U.S. Federal Reserve Board Building Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building, Washington, D.C. (more) administrative state of the United States Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/administrative-state-of-the-United-States Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Nick Tabor Nick Tabor is a freelance journalist and the author of Africatown: America's Last Slave Ship and the Community It Created. Nick Tabor Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Aug 21, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What is the administrative state of the U. S.? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The administrative state of the U.S. is a part of the executive branch of the federal government consisting of agencies that implement legislation through rules and programs that are usually too technical, precise, or particular to be included in the legislation itself. Administrative agencies operate with varying degrees of independence, and many also have the power to enforce the rules that they create." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " When did the U.S. administrative state begin to take shape? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The U.S. administrative state began to take shape in the late 19th and early 20th centuries." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What role did the Progressive Era play in the development of the administrative state? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The Progressive Era saw the establishment of many regulatory agencies, including the Department of Commerce and Labor (later divided into the Department of Labor and the Department of Commerce) and the Federal Reserve System, among others." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How have modern Republican administrations viewed the administrative state? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Modern Republican administrations have viewed independent agencies as constituting an undemocratic form of government and have sought to weaken or scale back their regulatory authority." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What changes did Donald Trump implement regarding federal agencies during his second term? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Trump reinstated Schedule F (renamed Schedule Policy/Career), a category that reduces job protections for administrative officials by reclassifying them as political appointees. By firing career civil servants without cause and greatly reducing the budgets of their agencies, the Trump administration effectively weakened or eliminated many regulatory programs." } } ] } Top Questions What is the administrative state of the U. S.? The administrative state of the U.S. is a part of the executive branch of the federal government consisting of agencies that implement legislation through rules and programs that are usually too technical, precise, or particular to be included in the legislation itself. Administrative agencies operate with varying degrees of independence, and many also have the power to enforce the rules that they create.

　　When did the U.S. administrative state begin to take shape? The U.S. administrative state began to take shape in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

　　What role did the Progressive Era play in the development of the administrative state? The Progressive Era saw the establishment of many regulatory agencies, including the Department of Commerce and Labor (later divided into the Department of Labor and the Department of Commerce) and the Federal Reserve System, among others.

　　How have modern Republican administrations viewed the administrative state? Modern Republican administrations have viewed independent agencies as constituting an undemocratic form of government and have sought to weaken or scale back their regulatory authority.

　　What changes did Donald Trump implement regarding federal agencies during his second term? Trump reinstated Schedule F (renamed Schedule Policy/Career), a category that reduces job protections for administrative officials by reclassifying them as political appointees. By firing career civil servants without cause and greatly reducing the budgets of their agencies, the Trump administration effectively weakened or eliminated many regulatory programs.

　　administrative state of the United States, the portion of the executive branch of the U.S. government consisting of agencies that implement legislation through rules and programs that are usually too technical, precise, or particular to be included in the legislation itself. Administrative agencies operate with varying degrees of independence, and many also have the power to enforce the rules that they create. The administrative state of the United States began to take shape in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since that time it has remained an important element of both federal and state governments. Until the late 19th ...(100 of 843 words)

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