CABINET AGENCIES
- Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) - P/O Justice Dept.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) - P/O Labor Dept.
- Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)
- Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) - P/O Justice Dept.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) - P/O Justice Dept. (1)
- US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - P/O Treasury Dept.
- Management and Budget (OMB)
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Science and Technology (OSTP)
- US Secret Service (USSS) - P/O Treasury Dept.
ARMED AGENCIES (73)
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (36,863)
- Federal Bureau of Prisons (16,835)
- Department of Homeland Security
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (12,760)
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (12,446)
- U.S. Secret Service (5,213)
- Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (4,696)
- Drug Enforcement Administration (4,308)
- U.S. Marshals Service (3,313)
- Veterans Health Administration (3,128)
- Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (2,636)
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (2,541)
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service (2,288)
- U.S. Capitol Police (1,637)
- National Park Service - Rangers (1,404)
- Bureau of Diplomatic Security (1,049)
- Pentagon Force Protection Agency (725)
- U.S. Forest Service (644)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (598)
- National Park Service - U.S. Park Police (547)
- National Nuclear Security Administration (363)
- U.S. Mint Police (316)
- Amtrak Police (305)
- Bureau of Indian Affairs (277)
- Bureau of Land Management (255)
- Bureau of Engraving and Printing (207 officers)
- Environmental Protection Agency (202)
- Food and Drug Administration (183)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (149)
- Tennessee Valley Authority (145)
- Federal Reserve Board (141)
- U.S. Supreme Court (139)
- Bureau of Industry and Security (103)
- National Institutes of Health (94)
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (84)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (62)
- Government Printing Office (41)
- National Institute of Standards & Technology (28)
- Smithsonian National Zoological Park (26)
- Bureau of Reclamation (21)
Front Line Agencies (24)
OIG (33)
33 of the 69 federal Offices of Inspectors General (OIG) employed criminal investigators with firearms and arrest authority. These 33 OIGs represent all 15 Cabinet-level departments, as well as 18 other federal agencies, boards, and commissions.
Other Agencies (16)
NON-EXECUTIVE AGENCIES
- Fannie Mae, or the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA)
- Freddie Mac, or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC)
- Government Accountability Office (GAO)
- The National Gallery of Art
- The Smithsonian Institution (SI) is an independent establishment of the United States created by an act of Congress on August 10, 1846.
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
- Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation)
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) - reports to ODNI
- Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB)
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
- Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) - established by Executive Order
- Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - established by Executive Order
- Export–Import Bank of the United States (EXIM)
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
- Federal Election Commission (FEC)
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
- Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)
- Federal Maritime Commission (FMC)
- Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS)
- Federal Reserve System (often called "the Fed")
- Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB)
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- General Services Administration (GSA)
- International Trade Commission (ITC)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
- National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)
- National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- National Transportation Security Board (NTSB)
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
- National Intelligence (ODNI)
- Office of Special Counsel (OSC)
- Peace Corps - established by Executive Order
- Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC)
- Security and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- Selective Service System (SSS)
- Small Business Administration (SBA)
- Social Security Administration (SSA)
- Surface Transportation Board (STB)
- Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID) - Established by the executive order (J.F. Kennedy) and subject to the guidance of the president, secretary of state, and the National Security Council. (Currently being incorporated into the State Department.)
- United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
- United States Postal Service (USPS)
- United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA)
Executive Branch of the Federal Government
IEGC: Independent Establishments and Government Corporations
The executive branch’s staff include:
- The President - Under Article II, Section 1, Clause 1, the executive power is vested in a single person—the President of the United States.
- The Cabinet - Cabinet members serve as advisors to the president. They include the vice president, heads of executive departments, and other high-ranking government officials. Cabinet members are nominated by the president and must be approved by the Senate.
- The executive branch also includes executive departments, independent agencies, and other boards, commissions, and committees. Heads of some agencies (such as the FBI) are nominated by the president and must be approved by the Senate.
Independent Establishments and Government Corporations
Independent agencies are established by Congress with specific statutory grants of regulatory or rulemaking authority. These agency rules (or regulations) have the power of federal law. Although considered part of the executive branch, they are insulated from full presidential control. The president's power to dismiss the agency head or a member of an independent agency is limited.
Independent agencies are not represented in the cabinet and are not part of the Executive Office of the president.
As of 2025, there are 58 independent federal establishments and government corporations (IEGCs) according to the Federal Independent Establishments and Government Corporations webpage.
The A to Z Index of U.S. Government Agencies lists 438 agencies and sub-agencies, however some estimates place the number of agencies at over 2000.
The Federal Bureaucracy
The federal bureaucracy consists of the fifteen Cabinet departments plus more than 2,000 agencies, which together employ more than 2.7 million people.
The Cabinet departments are elements of the executive branch, and they ultimately report to the president.
Other agencies generally are created by acts of Congress, and they enjoy various degrees of independence.
Given the vast size and scope of the current bureaucracy, it is sometimes referred to as the "fourth branch" of the government.
One of the themes of the Trump administration is that federal administrative agencies write most laws, rather than the elected Congress. According to this article on Forbes by Clyde Wayne Crews Jr. the average for the past decade has been 23 rules for every law. This contradicts Article I of the Constitution’s which vests legislative powers solely with Congress.
Are We a Democracy or a Bureaucracy?
The President and Vice President are the only officers of the Government elected by a nation wide vote. All members of the Legislature are selected regionally and Judicial branch justices are appointed. If the President, as executive officer of the United States, does not control the executive branch of the federal government, then we cannot claim to live in a democracy and must acceed to living in a bureaucracy.