Cabinet Agencies

Department of Agriculture

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a United States executive department established in 1862 in order to “provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management.”

• Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)
  • Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP)
  • Food Stamp Program
  • WIC (special supplemental food program for Women, Infants and Children)
  • Child Nutrition (includes School Lunch Program)
  • Food Distribution Programs (includes food for elderly and emergency food assistance program)

• Food Safety and Inspection Service
• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
• Economic Research Service (ERS)
• Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service
• Office of Risk Assessment and Cost Benefit Analysis (ORACBA)

Department of Commerce (DOC)

The Department of Commerce is a United States executive department established in 1903. The department was formed to promote trade and economic stability.

• Bureau of the Census
  • International Programs Center
• Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• National Technical Information Service (NTIS)

Department of Defense (DOD)

The Department of Defense (DoD) is responsible for providing military force to ensure the nation’s security. Established in 1949, it is the oldest and largest executive department of the United States federal government, employing more than 2.8 million individuals as of 2015.

• Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs
• Military Health System (MHS)
• Office of Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (OCHAMPUS)
• Air Force
  • Surgeon General
  • Air Force Institute for Operational Health
  • Center for Environmental Excellence
• Army Medical Department (AMEDD)
  Includes an introduction to the U.S. Army Medical Department’s headquarters organizations, which are the Office of the Army Surgeon General and U.S. Army Medical Command headquarters
• Naval Medicine
  Includes Office of the Navy Surgeon, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED)

Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education is a United States executive department established in 1980. The department was formed to promote educational excellence and ensure equal opportunity for public schooling.

• Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) & Other Clearinghouses. Includes material on mental health and developmental disabilities.

Department of Energy (DOE)

The Department of Energy is a United States executive department established in 1977. The department was formed to address energy challenges using scientific solutions.

• Environment, Safety & Health (ES&H) Technical Information Services (TIS)
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

The Department of Health and Human Services is a United States executive department established in 1979. The department was formed for “protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.”

Office of the Secretary

• Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF)
• Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD)
• Children’s Bureau (CB)
• Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB)
• Office of Family Assistance (oversees TANF, formerly AFDC)
• Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)
• President’s Committee on Mental Retardation

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Extensive information on AHCPR-funded policy research, survey/evaluation data, consumer information and clinical practice guidelines.

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)

ATSDR activities and information/resources related to environmental health.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• Office of the Director
  • Associate Director for Minority Health
  • Office of Women’s Health
• National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
• National Center for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). NCEHS research programs cover environmental biology/medicine, environmental toxicology and environmental carcinogenesis.
• Public Health Genomics
• National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
• National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention
• National Center for Infectious Diseases
• National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Epidemiology Program Office (EPO)
• International Health Program Office (IHPO)
• Public Health Practice Program Office
• National Immunization Program

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is a cabinet-level agency that was established in 1965 by the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965. The act “initiated a leased housing program to make privately owned housing available to low-income families.”

• Office of Lead Hazard Control

Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior is a United States executive department established in 1849. The department was formed to protect and manage the nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage.

• Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Indian Health Services is the responsibility of DHHS, but BIA provides social services to Indian tribes.

Department of Justice (DOJ)

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is a United States executive department formed in 1789 to assist the President of the United States and cabinet in matters concerning the law and to prosecute U.S. Supreme Court cases for the federal government.

• Department of Justice (DOJ)
• Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• Federal Bureau of Prisons
• National Institute of Justice

Department of Labor (DOL)

The Department of Labor (DoL) is a United States executive department formed in 1913 to help workers, job seekers and retirees by creating standards for occupational safety, wages, hours and benefits and by compiling economic statistics.

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• Employment Standards Administration, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs
• Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
• Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration
  • ERISA Advisory Council
• Womens’ Bureau (WB)

Department of State

The Department of State is a United States executive department formed in 1789 to assist the president in foreign and domestic diplomatic affairs.

• Office of Counterterrorism
• Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, International Health Affairs

Department of Transportation (DOT)

The Department of Transportation is a United States executive department established in 1966. The department was formed to ensure “a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people.” It must deal with health and safety issues related to all forms of transportation.

• Coast Guard
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
• Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Department of the Treasury

The Department of the Treasury is a United States executive department established in 1789. The department was originally formed as a solution to managing the finances of the federal government.

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF)
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Department of Veterans Affairs

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a United States executive department formed in 1989 to, in President Abraham Lincoln’s words, “care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.”

• VA Health Administration (VHA). The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system with over 1,700 sites of care, serving 8.76 million Veterans each year.