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U.S. Federal Agency Acronyms

Below, you will see a bunch of acronyms for U.S. Federal Agencies. Fill in the blanks.
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: November 13, 2016
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First submittedApril 21, 2010
Times taken76,348
Average score63.6%
Rating4.51
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Acronym
Stands For ….
CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
IRS
Internal Revenue Service
EPA
Environmental Protection Agency
FEMA
Federal Emergency Management Agency
NSA
National Security Agency
NTSB
National Transportation Safety Board
SEC
Securities and Exchange Commission
FDIC
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
FDA
Food and Drug Administration
NIH
National Institutes of Health
Acronym
Stands For ….
FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
CDC
Centers for Disease Control
DHS
Department of Homeland Security
HUD
Housing and Urban Development
SSA
Social Security Administration
FCC
Federal Communications Commission
FEC
Federal Election Commission
FTC
Federal Trade Commission
DEA
Drug Enforcement Agency
DOD
Department of Defense
VA
Veterans Affairs
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77 Comments
BlendedCow
+6
Level 44
Jun 3, 2013
Missed election. Bummer.
cpgatbyu
+16
Level 87
Mar 10, 2017
I wish I had.
cranbeckh
+5
Level 69
Jun 10, 2013
I don't know if I should be pleased or not that I know all my government agencies...
GeographerCartographer
+16
Level 14
Jun 24, 2013
Why do we have so many? So the newspapers have enough scandals to fill up their front pages each day?
ctleng76
+14
Level 65
Aug 1, 2013
The government creates these so that more people can have jobs to keep unemployment down.
kapulani3
+20
Level 74
Mar 10, 2017
More specifically, the bureaucrats create these (many redundant) agencies so their friends can get their kick backs "legally".
MyMindWentBlank
+30
Level 61
Mar 10, 2017
They also serve vital purposes to make life better, safer, and more efficient.
kapulani3
+20
Level 74
Mar 10, 2017
That's sarcasm, right? No one who has ever had to deal with even one agency would ever attribute any of the words you used to government or "civil servants".
chondrichthyess
+18
Level 61
Jan 4, 2018
You must have never worked for the government. If you had, you'd see the monstrous inefficiency and corruption. Billions of tax dollars going to nothing whatsoever.
stankyC
+40
Level 65
Feb 7, 2018
Ah yes, corporations use resources much more efficiently with $40 million severance packages for CEOs that run the company into the ground. There's waste in government, no one argues that, but by and large, agencies are full of normal people who mostly try to do their jobs, just like any large organization. I personally have an easier time dealing with government agencies than with Comcast, AT&T, my bank, my health insurance, or whatever other big corporate bureaucracy controls much more of my life than the government does.
MindWax
+4
Level 86
Dec 18, 2023
In 2022, the Pentagon was able to account for 39% of its 3.5 trillion dollar budget. A 40 million dollar wasted expense on a failed CEO would be a blessed, blessed relief to the taxpayer if that were the biggest problem federal agencies faced regarding waste, corruption, and inefficiency.

"Muh companies" is a lazy deflection from very serious problems in the despicably bloated layered carcasses of the governmental estate.

https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3219566/dod-makes-audit-progress-but-much-more-needs-to-happen-official-says/

Quizmaster
+3
Level ∞
Jun 19, 2024
Corporations and governments are both bloated and wasteful.

The difference is that corporations can lose market share to nimbler competitors. If they fail for long enough, they will even cease to exist. But governments can't go out of business. They just accumulate waste and corruption until there is a revolution.

An ideal system would devolve more powers to local governments. This would allow people to "vote with their feet", leaving corrupt and inefficient governments behind. You can see this happen when people leave Detroit (for example) and go to better areas. But if the entire national government is corrupt, you can't easily move to a new country.

In addition to devolving powers, another useful reform would be zero-based budgeting, in which the default line item for every government expenditure is zero, and every dollar of spending must be be justified.

wiifly
+2
Level 61
Jul 2, 2022
Let’s just agree that both are messes of inefficiency and corruption?
richiesyxx
+4
Level 73
Aug 27, 2022
So, which would you get rid of. The FAA, perhaps? And then you’ll start to complain that the government is doing nothing about all the planes falling from the sky…
MindWax
+3
Level 86
Dec 18, 2023
How many farms did you have to plunder to even construct a strawman this enormous?
MalyJacus
+6
Level 59
Sep 9, 2022
""The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy." my favorite CIV IV quote, voiced perfectly by Mr. Spock.
TheWombat
+3
Level 73
Oct 17, 2013
15/22 but surprised I knew so many as a non-American. Why do I know these things?
redsplat
+2
Level 73
May 6, 2019
Hollywood?
courthousedoc
+4
Level 79
Mar 1, 2014
Boy that was easy. All of them with 2:55 left. I guess I'm just a policy wonk.
burntfrost
+18
Level 47
May 28, 2014
It's a libertarian hit list.
HalJordan2814
+8
Level 37
Jul 27, 2014
Haha! I totally thought to myself as I was doing it "Here's one that needs to go, that one never should have been made, here's another we need to get rid of..."
Neodymium
+1
Level 63
Jul 12, 2024
which ones in your opinion?
stankyC
+26
Level 65
Feb 7, 2018
love imagining a world with no environmental or food regs where I can get giardia from my pork and watch the river catch on fire
redsplat
+4
Level 73
May 6, 2019
Or at least cook your pork in the river ;P
smartcookie17
+4
Level 45
Jun 20, 2014
All with 1:42. I always was a spy freak. And a conspiracy theorist of sorts. But mainly just a spy freak. And I love EVERYTHING that ends in 'agency'. Especially if it gets an acronym.
SDBolts619
+5
Level 50
Jul 8, 2014
2:55 left. Thanks NPR!
shortyf1
+4
Level 54
Dec 21, 2014
Is not the 'Drug Enforcement Agency' an organisation in Liberia based upon the Federal US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)?
kasiabasia
+2
Level 54
Feb 18, 2016
13/22, pretty good given the fact that I'm only basing my knowledge on hollywood movies.
joez
+4
Level 76
Feb 18, 2017
Infernal Revenue Service?
ander217
+2
Level 75
Feb 18, 2017
I tried that first.
IsleAuHaulte
+2
Level 91
Oct 28, 2019
Me too. I really think that should be accepted as a type in for those (all) of us who can't stand typing anything indicating it's a service.
QuizWol
+2
Level 65
Nov 4, 2019
I so got stuck on that one because here it is Inland and I just could not figure out why that did not work.
AdamC0912
+3
Level 83
Mar 10, 2017
Quiz will be meaningless when trump abolishes all these departments. sigh...
ShnevorSomeone
+5
Level 61
May 8, 2018
big oof
Fergy586
+9
Level 78
Jul 17, 2021
I wish he would have
ksockwell
+6
Level 57
Mar 10, 2017
There is a federal exchange Commission as well
imalittledespot
+2
Level 68
Mar 10, 2017
All with 3:02 left. Thanks, bygone journalism career! Of course, many of these agencies will be gone soon enough too if the current administration gets its way.
Elan
+5
Level 66
Mar 10, 2017
I think the EPA is about to move into a history quiz...
ShnevorSomeone
+4
Level 61
May 8, 2018
big oof
Djilas
+2
Level 85
Aug 6, 2017
From a traveller's perspective NPS, NFS and BLM are missing.
kalbahamut
+5
Level 81
Jun 20, 2018
Black Lives Matter is not a federal agency
stealthnav52
+20
Level 68
Aug 12, 2019
Not sure if you were being facetious, but I think he meant Bureau of Land Management
Fishbone
+2
Level 49
Jul 17, 2020
stealth, I'm sure he was. BLM is, in fact, a federal agency as you correctly pointed out. The other BLM is not....yet.
texdave
+3
Level 56
Feb 7, 2018
CSB = Chemical Safety Board

OSHA = Occupational Safety and Health Administration

USDA = United States Department of Agriculture

NIOSH = National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health

Neodymium
+1
Level 63
Jul 12, 2024
USDA and OSHA would do well on this list
divantilya
+2
Level 36
Apr 2, 2018
With all these agencies and commissions protecting us why do we still have widespread diseases, natural disasters, rampant corruption and generally inefficient services?
kalbahamut
+18
Level 81
Jan 6, 2019
Widespread diseases? like what? chlamydia? The CDC, WHO, and many other organizations do tremendous work preventing disease. If not for government intervention we'd still be living in a world with rampant polio, smallpox, and meningitis. Ebola, SARS, bird flu, and Zika would probably all have made it to the USA in large numbers. AIDS cases would still be growing rapidly instead of shrinking.

and while the government can only do so much to prevent natural disasters (effective measures to combat global warming would be a great start! and something only governments can do in a meaningful way), I'm sure the emergency response services that FEMA, etc provide have made quite a big difference to those who benefitted from them.

As for corruption, well, that's a little hard to combat when, instead of having politicians influenced by vile oligarchs, we just cut out the middle man and vote in a vile oligarch as president. Maybe in 2020...

divantilya
+1
Level 36
Jul 22, 2019
Smallpox, though "eradicated" is still around. Measles are making a comeback, so are STD's and Zika remains a danger, particularly in the Southern states.
Fishbone
+6
Level 49
Jul 17, 2020
So, rampant corruption on the federal level didn't happen until the 2016 election? You may not have agreed with the results of that election but corruption was well in place before it. Politicians have pledged to fight it for almost as long as we've had elections, yet here it still is more pervasive than ever. Can't blame that one on the orange man.
kalbahamut
+3
Level 81
Aug 4, 2021
It got very very much worse and more rampant in 2016 and you're blind or ignorant if you don't know that. This has nothing at all to do with "agreeing" with the results of an election...
samiam1955
+1
Level 68
Jul 12, 2024
Another of your comments that is interesting to see in hindsight, prescient while understated. Now in July 2024, the corruption of the once-respected GOP has come completely out into the open, with a Supreme Court created by the Federalist Society giving carte blanche to future presidents, especially the one most likely to return to power next January, to engage in unbridled lawlessness for four years, and possibly more.
JWatson24
+10
Level 71
Aug 4, 2021
@divantilya, if there's any group of people to blame for spikes in disease (in particular measles and COVID), it's anti-vaxxers, not the federal government.
samiam1955
+1
Level 68
Jul 12, 2024
Your comment from January 2019 is really interesting in hindsight, considering what happened a year after you wrote. How could you, I, or anyone other than an epidemiologist, have seen Covid coming?
Neodymium
+2
Level 63
Jul 12, 2024
He invented it, trust
QuizWol
+3
Level 65
Nov 4, 2019
And would run rampant if not properly watched and prevented from spreading by that vigilance and prompt action when needed by the right agencies so don't dis the agencies, they are there for good reasons.

With STDs that is no agency going to kick that without input into education of children and parents but they are only going to listen if there is reliable information to base it on. These agencies work to make sure what we know about diseases and how to prevent and treat them is accurate and up to date.

kalbahamut
+6
Level 81
Sep 18, 2020
Public education campaigns against HIV/AIDS cut that down to minuscule numbers. Free clinics giving out antibiotics and free testing have kept incidence of things like chlamydia and syphilis fairly low. Development and deployment of the HPV vaccine will save thousands of women's lives in the future. Though the number of new cases of some diseases are increasing, mostly chlamydia and gonorrhea, probably among new immigrants and younger people who didn't live through the strong push for condom use in the 80s and are less likely to use them now, it's still less than 1% of the population affected each year. And one very likely culprit for the rise of new cases is decreased funding to state and local STD prevention programs - so, eliminating such programs all together is obviously not the answer.
InfiniteBulk
+3
Level 69
Mar 3, 2021
It's not nearly as simple. The fact is, just because they don't impossibly destroy the problem, doesn't mean they are doing nothing. Like @kalbahamut said, many of these agencies are completing efficient tasks.
jmellor13
+6
Level 67
Aug 5, 2021
This is like asking why we have traffic fatalities even though we have seatbelts. You can't eliminate bad outcomes, but you can put measures in place to minimize them.
rabble
+2
Level 68
Jul 12, 2024
I think we just need a few more.

We can start with the Unhoused Persons Advocacy Group, Board to Fix Climate Change by ~~20XX~~ and counting, Self-Auditing Spending and Accomplishments Group...

No need to reduce taxes this year, we're busy making progress!

SpartanLlama
+3
Level 74
May 24, 2019
Had to learn about a lot of these for AP US Government this year.
vomitingdiamonds
+3
Level 84
Jun 7, 2020
As a non-American, a lot of the departments listed are to do with defence and security rather than social services - is the US federal state a bit militaristic still?
kalbahamut
+8
Level 81
Sep 18, 2020
The CIA gathers foreign intelligence, the FBI investigates domestic federal crimes, the NSA handles code breaking and cyber security, Veterans Affairs handles benefits for military veterans like healthcare, the Social Security Administration is like a pension program for retirees and has nothing to do with defense, Homeland Security works in counter-terrorism... all of these agencies have specific missions and several are actually part of the larger Department of Defense. It's not like Americans just like war so much they needed multiple redundant departments for it.
Quizmaster
+6
Level ∞
Jul 18, 2021
If you look at the budget of the United States, you will see that the most goes to pensions and health care.

https://www.jetpunk.com/quizzes/main-parts-of-the-us-budget

Si2
+1
Level 66
Aug 4, 2021
That's true, though I would also add that's largely what's called "mandatory spending." Among discretionary spending, the part lawmakers have more direct control over, military spending currently makes up about 43% (which is a bit of a low outlier compared to previous years).

FY 2020: https://www.cbo.gov/publication/57170

FY 2019: https://www.cbo.gov/publication/56324

FY 2018: https://www.cbo.gov/publication/55342

CMC315
+6
Level 59
Jan 21, 2021
I guess living in the suburbs of DC for the past 20+ years has its advantages. Got them all with plenty of time to spare.

Probably the ONLY advantage to living here, but I digress.

JWatson24
+4
Level 71
Aug 4, 2021
Only advantage? Washington DC is probably my favorite city in America and its suburbs are rather nice too. IMO the only bad things about the city are the traffic and the politicians, and the latter is not something people interact with on a regular basis. If you don't like it though, I guess suit yourself.
SpencerGT
+1
Level 68
May 8, 2021
Why do we have a National Security Agency and a Department of Homeland Security? Isn't that a bit redundant?
Quizmaster
+9
Level ∞
Jul 18, 2021
The DHS was created because the FBI, CIA, NSA, etc... weren't talking to each other and thus completely missed the obvious signs that 9/11 was about to happen.

How adding yet another three letter agency on top of everything is supposed to help, I have no clue.

Any time there is a crisis, politicians want to "do something" which then just creates more cruft and inefficiency. These agencies are frequently created but as far as I know never go away.

kalbahamut
+1
Level 81
Aug 4, 2021
Many have gone away or merged with other agencies. QM is some kind of crazy anarchist, who hates any talk of politics and so avoids it all costs leading to some... interesting... opinions on the subject, from what I gather.
jmellor13
+8
Level 67
Aug 5, 2021
How did I get this far in life without knowing the word "cruft"?
ShayBealer
+1
Level 84
Aug 4, 2021
Great quiz! Strictly speaking, though, aren't these initialisms rather than acronyms?
jmellor13
+1
Level 67
Aug 5, 2021
Not for HUD!
CFeng
+2
Level 46
Aug 7, 2021
Also try https://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/1291421/us-cabinet-department-by-federal-agencies if you found this quiz interesting.
lavendermoon
+1
Level 52
Sep 25, 2021
Accept communication for communications??
erikj
+2
Level 66
Jul 12, 2024
Truth be told, I tried quite a few words that would make for some great agencies.
rabble
+2
Level 68
Jul 12, 2024
RIP DGB - 2022-2022.

We could have had a pure source of unbiased truth to believe via our Disinformation Governance Board Ministry of Truth. We are just not ready yet as a species I suppose :(

Maybe one more generation of college refined drones will get us there. Don't worry, if you don't want to pay for the $20k worth of "GE" courses, tax dollars from your fellow American Democrats, and Republicans, will happily encourage you to take the authorized brainwashing. Why spend your time and money furthering yourself in your selected area of study, when you can watch the provided films, learn about the approved philosophy, read the selected books... you need to be a well-rounded college graduate, of course.

ing
+1
Level 72
Jun 9, 2025
Don't just leave a list like this where Elon Musk can find it, or they will all be DOGEd!
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