The Executive Branch of the United States Government includes the agencies and departments that take direction from the President, who is the administrative head of the executive branch. Through regulations, the Executive branch enforces laws. Laws are created by the Legislative branch in Congress and are interpreted by the Judicial branch through the Courts.
This page contains resources for finding executive branch documents and general information about the Executive Branch of government including the 15 Cabinet-level Departments and a number of independent and quasi-official agencies related to the presidency.
In the United States federal government, independent agencies are agencies that exist outside the federal executive departments (those headed by a Cabinet secretary) and the Executive Office of the President. While considered part of the executive branch, these agencies have regulatory or rulemaking authority and are generally insulated from presidential control.
Established through separate statutes passed by Congress, each respective statutory grant of authority defines the goals the agency must work towards, as well as what substantive areas, if any, over which it may have the power of rulemaking. These agency rules (or regulations), when in force, have the power of federal law
There are over 50 independent agencies. Here are some examples with links to their web pages:
Each department has numerous sub-agencies and bureaus - for example, the National Park Service is part of the Department of the Interior.
The University of Nebraska - Lincoln Libraries are a Congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government documents. Public access to Government documents is guaranteed by public law (Title 44 U.S.C.).
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