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. 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.
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
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
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
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:
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
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)
United States Department of Commerce
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)
United States Department of Defense (DOD)
Defense agencies
National intelligence agencies
Defense field activities
Universities and research institutes
Unified combatant commands
Joint agencies
U.S. Army Commands
U.S. Army Direct Reporting Units
U.S. Army Field Operating Agencies
U.S. Navy Functional Operating Forces
Shore Establishment and Activities, Echelon II
U.S. Navy Field Support Activities
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
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
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
White House initiatives and operating commissions
Advisory bodies
Federally-aided corporations
United States Department of Energy
Leadership offices
Program offices
[7]
Staff offices
Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs
Office of Economic Impact and Diversity
Office of Enterprise Assessments
Office of Environment, Health, Safety, and Security
Office of Hearings and Appeals
Office of Inspector General
Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence
Office of International Affairs
Office of Management
Office of Policy
Office of Project Management
Office of Public Affairs
Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
Office of Technology Transitions
Office of the Chief Financial Officer
Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer
Office of the Chief Information Officer
Office of the General Counsel
Power administrations and other agencies
National Laboratories & Technology Centers
Field sites
United States Department of Health and Human Services
United States Department of Homeland Security
Office of the Secretary
Office of the Secretary
Immediate Office of the Secretary
Office of the Deputy Secretary
Office of the Chief of Staff
Military Advisor's Office
Office of the Executive Secretary
Joint Requirements Council
Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans
Office of General Counsel
Office of Legislative Affairs
Office of Public Affairs
Office of Partnership and Engagement
Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman
Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman
Privacy Office
Headquarters Offices and Directorates
Component Agencies
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
Executive Offices
Office of the Secretary
Office of the Deputy Secretary
Office of Hearings and Appeals
Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations
Office of Public Affairs
Administrative Offices
Office of Departmental Equal Employment Opportunity
Office of General Counsel
Departmental Enforcement Center
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration
Chief Administrative Office
Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer
Office of the Chief Procurement Officer
Office of the Chief Financial Officer
Office of the Chief Information Officer
Office of Inspector General
Agencies
United States Department of the Interior (DOI)
United States Department of Justice (DOJ)
United States Department of Labor (DOL)
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)
Reporting to the Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources
Office of Foreign Assistance
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
Operating administrations
United States Department of the Treasury
Departmental offices
[10]
United States Department 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
Interior agencies
Law & justice agencies
See also
References
Explanatory notes
^ shares staff with the National Security Council
^ reports to the National Security Advisor
Notes
Bibliography
External links