They Work For U.S.

NTEU Recognizes the Work of Federal Employees Across the Government

Older Americans deserve to be able to maintain their health and independence and fully participate in all aspects of society. At the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA), employees help to fund, develop and coordinate home and community-based programs that serve millions of older persons well into their later years.

AoA programs operate at the state and local level and include home-delivered meal programs, nutrition services, transportation, adult day care, legal assistance and health promotion projects and more.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has programs aimed at adoption, child welfare and development, citizens with disabilities, domestic violence victims and low-income job assistance.

-One of the most popular, well-known programs administered by the ACF is Head Start, the early-childhood educational program. In fiscal 2010, Head Start enrolled more than 900,000 children across the country.

-ACF employees can be found in 10 regional offices across the country working to help at-risk children and families.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is the nation’s only producer of currency notes—printing cash for the Federal Reserve Bank to distribute into public circulation. The BEP also is the country’s largest producer of official security documents, including government identification cards and U.S. passports.

Did you know that the BEP does NOT make coins? All U.S. coinage is produced by the U.S Mint.

The skill and artistry of the BEP’s print production begins with its talented cadre of designers and engravers who work to meticulously combine images, text and other graphic elements into life-like models. Their artistry serves more than an aesthetic purpose; it enhances various federal anti-counterfeiting measures.

The Bureau of the Public Debt is the nuts and bolts of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, keeping track of America’s public debt and borrowing the money the federal government needs to operate—more than $2 trillion annually.

Did you know that the BPD’s job is counting pennies? Literally. Employees there track America’s public debt down to the very last cent.
Did you know that the BPD also sells U.S. Treasury bills, notes and bonds? Tens of millions of Americans own savings bonds and BPD guarantees that these bonds will be replaced if lost or stolen.

At U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), employees are the frontline guardians of our nation’s ports of entry. The work they do safeguards our borders and beyond, protecting the American public against terrorists, human and drug smuggling, illegal immigration, contaminated food and dangerous insects.

-Did you know that CBP processes about one million passengers and pedestrians at 330 ports of entry across the country each and every day?

-Did you know that on a typical day, CBP employees seize about 11,435 pounds of narcotics and intercept about 539 agricultural pests?

-Each day, CBP employees make approximately 1,903 apprehensions for illegal entry at and in between ports of entry.

DOE

At the Department of Energy (DOE), employees help provide clean, reliable, safe and affordable energy for all through innovations in energy research and technology. DOE’s mission is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. DOE-funded research and education play a key role in strengthening the nation’s scientific knowledge base and in preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Did you know that the DOE is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States—providing more than 40 percent of total funding?
You can help save energy by doing simple things like turning off the lights when you leave a room, powering down your electronic devices when you are not using them, and keeping the windows and doors closed when the air conditioner is running.

Most everyone knows of the Environmental Protection Agency’s critical roles in making sure the air we breathe and the water we drink are clean and safe,. But not everyone is aware that EPA has responsibilities among the most serious and far-ranging in government—from dealing with acid rain to mold; from a bed bug infestation to hazardous waste problems, to endangered species issues and much more.

Did you know EPA also provides important information in the event of such weather problems as blizzards, when power lines might well be down? It emphasizes, for example, the proper use of generators, which can emit toxic air pollutants; and it warns that de-icing chemicals can contaminate drinking water supplies.

At the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), employees safeguard the public’s health. Food … water … medicine … cosmetics. You name it; FDA employees makes sure it is healthy, effective and safe.

-FDA employees are responsible for the safety of approximately 80 percent of the U.S. food supply.

-Did you know that FDA employees regulate more than 150,000 businesses nationwide? In fact, FDA-regulated industries account for nearly 25 percent of all consumer spending in the United States.

-FDA employees also monitor sites overseas that are involved in the production and processing of the food Americans eat—more than 250,000 sites in all.

The work of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) promotes safe and sound banking practices and helps build confidence in the U.S. financial system. Employees at the FDIC protect Americans’ money by ensuring all bank deposits—checking and savings, certificates of deposit, money market accounts and more.

-Currently, the FDIC insures a total of $6.3 trillion in deposits in more than 5,000 banks nationwide.

-Did you know that the FDIC was created in 1933 in response to the thousands of bank failures that occurred in the Great Depression? Since the FDIC’s founding, no depositor has lost a single cent of insured funds as a result of a bank failure.

In 1975, Congress created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act, which restricts federal election contributions and spending. Through this act the FEC works to disclose campaign finance information. The FEC publishes reports filed by Senate, House and presidential campaigns that list how much each campaign has raised and spent, and a list of all donors over $200, along with each donor's home address, employer and job title. The database also includes PAC and party summaries.

FEC 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. In some cases, employees refer apparent violations or deficiencies in reporting to the FEC for enforcement action, but reporting problems are often resolved by asking filers to correct or clarify an item in their reports.
Are you interested in who is funding a campaign? Look it up in the FEC database.

The public owns the airways (radio, wire, satellite, television and cable) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates them on Americans’ behalf.

Did you know that the FCC supervises the Emergency Alert System, a public safety tool used in the event of a local, state, regional or national emergency?
Since 2003, the FCC has been supported almost entirely by regulatory fees assessed on regulated companies, with virtually no direct appropriations of tax dollars?

The mission of the Financial Management Service (FMS) is to provide central payment services to federal program agencies, operate the federal government's collections and deposit systems, provide government-wide accounting and reporting services, and manage the collection of delinquent debt. It does this each day with fewer than 2,000 employees.
- Did you know that the FMS employees oversee a daily cash flow of about $94 billion?

-Each year, FMS employees disburse more than $1.6 trillion to more than 100 million individuals via social security and veterans' benefit payments.

- In fiscal year 2010, FMS issued more than one billion non-Defense payments with to more than 100 million people, totaling more than $2 trillion.

The Food, Nutrition and Consumer Service (FNCS) provides children and needy families with a healthy diet and nutritional education programs. Agency employees make sure that communities have the information they need to make informed decisions about their dietary needs. FNCS programs include supplemental and emergency food assistance like the National School Lunch Program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

Did you know that the National School Lunch Program has its roots in Depression-era efforts to help low-income children? Today, more than 11 million children receive a school breakfast every school day in more than 84,000 schools nationwide.
Did you know that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program served an average of 40.3 million people each month in fiscal 2010?

The competitive security and stability of the American agricultural industry rests in the hands of the Farm Service Agency (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.

-Did you know that the FSA is kid-friendly? FSA employees coordinate loans to individual rural youths to establish and operate modest income-producing projects in connection with local 4-H clubs, Future Farmers of America, and similar organizations.

- Over the years, the FSA has formed several inter-agency program partnerships across government, including with the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Forest Service.

Across the nation, more than 1,800 employees of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) work to improve access to health care for vulnerable groups of Americans.

--Tens of millions of Americans get affordable health care and other help through HRSA programs. Americans in need of a health care facility can find a database of federally-funded health care centers that is easily searchable for a center near their homes.

--HRSA employees oversee organ, bone marrow and cord blood donation programs, too, as well as support programs designed to thwart bioterrorism, and they maintain extensive databases to help protect against medical malpractice and health care waste, fraud and abuse.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the agency that collects the money that runs the government. The IRS collects the revenue – more than $2 trillion annually – that allows America to function, grow and prosper, and it does so at a lower cost than any other industrialized nation, spending only about 40 cents for each $100 collected. IRS employees apply our nation’s tax laws equitably, which helps America's taxpayers meet their tax responsibilities in a fair and consistent manner. When it comes to customer service, thousands of IRS employees at service center campuses across the country are a one-stop shop of information, processing returns, taking calls and answering taxpayer questions by the millions.

-The IRS collects approximately 93 percent of all government revenue.

-Did you know that during fiscal year 2010, the IRS processed 230 million returns and collected $2.3 trillion in revenue?

- Did you know that IRS employees’ tax enforcement and compliance activities typically return $7 or more on each taxpayer dollar spent?

A key ingredient in good policy decisions is good information—and that’s where the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) plays a critical role.

--Among its many efforts, NCHS documents the health status of the U.S. population, identifies disparities in health status and the use of health care, while monitoring trends in both health status and health care delivery.

--An integral part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the NCHS website offers access to a wide range of information and data—with links to additional sources of health information.

From the vast expanses of parks and forests in the West to the quaint, historic buildings of the East Coast, the National Park Service (NPS) teaches all Americans about our common past and our shared future through a network of almost 400 natural, cultural and recreational sites. Since 1916, NPS has leveraged more than $55 billion in historic preservation investment through tax incentives and awarded more than $5 billion in preservation and outdoor recreation grants.

-Did you know that NPS’s Cultural Resources division publishes a newsletter, develops curriculum material for colleges and universities, and administers an internship program?

-Along with places, NPS is also steward of objects and records important in perpetuating ethnic traditions. Such resources include everything from feathered headdresses to hand-forged farm tools to oral histories.

Before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was created, nuclear regulation was the responsibility of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), established in 1946. By 1974, the AEC's regulatory programs had come under such strong attack that Congress decided to abolish the agency and create the NRC. Today, the NRC's regulatory activities are focused on reactor safety oversight and license renewal of existing plants, materials safety oversight and materials licensing, and high- and low-level waste management. In addition, the NRC is preparing to evaluate new applications for nuclear plants.

-Did you know that nuclear material is used for many things besides nuclear power, including the detection and treatment of certain illnesses?

-Did you know that NRC employees are responsible for monitoring more than 100 nuclear power plants across the country

As the regulator of all national banks, as well as the federal branches and agencies of foreign banks, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) works to ensure fair and equal access to banks nationwide for all Americans. The OCC’s rules, legal interpretations and corporate decisions work together to protect the safety and soundness of the American banking system; allow consumers to feel confident that their money is secure; and foster healthy competition by allowing banks to offer new products and services.

-Did you know that OCC bank examiners conduct on-site reviews of national banks and federal savings associations and supervise their operations? Examiners analyze loan and investment portfolios, funds management, capital, earnings, liquidity and sensitivity to market risk. Among other tasks, employees ensure banks are complying with consumer banking laws, review audits and evaluate management's ability to identify and control risk.

-Did you know that OCC employees have the authority to approve or deny a bank’s application for new charters, branches, capital or certain other changes?

The Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) within the Social Security Administration (SSA) is responsible for holding hearings and issuing decisions as part of the SSA’s process for determining whether or not a person may receive benefits.

-Did you know that of the tens of millions of Americans who receive Social Security benefits each year, ODAR employees help more than 500,000 of them who have problems with their disability claims?

- ODAR is one of the largest administrative judicial systems in the world, issuing more than half a million hearing and appeal dispositions every year.

-During fiscal year 2010, ODAR employees received 128,703 requests for review and processed 102,062 of them.

The Patent and Trademark Office is the protector of America’s intellectual property and plays a key role in fostering new products and inventions, leading to growth in jobs and investments, as well as economic expansion.

So, what is the difference? A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination thereof, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others. A patent is a limited duration property right relating to an invention, granted by the PTO in exchange for public disclosure of the invention.

Handling applications for patents and trademarks quickly is a vital goal for this driven agency. In 2011 PTO marked the fifth consecutive year the trademark operations exceeded its goals in reducing the time it takes to process trademark applications.

Mental health issues and substance abuse are facts of life for millions of Americans. At the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), employees work to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness in American communities and ensure a stable recovery for the millions of citizens who either live with substance abuse problems or have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness.

- Did you know that in 2010, there were approximately 20 million people in need of substance abuse treatment and an estimated 10.6 million others with unmet mental health care needs?

-The SAMHSA Office of Applied Studies provides up-to-date national data on alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse.

SEC

One of the country’s best known and oldest financial regulatory agencies, the Securities and Exchange Commission is charged with enforcing federal securities laws and overseeing the nation’s securities markets.

The SEC was created in 1934 as the country struggled during the Great Depression that followed the market crash of 1929.

SEC employees have substantial new duties under financial regulatory reform legislation enacted in 2012. As part their ongoing duties, SEC employees review a range of documents from publicly-held companies to ensure appropriate disclosure of information that could impact stock and other markets.

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.

--The Departmental Offices staff provides a broad range of indispensable professional and support 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.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is a small agency with a big job—to collect taxes on alcohol, tobacco and firearm sales. They also enforce federal rules on the production, labeling, marketing and advertising of alcohol products.

-Did you know that with only about 500 employees nationwide, TTB is one of the government’s smallest agencies?

-TTB is the third-largest tax collection agency in the federal government—collecting nearly $24 billion in annual tax revenue. Only the Internal Revenue Service and Customs and Border Protection contribute more funds to the U.S. Treasury.