About the Website USA.gov
Mission
We create and organize timely, needed government information and services and make them accessible to the public anytime, anywhere, via their channel of choice.
History
Many people and organizations have had a hand in creating our comprehensive, award-winning portal to government.
USA.gov is an interagency product administered by USAGov (formerly the Federal Citizen Information Center), a division of the U.S. General Services Administration's Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies. It got its start when Internet entrepreneur Eric Brewer, whose early research was funded by the Department of Defense, offered to donate a powerful search engine to government. That gift helped accelerate the government's earlier work to create a government-wide portal.
In June 2000, President Clinton announced the gift from the Federal Search Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by Brewer, and instructed that an official U.S. web portal be launched within 90 days. USA.gov went online on September 22, 2000 under the name FirstGov.gov. The GSA and 22 federal agencies funded the initiative in 2001 and 2002.
USA.gov was legislatively mandated through Section 204 of the E-Government Act of 2002 (PDF, Download Adobe Reader). Since 2002, USA.gov has received an annual appropriation from the U.S. Congress. In January 2007, FirstGov.gov officially changed its name to USA.gov.
https://www.usa.gov/history-of-website
Accessed June 16, 2016.
Find Government Information or Services by Phone
USA.gov’s information specialists can help you locate information on federal agencies, programs, benefits, services, and more.
Call us toll-free at 1-844-USA-GOV1 (1-844-872-4681).
The USA.gov telephone line is available between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.
If we can't answer your question directly, our information specialists will direct you to the government agency that can.
You can also contact us through e-mail or chat.
Web Chat with USA.gov to Find Government Information and Services
Having trouble with the chat function? You may need to disable pop-up blockers to take advantage of all aspects of our chat service. If you are using Internet Explorer version 11 and cannot start a chat, please try a different browser. You can also call us instead at 1-844-USA-GOV1 (1-844-872-4681).
Sometimes there is a short wait for an information specialist.
E-Mail USA.gov to Find Government Information and Services
E-mail us your questions about the U.S. government or your comments about our website, USA.gov. We will respond to your questions in English or Spanish.
Do you want to send a message to an elected official, such as the President?
We can't forward e-mails to elected officials, so please contact them directly:
If we can't answer your question directly, our response will:
If your question is very complex or specific, we may be able to provide you with more personalized service if you call us at 1-844-USA-GOV1 (1-844-872-4681). We're available Monday to Friday 8 AM to 8 PM Eastern Time.
To help us serve you better, please include:
For your protection, do not include personal information like telephone or Social Security numbers.
A field with an asterisk (*) before it is a required field.
