"This country needs another FDR."
Yes, America needs more bureaucracy.
Key Agencies and Programs Created Under FDR Here’s a list of the major federal agencies, corporations, and authorities established during FDR’s presidency (1933–1945). Many survive today, some merged, and others were abolished:
1933 - Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) – regional development, dams, and electrification
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) – insured bank deposits
- Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) – public works & conservation jobs for young men
- Public Works Administration (PWA) – large-scale infrastructure projects
- Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) – refinancing home mortgages
- Farm Credit Administration (FCA) – credit support for farmers
- Civil Works Administration (CWA) – emergency jobs (short-lived)
1934 - Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) – regulation of stock markets
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – regulation of radio, telephony, broadcasting
- National Housing Act agencies (precursor to FHA) – home mortgage insurance
- National Recovery Administration (NRA) – codes of fair competition (later struck down)
1935 - Works Progress Administration (WPA) – massive jobs program (roads, bridges, arts, etc.)
- Social Security Administration (SSA) – retirement pensions, unemployment insurance, welfare programs
- Rural Electrification Administration (REA) – rural power infrastructure
- National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) – workers’ rights and union protections
1937–1938 - United States Housing Authority (USHA) – low-income housing finance
- Fair Labor Standards Act administration – minimum wage, maximum hours, child labor restrictions
World War II-era (1940–1945) War mobilization required new bureaucracies:- War Production Board (WPB) – managed wartime industry output
- Office of Price Administration (OPA) – rationing, price controls
- Office of War Information (OWI) – propaganda, war messaging
- Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) – coordinated research (including Manhattan Project foundations)
- War Manpower Commission (WMC) – allocated labor to military vs. industry
Legacy - Permanent Agencies: SEC, FCC, SSA, FDIC, TVA, NLRB, FHA, and REA are still with us.
- Administrative State: The precedent of creating powerful, specialized regulatory agencies under the Executive Branch cemented what critics call the “fourth branch of government.”
- Cultural Impact: Roosevelt’s programs normalized the idea that Washington, D.C., would intervene in economic stability, labor relations, financial markets, housing, agriculture, and social welfare.
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