Executive Branch
The U.S. Constitution does not provide specific and direct authority for the establishment of executive agencies, but Article II, section 2, the Constitution states that the president may “require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices.” As the government grew larger, executive agencies developed as a way to help the president discharge his duties and attend to his affairs. Today, these offices engage in the day-to-day administration and enforcement of executive orders and statutes.
Executive agencies include:
Department of Defense
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Education
Department of Justice
Department of Commerce
Department of State
Department of Labor