federal agency

Definition/Scope: A federal agency is any executive department, military department, government corporation, government controlled corporation, or other establishments (independent agencies) in the executive branch of government, including the Executive Office of the President or any independent regulatory agency. While 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 Library of Congress and Congressional Budget Office, which are administered directly by Congress and thus are legislative branch agencies. While there are literally hundreds of separate agencies they generally fall under the purview of the following departments: Executive Office of the President, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of the Interior, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of State, Department of Transportation, Department of the Treasury, Department of Veterans Affairs, independent agencies, and quasi-federal agencies.

Used For:

government agency

Broader Terms:

Executive Order 12656 Assignment of Emergency Preparedness Responsibilities
federal government

Narrower Terms:

Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
Department of Education
Department of Energy
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Justice
Department of Labor
Department of State
Department of the Interior
Department of the Treasury
Department of Transportation
Department of Veterans Affairs
Executive Office of the President
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Independent agencies
Quasi-federal agencies
US Army Engineer Research and Development Center

Related Terms:

government agency
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs