The executive branch
executive department
One of the 15 top-level agencies whose heads form the Cabinet, from State and Treasury through Homeland Security. Each is created by statute.
In full
Departments are the largest units of the executive branch, each led by a Senate-confirmed secretary (the Attorney General at Justice). Congress creates, merges, and abolishes them by law, which is why the President cannot simply eliminate one. Inside each sit bureaus, administrations, and offices with their own statutory authorities.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.