The Remarkable Work of Federal Employees

Every day, federal employees are tackling the nation’s most complex problems. From safeguarding the public’s health to collecting revenue that runs the government to defending the nation’s borders, federal workers perform many critical tasks that Americans value and need. NTEU recognizes the valuable contributions of each and every federal employee. Read about the remarkable work of federal employees at each NTEU-represented agency and department:

Administration for Children and Families

ACF employees manage programs that promote economic and social well-being for families, children, individuals and communities. This includes adoption, child welfare and development, citizens with disabilities, domestic violence victims and low-income job assistance. Many American’s are familiar with ‘Head Start’ serving 1.07 million children ages birth to 5 and pregnant women in the 2016-17 program year alone. Learn about help for communities.

Administration for Community Living

Americans with disabilities and older adults deserve to maintain their health and independence. ACL combines the efforts of the Administration on Aging, the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the HHS Office on Disability, serving as the agency responsible for increasing access to community support. Employees here help to fund, develop and coordinate home and community-based programs that serve millions of older persons into their later years. At the state and local level, this includes include home-delivered meal programs, nutrition services, transportation, adult day care, legal assistance and health promotion projects and more. Learn about programs.

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau

A small agency with a big job—collecting taxes on alcohol, tobacco and firearm sales. Employees enforce federal rules on the production, labeling, marketing and advertising of alcohol products. With some 500 employees nationwide, it is the third-largest tax collection agency in the federal government, collecting nearly $22 billion in annual tax revenue. Learn about TTB-regulated industries.

Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Our nation’s only producer of paper money, the Bureau prints cash for the Federal Reserve Bank to distribute to the public. Also, the sole producer of official security documents, like passports and government identification cards. A talented team of designers and engravers work to meticulously combine images, text and other graphic elements into life-like models, enhancing anti-counterfeiting measures. Explore how currency is made.

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

This agency transforms the way the federal government manages its financial services, keeping track of America’s public debt down to the very last cent. Tens of millions of Americans own savings bonds, purchased through this agency. The mission of the FMS is to provide central payment services to federal program agencies, operate the federal government's collections and deposit systems, provide government-wide accounting services, and manage the collection of delinquent debt. Employees oversee a daily cash flow of about $89 billion. Annually, FMS disburses more than a billion payments via Social Security and Veterans' Benefit payments. Learn about programs, services and rates of exchange.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Employees work to ensure consumer markets are fair, transparent and financially sound, protecting the public from fraud and abuse related to several types of financial products subject to abide by the Commodity Exchange Act. CFTC employees are among those who police the futures and swaps markets for ways to lower risks to the public and the overall economy. One of their online services allows people to check the background of financial advisers. Check the background of financial advisers.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

CFPB works to ensure that American consumers get accurate information to make informed financial decisions regarding products, such as credit cards and mortgages. Banks, credit unions and other financial companies are all under CFPB’s watch, including federal consumer financial laws. Employees analyze information about financial services providers and consumer financial markets to make appropriate recommendations to policymakers. Learn how you can submit a complaint, get answers to money questions and reach your financial goals.

Customs and Border Protection

CBP employees are the frontline guardians of the nation’s ports of entry. They safeguard the borders and beyond, protecting the American public against terrorists, human and drug smuggling, illegal immigration, contaminated food and dangerous insects. Every day, CBP processes nearly one million passengers and pedestrians at 329 ports of entry across the country. On a typical day, CBP employees serve 1,088,300 people, seize 5,863 pounds of illegal narcotics, discover 352 agricultural pests that can cause havoc for years and more. Learn more about CBP.

Department of Energy

Employees work to provide clean, reliable, safe and affordable energy through innovations in research and technology. DOE’s mission is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through scientific solutions. DOE-funded research and education are key in strengthening America’s scientific knowledge base and in preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers. Learn more about science, innovation and STEM education resources.

Environmental Protection Agency
EPA employees make sure our air and water are clean and safe. The EPA has responsibilities among the most serious and far-ranging in government, from acid rain to mold, from bed bugs to hazardous waste, and much more. EPA employees inform the public on the proper usage of certain materials, like generators, which can emit toxic air pollutants, and de-icing chemicals, which can contaminate drinking water supplies. Learn about a range of environmental topics, such as air and water quality and environmental information by location.

Farm Service Agency

The American agricultural industry rests in the hands of the FSA. Through its vast network of federal, state and local offices, the FSA administers dozens of credit, conservation, disaster and loan programs for farmers and ranchers nationwide. Several inter-agency program partnerships across government continue to flourish to keep protect the stability and security of American farmers. FSA also coordinates loans to help establish modest income-producing projects in connection with local 4-H clubs, Future Farmers of America, and similar organizations. Get fact sheets on everything from bees and pollinators to loans and conservation.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Created in 1933 in response to bank failures during the Great Depression, the FDIC promotes safe and sound banking practices. Employees work to protect your money by insuring all bank deposits—checking and savings, certificates of deposit, money market accounts and more. Currently, the FDIC insures trillions of dollars in deposits in more than 5,533 banks nationwide. Since the FDIC’s founding, no depositor has lost a single cent of insured funds because of a bank failure. Get consumer assistance and education on important financial issues and topics.

Federal Election Commission

In 1975, Congress created this agency to regulate federal election contributions and spending. The FEC works to disclose campaign finance information and publishes reports filed by Senate, House and presidential campaigns that list how much each campaign has raised and spent. Employees review each report filed by federal candidates and committees to ensure that they have complied with the disclosure requirements and the limits and prohibitions on contributions. See how candidates and committees raise and spend money in federal elections.

Federal Communications Commission
The public owns the airways (radio, wire, satellite, television and cable) and the FCC regulates them on our behalf. Since 2003, the FCC has been supported almost entirely by regulatory fees assessed on regulated companies, with virtually no direct acceptance of tax dollars. This includes supervising the Emergency Alert System, a public safety tool used in the event of a local, state, regional or national emergency. Visit the FCC consumer help center.

Food and Drug Administration

Protecting the public health by assuring what we consume daily is safe. Food, vaccines, bottled water, infant formula, veterinary products, protecting the public from electronic product radiation, cosmetics and advancing innovations to cure or treat diseases are all part of the FDA’s work. Learn more about the FDA.

Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services
Providing children and families with a healthy diet and nutritional education programs. Employees work so all communities have information to make informed decisions about their dietary needs. Programs include food assistance, like School Breakfast Program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). In fiscal 2016, more than 14.5 million children received a school breakfast every school day because of FNCS. Learn more here.

National Center for Health Statistics
An integral part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the NCHS issues information and data on the health status of the U.S. population. This influences reports submitted to policymakers across the government. Employees work to find disparities in health status and health care, while monitoring trends in both health status and health care delivery. Learn more here.

Health Resources and Services Administration

Across the nation, employees work to improve access to health care for tens of millions of Americans. Those in need of a health care facility can find a database of federally-funded health care centers, easily searchable for a location near their homes. HRSA employees oversee organ, bone marrow and cord blood donation programs, and support programs designed to thwart bioterrorism. These employees maintain extensive databases to help protect against medical malpractice and health care waste, fraud and abuse. Learn about HRSA program areas, such as poison help, organ donation and maternal and child health.

Internal Revenue Service

IRS employees collect money that runs our government and allows America to function, grow and prosper. The IRS is one of the world's most efficient tax administrators, collecting more than 93 percent of all government revenue, and it does so at a lower cost than any other industrialized nation. IRS employees apply the nation’s tax laws fairly, helping taxpayers meet their tax responsibilities in a fair and consistent manner. Learn about the taxpayer bill of rights.

National Credit Union Administration
NCUA employees regulate and supervise the credit union system to ensure its reliable and promote confidence in the national system of cooperative credit. The focus is protecting your rights and member deposits in their local credit union and offers several programs to enhance financial literacy. Learn about your money.

National Park Service
Across the nation, NPS preserves Americas past and help us look to our future through a network of almost 417 natural, cultural and recreational sites. Since 1916, NPS has leveraged more than $35.8 billion in historic preservation investment through tax incentives and in 2017 alone served 330 million visitors. In other areas, the Cultural Resources division develops curriculum material for colleges and universities and administers internship programs for youth. Plan your visit.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The NRC ensures the safe use of radioactive materials, including license renewal of existing nuclear plants, materials safety oversight, materials licensing, and high- and low-level waste management. NRC employees are responsible for monitoring almost a hundred nuclear power plants across the country. Nuclear material is used for many things besides nuclear power, including the detection and treatment of certain illnesses. Learn how the NRC protects you.

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
As the regulator of all national banks and agencies of foreign banks, the OCC works for fair and equal access to banks nationwide for all Americans. The rules, legal interpretations and corporate decisions enforced by OCC employees protect the soundness of our banking system. This allows consumers to feel confident their money is secure and foster healthy competition by allowing banks to offer new products and services. OCC bank examiners conduct on-site reviews of national banks and federal savings associations while supervising their operations. OCC employees have the authority to approve or deny a bank’s application for new charters, branches, capital or certain other changes. Find answers to your questions regarding national banks and federal savings associations.

Office of Hearing Operations
Within the Social Security Administration (SSA), this office is responsible for holding hearings and issuing decisions as part of the process for determining whether or not a person may receive benefits. ODAR is one of the largest administrative judicial systems in the world, issuing more than half a million hearing and appeal dispositions every year. Information about SSA's Office of Disability Adjudication and Review.

Patent and Trademark Office
As the protector of America’s intellectual property, PTO ensures new products and invention lead to a growth in jobs, investments, and economic expansion. A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of all, that identifies and distinguishes the source. A patent is a limited duration property right relating to an invention, granted by PTO employees in exchange for public disclosure of the invention. Learn about intellectual property theft protections and other important topics.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Mental health issues and substance abuse are part of life for millions of Americans. At the SAMHSA, employees work to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness in American communities and ensure a stable recovery for those who either live with substance abuse problems or are diagnosed with a mental illness. To inform the public on substance abuse trends, SAMHSA’s Office of Applied Studies provides up-to-date national data on alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse. Learn how SAMHSA helps people access treatments and services.

Securities and Exchange Commission
One of the country’s oldest financial regulatory agencies, the SEC enforces federal securities laws and oversees the nation’s securities markets. Created in 1934 during the Great Depression, employees now have substantial new duties under financial regulatory reform legislation enacted in 2012. SEC employees review a range of documents from publicly-held companies to ensure appropriate disclosure of information that could impact stock and other markets. Get an introduction to investing and investor alerts.

Department of the Treasury’s Departmental Offices
From domestic financial matters to economic policy to international financial stability, employees of Treasury’s Departmental Offices advise, assist and help formulate policies critical to the well-being of every American. Employees provide a broad range of indispensable services to agency divisions that negotiate tax treaties with other nations; develop estimates for the president’s budget, and for fiscal policy and cash management decisions; and that are responsible for economic and legal policy analysis for domestic and international tax policy decisions.

Department of the Treasury

The Treasury Department is responsible for promoting economic prosperity and ensuring the financial security of the United States by: promoting conditions that enable economic growth and stability in the U.S. and abroad; combating threats and protecting the integrity of the financial system; and managing the U.S. government’s finances and resources. Organized into two major components: Departmental offices and the operating bureaus, the Department is the steward of U.S. economic and financial systems and an influential participant in the world economy. Get answers to common questions about savings bonds and securities.

Department of Health and Human Services
The mission is to protect the health of all Americans and provide essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. As you have read above, HHS accomplishes its mission through several hundred programs and initiatives that cover a wide spectrum of activities, serving the American public at every stage of life. Learn about HHS' more than 100 programs across its operating divisions.