United States federal executive departments
Appearance
TheUnited States federal executive departmentsare among the oldest primary units of theexecutive branchof thefederal government of the United States–the Departments ofState,War,and theTreasuryall being established within a few weeks of each other in 1789.
Departments[change|change source]
Department | Creation | Order of succession |
Modifications since creation | 2007 Budget in billions of dollars |
Employees (2007) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
State | 1789 | 1 | 9.96 | 30,266 | |
Treasury | 1789 | 2 | 11.10 | 115,897 | |
Defense | 1947 | 3 | 439.30 | 3,000,000 | |
Justice | 1870 | 4 | Position ofAttorney Generalcreated in 1789, but had no department until 1870 | 23.40 | 112,557 |
Interior | 1849 | 5 | 10.70 | 71,436 | |
Agriculture | 1862 | 6 | 77.60 | 109,832 | |
Commerce | 1903 | 7 | Originally namedCommerce and Labor;Labor later separated | 6.20 | 36,000 |
Labor | 1913 | 8 | 59.70 | 17,347 | |
Health and Human Services | 1953 | 9 | Originally named Health, Education, and Welfare; Education later separated | 543.20 | 67,000 |
Housing and Urban Development | 1965 | 10 | 46.20 | 10,600 | |
Transportation | 1966 | 11 | 58.00 | 58,622 | |
Energy | 1977 | 12 | 21.50 | 116,100 | |
Education | 1979 | 13 | 62.80 | 4,487 | |
Veterans Affairs | 1989 | 14 | 73.20 | 235,000 | |
Homeland Security | 2002 | 15 | 44.6 | 208,000 | |
Total budget (fiscal year 2007): | 1,523.42 | 4,193,144 |
Past departments[change|change source]
Department | Dates of Operation | Notes |
---|---|---|
War | 1789–1947 |
SubsumedbyDepartment of Defense,renamedDepartment of the Army |
Post Office | 1792–1971 | Reorganized as quasi-independent agency,United States Postal Service |
Navy | 1798–1947 | Subsumed by Department of Defense; it has been proposed that theSecretary of Homeland Securityassume the position in the order of succession once held by theSecretary of the Navy[source?] |
Commerce and Labor | 1903–1913 | Divided betweenDepartment of CommerceandDepartment of Labor |
Health, Education, and Welfare | 1953–1979 | Divided betweenDepartment of Health and Human ServicesandDepartment of Education |