The United States Government Manual, the official handbook of the Federal Government, is issued by National Archives' Office of the Federal Register (OFR) and provides information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies; international organizations in which the United States participates; and boards, commissions, and committees. The Manual begins with reprints of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
A typical agency description includes:
The Manual is published as a special edition of the Federal Register (see 1 CFR 9.1). Its focus is on programs and activities. Persons interested in detailed organizational structure, the regulatory documents of an agency, or Presidential documents should refer to the Federal Register or one of its other special editions.
What is available?
You can locate and search editions of the Government Manual by:
Important: Only the most recent edition is searchable using Basic Search unless you specify is current:false or is current:all in your search criteria. All editions are searchable when using Advanced Search. Learn more about what’s included in search results.
Search Government Manual by Agency - These examples will search for Government Manual documents with Department of Homeland Security as the agency.
Search Government Manual by Date - These examples will search for Government Manual documents published in 2009.
Search Government Manual by Section - These examples will search for Government Manual documents from the Legislative Branch section.
Search Government Manual by Personal Name - These examples will search for Government Manual documents with Al Gore in the text.