Research Guides: Government Resources: Federal

Federal Documents

White House
View remarks by President Biden, Fact Sheets, recent Executive Orders, and visit the Briefing Room for recent Statements and Releases. Learn about the history of the White House, and view Priorities of the current administration.
The Cabinet of the President
President Joe Biden’s Cabinet includes Vice President Kamala Harris and the heads of the 15 executive departments — the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, and the Attorney General. Additionally, the Cabinet includes the White House Chief of Staff, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, the Director of National Intelligence, and the US Trade Representative, as well as the heads of the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Management and Budget, Council of Economic Advisers, Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Small Business Administration.
Compilation of Presidential Documents
Browse this collection which consists of the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents and the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents, the official publications of materials released by the White House Press Secretary. The Compilation of Presidential Documents is published by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
Budget of the United States Government
Issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Budget of the United States Government is a collection of documents that contains the budget message of the President, information about the President's budget proposals for a given fiscal year, and other budgetary publications that have been issued throughout the fiscal year. Other related and supporting budget publications are included, which may vary from year to year. The Government Printing Office (GPO) has signed and certified the PDF files to assure users that the online documents are official and authentic. The digitally signed PDF files should be viewed using Adobe Acrobat or Reader version 7.0 or higher
Federal Register
The Office of the Federal Register (OFR) prepares and publishes a wide variety of public documents. Upon issuance, acts of Congress are published in slip law (pamphlet) form and then cumulated and published for each session of Congress in the United States Statutes at Large. Each Federal workday, the OFR publishes the Federal Register, which contains current Presidential proclamations and Executive orders, Federal agency regulations having general applicability and legal effect, proposed agency rules, and documents required by statute to be published. All Federal regulations in force are codified annually in the Code of Federal Regulations.
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations (sometimes called administrative law) published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government of the United States.

U.S. Senate
Main site for the U.S. Senate with links to Senators, committees, legislation, nominations, Floor Proceedings, Scheduled Hearings, Roll Call Votes, Historical Background, and more.
U.S. House of Representatives
Main site for U.S. House with links to Representatives, committees, legislation, Committee Schedules, Floor Proceedings, Recent Votes, Bills & Reports, and more.
Legislative Resources
Research guides provide a starting point for researching legal topics and identifying relevant materials in the collections of the Law Library of Congress. Research guide subjects range from animal and landlord-tenant law to instructions for compiling a federal legislative history.
Congressional Hearings
A hearing is a meeting or session of a Senate, House, joint, or special committee of Congress, usually open to the public, to obtain information and opinions on proposed legislation, conduct an investigation, or evaluate/oversee the activities of a government department or the implementation of a Federal law. In addition, hearings may also be purely exploratory in nature, providing testimony and data about topics of current interest. This site (govinfo) provides select House and Senate hearings beginning with the 79th Congress (1945-46) and more consistent coverage of House and Senate hearings for the 104th Congress (1995-96) to the current 117th Congress (2021-2022). Most congressional hearings are published two months to two years after they are held. Hearings are available on govinfo as they become available during each session of Congress, and hearings from earlier congresses are in the process of being digitized and will be added to the site.To find hearings not available on this site, try visiting the committee’s website.
Congressional Record
The official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. Online from 1994 forward.
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
GAO is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. The GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. Go to Reports and Testimonies and browse by date, subject, or agency.
The Constitution of the United States
The text is a transcription of the Constitution as it was inscribed by Jacob Shallus on parchment (the document on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum.) The spelling and punctuation reflect the original.
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based. Unlike the other founding documents, the Declaration of Independence is not legally binding, but it is powerful.
The Bill of Rights
The Constitution might never have been ratified if the framers hadn't promised to add a Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the Constitution gave citizens more confidence in the new government and contain many of today's Americans' most valued freedoms.

PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records)
The Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) service provides electronic public access to federal court records. PACER provides the public with instantaneous access to more than 1 billion documents filed at all federal courts.
Supreme Court of the United States
Search for Opinions of the Court, U.S. Reports, Transcripts of Oral Arguments, Case Documents, Press Releases, and information about the Justices, the Supreme Court Building, and the history of the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court of the United States: Information about Opinions
General overview of Supreme Court Opinions, including a summary of the dissemination of documents from a Bench Opinion to the final publication of U.S. Reports,
U.S. Supreme Court Library (HeinOnline - Rider subscription)
HeinOnline provides the only complete coverage of the official U.S. Reports, an indexed compilation of the official full text of all decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States and the official record of its rulings, orders, case tables, and other proceedings. In addition to the U.S. Reports, the 600+ titles in HeinOnline's U.S. Supreme Court Library include books, periodicals CRS reports, rules of the Court, and external links. Users can navigate the database using various tools, including HeinOnline's ScholarCheck, linking to case law with FastCase, and linking to Oyez, a complete and authoritative source for Supreme Court audio.
United States Courts
The U.S. Courts were created under Article III of the Constitution to administer justice fairly and impartially, within the jurisdiction established by the Constitution and Congress. This resource will help you learn more about the Judicial Branch and its work.