Ronald Reagan on Big Government

Have you ever wondered how our federal government could have amassed a debt of over 31 Trillion dollars?

Might it have something to do with the long list below?

As of May, 2023, there are 430 federal agencies and departments, each with its own funding, mission, staff. buildings, phones, office furniture, computers, internet access, and an entrenched hierarchy of bureaucrats.

All of them have an implicit goal of preserving and growing their organization. And with the automatic budget increases they get every year, they do indeed grow — exponentially!

Is it any wonder we’re so deeply in debt? Has our federal government ever heard of zero-based budgeting?

Please scroll down the massive list below, click on a few of the links (Please see https://bityl.co/J32C for a copy of this article with links embedded), read their mission, and ask yourself if We the People really need to pay for all of these agencies and departments. To slow the growth in our debt, couldn’t we “rough it” and get by with 230 organizations instead of 430?

In the comment section below this article, please suggest a couple of your favorite candidate agencies or departments to simply do away with. If enough people reply, I’ll report the results later.

Finally, if we simply must keep all these organizations running, might we at least apply Senator Rand Paul’s “Six-Penny Plan” to balance the budget in ~5 years? What do you think?

Source (May, 2023): Federal Registry

1 ACTION
2 Administrative Conference of the United States
3 Administrative Office of United States Courts
4 Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
5 Agency for International Development
6 – International Development Cooperation Agency
7 Agriculture Department
8 – Advocacy and Outreach Office
9 – Agricultural Marketing Service
10 – Agricultural Research Service
11 – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
12 – Commodity Credit Corporation
13 – Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
14 – Economic Analysis Staff
15 – Economic Research Service
16 – Farm Service Agency
17 – Federal Crop Insurance Corporation
18 – Food and Consumer Service
19 – Food and Nutrition Service
20 – Food Safety and Inspection Service
21 – Foreign Agricultural Service
22 – Forest Service
23 – National Agricultural Library
24 – National Agricultural Statistics Service
25 – National Institute of Food and Agriculture
26 – Natural Resources Conservation Service
27 – Operations Office
28 – Partnerships and Public Engagement Office
29 – Procurement and Property Management, Office of
30 – Risk Management Agency
31 – Rural Business-Cooperative Service
32 – Rural Housing and Community Development Service
33 – Rural Housing Service
34 – Rural Telephone Bank
35 – Rural Utilities Service
36 – Transportation Office
37 – U.S. Codex Office
38 Air Quality National Commission
39 Air Transportation Stabilization Board
40 American Battle Monuments Commission
41 Amtrak Reform Council
42 Antitrust Modernization Commission
43 Appalachian Regional Commission
44 Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission
45 Architect of the Capitol
46 Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board
47 Arctic Research Commission
48 Armed Forces Retirement Home
49 Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
50 Assassination Records Review Board
51 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation
52 Bipartisan Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reform
53 Board of Directors of the Hope for Homeowners Program
54 Broadcasting Board of Governors
55 Census Monitoring Board
56 Central Intelligence Agency
57 Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
58 Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee Commission
59 Civil Rights Commission
60 Commerce Department
61 – Census Bureau
62 – Economic Analysis Bureau
63 – Economic Development Administration
64 – Economics and Statistics Administration
65 – Export Administration Bureau
66 – Foreign-Trade Zones Board
67 – Industry and Security Bureau
68 – International Trade Administration
69 – Minority Business Development Agency
70 – National Institute of Standards and Technology
71 – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
72 – National Technical Information Service
73 – National Telecommunications and Information Administration
74 – Patent and Trademark Office
75 – Technology Administration
76 – Travel and Tourism Administration
77 – Under-Secretary for Economic Affairs
78 Commission of Fine Arts
79 Commission on Immigration Reform
80 Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy
81 Commission on Review of Overseas Military Facility Structure of the United States
82 Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals
83 Commission on the Advancement of Federal Law Enforcement
84 Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry
85 Commission on the Social Security Notch Issue
86 Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled
87 Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
88 Commodity Futures Trading Commission
89 Competitiveness Policy Council
90 Congressional Budget Office
91 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
92 Consumer Product Safety Commission
93 Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
94 Corporation for National and Community Service
95 Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency
96 Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia
97 Crime and Security in U.S. Seaports, Interagency Commission
98 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission
99 Defense Department
100 – Air Force Department
101 – Army Department
102 – Defense Acquisition Regulations System
103 – Defense Contract Audit Agency
104 – Defense Information Systems Agency
105 – Defense Intelligence Agency
106 – Defense Investigative Service
107 – Defense Logistics Agency
108 – Defense Mapping Agency
109 – Defense Special Weapons Agency
110 – Engineers Corps
111 – National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
112 – National Security Agency/Central Security Service
113 – Navy Department
114 – Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
115 Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
116 Delaware River Basin Commission
117 Denali Commission
118 Education Department
119 – National Assessment Governing Board
120 Election Assistance Commission
121 Electronic Commerce Advisory Commission
122 Emergency Oil and Gas Guaranteed Loan Board
123 Emergency Steel Guarantee Loan Board
124 Energy Department
125 – Alaska Power Administration
126 – Bonneville Power Administration
127 – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office
128 – Energy Information Administration
129 – Energy Research Office
130 – Environment Office, Energy Department
131 – Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
132 – National Nuclear Security Administration
133 – Southeastern Power Administration
134 – Southwestern Power Administration
135 – Western Area Power Administration
136 Environmental Protection Agency
137 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
138 Executive Council on Integrity and Efficiency
139 Executive Office of the President
140 – Administration Office, Executive Office of the President
141 – Council on Environmental Quality
142 – Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Office
143 – National Space Council
144 Export-Import Bank
145 Farm Credit Administration
146 Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation
147 Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board
148 Federal Acquisition Regulation System
149 Federal Communications Commission
150 Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
151 Federal Election Commission
152 Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council
153 Federal Housing Finance Agency
154 Federal Housing Finance Board
155 Federal Labor Relations Authority
156 – Federal Service Impasses Panel
157 Federal Maritime Commission
158 Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
159 Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission
160 Federal Pay, Advisory Committee
161 Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council
162 Federal Register, Administrative Committee
163 Federal Reserve System
164 Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
165 Federal Trade Commission
166 Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission
167 Financial Stability Oversight Council
168 General Services Administration
169 Government Accountability Office
170 Government Ethics Office
171 Government Publishing Office
172 Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council
173 Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation
174 Health and Human Services Department
175 – Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
176 – Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
177 – Aging Administration
178 – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
179 – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
180 – Child Support Enforcement Office
181 – Children and Families Administration
182 – Community Living Administration
183 – Family Assistance Office
184 – Food and Drug Administration
185 – Health Care Finance Administration
186 – Health Resources and Services Administration
187 – Indian Health Service
188 – National Institutes of Health
189 – National Library of Medicine
190 – Program Support Center
191 – Public Health Service
192 – Refugee Resettlement Office
193 – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
194 Homeland Security Department
195 – Coast Guard
196 – Federal Emergency Management Agency
197 – Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
198 – National Communications System
199 – Secret Service
200 – Transportation Security Administration
201 – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
202 – U.S. Customs and Border Protection
203 – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
204 Housing and Urban Development Department
205 – Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight Office
206 – Government National Mortgage Association
207 Indian Arts and Crafts Board
208 Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development
209 Inter-American Foundation
210 Interagency Floodplain Management Review Committee
211 Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Commission
212 Interior Department
213 – Fish and Wildlife Service
214 – Geological Survey
215 – Hearings and Appeals Office, Interior Department
216 – Indian Affairs Bureau
217 – Indian Trust Transition Office
218 – Land Management Bureau
219 – Minerals Management Service
220 – Mines Bureau
221 – National Biological Service
222 – National Civilian Community Corps
223 – National Indian Gaming Commission
224 – National Park Service
225 – Natural Resources Revenue Office
226 – Ocean Energy Management Bureau
227 – Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement Bureau
228 – Reclamation Bureau
229 – Safety and Environmental Enforcement Bureau
230 – Special Trustee for American Indians Office
231 – Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office
232 International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico
233 International Broadcasting Board
234 International Development Finance Corporation
235 International Trade Commission
236 Interstate Commerce Commission
237 James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
238 Joint Board for Enrollment of Actuaries
239 Judicial Conference of the United States
240 Judicial Review Commission on Foreign Asset Control
241 Justice Department
242 – Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau
243 – Antitrust Division
244 – Drug Enforcement Administration
245 – Executive Office for Immigration Review
246 – Federal Bureau of Investigation
247 – Federal Prison Industries
248 – Foreign Claims Settlement Commission
249 – Immigration and Naturalization Service
250 – Justice Programs Office
251 – Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Office
252 – National Institute of Corrections
253 – National Institute of Justice
254 – Parole Commission
255 – Prisons Bureau
256 – United States Marshals Service
257 Labor Department
258 – Benefits Review Board
259 – Disability Employment Policy Office
260 – Employee Benefits Security Administration
261 – Employees Compensation Appeals Board
262 – Employment and Training Administration
263 – Employment Standards Administration
264 – Federal Contract Compliance Programs Office
265 – Labor Statistics Bureau
266 – Labor-Management Standards Office
267 – Mine Safety and Health Administration
268 – Occupational Safety and Health Administration
269 – Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration
270 – Veterans Employment and Training Service
271 – Wage and Hour Division
272 – Workers Compensation Programs Office
273 Legal Services Corporation
274 Library of Congress
275 – Copyright Office, Library of Congress
276 – Copyright Royalty Board
277 – Copyright Royalty Judges
278 Local Television Loan Guarantee Board
279 Management and Budget Office
280 – Federal Procurement Policy Office
281 Marine Mammal Commission
282 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
283 Merit Systems Protection Board
284 Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission
285 Millennium Challenge Corporation
286 Mississippi River Commission
287 Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation
288 National Aeronautics and Space Administration
289 National Archives and Records Administration
290 – Federal Register Office
291 – Information Security Oversight Office
292 – Office of Government Information Services
293 National Bankruptcy Review Commission
294 National Bipartisan Commission on Future of Medicare
295 National Capital Planning Commission
296 National Commission on Intermodal Transportation
297 National Commission on Libraries and Information Science
298 National Commission on Manufactured Housing
299 National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service
300 National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
301 National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education
302 National Council on Disability
303 National Counterintelligence Center
304 National Credit Union Administration
305 National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact Council
306 National Economic Council
307 National Education Goals Panel
308 National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities
309 – Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities
310 – Institute of Museum and Library Services
311 – National Endowment for the Arts
312 – National Endowment for the Humanities
313 National Gambling Impact Study Commission
314 National Institute for Literacy
315 National Intelligence, Office of the National Director
316 National Labor Relations Board
317 National Mediation Board
318 National Nanotechnology Coordination Office
319 National Partnership for Reinventing Government
320 National Prison Rape Elimination Commission
321 National Railroad Passenger Corporation
322 National Science Foundation
323 National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence
324 National Security Council
325 National Skill Standards Board
326 National Transportation Safety Board
327 National Women’s Business Council
328 Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Office
329 Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
330 Northeast Dairy Compact Commission
331 Northeast Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission
332 Nuclear Regulatory Commission
333 Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board
334 Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
335 Ocean Policy Commission
336 Office of National Drug Control Policy
337 Office of Policy Development
338 Oklahoma City National Memorial Trust
339 Ounce of Prevention Council
340 Overseas Private Investment Corporation
341 Pacific Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Planning Council
342 Panama Canal Commission
343 Peace Corps
344 Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
345 Personnel Management Office
346 Physician Payment Review Commission
347 Postal Rate Commission
348 Postal Regulatory Commission
349 Postal Service
350 President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency
351 President’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Board
352 Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses
353 Presidential Commission on Assignment of Women in the Armed Forces
354 Presidio Trust
355 Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
356 Prospective Payment Assessment Commission
357 Public Buildings Reform Board
358 Railroad Retirement Board
359 Reagan-Udall Foundation for the Food and Drug Administration
360 Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board
361 Regulatory Information Service Center
362 Resolution Trust Corporation
363 Science and Technology Policy Office
364 Securities and Exchange Commission
365 Selective Service System
366 Small Business Administration
367 Smithsonian Institution
368 Social Security Administration
369 Special Counsel Office
370 Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
371 Special Inspector General For Iraq Reconstruction
372 State Department
373 State Justice Institute
374 Surface Transportation Board
375 Susquehanna River Basin Commission
376 Tennessee Valley Authority
377 The White House Office
378 Thrift Depositor Protection Oversight Board
379 Trade and Development Agency
380 Trade Representative, Office of United States
381 Transportation Department
382 – Commercial Space Transportation Office
383 – Federal Aviation Administration
384 – Federal Highway Administration
385 – Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
386 – Federal Railroad Administration
387 – Federal Transit Administration
388 – Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
389 – Maritime Administration
390 – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
391 – Office of Motor Carrier Safety
392 – Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
393 – Research and Innovative Technology Administration
394 – Research and Special Programs Administration
395 – Transportation Statistics Bureau
396 Treasury Department
397 – Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
398 – Bureau of the Fiscal Service
399 – Community Development Financial Institutions Fund
400 – Comptroller of the Currency
401 – Customs Service
402 – Engraving and Printing Bureau
403 – Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
404 – Financial Research Office
405 – Fiscal Service
406 – Foreign Assets Control Office
407 – Internal Revenue Service
408 – International Investment Office
409 – Investment Security Office
410 – Monetary Offices
411 – Public Debt Bureau
412 – Thrift Supervision Office
413 – United States Mint
414 Twenty-First Century Workforce Commission
415 U.S. House of Representatives
416 U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission
417 U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission
418 Unified Carrier Registration Plan
419 United States African Development Foundation
420 United States Agency for Global Media
421 United States Enrichment Corporation
422 United States Information Agency
423 United States Institute of Peace
424 United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee
425 United States Sentencing Commission
426 Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission
427 Valles Caldera Trust
428 Veterans Affairs Department
429 Women’s Business Enterprise Interagency Committee
430 Women’s Progress Commemoration Commission

See also this link for more on the national debt.

Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.
Milton Friedman, 1984