Mission Statement: The mission of the Department of the Treasury is to promote the conditions for prosperity and stability in the United States and encourage prosperity and stability in the rest of the world.

Director: Henry M. Paulson, Jr

Number of Employees: 101,000+

(in millions of dollars)

Best Known For:

• Managing Federal finances
• Collecting taxes, duties and monies paid to and due to the U.S. and paying all bills of the U.S.
• Producing postage stamps, currency and coinage
• Managing Government accounts and the public debt
• Supervising national banks and thrift institutions
• Advising on domestic and international financial, monetary, economic, trade and tax policy
• Enforcing Federal finance and tax laws
• Investigating and prosecuting tax evaders, counterfeiters, and forgers. 

• The largest denomination of currency ever printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) was the $100,000 Series 1934 Gold Certificate featuring the portrait of President Wilson. These notes were printed from December 18, 1934 through January 9, 1935

Hot Button Issues:

• Value of the dollar               

History:

1775 -   On June 2, the Continental Congress ordered the first issue of Continental Currency. Two million dollars worth of notes were issued and they were backed by an equal amount of Spanish gold and silver coins.

1778  -  On September 19, the Committee on Finance of the Continental Congress presented the first national budget. 

1789 -   President Washington approved of Congress’ proposal to create the Department of the Treasury. The Treasury Department is the second oldest department in the federal government.

1873 -  Congress passed the Coinage Act, authorizing the Treasury Department to place the motto "In God We Trust" on all United States coins.

1909 -  The Lincoln one-cent coin was issued to replace the Indian Head penny. It was the first circulating coin to feature a real person and the first to feature a President of the United States.

1933 -  The Banking Act of 1933 created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, better known as the FDIC. Designed to instill trust in the banking system again, the FDIC initially insured deposits of up to $2,500. Today, the FDIC insures deposits up to $100,000.

2003 -  Three historical Treasury Bureaus were transferred to the new Department of Homeland Security. The three transferred bureaus were the U.S. Customs Service, part of Treasury since 1789, the U.S. Secret Service, part of Treasury since 1865, and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, part of Treasury since 1970.

2003 -  Secretary John W. Snow established the Executive Office for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes.

• Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
• Bureau of Engraving and Printing
• Bureau of Public Debt
• Financial Management Service (FMS)
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
• Office of Enforcement
• Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
• Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS)
• U.S. Mint

Factoids:

• Between the Fort Worth, Texas and the Washington, DC Facilities approximately 18 tons of ink per day are used to print currency.

• On the back of all U.S. bills, The eagle holds an olive branch, which symbolizes peace, with 13 berries and 13 leaves. In the left talon, the eagle holds 13 arrows, which represents war. The 13 leaves represent the original 13 American colonies. The eagle’s head is turned toward the olive branch, showing a desire for peace.

• Martha Washington is the only woman whose portrait has appeared on a U.S. currency note. It appeared on the face of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1886 and 1891, and the back of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1896.

• The inclusion of “In God We Trust” on all currency was required by law in 1955. The national motto first appeared on paper money in 1957 on $1 Silver Certificates, and on all Federal Reserve Notes beginning with Series 1963.