Tools for Working with the Federal Government
Practical references for organizations navigating the federal landscape — free to use, built from the inside.
What You’ll Find Here
ABOUT THIS GLOSSARY
A free, plain-English glossary of 176+ federal terms, written from 24 years inside government. The full glossary opens in a new tab when you press the button below.
Feedback on the glossary or ideas for terms to be added? Reach out to us at info@fowlerfederal.com
Federal Insider’s Glossary
Federal Websites
ABOUT THIS REFERENCE LIST
The federal government's online footprint spans hundreds of separate websites, and knowing which one actually has what you need can be its own challenge. This reference list collects the key .gov sites, organized by topic, that come up most often across the glossary: budget and spending, regulations, grants, workforce, and more, plus a few trusted non-government sources for plain-English context. Built as a practical starting point for anyone navigating federal information for the first time, or the fiftieth.
FEDERAL WEBSITES
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USA.gov – Federal government official web portal and agency directory
WhiteHouse.gov – Executive orders, presidential actions, and administration priorities
Congress.gov – Legislation, bill status, and congressional records
Constitution.congress.gov – U.S. Constitution and founding documents
GovInfo.gov – Official federal publications, CFR, and Federal Register archives
Oversight.gov – Inspector General reports and findings
Archives.gov – National Archives and Records Administration
USGovernmentManual.gov – Official directory and organizational reference for federal agencies
Justice.gov – FOIA policy guidance and legal opinions from the Department of Justice
Loc.gov – Legislative history and federal records from the Library of Congress -
OMB.gov - Office of Management and Budget - budget guidance, OMB Circular A-11, regulatory review
USASpending.gov - Federal spending transparency - contracts, grants, obligations, outlays
CBO.gov - Congressional Budget Office - budget projections, economic analysis
GAO.gov - Government Accountability Office - audits, reports, Red Book
Treasury.gov - Department of the Treasury
Fiscal.treasury.gov - Bureau of the Fiscal Service - payments, collections, debt management
FiscalData.treasury.gov - Treasury's public data platform - Debt to the Penny and related datasets
TFX.treasury.gov - Treasury Financial Experience - financial management resources
FPI.omb.gov - Federal Program Inventory -
FederalRegister.gov - Daily Federal Register — proposed and final rules, notices, presidential documents
eCFR.gov - Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
Regulations.gov - Federal rulemaking portal - submit and search public comments
RegInfo.gov - Unified Agenda - regulatory pipeline, OIRA review information
Acquisition.gov - Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and acquisition policy -
Performance.gov - Agency Priority Goals, Cross-Agency Priority Goals, strategic plans, performance data
Councils.gov - Federal Executive Councils and interagency coordination bodies -
Grants.gov - Federal grant opportunities and application portal
SAM.gov - System for Award Management - vendor registration, assistance listings, contract awards -
OPM.gov - Office of Personnel Management - HR policy, benefits, hiring
USAJobs.gov - Official federal government job board
MSPB.gov - Merit Systems Protection Board - employee appeals
OSC.gov - Office of Special Counsel - whistleblower protection, Hatch Act enforcement
OGE.gov - Office of Government Ethics - ethics rules, financial disclosure
CHCOC.gov - Chief Human Capital Officers Council
BLS.gov - Bureau of Labor Statistics - wage and locality pay data -
Senate.gov - U.S. Senate - members, committees, rules, leadership
House.gov - U.S. House of Representatives - members, committees, rules, leadership
ArmedServices.house.gov - House Armed Services Committee - NDAA and defense oversight
Uscode.house.gov - Office of Law Revision Counsel - United States Code -
SupremeCourt.gov - Supreme Court of the United States - opinions, orders, docket
USCourts.gov - Federal Judiciary - court structure, rules, resources -
CISA.gov - Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
DHS.gov- Department of Homeland Security
HHS.gov - Department of Health and Human Services
OIG.HHS.gov - HHS Office of Inspector General
GSA.gov - General Services Administration
USSM.gsa.gov - Unified Shared Services Management - QSMO marketplace
FacaDatabase.gov - Federal Advisory Committee database
IGNet.gov - Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency
IRS.gov - Internal Revenue Service
DOL.gov - Department of Labor
FederalReserve.gov - Federal Reserve
Login.gov - Shared federal digital identity platform
DOI.gov - Department of the Interior
FOIA.gov - DOJ FOIA portal, including the FOIA wizard tool -
OpenSecrets.org - Center for Responsive Politics - lobbying and campaign finance data
PresidentialTransition.org - Partnership for Public Service - Center for Presidential Transition
PGPF.org - Peter G. Peterson Foundation - federal budget and fiscal policy
FactCheck.org - Annenberg Public Policy Center
NASBO.org- National Association of State Budget Officers
PewResearch.org - public trust in government polling
Gallup.com - public opinion and governance polling
USAfacts.org- government data simplified