independent agencies
Self-governing federal bodies
Independent agencies are government bodies that operate outside the direct control of executive departments, typically headed by boards or commissions whose members serve fixed terms and cannot be removed at will by the president.
Examples include the Federal Reserve, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The structure insulates certain functions—monetary policy, market regulation, broadcasting standards—from short-term political pressure: The Fed's independence allows it to make unpopular decisions about interest rates.
- Federal Trade CommissionAgency overseeing marketplace fairness
- United States Postal ServiceNational mail delivery agency
- Federal Communications CommissionU.S. broadcast licensing body
- alphabet soupPasta shaped like letters
- quasi-judicialResembling court proceedings
National Park Service · ruling · Peace Corps · regulatory authority · congressional oversight · arm's length · report · hearing · public comment · notice · Food and Drug Administration · directive · executive branch · civil service · merit system · document · AmeriCorps · memo
- checks and balanceschecks and balances, separation of powers, veto power, impeachment, congressional oversight
independent agenciesexecutive departments
Major federal agencies under cabinet secretaries
Department of Defense · Department of State · Department of Justice
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