The independent agencies

The executive departments are the major operating units of the federal government, but many other agencies have important responsibilities for keeping the government and the economy working smoothly. These are often called independent agencies, since they are not part of the executive departments.

The nature and purpose of these agencies vary widely. Some are regulatory groups with powers to super­vise certain sectors of the economy. Other provide special services either to the government or to the people. In most cases, the agencies have been created by Congress to deal with matters that have become too complex for the scope of ordi­nary legislation. In 1970, for exam­ple, Congress established the Envi­ronmental Protection Agency to coordinate governmental action to protect the environment. Among the most important independent agen­cies are the following:

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) coordinates the intelligence activi­ties of certain government depart­ments and agencies, collects, corre­lates, and evaluates intelligence information relating to national security, and makes recommenda­tions to the National Security Council within the Office of the President.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) works with state and local governments throughout the United States to control and abate pollution in the air and water and to deal with problems related to solid waste, pes­ticides, radiation, and toxic sub­stances. EPA sets and enforces stan­dards for air and water quality, eval­uates the impact of pesticides and chemical substances, and manages the "Superfund" program for clean­ing toxic waste sites.

The Federal Communications Com­mission (FCC) is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. It licenses radio and television broadcast sta­tions, assigns radio frequencies, and enforces regulations designed to ensure that cable rates are reason­able. The FCC regulates common carriers, such as telephone and tele­graph companies, as well as wire­less telecommunications service providers.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) coordinates the work of federal, state, and local agencies in responding to floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. FEMA provides financial assistance to individuals and governments to rebuild homes, businesses, and public facilities, trains firefighters and emergency medical professionals, and funds emergency planning throughout the United States and its territories.

The Federal Reserve Board is the gov­erning body of the Federal Reserve System, the central bank of the United States. It conducts the nation's monetary policy by influ­encing the volume of credit and money in circulation. The Federal Reserve regulates private banking institutions, works to contain sys­temic risk in financial markets, and provides certain financial services to the U.S. government, the public, and financial institutions.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces federal antitrust and consumer protection laws by investigating complaints against individual companies initiated by consumers businesses, congressional inquiries, or reports in the media. The com­mission seeks to ensure that the nation's markets function competitively by eliminating unfair or deceptive practices.

The General Services Administration (GSA) is responsible for the purchase, supply, operation, and maintenance of federal property, build­ings, and equipment, and for the sale of surplus items. GSA also manages the federal motor vehicle fleet and oversees telecommuting centers and child care centers.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was estab­lished in 1958 to run the U.S. space program. It placed the first American satellites and astronauts in orbit, and it launched the Apollo spacecraft that landed men on the moon in l969. Today, NASA conducts re­search aboard earth-orbiting satel­lites and interplanetary probes, explores new concepts in advanced.aerospace technology, and operates the U.S. fleet of manned space shut-lie orbiters.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) preserves the nation's history by overseeing the management of all federal records. The holdings of the National Archives include original textual materials, motion picture films, sound and video recordings, maps, still pictures, and computer data. The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are preserved and displayed at the National Archives building in Washington, D.C.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) administers the principal U.S. labor law, the National Labor Relations Act. The board is vested with the power to prevent or remedy unfair labor practices and to safe­guard employees' rights to organize and determine through elections whether to have a union as their bar­gaining representative.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports basic research and education in science and engineering in the United States through grants, contracts, and other agreements awarded to universities, colleges, and nonprofit and small business institu­tions. The NSF encourages coopera­tion among universities, industry, and government, and it promotes international cooperation through science and engineering.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is the federal government's human resources agency. It ensures that the nation's civil service remains free of political influence and that federal employees are selected and treated fairly and on the basis of merit. OPM supports agencies with personnel services and policy leader­ship, and it manages the federal retirement system and health insur­ance program.

The Peace Corps, founded in 1961, trains and places volunteers to serve in foreign countries for two years. Peace Corps volunteers, now work­ing in some 80 nations, assist in agri­cultural-rural development, small business, health, natural resources conservation, and education.

The Securities and Exchange Com­mission (SEC) was established to pro­tect investors who buy stocks and bonds. Federal laws require compa­nies that plan to raise money by sell­ing their own securities to file reports about their operations with the SEC, so that investors have access to all material information. The commission has powers to pre­vent or punish fraud in the sale of securities and is authorized to regu­late stock exchanges.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 to advise, assist, and protect the interests of small business concerns. The SBA guarantees loans to small businesses, aids victims of floods and other nat­ural disasters, promotes the growth of minority-owned firms, and helps secure contracts for small businesses to supply goods and services to the federal government.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) manages the nation's social insurance program, consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors benefits. To qualify for these bene­fits, most American workers pay Social Security taxes on their earn­ings, future benefits are based on the employees' contributions.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) administers U.S. foreign economic and humanitarian assistance pro­grams in the developing world, as well as in Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union, the agency supports programs in lour areas—population and health, broad-based economic growth, envi­ronment, and democracy.

The United States Postal Service is operated by an autonomous public corporation that replaced the Post Office Department in 1971. The Postal Service is responsible for the collection, transportation, and deliv­ery of the mails, and for the operation of thousands of local post offices across the country. It also provides international mail service through the Universal Postal Union and other agreements with foreign countries. An independent Postal Rate Commission, also created in 1971, sets the rates for different classes of mail.