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Treasury Department

Treasury Secretary

Why It Matters

The four strategic goals listed in the Treasury Department's 2008 Citizen's Report are: manage the U.S. government's finances; set conditions to assure the U.S. and world economy perform at maximum potential; prevent terrorism and promote national security through strengthened international financial systems; and management and organizational excellence.

To achieve these goals, the secretary has at his disposal the Office of the Comptroller, the U.S. Mint, the Internal Revenue Service, the Bureau of Public Debt and dozens of other offices housed both inside and outside of its Washington headquarters.

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At a Glance

  • # of Employees: 110,000
  • 2009 Budget: $12.7 billion
  • Address: 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20220
  • Web site
 

History

In its first session in 1789, the U.S. Congress officially established the Department of the Treasury, which had been operating in some form since 1775. The 1789 law established the secretary of the Treasury, whose role, among other duties, is "to digest and prepare plans for the improvement and management of the revenue, and for the support of public credit."

The Treasury is the second oldest office in the American federal system. A treasurer was charged in 1775 "with the receipt, custody, and disbursement of government funds" when the Second Continental Congress approved the printing of $2 million worth of bills to fund the American War of Independence. The department's duties have shifted slightly over the years, but the primary tasks remains of managing the country's finances and public debt.

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Offices

    • Treasury Secretary
      • Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
      • Bureau of the Public Debt
      • Community Development Financial Institutions Fund
      • Deputy Treasury Secretary
        • Bureau of Engraving and Printing
        • Office of Domestic Finance
          • Office of Financial Institutions
          • Office of Financial Markets
          • Office of Financial Stability
          • Office of Fiscal Service
        • Office of Economic Policy
        • Office of General Counsel
        • Office of International Affairs
        • Office of Management
        • Office of Public Affairs
        • Office of Tax Policy
        • Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence
          • Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
        • Office of Thrift Supervision
        • Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
        • Office of the Treasurer
        • United States Mint
      • Financial Management Service
      • Internal Revenue Service
      • Office of the Inspector General
      • Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration