If you ask the average person who is in the federal government, they usually point toward the White House or that big dome on Capitol Hill. It’s a fair guess. But it’s also like saying a car is just a steering wheel. Sure, the steering wheel decides the direction, but there’s a massive, loud, and sometimes confusing engine under the hood that actually makes the thing move.
The U.S. federal government is basically a sprawling collection of over 2 million civilian employees and about 1.3 million active-duty military personnel. That’s a lot of people. It’s not just the folks you see on CNN or C-SPAN. It’s the person testing your meat for salmonella, the guy monitoring weather patterns in the Pacific, and the lawyers arguing over whether a new dam will kill off a specific type of trout. Honestly, the scale is hard to wrap your head around until you realize that "the government" is really just a massive employer with three very different departments that often don't even like each other.
The Big Three: Breaking down the branches
We all learned about the "separation of powers" in middle school, but the reality is much messier. The people in these roles have wildly different jobs. Some are elected. Most aren't.
The Executive Branch: More than just the President
The President is the face of the operation. Currently, that's Joe Biden. But he’s just the tip of a very large iceberg. Underneath him is the Vice President, Kamala Harris, and then the Cabinet. These are the heads of the 15 executive departments, like the Department of State or the Department of Defense.
But here is where it gets interesting: the vast majority of people who are in the federal government work in this branch. We're talking about the "alphabet soup" of agencies. The FBI, the CIA, the EPA, and the SSA. Most of these people are career civil servants. They don’t leave when a new president is elected. They stay for decades. They are the institutional memory of the country. Think about the Dr. Anthony Faucis of the world—people who serve under five, six, or seven different presidents. That is the true backbone of the executive side.
The Legislative Branch: The 535
This is Congress. You've got 435 Representatives in the House and 100 Senators. They are the ones who write the checks. If the President wants to do something, he usually needs these people to pay for it.
The House of Representatives is currently led by Speaker Mike Johnson. It's high-energy, partisan, and moves fast (or tries to). The Senate is the "cooling saucer." It’s slower. More formal. It’s where things go to get debated for months. But it’s not just the 535 members. Each one of them has a staff. Thousands of young, caffeinated 20-somethings actually do the research, write the bill drafts, and answer the phones when you call to complain about your mail delivery.
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The Judicial Branch: The quiet power
Then you have the courts. The Supreme Court is the big one—nine justices who have lifetime appointments. Chief Justice John Roberts leads that group. But underneath them are the U.S. District Courts and the U.S. Courts of Appeals. There are hundreds of federal judges across the country. They don't make laws, but they tell everyone else what the laws actually mean. When there's a fight between the President and Congress, these are the people who act as the referee.
The "Deep State" vs. The Civil Service
You’ve probably heard the term "Deep State" thrown around in the news. It sounds like something out of a spy novel. In reality, what people are usually talking about is the Senior Executive Service (SES) and the competitive service.
These are the roughly 2.1 million non-political employees. They are scientists, accountants, forest rangers, and IT specialists. They are hired based on their skills, not who they voted for. This system was created by the Pendleton Act of 1883 because, back in the day, if you wanted a government job, you just had to be friends with the guy who won. Now, it's a rigid, merit-based hierarchy.
- Political Appointees: About 4,000 people. These are the "temp workers" of the government. They come in with a new administration and leave when it's over.
- Career Civil Servants: The other 99%. They provide the stability. They make sure the Social Security checks go out and the air traffic controllers show up to work regardless of who is in the Oval Office.
Who actually makes the rules?
Technically, Congress makes laws. But in the real world, the people who are in the federal government at the agency level make the "rules." This is called administrative law.
When Congress passes a law like the Clean Air Act, they don't specify exactly how many parts per billion of a chemical can be in the smoke. They leave that to the experts at the EPA. This gives a massive amount of power to unelected officials. It's a point of huge debate. Some say it's necessary because Congress isn't full of scientists. Others say it’s undemocratic because you can't vote these rule-makers out.
The role of the "Shadow Government"
No, not a conspiracy. I'm talking about federal contractors. There are millions of people who aren't technically government employees but are paid entirely by government money. Think Boeing, Lockheed Martin, or even the cleaning crews at the Pentagon. If you count these contractors, the number of people "in" the government effectively doubles or triples.
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Diversity and demographics: A snapshot
The federal workforce is surprisingly diverse, but it depends on where you look.
- Veterans: About 30% of the federal workforce are veterans. The government gives "veterans' preference" in hiring, which is why so many former military members end up in civil service.
- Location: Only about 15% of federal employees actually live in the Washington D.C. area. Most are spread across the country in field offices, national parks, and VA hospitals.
- Education: Federal employees tend to be more highly educated than the general private-sector workforce, mainly because so many roles are specialized—think nuclear engineers or epidemiologists.
Why the "who" matters for you
It’s easy to feel like the government is just a giant, faceless machine. But who occupies these roles determines how your life functions.
When you fly, the TSA agent is the face of the federal government. When you file taxes, the IRS auditor is the face. When you visit a National Park, the ranger is the face. These people carry out the policies decided in D.C., but they also have "street-level bureaucracy" power. They have discretion. How they interpret a rule can be the difference between you getting a small business loan or being denied.
Real-world examples of influence
Look at the Federal Reserve. It’s technically an independent agency. The people on the Board of Governors, led by Jerome Powell, aren't directly managed by the President. Yet, they decide interest rates. If they raise rates, your mortgage gets more expensive. These few people have more direct impact on your wallet than almost anyone else in the federal government.
Or consider the "Whistleblowers." These are people inside the system who see something wrong and report it. Under the Whistleblower Protection Act, they are supposed to be shielded from being fired. These individuals, often mid-level managers, have the power to take down massive projects or even spark impeachments.
Common misconceptions about federal workers
People love to complain that government workers are "lazy" or "impossible to fire." While it is true that the civil service has strong job protections to prevent political firing, the "lazy" trope doesn't always hold up when you look at the specialized fields. NASA engineers or CDC researchers are often the top of their class.
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The real issue is usually "red tape." The federal government is governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which is basically a giant book of rules on how to buy a stapler. It’s not that the people don’t want to work fast; it’s that the system is designed to prioritize accountability and "fairness" over speed.
How to find out exactly who is in charge of what
If you’re trying to track down a specific official or understand a department, there are three primary resources you should use.
- The United States Government Manual: This is the official "owner’s manual" for the U.S. government. it lists every agency and its top leadership.
- The Plum Book: Published every four years after a presidential election, this lists all the political positions that the President gets to appoint. It’s literally where the "spoils" are listed.
- USA.gov: This is the best starting point for the public to find any agency or contact information for federal offices.
The shifting landscape of 2026
As we move further into this decade, the makeup of the federal government is changing. There is a massive push for "Schedule F" or similar reclassifications. This is a move to make more career civil servants "at-will" employees, meaning the President could fire them more easily.
If this happens, the answer to who is in the federal government will change from "career experts" to "loyalists." It’s a fundamental shift in how the American bureaucracy has worked for over 140 years. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is usually a matter of which party you belong to, but it’s the biggest story in civil service right now.
Actionable steps for navigating the federal system
Knowing who is in the government is only useful if you know how to interact with them. Here is how you actually use this information:
- Locate your local Federal Executive Board (FEB). There are 28 of these across the country (outside of D.C.). They coordinate federal agencies in your specific region. If you have a systemic issue with federal services in your city, this is a high-level place to start.
- Use the "Contact Your Representative" tool properly. Don't just send a generic email. Ask for the "Legislative Assistant" who handles the specific topic you care about (e.g., "the staffer who handles Veterans Affairs"). These assistants are the real gatekeepers of policy.
- Check the Federal Register. If you want to see what rules agencies are making before they become law, go to FederalRegister.gov. You can actually leave comments on proposed rules. Agencies are legally required to read and respond to significant public comments.
- Monitor the GAO. The Government Accountability Office is the "congressional watchdog." They audit how the people in the federal government spend your money. Their reports are the best way to see where the government is failing or succeeding without the political spin.
- Apply through USAJOBS. If you want to be "who" is in the federal government, the process is notoriously slow. Start your profile months before you actually need a job, and ensure your resume is in the "federal format"—which is much longer and more detailed than a private-sector resume.
The federal government isn't a monolith. It’s a chaotic, massive, and deeply human organization. Understanding that it’s made of millions of individuals—most of whom are just trying to do their jobs regardless of the political circus—is the first step in actually making the system work for you.