The Executive Departments

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Department of State

This department runs the relations between the United States and other countries. This includes running all embassies and consulates in foriegn nations, making treaties, and sending a representative to the United Nations.

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Department of Treasury

This department handles the money. They recommend actions relating to taxes and spending, manufactures coins and currency, collects money on imported goods, enforces laws on taxes and counterfeiting, and serves as a financial agent to the United States. Whew! Plus, they have some nice bureaus...

Internal Revenue Service (IRS): Okay, so this is not usually considered one of the nice bureaus. They collect the taxes and enforce tax laws. Somebody's got to do it.
Bureau of the Mint: This bureau makes all the coins for the nation. Quarters, dimes, nickles, pennies - they all come from here.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing: All the paper money is printed here, as well as bonds, government checks, and postage stamps.
Secret Service: The Secret Service's job is to protect the president and other high ranking officials. They also track down forgers and counterfeiters.

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Department of the Interior

This department works to protect America's natural beauty and resources for the American public. They also check on mineral resources, and develop relations with all Native Americans and U.S. territories in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.

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Department of Agriculture

This department performs many services, including inspecting products such as eggs and meat, helping to protect natural resources, educate farmers about recent agricultural developments, helping farmers to get fair prices, and arranging foriegn trade of farm products. And as if that weren't enough, they also make efforts to stop hunger.

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Department of Justice

The U.S. attorney general heads this branch, which offers legal advice to the executive branch, defends the government in cases against it, and prosecutes federal law breakers. They also supervise all U.S. attorneys and marshalls. It is made up of thousands of investigators and agents. Also included in it are...

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): This famous bureau collects facts and evidence and tracks down witnesses in federal crimes. If these guys are after you, stop reading this page and turn yourself in right now, because quite honestly, you don't stand a chance.
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS): This service controls the number of immigrants coming into the United States and grants citizenship to people coming in.

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Department of Labor

This department helps to improve working conditions and enhance chances of people's chances of getting work. It enforces the laws made to protect workers. It also has a couple of agencies:

Bureau of Labor Statistics: As the name suggests, this bureau gathers stats about workers in the U.S.
Occupational Saftey and Health Administration: This is the agency that sets the standards for working conditions. They say how safe is safe enough.

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Department of Commerce

This department aims to improve the economy. They research the latest technology, provide statistics on the economy, and help minority businesses to grow. It also has several bureaus within it.

Industry and Trade Administration: This part of the Department of Commerce is concerned with issues involving manufacturing and trade.
Maritimes Administration: This bureau helps with the American shipping industry.
Patent and Trademark Office: This bureau registers inventions, and gives out patents and trademarks. If you have a new invention, here is where you would go.
Census Bureau: Every ten years this agency counts the number of people in the United States. They also provide information about how these people are living.
National Bureau of Standards: This bureau makes sure the weights and measures in the U.S. are the same. These would be pounds, yards, feet, etc., as the United States uses the Standard system of measurement.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: These are the weathermen of the executive branch, reporting on weather conditions in the continental U.S. and its territories and providing forecasts. I now forecast that the next executive department will be the Department of Veteran's Affairs...

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Department of Veteran's Affairs

This department provides many services to U.S. veterans of war. They pay pensions to retired military personnel, educate veterans, and provide medical care, including clinics, medical centers, and nursing homes. The department also makes payments to the families of veterans who were disabled or killed during military service.

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Department of Defense

This large department contains the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force as well as the Chairman of the Joint chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces (big title, no?), about one million civilians, and a whole lot of agencies. Its job is to advise the president on all national defense matters and to provide enough military force to defend the country. And believe me, that's a lot of force!

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Department of Health and Human Services

This is also one of the largest departments, providing services for the health and welfare of the nation. It includes medicare - medical help for the elderly, and medicade - medical help for the needy. Each of these things is paid for by your taxes (of course, so is most of the rest). Also found in this department are...

Social Security: This collects taxes from workers and uses them to pay living expenses to the elderly and to widowed parents. It could help you in your retirement, but look out! There is concern about how long it may last.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA): You've heard of a medicine being "FDA approved"? This is who approved it. All medicines must be approved by this department before going on the market. They also set the standards for food being sold.
Office of Human Development Services: This agency helps with the problems of certain groups, such as low income children.

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Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

This department improves city life by helping pay rent for those who have trouble doing so, funding community projects, and running programs against discrimination in housing. It also delivers aid to disaster areas.

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Department of Transportation

This department is in charge of transportation programs and policies. Agencies break it up into categories.

Federal Highway Administration: This agency plans the construction of interstate highways and makes the safety rules for government roads.
Federal Aviation Administration: This agency is in charge of airplane safety regulations.
Federal Railroad Administration: Those who recognize a pattern in the names of these agencies probably can tell that this agency regulates the safety of the railway system.
Coast Guard: This agency becomes part of the Department of Defense during war, but the rest of the time it's here under transportation. The Coast Guard patrols the oceans, helping in emergencies and stopping smugglers.

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Department of Energy

This department searches for new sources of energy and ways of using energy. For some strange reason they also monitor everything related to civil rights. Why the Department of Energy? I have no idea.

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Department of Education

This department decides who gets educational assitance from the government, such as money, advice, etc. It has agencies at all levels of education from nursery school all the way to trade school and college.

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Independant Agencies

There are lots and lots of agencies that aren't within a department. These agencies also provide many services to the American people. A few of them are:

Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA)
Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)
The Commision of Civil Rights
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (You've heard of a bank being "FDIC insured". This is the angency they're talking about)
The Community Service Administration
The National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities
The Small Business Administration
...and many, many more!

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