Which federal agency oversees the operation of the nation’s 100+ power-producing nuclear reactors, as well as about 36 research and test reactors? Created by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) began operations on January 19, 1975. Its mission is “to license and regulate the nation’s civilian use of byproduct, source, […]

From the 7,000-acre Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Services Center in Beltsville, Md.; more than 200 of its more than 500 structures are currently vacant or underutilized. (Source: Oversight and Government Reform Committee Flickr site) As we reported last month, although Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) had to resign as chairman of the House Transportation and […]

As the Northeastern United States begins what looks to be a prolonged and expensive recovery from the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy earlier this week (beginning on Sunday, October 29), we thought this an appropriate time to profile the federal agency whose mission is “to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as […]

With Veterans Day approaching, we turn our spotlight on the federal government’s second-largest department. With more than 10,000 employees and more than 150 hospitals, 300 vet centers and 800 community-based outpatient clinics—as well as hundreds of other facilities nationwide—the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is  second in size only to the Department of Defense.  […]

In keeping with our recent focus on investigative and law enforcement agencies, today we’re profiling the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), the nation’s oldest and most versatile federal law enforcement agency. Now a division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), its mission is to enforce federal laws and support virtually all elements of the federal justice […]

Which little-known federal agency has been home to four researchers who have won Nobel Prizes in physics (and one who received the Nobel Prize in chemistry)? The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) made the news again this month (October 9), when Boulder, Colo.–based NIST physicist David Wineland (with French colleague Serge Haroche) became […]

In keeping with the public health theme of our last “Spotlight” piece, we’re taking a look at another of major operating component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This agency is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy and security of […]

President Richard Nixon created the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)—part of the U.S. Department of Justice—through an Executive Order in July 1973, with the goal of establishing a single unified command to combat “an all-out global war on the drug menace.” That order merged the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD), the Office of Drug […]

Last week, we profiled the U.S. Courts; this week we take a look at the agency whose employees represent the federal government in those courts—the Office of the U.S. Attorneys (USA). Under the direction of the U.S. Attorney General (AG), the 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the nation are the chief federal law enforcement officers […]

Which federal agency’s motto is “Freedom’s Front Door”? The U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command (USMEPCOM)—a Department of Defense (DoD) joint civilian and military organization—is charged with the unique and challenging task of determining the physical, mental and moral qualifications of every potential new member of the nation’s armed services. Headquartered at the Great Lakes Naval […]

Which agency is the second-largest investigative agency in the federal government? Created on March 1, 2003, through a merger of the investigative and interior enforcement elements of the U.S. Customs Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is second only to the FBI, with more than 20,000 employees […]

As the winter flu season approaches, we take a look at one of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ major operating components: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC’s mission is “to collaborate to create the expertise, information, and tools that people and communities need to protect their health—through health promotion, […]

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is one of three organizational elements within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). (The other two are the Veterans Health Administration and the National Cemetery Administration.) VBA is responsible for administering VA programs that provide financial and other nonmedical forms of assistance to veterans, their dependents and their survivors. […]

View Larger Map As we’ve reported in numerous postings throughout the past year (click on “BRAC” in the “Categories” to the right), the Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) process has led to the closure of more than 350 military bases—and the shifting of many military operations from one base to another—since 1988. The most recent […]