A handy list of acronyms and abbreviations commonly used in United States Government. Where possible, links to related agencies, offices or related information are provided.

Index
A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W Y

Also See: More Government Acronyms and Abbreviations 
Keys to acronyms and abbreviations from specialized areas of government and the U.S. Military.

A

AARCC Alternative Agricultural Research and Commercialization Corporation

ABMC American Battle Monuments Commission 

ACF Administration for Children and Families 

ACYF Administration on Children, Youth, and Families

ADA Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 

ADB Asian Development Bank 

ADD Administration on Developmental Disabilities 

AFAA Air Force Audit Agency 

AFDB African Development Bank 

AFDC Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Replaced by TANF)

AFDF African Development Fund 

AFSC Armed Forces Staff College 

AGRICOLA Agricultural Online Access

NCCC National Civilian Community Corps (Americorps)

AMS Agricultural Marketing Service 

Amtrak National Railroad Passenger Corporation 

ANA Administration for Native Americans 

AOA Administration on Aging 

APHIS Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 

ARC Appalachian Regional Commission 

ARS Agricultural Research Service 

ATF Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms 

ATSDR Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

B

BCIS Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration

BEA Bureau of Economic Analysis 

BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs 

BIC Business Information Center (SBA) 

BJA Bureau of Justice Assistance 

BJS Bureau of Justice Statistics 

BLM Bureau of Land Management 

BLS Bureau of Labor Statistics 

BTS Bureau of Transportation Statistics 

BVA Board of Veterans' Appeals 

C

C\3\I Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence 

C\4\ Command, Control, Communications, and Computers 

C\4\I Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence 

CBO Congressional Budget Office 

CCC Commodity Credit Corporation 

CDBG Community Development Block Grant 

CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CEA Council of Economic Advisers 

CEOS Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (Justice) 

CEQ Council on Environmental Quality 

CFA Commission of Fine Arts 

CFR Code of Federal Regulations 

CFTC Commodity Futures Trading Commission 

CIA Central Intelligence Agency 

CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 

CMS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 

CNO Chief of Naval Operations 

COPS Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (Justice) 

CPSC Consumer Product Safety Commission 

CRS Congressional Research Service 

CSAP Center for Substance Abuse Prevention 

CSAT Center for Substance Abuse Treatment 

CSB Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board 

CSE Office of Child Support Enforcement 

CSREES Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service 

CSS Central Security Service 

D

DA Department of the Army 

DARPA Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency 

DCAA Defense Contract Audit Agency 

DCMC Defense Contract Management Command 

DEA Drug Enforcement Administration 

DIA Defense Intelligence Agency 

DISA Defense Information Systems Agency 

DLA Defense Logistics Agency 

DLSA Defense Legal Services Agency 

DOC Department of Commerce 

DOD Department of Defense 

DOE Department of Energy 

DOL Department of Labor 

DOT Department of Transportation 

DSCA Defense Security Cooperation Agency 

DSS Defense Security Service 

DTRA Defense Threat Reduction Agency 

E

EDA Economic Development Administration 

EEOC Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 

EO Executive order 

EOUSA Executive Office for United States Attorneys 

EPA Environmental Protection Agency 

ERS Economic Research Service 

Ex-Im Bank Export-Import Bank of the United States

F

FAA Federal Aviation Administration 

Fannie Mae Federal National Mortgage Association 

Farmer Mac Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation 

FAS Foreign Agricultural Service 

FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation 

FCC Federal Communications Commission 

FDA Food and Drug Administration 

FDIC Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 

FEB's Federal Executive Boards 

FEC Federal Election Commission 

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency 

FERC Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 

FFB Federal Financing Bank 

FHA Federal Housing Administration (HUD)

FHWA Federal Highway Administration 

FIA Federal Insurance Administration 

FICO Financing Corporation

FLRA Federal Labor Relations Authority 

FMC Federal Maritime Commission 

FMCS Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service 

FMS Financial Management Service 

FNCS Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services 

FNMA Federal National Mortgage Association 

FNS Food and Nutrition Service 

FOIA Freedom of Information Act (Text of Act)

FR Federal Register 

FRS Federal Reserve System 

FSA Farm Service Agency 

FSIS Food Safety and Inspection Service 

FSS Federal Supply Service 

FTC Federal Trade Commission 

FWS Fish and Wildlife Service 

G

GAO General Accounting Office 

GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 

Ginnie Mae Government National Mortgage Association 

GIPSA Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration 

GNMA Government National Mortgage Association 

GPO Government Printing Office 

GSA General Services Administration 

H

HHS Department of Health and Human Services 

HRSA Health Resources and Services Administration 

HUD Department of Housing and Urban Development 

HUMINT (A category of intelligence derived from information collected and provided by human sources)

I

IAF Inter-American Foundation 

IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 

IDB Inter-American Development Bank

IFC International Finance Corporation 

IHA's Indian Housing Authorities 

IHS Indian Health Service 

ILAB Bureau of International Labor Affairs 

ILO International Labor Organization 

IMF International Monetary Fund 

IMLS Institute of Museum and Library Services 

INS Immigration and Naturalization Service (See BCIS)

INTERPOL International Criminal Police Organization 

IOM International Organization for Migration 

IRMC Information Resources Management College 

IRS Internal Revenue Service 

ISOO Information Security Oversight Office 

ITA International Trade Administration 

J

JAG Judge Advocate General (Army - Navy - Air Force)

JCS Joint Chiefs of Staff 

L

LMI Office of One-Stop/Labor Market Information (Labor) 

M

MA Maritime Administration 

MASINT Central Measurement and Signals Intelligence Office 

MBDA Minority Business Development Agency 

MIGA Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency 

MMS Minerals Management Service 

MSHA Mine Safety and Health Administration 

MSPB Merit Systems Protection Board 

N

NARA National Archives and Records Administration 

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

NASS National Agricultural Statistics Service 

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization 

NCA National Cemetery Administration 

NCPC National Capital Planning Commission 

NCRR National Center for Research Resources

NCUA National Credit Union Administration 

NEA National Endowment for the Arts 

NEH National Endowment for the Humanities 

NHI National Highway Institute 

NHPRC National Historical Publications and Records Commission 

NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

NIH National Institutes of Health 

NIJ National Institute of Justice 

NIMA National Imagery and Mapping Agency 

NIMH National Institute of Mental Health 

NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology 

NLM National Library of Medicine 

NLRB National Labor Relations Board 

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

NOFA Notice of Funding Availability

NPS National Park Service 

NRC Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service 

NSA National Security Agency 

NSC National Security Council 

NSF National Science Foundation 

NTIA National Telecommunications and Information Administration 

NTID National Technical Institute for the Deaf 

NTIS National Technical Information Service (Commerce) 

NTSB National Transportation Safety Board 

O

OAS Organization of American States 

OCS Officer Candidate School (Army - Navy - Marines)

OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 

OGE Office of Government Ethics 

OMB Office of Management and Budget 

OPIC Overseas Private Investment Corporation 

OPM Office of Personnel Management 

ORR Office of Refugee Resettlement 

OSC Office of Special Counsel 

OSDBU Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (Commerce) 

OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

OSHRC Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission 

OSM Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement 

OTS Office of Thrift Supervision 

OWBO Office of Women's Business Ownership 

P

PBGC Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation 

PBS Public Buildings Service 

PHA's Public Housing Agencies 

PHS Public Health Service 

POW/MP Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel 

PRC Postal Rate Commission 

PSC Program Support Center (Health and Human Services)

PTO Patent and Trademark Office 

PWBA Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration 

R

RHS Rural Housing Service 

RICO Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations 

RIT Rochester Institute of Technology 

RMA Risk Management Agency (Agriculture) 

ROTC Reserve Officer Training Corps (Army - Air Force)

RRB Railroad Retirement Board 

RSPA Research and Special Programs Administration (Transportation) 

RTB Rural Telephone Bank 

RUS Rural Utilities Service 

S

SAIF Savings Association Insurance Fund 

SAMHSA Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 

SBA Small Business Administration 

SEC Securities and Exchange Commission 

SITES Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service 

SSA Social Security Administration 

SSI Supplemental Security Income Program 

SSS Selective Service System 

START Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty 

Stat. United States Statutes at Large 

T

TANF Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Replaced AFDC)

TASC Transportation Administrative Service Center 

TDA Trade and Development Agency 

TPCC Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee 

TTIC Terrorist Threat Integration Center

TVA Tennessee Valley Authority 

U

U.N. United Nations 

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 

UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Program 

UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund

UNICOR Federal Prison Industries, Inc. 

USA United States Army 

USAF United States Air Force 

USAID United States Agency for International Development 

U.S.C. United States Code 

USCG United States Coast Guard 

USDA United States Department of Agriculture 

USFA United States Fire Administration 

USGS United States Geological Survey 

USITC United States International Trade Commission 

USMC United States Marine Corps 

USN United States Navy 

V

VA Department of Veterans Affairs 

VISTA Volunteers in Service to America (Americorps)

VOA Voice of America 

W

WHO World Health Organization 

WIC Special supplemental food program for Women, Infants, and Children 

WNET Women's Network for Entrepreneurial Training (SBA) 

WTO World Trade Organization 

Y

YCC Youth Conservation Corps

Also See: More Government Acronyms and Abbreviations 
Keys to acronyms and abbreviations from specialized areas of government and the U.S. Military.