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22 plain-English definitions of the agencies, programs, laws and procedures that come up in bills and votes.
AI-AssistedWritten with AI from official sources. The official record always prevails. How we use AI.- U.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementICE
- Agency
The DHS agency that enforces immigration law inside the United States, including detention and removal, and investigates crimes that cross borders.
- Immigration and Nationality ActINA
- Law
The main federal immigration law. It sets the rules for visas, green cards, asylum, deportation and citizenship.
- Impeachment
- Congress
The House's power to formally charge a federal official, such as the president or a judge, with misconduct by majority vote. The Senate then holds a trial, where a two-thirds vote is needed to convict and remove the official.
- Impoundment Control Act
- Budget and Tax
The 1974 law that sets rules for when the president may delay or withhold money Congress has provided. Withholding funds to cancel them requires a rescission proposal, which Congress must pass within 45 days of continuous session.
- Incumbent
- Elections
The person who currently holds an office, especially one running to keep it.
- Indian Health ServiceIHS
- Agency
The HHS agency that provides health care to members of federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, directly and through tribal and urban programs.
- Individuals with Disabilities Education ActIDEA
- Law
The federal law that guarantees children with disabilities a free appropriate public education and funds special education services.
- Inflation Reduction Act
- Law
A 2022 budget reconciliation law that created and expanded clean energy tax credits, let Medicare negotiate the prices of some drugs and added funding for the IRS.
In Bills:S. 3385
- Infrastructure Investment and Jobs ActIIJA
- Law
The 2021 infrastructure law that funded roads, bridges, transit, rail, water systems, broadband and the power grid.
- Inspector GeneralOIG
- Agency
An independent office inside a federal agency that audits and investigates the agency's programs to find waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement, and reports to the agency head and Congress.
In Bills:H.R. 8312
- U.S. Institute of PeaceUSIP
- Agency
An independent, nonpartisan institution created by Congress in 1984 to work on preventing and resolving violent conflicts abroad.
- Insurrection Act
- Law
A set of laws, first passed in 1807, that let the president use the armed forces or federalized National Guard inside the United States to suppress an insurrection or enforce federal law in certain situations.
- Intelligence Community
- Agency
The 18 federal agencies and offices that gather and analyze intelligence, such as the CIA, the NSA and parts of the FBI, coordinated by the Director of National Intelligence.
- Interim Final Rule
- Law
A rule that an agency issues and puts into effect without first taking public comment, usually citing good cause such as an emergency. Comments are taken afterward.
In Bills:S.J.Res. 60
- Internal Revenue CodeIRC
- Budget and Tax
The body of federal tax law, found in Title 26 of the U.S. Code.
- Internal Revenue ServiceIRS
- Agency
The Treasury Department agency that collects federal taxes, processes tax returns and enforces the tax code.
- International Criminal CourtICC
- International
A court in The Hague that tries individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. The United States is not a member.
In Bills:H.R. 23
- U.S. International Development Finance CorporationDFC
- Agency
The federal agency, created by the BUILD Act of 2018, that invests in private projects in developing countries through loans, equity and political risk insurance.
- International Emergency Economic Powers ActIEEPA
- Law
A 1977 law that lets the president regulate economic dealings with other countries, such as freezing assets and imposing sanctions, after declaring a national emergency over an unusual foreign threat. Its use to impose tariffs has been challenged in court.
- International Monetary FundIMF
- International
An international organization that lends to countries facing balance of payments crises and monitors the world economy. The United States is its largest shareholder.
- International Trade Administration
- Agency
The Commerce Department agency that promotes U.S. exports, helps American businesses compete abroad and enforces trade laws against unfairly traded imports.
- U.S. International Trade CommissionUSITC
- Agency
An independent agency that investigates how imports affect U.S. industries, decides some unfair trade cases and maintains the U.S. tariff schedule.