What Federal Agencies Should Be Eliminated?

Here is my quick and dirty list.

I made this on a whim and went pretty fast…so I might have added a few that I shouldn’t have or not added some that I wanted to. If that’s the case I will edit later. This is what a long commute on a train does to the mind.


Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
Administration for Native Americans
Administration on Aging (AoA)
Administration on Developmental Disabilities
Administrative Committee of the Federal Register
Administrative Conference of the United States
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
African Development Foundation
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Agency for International Development (USAID)
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Agricultural Marketing Service
Agricultural Research Service
Agriculture Department
Air and Radiation Hotline
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (Treasury)
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau (Justice)
American Battle Monuments Commission
AmeriCorps Recruiting
AMTRAK (National Railroad Passenger Corporation)
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Antitrust Division
Appalachian Regional Commission
Architect of the Capitol
Archives (National Archives and Records Administration)
Arctic Research Commission
Arms Control and International Security
Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Interagency Coordinating Committee
Bankruptcy Courts
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation
Bonneville Power Administration
Botanic Garden
Broadcasting Board of Governors
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
Bureau of Industry and Security
Bureau of International Labor Affairs
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Bureau of Prisons
Bureau of Reclamation
Bureau of the Engraving and Printing
Bureau of the Public Debt
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Capitol Visitor Center
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
Chief Acquisition Officers Council
Chief Financial Officers Council
Chief Human Capital Officers Council
Chief Information Officers Council
Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Civilian Radioactive Waste Management
Commission on Civil Rights
Commission on Fine Arts
Commission on International Religious Freedom
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission)
Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
Community Planning and Development
Compliance, Office of Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US CERT)
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Congressional Research Service
Constitution Center
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Corporation for National and Community Service
Corps of Engineers (Army)
Council of Economic Advisers
Council on Environmental Quality
Defense Acquisition University
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Defense Commissary Agency
Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)
Defense Contract Management Agency
Department of Defense (DOD)
Defense Field Activities
Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS)
Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
Defense Legal Services Agency
Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)
Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA)
Defense Security Service (DSS)
Defense Technical Information Center
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
Delaware River Basin Commission
Denali Commission
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Department of Commerce (DOC)
Department of Defense Inspector General
Department of Education (ED)
Department of Energy (DOE)
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Department of Labor (DOL)
Director of National Intelligence, Office of Domestic Policy Council
Drug Enforcement Administration
Economic Adjustment Office
Economic Analysis, Bureau of
Economic Development Administration (EDA)
Economic Research Service
Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs
Economics and Statistics Administration
Education Department
Election Assistance Commission
Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of
Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
Employment and Training Administration
Endangered Species Committee
Energy Department
Energy Information Administration
English Language Acquisition Office
Environmental Management (Energy Department)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
European Command
Executive Office for Immigration Review
Export-Import Bank of the United States
Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO)
Farm Credit Administration
Farm Service Agency
Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Federal Consulting Group
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Federal Executive Boards
Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council
Federal Financing Bank
Federal Geographic Data Committee
Federal Highway Administration
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac)
Federal Housing Finance Agency
Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and exotic Weeds
Federal Interagency Committee on Education
Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy
Federal Judicial Center
Federal Labor Relations Authority
Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Federal Library and Information Center Committee
Federal Maritime Commission
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae)
Federal Railroad Administration
Federal Reserve System
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
Federal Student Aid Information Center
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Federal Transit Administration
Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, National Commission
Fish and Wildlife Service
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Foreign Agricultural Service
Foreign Claims Settlement Commission
Forest Service
Fossil Energy
Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
General Services Administration (GSA)
Geological Survey
Global Affairs (State Department)
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Government Ethics, Office of
Government National Mortgage Association
Government Printing Office (GPO)
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration
Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation
Health and Human Services Department
Health Resources and Services Administration
Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control Office
Helsinki Commission (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe)
Holocaust Memorial Museum
House Leadership Offices
House Office of Inspector General
House Office of the Clerk
House Organizations, Commissions, and Task Forces
Housing Office (HUD)
Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Indian Affairs, Bureau of
Indian Arts and Crafts Board
Indian Health Service
Industrial College of the Armed Forces
Industry and Security, Bureau of
Information Resource Management College
Information Resources Center
Innovation and Improvement Office
Inspectors General
Institute of Education Sciences
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Institute of Peace
Inter-American Foundation
Interagency Alternative Dispute Resolution Working Group
Interagency Council on Homelessness
Interior Department
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
International Labor Affairs, Bureau of
International Trade Administration (ITA)
International Trade Commission
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
Japan-United States Friendship Commission
Job Corps
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries
Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
Joint Fire Science Program
Joint Forces Staff College
Justice Programs, Office of
Justice Statistics, Bureau of
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of
Labor Department (DOL)
Labor Statistics, Bureau of
Land Management, Bureau of
Legal Services Corporation
Marine Mammal Commission
Maritime Administration
Marketing and Regulatory Programs (Agriculture Department)
Marshals Service
Mediation and Concitiation Service, Office of
Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
Merit Systems Protection Board
Migratory Bird Conservation Commission
Millennium Challenge Corporation
Mine Safety and Health Administration
Minority Business Development Agency
Mississippi River Commission
Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation
Multifamily Housing Office
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
National Agricultural Statistics Service
National AIDS Policy Office
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare
National Capital Planning Commission
National Cemetery Administration (NCA)
National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
National Constitution Center
National Council on Disability (NCD)
National Counterintelligence Executive, Office of
National Credit Union Administration
National Defense University
National Drug Intelligence Center
National Economic Council
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Humanities
National Gallery of Art
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
National Indian Gaming Commission
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
National Institute of Justice
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Interagency Fire Center
National Labor Relations Board
National Laboratories (Energy Department)
National Marine Fisheries Service
National Mediation Board
National Nuclear Security Administration
National Ocean Service
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
National Park Foundation
National Park Service
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK)
National Reconnaissance Office
National Science Foundation
National Security Council
National Technical Information Service
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
National Transportation Safety Board
National War College
National Weather Service (NOAA)
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Northwest Power Planning Council
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
Office for Civil Rights, Department of Education
Office of Compliance
Office of Disability Employment Policy
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Office of Mediation and Concitiation Service
Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Office of Refugee Resettlement
Office of Science and Technology Policy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Office of Special Counsel
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
Open World Leadership Center
Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)
Pentagon Force Protection Agency
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Policy Development and Research
Political Affairs (State Department)
Postal Regulatory Commission
Postal Service
Power Administrations
President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
Presidio Trust
Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office
Public and Indian Housing
Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (State Department)
Radio Free Asia (RFA)
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
Railroad Retirement Board (RRB)
Reclamation, Bureau of Refugee Resettlement, Office of
Regulatory Information Service Center
Rehabilitation Services Administration (Education Department)
Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Risk Management Agency (Agriculture Department)
Rural Business and Cooperative Programs
Rural Development
Rural Housing Service
Rural Utilities Service
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Science and Technology Policy, Office of
Science Office (Energy Department)
Scientific and Technical Information, Office of
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Selective Service System (SSS)
Senators on the Web
Small Business Administration (SBA)
Smithsonian Institution
Social Security Administration (SSA)
Social Security Advisory Board
Southeastern Power Administration
Southwestern Power Administration
Stennis Center for Public Service
Strategic Command
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Supreme Court of the United States
Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement
Surface Transportation Board
Susquehanna River Basin Commission
Tax Court
Taxpayer Advocacy Panel
Tennessee Valley Authority
Trade and Development Agency
Transportation Command
Transportation Department
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
Transportation Statistics, Bureau of
TRICARE Management
Trustee Program (Justice Department)
U.S. AbilityOne Commission
U.S. Access Board
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
U.S. Botanic Garden
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. International Trade Commission
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
U.S. National Central Bureau - Interpol (Justice Department)
U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
U.S. Sentencing Commission
U.S. Trade and Development Agency
U.S. Trade Representative
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Veterans Day National Committee
Veterans’ Employment and Training Service
Vietnam Educational Foundation
Washington Headquarters Services
Weather Service
Western Area Power Administration
White House Commission on Presidential Scholars
Women’s Bureau (Labor Department)
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

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Consider that MOST of these agencies are also weaponized.

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And…that they have no Constitutional right to exist. The governed have not given their consent to this nightmare and it is not what the Founders intended for this country.

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There are many sub-organizations on your list. For example, the Federal Consulting Group falls within the Department of the Interior. Most of Interior can be eliminated and it seems like this group exists to provide services to other government agencies. WTF is the point of that?

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The Congress shall have power

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So…wouldn’t it be simpler just to list the ones you’d KEEP?

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Sure…but this list is longer and shows the ridiculousness of the amount of agencies / departments we have.

It’s ridiculous if you don’t know what purposes they serve, why they were created, and what happens in the advent of their removal.

Sort of like with an Operating System. It’s absurd that modern operating systems typically require hundreds of thousands to millions of lines of code. It’s ridiculous until you realize that all that codes gives you compatibility with generations of hardware, robust security, a networking stack, and thousands of APIs that let developers make great software for your platform. Or you could toss away everything and go back to DOS 6.44.

To explain the analogy: sure you can call it absurd that we have dozens of departments, but most of them came about because of a response to a need. The FDA for example ensures that the food you eat is not adulterated, not contaminated with bacteria, or filth and that the drugs you buy actually do what they claim to do.

Then there are departments concerned with maintaining an education standard, maintaining programs that keep poor kids fed, keep families afloat. Sure you can cut them all, but then be prepared to become a third-world nation like Ethiopia (DOS 6.44).

If their purpose is unknown they should nor exist.

Every government agency should be up for renewal every 8-10 years.

It’s the limited Government argument! No qualms from me about that, just for contemplative purposes I wonder how many people would be out of a job if the list of agencies in this OP were eliminated? That would be more telling more than anything!

There are around 2 million federal employees.

All or most are unionized. Prior to the 1960s (??) public sector unions were illegal.

That would be a lot of people collecting unenjoyment!

You have got to be kidding. There are this many federal agencies?

Well sure they have as they vote for their representatives who legislate these things into existence.

Much of it is also the natural course of things as a society grows, technological advancements are made, and demands for better social services, consumer protections and infrastructure are natural evolutions.

I think the libertarian may be content with the homestead and two track dirt roads of colonial America, but most Americans are not.

Also, if there’s not a constitutional prohibition, then anything that gets legislated is constitutionally legal.

Look over the list again, they’re not ALL “agencies”…:man_shrugging:

Many departments, agencies, etc. have employees who do little more than “busy work”.