For the total list of government-related databases:
The power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of the United States, who also acts as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress and, to that end, appoints the heads of the federal agencies, including the Cabinet. The Vice President is also part of the Executive Branch, ready to assume the Presidency should the need arise.
The Cabinet and independent federal agencies are responsible for the day-to-day enforcement and administration of federal laws. These departments and agencies have missions and responsibilities as widely divergent as those of the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Social Security Administration and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Including members of the armed forces, the Executive Branch employs more than 4 million Americans.
The president of the United States is the head of state of the U.S., the chief executive of the federal government, and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The United States was the first nation to create the office of president as the head of state in a modern republic.
The primary responsibility of the Vice President of the United States is to be ready at a moment’s notice to assume the Presidency if the President is unable to perform his duties. This can be because of the President’s death, resignation, or temporary incapacitation, or if the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet judge that the President is no longer able to discharge the duties of the presidency.
Every day, the President of the United States is faced with scores of decisions, each with important consequences for America’s future. To provide the President with the support that he or she needs to govern effectively, the Executive Office of the President (EOP) was created in 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The EOP has responsibility for tasks ranging from communicating the President’s message to the American people to promoting our trade interests abroad.
The Department of Agriculture develops agricultural markets, fights hunger and malnutrition, conserves natural resources, and ensures food quality standards.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) was created by an act of Congress on May 15, 1862 (7 U.S.C. 2201). In carrying out its work in the program mission areas, the USDA relies on the support of departmental administration staff, as well as on the Offices of Communications, Congressional Relations, the Chief Economist, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Information Officer, the General Counsel, and the Inspector General.
The Department of Commerce promotes the Nation's domestic and international trade, economic growth, and technological advancement by fostering free enterprise worldwide, supporting fair trade, compiling social and economic statistics, protecting Earth's physical resources, granting patents and registering trademarks, and assisting small and minority-owned businesses.
The Department of Defense provides the military forces needed to deter war and protect national security. Under the President, the Secretary of Defense directs and exercises authority and control over the separately organized Departments of the Air Force, the Army, and the Navy; over the Joint Chiefs of Staff; over the combatant commands; and over defense agencies and field activities.
ED's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.
The Department of Energy addresses the Nation's energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges, using transformative science and technology to ensure national security and prosperity.
The Department of Health and Human Services strengthens the public health and welfare of the American people by making affordable and quality health care and childcare accessible, ensuring the safety of food products, preparing for public health emergencies, and advancing the diagnosis, treatment, and curing of life-threatening illnesses.
The Department of Homeland Security prevents terrorism and enhances security, manages the Nation’s borders, administers immigration laws, safeguards cyberspace, and ensures resilience in the wake of the disaster.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development oversees housing needs nationwide, ensures fair housing opportunities, and creates strong, sustainable, and inclusive communities.
The Department of Justice enforces the law and defends national interests according to the law; ensures public safety against domestic and foreign threats; provides Federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; seeks just punishment for those who have behaved unlawfully, and ensures fair and impartial administration of justice for all American citizens.
The Department of Labor promotes the welfare of job seekers, wage earners, and retirees by improving working conditions, advancing opportunities for profitable employment, protecting retirement and health care benefits, matching workers to employers, strengthening free collective bargaining, and tracking changes in economic indicators on a national scale.
The Department of State advises the President on issues of foreign policy; supports democracy, freedom, and prosperity for all people; and fosters conditions that favor stability and progress worldwide.
The Department of Transportation establishes national transportation policy for highway planning and construction, motor carrier safety, urban mass transit, railroads, aviation, and the safety of waterways, ports, highways, and pipelines.
The Department of Veterans Affairs operates programs benefiting Veterans and members of their families: It offers education opportunities and rehabilitation services and provides compensation payments for disabilities or death related to military service, home loan guaranties, pensions, burials, and health care that includes the services in clinics, medical centers, community living centers (which replace nursing home)s, and home- and community-based settings.
The Department of the Interior protects America's heritage and natural resources, honors its cultures and tribal communities, and supplies energy for powering its future.
The Department of the Treasury enforces financial laws, manufactures coins and currency, and recommends economic, fiscal, and tax policies.
The table below includes the names of major and independent agencies government corporations that are also a part of the Executive Branch! Each name links to the agency description in the United States Government Manual, which contains information about the agencies including links to their webpages.
