The Bill Of Rights and the United States Constitution (and its Amendments) provide a clear framework for this great nation which empowers THE PEOPLE (‘We’ the people) and is clearly purposed to LIMIT government. It is, after all, a set of documents written by those who had just overthrown tyranny – having paid for it with much blood on the battlefield. Our forefathers wanted nothing more than to LIMIT government and EMPOWER individuals so as to prevent what they had just fought for from ever happening again. That, of course, would only succeed if ‘THE PEOPLE’ remained diligent.

We all know what has happened of late (these past many decades). Government expansion, massive bloat, waste, corruption, and of course… over-regulation and control of its citizenry.

For your interest, here is a list of all federal government agencies that I could find, and a question for you at the end…

I wonder what our forefathers would think today…

 
The following list of federal agencies is sourced from the ‘Federal Register’. Keep in mind that apparently the Federal Register only includes agencies that publish in the Federal Register; that’s any agency that engages in rule-making or posts notices to the public via the FR, which is probably most agencies, but I don’t know that it’s all of them. There are probably even more…

Scroll to the end for your question:

438 Federal Agencies

(that I could find…)
 
Administration Office, Executive Office of the President

National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform

Administrative Conference of the United States
Administrative Office of United States Courts
Advocacy and Outreach Office
African Development Foundation
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Agency for International Development

International Development Cooperation Agency

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Aging Administration
Agricultural Marketing Service
Agricultural Research Service
Agriculture Department

Advocacy and Outreach Office
Agricultural Marketing Service
Agricultural Research Service
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Commodity Credit Corporation
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
Economic Analysis Staff
Economic Research Service
Energy Policy and New Uses Office
Farm Service Agency
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation
Food and Consumer Service
Food and Nutrition Service
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Foreign Agricultural Service
Forest Service
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration
Inspector General Office, Agriculture Department
National Agricultural Library
National Agricultural Statistics Service
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Operations Office
Procurement and Property Management, Office of
Risk Management Agency
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
Rural Housing and Community Development Service
Rural Housing Service
Rural Telephone Bank
Rural Utilities Service
Transportation Office

Air Force Department
Air Quality National Commission
Air Transportation Stabilization Board
Alaska Power Administration
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau
American Battle Monuments Commission
Amtrak Reform Council
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Antitrust Division
Antitrust Modernization Commission
Appalachian Regional Commission
Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission
Architect of the Capitol
Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board
Arctic Research Commission
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
Army Department
Assassination Records Review Board
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation
Bipartisan Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reform
Board of Directors of the Hope for Homeowners Program
Bonneville Power Administration
Broadcasting Board of Governors
Bureau of the Fiscal Service
Census Bureau
Census Monitoring Board
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Central Intelligence Agency
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
Child Support Enforcement Office
Children and Families Administration
Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee Commission
Civil Rights Commission
Coast Guard
Commerce Department

Census Bureau
Economic Analysis Bureau
Economic Development Administration
Economics and Statistics Administration
Export Administration Bureau
Foreign-Trade Zones Board
Industry and Security Bureau
International Trade Administration
Minority Business Development Agency
National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Shipping Authority
National Technical Information Service
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Patent and Trademark Office
Technology Administration
Travel and Tourism Administration

Commercial Space Transportation Office
Commission of Fine Arts
Commission on Immigration Reform
Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy
Commission on Review of Overseas Military Facility Structure of the United States
Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals
Commission on the Advancement of Federal Law Enforcement
Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution
Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry
Commission on the Social Security Notch Issue
Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
Commodity Credit Corporation
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Community Development Financial Institutions Fund
Community Living Administration
Competitiveness Policy Council
Comptroller of the Currency
Congressional Budget Office
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Copyright Office, Library of Congress
Copyright Royalty Board
Copyright Royalty Judges, Library of Congress
Corporation for National and Community Service
Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency
Council on Environmental Quality
Counsel to the President
Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia
Crime and Security in U.S. Seaports, Interagency Commission
Customs Service
Defense Acquisition Regulations System
Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission
Defense Contract Audit Agency
Defense Criminal Investigative Service
Defense Department

Air Force Department
Army Department
Defense Acquisition Regulations System
Defense Contract Audit Agency
Defense Criminal Investigative Service
Defense Information Systems Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Investigative Service
Defense Logistics Agency
Defense Mapping Agency
Defense Special Weapons Agency
Engineers Corps
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
National Security Agency/Central Security Service
Navy Department
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Defense Information Systems Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Investigative Service
Defense Logistics Agency
Defense Mapping Agency
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
Defense Special Weapons Agency
Delaware River Basin Commission
Denali Commission
Disability Employment Policy Office
Drug Enforcement Administration
Economic Analysis Bureau
Economic Analysis Staff
Economic Development Administration
Economic Research Service
Economics and Statistics Administration
Education Department
Election Assistance Commission
Electronic Commerce Advisory Commission
Emergency Oil and Gas Guaranteed Loan Board
Emergency Steel Guarantee Loan Board
Employee Benefits Security Administration
Employees Compensation Appeals Board
Employment and Training Administration
Employment Standards Administration
Energy Department

Alaska Power Administration
Bonneville Power Administration
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office
Energy Information Administration
Energy Research Office
Environment Office, Energy Department
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Hearings and Appeals Office, Energy Department
Minority Economic Impact Office
National Nuclear Security Administration
Nuclear Energy Office
Southeastern Power Administration
Southwestern Power Administration
Western Area Power Administration

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office
Energy Information Administration
Energy Policy and New Uses Office
Energy Research Office
Engineers Corps
Engraving and Printing Bureau
Environment Office, Energy Department
Environmental Protection Agency
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Executive Council on Integrity and Efficiency
Executive Office for Immigration Review
Executive Office of the President

Administration Office, Executive Office of the President
Council on Environmental Quality
Counsel to the President

Export Administration Bureau
Export-Import Bank
Family Assistance Office
Farm Credit Administration
Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation
Farm Service Agency
Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board
Federal Acquisition Regulation System
Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Communications Commission
Federal Contract Compliance Programs Office
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Federal Election Commission
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council
Federal Highway Administration
Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight Office
Federal Housing Finance Agency
Federal Housing Finance Board
Federal Labor Relations Authority

Federal Service Impasses Panel

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Federal Maritime Commission
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Federal Pay, Advisory Committee
Federal Prison Industries
Federal Procurement Policy Office
Federal Railroad Administration
Federal Register Office
Federal Register, Administrative Committee
Federal Reserve System
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
Federal Service Impasses Panel
Federal Trade Commission
Federal Transit Administration
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission
Financial Research Office
Financial Stability Oversight Council
First Responder Network Authority
Fiscal Service
Fish and Wildlife Service
Food and Consumer Service
Food and Drug Administration
Food and Nutrition Service
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Foreign Agricultural Service
Foreign Assets Control Office
Foreign Claims Settlement Commission
Foreign Service Grievance Board
Foreign Service Impasse Disputes Panel
Foreign Service Labor Relations Board
Foreign-Trade Zones Board
Forest Service
General Services Administration
Geographic Names Board
Geological Survey
Government Accountability Office
Government Ethics Office
Government National Mortgage Association
Government Publishing Office
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council
Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation
Health and Human Services Department

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Aging Administration
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Child Support Enforcement Office
Children and Families Administration
Community Living Administration
Family Assistance Office
Food and Drug Administration
Health Care Finance Administration
Health Resources and Services Administration
Indian Health Service
Inspector General Office, Health and Human Services Department
National Institutes of Health
National Library of Medicine
Program Support Center
Public Health Service
Refugee Resettlement Office
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Health Care Finance Administration
Health Resources and Services Administration
Hearings and Appeals Office, Energy Department
Hearings and Appeals Office, Interior Department
Historic Preservation, Advisory Council
Homeland Security Department

Coast Guard
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
National Communications System
Secret Service
Transportation Security Administration
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Housing and Urban Development Department

Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight Office
Government National Mortgage Association

Immigration and Naturalization Service
Indian Affairs Bureau
Indian Arts and Crafts Board
Indian Health Service
Indian Trust Transition Office
Industry and Security Bureau
Information Security Oversight Office
Inspector General Office, Agriculture Department
Inspector General Office, Health and Human Services Department
Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Inter-American Foundation
Interagency Floodplain Management Review Committee
Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Commission
Interior Department

Fish and Wildlife Service
Geological Survey
Hearings and Appeals Office, Interior Department
Indian Affairs Bureau
Indian Trust Transition Office
Land Management Bureau
Minerals Management Service
Mines Bureau
National Biological Service
National Civilian Community Corps
National Indian Gaming Commission
National Park Service
Natural Resources Revenue Office
Ocean Energy Management Bureau
Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement Bureau
Reclamation Bureau
Safety and Environmental Enforcement Bureau
Special Trustee for American Indians Office
Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office

Internal Revenue Service
International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico
International Broadcasting Board
International Development Cooperation Agency
International Investment Office
International Joint Commission-United States and Canada
International Organizations Employees Loyalty Board
International Trade Administration
International Trade Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
Japan-United States Friendship Commission
Joint Board for Enrollment of Actuaries
Judicial Conference of the United States
Judicial Review Commission on Foreign Asset Control
Justice Department

Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau
Antitrust Division
Drug Enforcement Administration
Executive Office for Immigration Review
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Prison Industries
Foreign Claims Settlement Commission
Immigration and Naturalization Service
Justice Programs Office
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Office
National Institute of Corrections
National Institute of Justice
Parole Commission
Prisons Bureau
United States Marshals Service

Justice Programs Office

Victims of Crime Office

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Office
Labor Department

Disability Employment Policy Office
Employee Benefits Security Administration
Employees Compensation Appeals Board
Employment and Training Administration
Employment Standards Administration
Federal Contract Compliance Programs Office
Labor Statistics Bureau
Labor-Management Standards Office
Mine Safety and Health Administration
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration
Veterans Employment and Training Service
Wage and Hour Division
Workers Compensation Programs Office

Labor Statistics Bureau
Labor-Management Standards Office
Land Management Bureau
Legal Services Corporation
Library of Congress

Copyright Office, Library of Congress
Copyright Royalty Board

Local Television Loan Guarantee Board
Management and Budget Office

Federal Procurement Policy Office

Marine Mammal Commission
Maritime Administration
Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
Merit Systems Protection Board
Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission
Millennium Challenge Corporation
Mine Safety and Health Administration
Minerals Management Service
Mines Bureau
Minority Business Development Agency
Minority Economic Impact Office
Mississippi River Commission
Monetary Offices
Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Agricultural Library
National Agricultural Statistics Service
National Archives and Records Administration

Federal Register Office
Information Security Oversight Office
National Historical Publications and Records Commission

National Bankruptcy Review Commission
National Biological Service
National Bipartisan Commission on Future of Medicare
National Capital Planning Commission
National Civilian Community Corps
National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
National Commission on Intermodal Transportation
National Commission on Libraries and Information Science
National Commission on Manufactured Housing
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education
National Communications System
National Consumer Cooperative Bank
National Council on Disability
National Counterintelligence Center
National Credit Union Administration
National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact Council
National Economic Council
National Education Goals Panel
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Humanities
National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities

Institute of Museum and Library Services
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Humanities

National Gambling Impact Study Commission
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
National Historical Publications and Records Commission
National Indian Gaming Commission
National Institute for Literacy
National Institute of Corrections
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
National Institute of Justice
National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Institutes of Health
National Intelligence, Office of the National Director
National Labor Relations Board
National Library of Medicine
National Mediation Board
National Nanotechnology Coordination Office
National Nuclear Security Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Park Service
National Partnership for Reinventing Government
National Prison Rape Elimination Commission
National Railroad Passenger Corporation
National Science Foundation
National Security Agency/Central Security Service
National Security Council
National Shipping Authority
National Skill Standards Board
National Technical Information Service
National Telecommunications and Information Administration

First Responder Network Authority

National Transportation Safety Board
National Women’s Business Council
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Natural Resources Revenue Office
Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Office
Navy Department
Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
Northeast Dairy Compact Commission
Northeast Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission
Nuclear Energy Office
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
Ocean Energy Management Bureau
Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement Bureau
Ocean Policy Commission
Office of Motor Carrier Safety
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Office of Policy Development
Oklahoma City National Memorial Trust
Operations Office
Ounce of Prevention Council
Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Pacific Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Planning Council
Panama Canal Commission
Parole Commission
Patent and Trademark Office
Peace Corps
Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Personnel Management Office
Physician Payment Review Commission
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Postal Rate Commission
Postal Regulatory Commission
Postal Service
President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency
President’s Council on Sustainable Development
President’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Board
President’s Economic Policy Advisory Board
Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses
Presidential Commission on Assignment of Women in the Armed Forces
Presidential Documents
Presidio Trust
Prisons Bureau
Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
Procurement and Property Management, Office of
Program Support Center
Prospective Payment Assessment Commission
Public Debt Bureau
Public Health Service
Railroad Retirement Board
Reagan-Udall Foundation for the Food and Drug Administration
Reclamation Bureau
Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board
Refugee Resettlement Office
Regulatory Information Service Center
Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Research and Special Programs Administration
Resolution Trust Corporation
Risk Management Agency
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
Rural Housing and Community Development Service
Rural Housing Service
Rural Telephone Bank
Rural Utilities Service
Safety and Environmental Enforcement Bureau
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Science and Technology Policy Office
Secret Service
Securities and Exchange Commission
Selective Service System
Small Business Administration
Smithsonian Institution
Social Security Administration
Southeastern Power Administration
Southwestern Power Administration
Special Counsel Office
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
Special Inspector General For Iraq Reconstruction
Special Trustee for American Indians Office
State Department
State Justice Institute
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office
Surface Transportation Board
Susquehanna River Basin Commission
Technology Administration
Tennessee Valley Authority
The White House Office
Thrift Depositor Protection Oversight Board
Thrift Supervision Office
Trade and Development Agency
Trade Representative, Office of United States
Transportation Department

Commercial Space Transportation Office
Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Highway Administration
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Federal Railroad Administration
Federal Transit Administration
Maritime Administration
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Office of Motor Carrier Safety
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Research and Special Programs Administration
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Surface Transportation Board
Transportation Statistics Bureau

Transportation Office
Transportation Security Administration
Transportation Statistics Bureau
Travel and Tourism Administration
Treasury Department

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
Bureau of the Fiscal Service
Community Development Financial Institutions Fund
Comptroller of the Currency
Customs Service
Engraving and Printing Bureau
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
Financial Research Office
Fiscal Service
Foreign Assets Control Office
Internal Revenue Service
International Investment Office
Monetary Offices
Public Debt Bureau
Thrift Supervision Office
United States Mint

Twenty-First Century Workforce Commission
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission
U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
United States Enrichment Corporation
United States Information Agency
United States Institute of Peace
United States Marshals Service
United States Mint
United States Sentencing Commission
Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission
Valles Caldera Trust
Veterans Affairs Department
Veterans Employment and Training Service
Victims of Crime Office
Wage and Hour Division
Western Area Power Administration
Women’s Business Enterprise Interagency Committee
Women’s Progress Commemoration Commission
Workers Compensation Programs Office

 
source: federalregister.gov/agencies

 
What I have not captured here are the number of federal government employees and the corresponding amount of money that these 438 government agencies are ‘really’ costing costing you and I (rather than the ‘padded’ .gov numbers).

I began to search for substantiated data for a true and real number of all federal government employees, but what I discovered was that apparently the government ‘hides’ A LOT of this (real) information through the practice of not clearly (or at all) detailing the statistics for number of part time employees, part time hours worked, sub contractors (which is apparently a HUGE category), civilians who in some way work for the government, and more. It is an extremely vague but apparently enormous pool of LOTS and LOTS of people.

With that said, what is your opinion about the sheer number of federal agencies, the growth of federal government, and how far we have come (the scope of government) since the Constitution was drafted?

 
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself.”
-John Adams