Government Technology
What Is America.gov?
America.gov, the federal government’s new artificial intelligence (AI) portal, offers answers to government questions now, while the White House promises passport renewal and Medicare enrollment later…
Independent Executive Agencies
Independent executive agencies are federal agencies that sit in the executive branch but outside the cabinet departments. Congress creates each one by law to handle a particular job, such as delivering mail, protecting the environment, or paying retirement benefits. Some answer closely to the president, while others, like the central bank, are shielded from direct control.
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October 5last updated
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Referenced by Brookings, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, Pew Research, Snopes, The Hill and USA Today.
The Webby-recognized AI behind our articles »
Latest in Independent Executive Agencies
United States Postal Service
The Hidden Meaning Packed Into a ZIP Code
ZIP codes pack real routing info: the first digit picks a region, the middle three name a hub, and the last two find your local post…
United States Postal Service
The Problem ZIP Codes Were Built to Solve
The five-digit ZIP Code, launched in 1963, fixed a mail-sorting crisis by replacing clerks' memory with a machine-readable code, then found new uses.
Privacy and Data Protection
How to Cut Most of Your Junk Mail (and What You Can’t Stop)
Free tools like OptOutPrescreen and DMAchoice can clear out most credit offers, catalogs, and coupons cluttering your mailbox each week.
Topics in Independent Executive Agencies
Money and business
These agencies deal with the nation's money, small business, and trade abroad: Federal Reserve, Small Business Administration, and US Trade and Development Agency.
Science, arts, and records
These agencies support space, science, the environment, the arts and humanities, libraries, and the nation's records: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and National Archives and Records Administration.
Public services
These agencies run the government's own operations and deliver services to the public: General Services Administration, Office of Personnel Management, Social Security Administration, and United States Postal Service.
Office of Personnel Management
3 articles
- Federal Hiring: How It Works and Where It Faces Challenges
- OPM’s Recent Challenges and Opportunities for Improvement
- What the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Does
All Articles on Independent Executive Agencies
Why Only USPS Can Put Mail in Your Mailbox
Federal law lets only USPS put mail in your mailbox, with narrow exceptions for prepaid postage and small package deliveries, plus fines for violations.
Why Closing a Post Office Is So Hard
Closing a U.S. post office involves months of legal steps like notice, comments, and appeals, but emergency suspensions can skip them.
Why Postal Workers Can’t Legally Strike
Postal workers cannot legally strike under federal law. This explains the 1970 mail strike and how arbitration settles pay disputes today.
Why Mail Fraud Is a Federal Crime
Learn why mail fraud became a federal crime, tracing the law from an 1872 statute to today's rules on intent, mailings, and penalties reaching 20 to 30 years.
How to Protect Your Mail From Theft
Protect your mail from theft with daily collection habits, free USPS tools like Informed Delivery and Hold Mail, and steps to take in the first 24 hours.
The Legal Immunity Shielding USPS
Why federal law usually shields USPS from lawsuits over lost, damaged, or withheld mail, and what insurance or SF-95 claims can still do.
Why the IRS and Social Security Still Mail Paper Checks
The IRS and Social Security still mail paper checks because a 1999 law exempts tax refunds and allows hardship waivers for people without bank accounts.
Why Rural Mail Makes Privatizing USPS So Hard
Why privatizing USPS keeps stalling: rural mail costs more than it earns, the law protects it, and no plan says who would pay.
What to Do About Stolen Mail
Stolen mail can lead to check fraud and identity theft. Learn who to call, how to report it, and whether to use a fraud alert or credit freeze.
The Things You Can’t Legally Send Through the Mail
Perfume, batteries, wine, and tobacco all face USPS mailing rules. See what is banned, restricted, or conditional and what the penalties are.