justice Department office whose legal opinions bind the executive branch and often define the limits of presidential power
Office of Public and Indian Housing
The HUD office that funds public housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, and tribal housing
Office of Special Education Programs Reorganizing
The Education Department office that administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
The Interior Department agency that regulates coal mining's effects on land and water and funds cleanup of abandoned mines
Office of Tax Policy
The Treasury office that develops the administration's tax policy, estimates revenue, writes tax regulations with the IRS, and negotiates tax treaties
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
The independent Treasury bureau that charters and supervises national banks
Office of the Pardon Attorney
The Justice Department office that reviews clemency petitions and advises the President on pardons and commutations
Office of the Secretary of Defense Reorganizing
The civilian headquarters staff through which the Secretary of Defense runs the Pentagon
The Office of the Solicitor General
The government's advocate before the Supreme Court, sometimes called the tenth justice

P

The Patent and Trademark Office
The agency that grants the exclusive rights behind inventions and brands, funded entirely by the people who apply
The Pentagon
The five-sided headquarters of the Department of Defense in Arlington, Virginia, and a shorthand for the military establishment itself
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
The Transportation Department agency that regulates oil and gas pipeline safety and the shipment of hazardous materials
Policy Planning Staff
The Secretary of State's in-house strategy office, created in 1947 to think beyond the daily crisis
Power Marketing Administrations
The four Energy Department agencies that sell electricity from federal dams to public utilities and cooperatives across 34 states

R

Risk Management Agency
The USDA agency that runs federal crop insurance through the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and private insurers

S

Strategic Petroleum Reserve
The government's emergency stockpile of crude oil, stored in salt caverns on the Gulf Coast
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Reorganizing
The HHS agency that funds state and local mental health and addiction services and oversees the 988 crisis line

T

The Transportation Security Administration
The agency that screens every airline passenger and bag in the country, about 2.5 million people a day
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
The independent watchdog that audits and investigates the Internal Revenue Service

U

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The Army command that builds military facilities and runs the nation's navigation channels, flood control works, and dams
The U.S. Attorneys
The ninety-three chief federal prosecutors, one for nearly every judicial district, who bring the government's cases
U.S. Border Patrol
The federal law enforcement agency that patrols the land borders and coasts between official ports of entry
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
The agency that decides green cards, work visas, asylum claims, and naturalization, funded almost entirely by application fees
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
The largest federal law enforcement agency: the Border Patrol, 328 ports of entry, and the collection of tariffs and duties
U.S. Embassies and Consulates
The network of diplomatic posts that represents the United States in nearly every country in the world
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The Interior Department agency that manages wildlife refuges and enforces the Endangered Species Act for land and freshwater species
The U.S. Forest Service
The agency that manages 193 million acres of national forests and fights most of the nation's wildfires
U.S. Geological Survey
The Interior Department's science agency for maps, water, earthquakes, volcanoes, minerals, and the land itself
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The interior enforcement agency: immigration arrests, detention, and deportation, plus criminal investigations through HSI
U.S. Marshals Service
The nation's oldest federal law enforcement agency, which protects judges, hunts fugitives, and runs witness protection
The United States Coast Guard
A military service, a law enforcement agency, and a maritime regulator at once, housed in Homeland Security
The United States Mint
The bureau that strikes the nation's coins, from pennies to gold eagles, and guards the bullion at Fort Knox
The United States Secret Service
Protector of the President and investigator of financial crimes, founded to fight counterfeit money
The United States Space Force
The newest and smallest service: satellites, launch, missile warning, and the GPS signal the world runs on
USDA Rural Development
The USDA mission area that lends and grants money for rural housing, utilities, broadband, and businesses

V

Veterans Benefits Administration
The VA administration that pays disability compensation and pensions and runs the GI Bill, VA home loans, and other benefits
The Veterans Health Administration
The largest integrated health care system in the country: 170 hospitals, 1,100 clinics, and 9 million enrolled veterans
Veterans' Employment and Training Service
The Labor Department agency that helps veterans find civilian jobs and protects the job rights of service members

W

Wage and Hour Division
The Labor Department agency that enforces the federal minimum wage, overtime, child labor, and family leave laws