List of federal agencies in the United States

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Legislative definitions of an agency of the federal government of the United States are varied, and even contradictory. The official United States Government Manual offers no definition. [1] [2] While the Administrative Procedure Act definition of "agency" applies to most executive branch agencies, Congress may define an agency however it chooses in enabling legislation, and through subsequent litigation often involving the Freedom of Information Act and the Government in the Sunshine Act. These further cloud attempts to enumerate a list of agencies. [3] [4]

Contents

The executive branch of the federal government includes the Executive Office of the President and the United States federal executive departments (whose secretaries belong to the Cabinet). Employees of the majority of these agencies are considered civil servants.

The majority of the independent agencies of the United States government are also classified as executive agencies (they are independent in that they are not subordinated under a Cabinet position). There are a small number of independent agencies that are not considered part of the executive branch, such as the Congressional Research Service and the United States Sentencing Commission, which are legislative and judicial agencies, respectively.

United States Congress

Seal of the United States Congress.svg

The U.S. Congress is the bicameral legislature of the United States government, and is made up of two chambers: the United States Senate (the upper chamber) and the United States House of Representatives (the lower chamber). Together, the two chambers exercise authority over the following legislative agencies:

The legislature also oversees of the Library of Congress (LOC), a national library dedicated to national records, which administers various programs, agencies, and services including:

Federal judiciary of the United States

Seal of the United States Supreme Court.svg

The federal judiciary consists of courts established under Article Three of the United States Constitution. These are the Supreme Court, Circuit Courts of Appeals, district courts, Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, Court of International Trade, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, and Alien Terrorist Removal Court. The United States bankruptcy courts, while not established as Article III courts, are legally designated as "units of the district courts." [5]

The judicial branch includes the following agencies:

Executive Office of the President

Seal of the President of the United States.svg

The President of the United States is the chief executive of the federal government. He is in charge of executing federal laws and approving, or vetoing, new legislation passed by Congress. The President resides in the Executive Residence (EXR) maintained by the Office of Administration (OA).

To effectively run the country's affairs, the President also maintains councils regarding various issues, including:

AgencyPrincipal executiveIncumbent
National Security Council Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Jake Sullivan
National Space Council Executive Secretary of the National Space CouncilChirag Parikh [6]
Homeland Security Council [lower-alpha 1] Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism [lower-alpha 2] Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall
Council of Economic Advisers Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers Cecilia Rouse
Council on Environmental Quality Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality Brenda Mallory
President's Intelligence Advisory Board Chairman of the President's Intelligence Advisory BoardTBD
Executive Residence Staff and Operations White House Chief Usher Robert B. Downing
Office of Administration Director of the Office of AdministrationAnne Filipic
Office of Management and Budget Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young
Office of National Drug Control Policy Director of National Drug Control Policy Rahul Gupta
Office of the National Cyber Director National Cyber Director Kemba Walden
Office of Science and Technology Policy Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy Arati Prabhakar
Office of the United States Trade Representative United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai
Office of the Vice President of the United States Chief of Staff to the Vice President Lorraine Voles
White House Office Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff Jeff Zients

White House Office

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

US-DeptOfAgriculture-Seal2.svg

Office of the Secretary of Agriculture

  • Office of the Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations
  • Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
  • Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration
  • Office of Tribal Relations (OTR)
  • Departmental Administration (DA)
    • Office of Customer Experience
    • Office of Contracting and Procurement (OCP)
    • Office of Homeland Security (OHS)
    • Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM)
    • Office of Operations (OO)
    • Office of Property and Environmental Management (OPEM)
    • Office of Safety, Security and Protection (OSSP)
    • Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU)
  • Agriculture Buildings and Facilities (AgBF)
  • Hazardous Materials Management (HMM)
  • Office of Budget and Program Analysis (OBPA)
  • Office of Communications (OC)
  • Office of Ethics (OE)
  • Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA)
  • Office of Inspector General (OIG)
  • Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE)
    • Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (CFBNP)
  • Office of the Chief Economist (OCE)
  • Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OFCO)
  • Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)
  • Office of the Executive Secretariat (OES)
  • Office of the General Counsel (OGC)
    • Office of Information Affairs

Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC)

Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS)

Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety

Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP)

Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment (NRE)

Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics (REE)

Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development (RD)

Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs (TFAA)

United States Department of Commerce

US-DeptOfCommerce-Seal.svg

Office of the Secretary (OS)

Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security/Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)

  • Office of the Assistant Secretary for Export Administration
    • Operating Committee for Export Policy (OC)
    • Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security
    • Office of Nonproliferation and Treaty Compliance
    • Office of National Security and Technology Transfer Controls
    • Office of Exporter Services
    • Office of Technology Evaluation
  • Office of Export Enforcement (OEE)

Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs (OUS/EA)

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property/United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade/International Trade Administration (ITA)
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology

United States Department of Defense (DOD)

US Department of Defense seal.svg

Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)

Defense agencies

National intelligence agencies

Defense field activities

Universities and research institutes

Unified combatant commands

Joint agencies

Department of the Army

Office of the Secretary of the Army

U.S. Army Commands

U.S. Army Direct Reporting Units

U.S. Army Field Operating Agencies

Department of the Navy

Office of the Secretary of the Navy

U.S. Navy Functional Operating Forces

Shore Establishment and Activities, Echelon II
U.S. Navy Field Support Activities

United States Marine Corps (USMC)

Department of the Air Force

Office of the Secretary of the Air Force

U.S. Air Force

U.S. Air Force Major Commands
Reserve and Auxiliary Components
Direct Reporting Units
Field Operating Agencies

U.S. Space Force

U.S. Space Force Major Commands
Direct Reporting Units

United States Department of Education

Seal of the United States Department of Education.svg

Office of the Secretary of Education (OSE)

  • Office of Communications and Outreach
  • Office of Finance and Operations
  • Office of Inspector General
  • Office of the General Counsel
  • Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs
  • Office for Civil Rights
  • Office of Educational Technology
  • Office of the Chief Information Officer
  • Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development
  • Budget Service
  • Risk Management Service

Office of Deputy Secretary of Education (ODSE)

Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

  • National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance
  • National Center for Education Research
  • National Center for Education Statistics
  • National Center for Special Education Research
  • National Board for Education Sciences

Office of the Under Secretary (OUS)

White House initiatives and operating commissions

Advisory bodies

Federally-aided corporations

United States Department of Energy

US-DeptOfEnergy-Seal.svg

United States Department of Health and Human Services

US Department of Health and Human Services seal.svg

United States Department of Homeland Security

Seal of the United States Department of Homeland Security.svg

Headquarters Offices and Directorates

Component Agencies

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development

US-DeptOfHUD-Seal.svg

Executive Offices

Administrative Offices

Agencies

United States Department of the Interior (DOI)

US-DeptOfTheInterior-Seal.svg

United States Department of Justice (DOJ)

US-DeptOfJustice-Seal.svg

United States Department of Labor (DOL)

US-DeptOfLabor-Seal.svg

Office of the Secretary (OSEC)

  • Executive Secretary
  • Centers for Faith and Opportunity Initiative
  • Office of the Ombudsman for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Programs
  • Office of Public Liaison

Offices under the Deputy Secretary of Labor

  • Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management
  • Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy
  • Office of the Chief Financial Officer
  • Office of the Chief Information Officer
  • Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs
  • Office of Emergency Management
  • Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
  • Office of Labor-Management Standards
  • Office of Public Affairs
  • Office of Disability Employment Policy
  • Office of the Solicitor
  • Office of Worker's Compensation Program

Administrations

Boards under the Office of Administrative Law Judges

Bureaus

Miscellaneous

United States Department of State (DOS)

US Department of State official seal.svg

Office of the Secretary

Reporting to the Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources

Reporting to the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security

Reporting to the Under Secretary for Human Rights, Civilian Security, and Democracy

Reporting to the Under Secretary for Environment, Energy, and Economic Growth

Reporting to the Under Secretary for Management

Reporting to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs

Reporting to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs

Permanent diplomatic missions

United States Department of Transportation

US-DeptOfTransportation-Seal.svg

Operating administrations

United States Department of the Treasury

US-DeptOfTheTreasury-Seal.svg

Departmental offices [10]

Bureaus [11]

United States Department of Veterans Affairs

Seal of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.svg

Office of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Agencies

Independent agencies, tribunals, and government-owned corporations

Administration, records, and federal property

Civil rights

Civil service

Commerce

Defense and security

Elections

Government commissions, committees, and consortia

Education and broadcasting

Energy and science

Foreign investment

Interior

Labor

Monetary and financial

Postal

Retirement

Seat of government

Transportation

Volunteerism

Joint programs and interagency agencies

Special Inspector General Office

Quasi-official agencies

Arts & cultural agencies

Museum agencies

Commerce & technology agencies

Defense & diplomacy agencies

Human service & community development agencies

Interior agencies

Law & justice agencies

See also

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References

Explanatory notes

  1. shares staff with the National Security Council
  2. reports to the National Security Advisor

Notes

  1. Fischer 2011, pp. 1–2.
  2. Federal Register 2013.
  3. Lewis & Selin 2013, pp. 13–14.
  4. Kamensky 2013.
  5. 28 USC 151
  6. "Chirag Parikh Tapped for National Space Council ExecSec". August 2, 2021.
  7. "Program Offices". Department of Energy. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Our Administrations". US Department of Transportation. 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
  9. "Governance and Oversight". U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
  10. "IBM Cognos software". www.fedscope.opm.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Bureaus". www.treasury.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-17.

Bibliography