The Federal Government of the United States is a complex system of institutions and agencies responsible for governing the country. It is based on the principles of democracy, republicanism, and federalism. The Federal Government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial, whose powers are vested by the US Constitution.

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• There are many issues related to Federal Government that Congress is looking to address with legislation. In the ‘About’ section of this post is an overview of the issues and potential solutions, party positions, and web links. Other sections have information on relevant committees, chairs, & caucuses; departments & agencies; and the judiciary, nonpartisan & partisan organizations, and a wikipedia entry.

The Federal Government category has related posts and three posts on issues of particular focus: Regulations, Deficit & Debt, and Citizen Engagement.

The national debt of the United States is the total national debt owed by the federal government of the United States to Treasury security holders. The national debt at any point in time is the face value of the then-outstanding Treasury securities that have been issued by the Treasury and other federal agencies. The terms “national deficit” and “national surplus” usually refer to the federal government budget balance from year to year, not the cumulative amount of debt. In a deficit year the national debt increases as the government needs to borrow funds to finance the deficit, while in a surplus year the debt decreases as more money is received than spent, enabling the government to reduce the debt by buying back some Treasury securities.

• In the ‘About’ section of this post is an overview of the issues or challenges, potential solutions, and web links. Other sections have information on relevant legislation, committees, agencies, programs in addition to information on the judiciary, nonpartisan & partisan organizations, and a wikipedia entry.
• bTo participate in ongoing forums, ask the post’s curators questions, and make suggestions, scroll to the ‘Discuss’ section at the bottom of each post or select the “comment” icon.

The Deficit & Debt  category has related posts on government agencies and departments and  committees and their Chairs.

In the law of the United States, the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of the general and permanent regulations promulgated by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government of the United States. The CFR is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to federal regulation.

• In the ‘About’ section of this post is an overview of the issues or challenges, potential solutions, and web links. Other sections have information on relevant legislation, committees, agencies, programs in addition to information on the judiciary, nonpartisan & partisan organizations, and a wikipedia entry.
• To participate in ongoing forums, ask the post’s curators questions, and make suggestions, scroll to the ‘Discuss’ section at the bottom of each post or select the “comment” icon.

The Regulations category has related posts on government agencies and departments and  committees and their Chairs.

Citizen Engagement  or civic participation is any individual or group activity addressing issues of public concern. Civic engagement includes communities working together or individuals working alone in both political and non-political actions to protect public values or make a change in a community. The goal of civic engagement is to address public concerns and promote the quality of the community.

• In the ‘About’ section of this post is an overview of the issues or challenges, potential solutions, and web links. Other sections have information on relevant legislation, committees, agencies, programs in addition to information on the judiciary, nonpartisan & partisan organizations, and a wikipedia entry.
• To participate in ongoing forums, ask the post’s curators questions, and make suggestions, scroll to the ‘Discuss’ section at the bottom of each post or select the “comment” icon.

The Citizen Engagement  category has related posts on government agencies and departments and  committees and their Chairs.

The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury of the federal government of the United States where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the U.S. Mint; these two agencies are responsible for printing all paper currency and coins, while the treasury executes its circulation in the domestic fiscal system.

The USDT collects all federal taxes through the Internal Revenue Service; manages U.S. government debt instruments; licenses and supervises banks and thrift institutions; and advises the legislative and executive branches on matters of fiscal policy. The department is administered by the secretary of the treasury, who is a member of the Cabinet.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a nonpartisan agency within the legislative branch of the U.S. government. In simpler terms, it’s Congress’s own independent source of information on budgets and economic matters.

Here’s a breakdown of what the CBO does:

• Provides objective analysis of the federal budget and economic forecasts
• Estimates the costs of proposed legislation
• Offers insights on potential budgetary and economic impacts of policy decisions

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is a powerful entity within the US government, situated within the Executive Office of the President. Here’s a breakdown of its key functions:

• Budget Management: The OMB plays a critical role in crafting the Federal budget. This includes assisting the President in formulating budget proposals, overseeing the budget’s execution, and making recommendations regarding legislative actions impacting the budget
• Agency Oversight: The OMB keeps a watchful eye on the performance of various federal agencies, ensuring they adhere to the President’s priorities.
• Regulatory Review: Functioning as a central hub, the OMB reviews and coordinates significant regulations issued by federal agencies. This ensures these regulations align with federal policies and don’t create unnecessary burdens.

Mission:  

1. Investigate the operation, effects, and administration of internal revenue taxes
2. Investigate measures and methods for the simplification of taxes
3. Make reports on the results of those investigations and studies and make recommendations
4. Review any proposed refund or credit of taxes in excess of $2,000,000.

Democratic House Members (Majority):
Richard Neal, Massachusetts, Chair
John Lewis, Georgia (Until July 17, 2020)
Lloyd Doggett, Texas

Democratic Senate Members (Majority):
Ron Wyden, Oregon, Ranking Member
Debbie Stabenow, Michigan

Republican House Members (Minority):
Kevin Brady, Texas, Vice Ranking Member
Devin Nunes, California

Republican Senate Members (Minority):
Chuck Grassley, Iowa, Vice Chair
Mike Crapo, Idaho
Mike Enzi, Wyoming

Featured Video: 
Joint Committee on Taxation: Organizational Meeting

Mission:  The Senate Appropriations Committee has jurisdiction over all discretionary spending legislation in the Senate. Its role is defined by the U.S. Constitution,  which requires “appropriations made by law” prior to the expenditure of any money from the Treasury.

The Senate Appropriations Committee is the largest committee in the U.S. Senate, with 30 members in the 117th Congress.

House Counterpart:  Appropriations Committee

Democratic Members:
Patty Murray, Washington, Vice Chair
Dick Durbin, Illinois
Jack Reed, Rhode Island
Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire
Jeff Merkley, Oregon
Chris Coons, Delaware
Brian Schatz, Hawaii
Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin
Chris Murphy, Connecticut
Chris Van Hollen, Maryland
Martin Heinrich, New Mexico
Gary Peters, Michigan
Jon Ossoff, Georgia
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York

Republican Members:
Susan Collins, Maine, Chair
Mitch McConnell, Kentucky
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
Jerry Moran, Kansas
John Hoeven, North Dakota
John Boozman, Arkansas
Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia
John Kennedy, Louisiana
Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi
Mike Rounds, South Dakota
Marco Rubio, Florida
Bill Hagerty, Tennessee
Deb Fischer, Nebraska
Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma

Featured Video:
Senate Appropriations Committee holds hearing on domestic extremism

Mission: The United States Senate Committee on the Budget was established by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. It is responsible for drafting Congress’s annual budget plan and monitoring action on the budget for the Federal Government. The committee has jurisdiction over the Congressional Budget Office.

House counterpart: Budget Committee (House)

Democratic Members (Minority):
Jeff Merkley, Oregon, Ranking Member
Bernie Sanders, Vermont
Patty Murray, Washington
Ron Wyden, Oregon
Debbie Stabenow, Michigan
Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island
Mark Warner, Virginia

Tim Kaine, Virginia
Chris Van Hollen, Maryland
Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico
Alex Padilla, California

Republican Members (Majority):
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina, Chair
Chuck Grassley, Iowa
Mike Crapo, Idaho
Ron Johnson, Wisconsin
Roger Marshall, Kansas
John Cornyn, Texas
Mike Lee, Utah
John Kennedy, Lousiana
Bernie Moreno, Ohio
Rick Scott, Florida
John Kennedy, Louisiana
Pete Ricketts, Nebraska

Featured Video:
Senate Budget Committee Hearing On The President’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Proposal

Mission:  The committee focuses on matters relating to taxation and other revenue measures generally, and those relating to the insular possessions; bonded debt of the United States; customs, collection districts, and ports of entry and delivery; deposit of public moneys; general revenue sharing; health programs under the Social Security Act (notably Medicare and Medicaid) and health programs financed by a specific tax or trust fund; national social security; reciprocal trade agreements; tariff and import quotas, and related matters thereto; and the transportation of dutiable goods.

House counterpart: Ways and Means Committee

Democratic Members (Minority):
Ron Wyden, Oregon, Ranking Member
Maria Cantwell, Washington
Michael Bennet, Colorado
Mark Warner, Virginia
Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island
Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire
Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada
Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts
Bernie Sanders, Vermont
Ben Luján, New Mexico
Raphael Warnock, Georgia
Peter Welch, Vermont

Republican Members (Majority):
Mike Crapo, Idaho, Chair
Chuck Grassley, Iowa
John Cornyn, Texas
John Thune, South Dakota
Tim Scott, South Carolina
Bill Cassidy, Louisiana
James Lankford, Oklahoma
Steve Daines, Montana
Todd Young, Indiana
John Barrasso, Wyoming
Ron Johnson, Wisconsin
Thom Tillis, North Carolina
Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee
Roger Marshall, Kansas

Featured Video: 
Senate Finance Committee holds hearing on tax fraud

Mission:
The Senate Select Committee on Ethics is a select committee of the United States Senate charged with dealing with matters related to senatorial ethics.

Democratic Members (Minority):
Chris Coons, Delaware – Vice Chair
Brian Schatz, Hawaii
Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire

Republican Members (Majority):
James Lankford, Oklahoma – Chair
Jim Risch, Idaho
Deb Fischer, Nebraska

Featured Video: 
How the Senate ethics committee investigates

The Committee on House Administration deals with the general administration matters of the United States House of Representatives.

Senate Counterpart: Committee on Rules and Administration

Subcommittees:

• Elections
• Modernization

Chair: Bryan Steil, Wisconsin
Ranking Member: Joseph Morelle, New York

Majority Staff Director: Tim Monahan
Minority Staff Director: Jamie Fleet
Meeting Location: 1309 Longworth House Office Building, Washington D.C. 20515; Phone: 202-225-8281

Featured Video: Press Conference on Report: “Voting in America: Ensuring Free and Fair Access to the Ballot” – August 6, 2021
Web Links

The House Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee. The United States House Committee on Appropriations and the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations have joint jurisdiction over all appropriations bills in the United States Congress. Each committee has 12 matching subcommittees, each of which is tasked with working on one of the twelve annual regular appropriations bills

Senate counterparts: Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittees:

• Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
• Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
• Defense
• Energy and Water Development
• Financial Services and General Government
• Homeland Security
• Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
• Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
• Legislative Branch
• Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
• State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
• Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

Chair: Kay Granger, Texas (R)
Ranking Member: Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut (D)

Majority Staff Director: N/A
Minority Staff Director:  Christopher Bigelow
Meeting Location: 2362A Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-2771

Featured Video:  Markup of FY22 Transportation, Housing & Urban Development & Energy & Water Dev. – 7/16/21
Web Links

The United States House Committee on the Budget, commonly known as the House Budget Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Its responsibilities include legislative oversight of the federal budget process, reviewing all bills and resolutions on the budget, and monitoring agencies and programs funded outside of the budgetary process. The committee briefly operated as a select committee in 1919 and 1921, during the 66th and 67th United States Congresses, before being made a standing committee in 1974.

Senate counterpart: Budget Committee (Senate)

Chair: Jodey Arrington, Texas
Ranking Member: Brendan Boyle, Pennsylvania

Majority Staff Director: Gary Andres
Minority Staff Director: Gregory Waring
Meeting Location: 204 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515;  (202) 226-7270

Featured Video: Markup of: American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 – 2/22/21
Web Links

The Ethics in Government Act (EIGA) designates the Committee on Ethics as the “supervising ethics office” for the House of Representatives and charges the Committee with duties and responsibilities for Financial Disclosure Statements (Title I) and for Outside Employment (Title V) with respect to Members, officers, and employees of the House of Representatives.

Senate counterpart: Select Committee on Ethics

Chair: Michael Guest, Mississippi (R)
Ranking Member: Susan Wild, Pennsylvania (D)

Chief Counsel, Staff Director:  Thomas Rust
Meeting Location: 1015 Longworth House Office Building (LHOB), Washington, DC  20515;
Phone: 202-225-7103 

Featured Video:  House Ethics Committee 02/02/21

The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. It has authority to investigate the subjects within the Committee’s legislative jurisdiction as well as “any matter” within the jurisdiction of the other standing House Committees.

Subcommittees: 

• Cyber Security, Information Technology and Government Innovation
• Economic Growth, Energy Policy and Regulatory Affairs
• Government Operations and the Federal Workforce
• Health Care and Financial Services
• National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs

Chair: James Comer, Kentucky (R)
Ranking Member: Jamie Raskin, Maryland (D)

Majority Staff Director: Mark Marin
Minority Staff Director: Karen McAfee
Meeting Location: 2157 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515; Phone: (202) 225-5074

Featured Video: Democracy in Danger: The Assault on Voting Rights in Texas – July 29, 2021
Web Links

The Rules Committee has two broad categories of jurisdiction: special orders for the consideration of legislation (known as “special rules” or “rules”) and original jurisdiction matters. A special rule provides the terms and conditions of debate on a measure or matter, consideration of which constitutes the bulk of the work of the Rules Committee. The Committee also considers original jurisdiction measures, which commonly represent changes to the standing rules of the House, or measures that contain special rules, such as the expedited procedures in trade legislation.

The Committee has the authority to do virtually anything during the course of consideration of a measure, including deeming it passed. The Committee can also include a self- executed amendment which could rewrite just parts of a bill, or the entire measure. In essence, so long as a majority of the House is willing to vote for a special rule, there is little that the Rules Committee cannot do.

Senate Counterpart: Rules Committee (Senate)

Subcommittees:

• Legislative and Budget Process
• Rules and the Organization of the House

Chair: Tom Cole, Oklahoma (R)
Ranking Member: Jim McGovern, Massachusetts (D)

Majority Staff Director: Kelly Dixon Chambers
Minority Staff Director: Donald Sisson
Meeting Location: H-312, The Capitol, Washington, D.C. 20515; Phone: (202) 225-9191

Featured Video: Rules Committee Meeting on H.R. 4373, H.R. 4346 and H.R. 4505 Part 2 – July 28, 2021
Web Links

The Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The Committee has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures, as well as a number of other programs including Social Security, unemployment benefits, Medicare, the enforcement of child support laws, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and foster care and adoption programs.

Subcommittees:

• Health
• Oversight
• Select Revenue Measures
• Social Security
• Trade
• Worker and Family Support

Chair: Jason T. Smith, Missouri
Ranking Member: Richard Neal, Massachusetts

Majority Staff Director: Patrick Dumas
Minority Staff Director: Brandon Casey
Meeting Location: 1139 Longworth HOB, Washington D.C. 20515; (202) 225-3625

Featured Video: Oversight Subcommittee Hearing on Expanding Housing Access to All Americans – July 14, 2021
Web Links