LibGuides: Policy and the Carceral State: US government & politics

General Search Boxes & Guides

Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
A finding tool for federal publications that includes descriptive records for historical and current publications and provides direct links to those that are available online. (Government Publishing Office)
USA.gov
U.S. government's official web portal intended to make it easy for the public to get U.S. government information and services on the web. (General Services Administration)

Popular U.S. Government Web Sites

data.census.gov (formerly American FactFinder) This link opens in a new window
Find economic, social, and demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Current; Search tool from the U.S. Census Bureau that allows you to locate census data, create and customize tables and maps, and download data; provides useful facts and information about your community, your economy, and your society. [This resource is publicly available.]

Census Bureau
Provides data and publications from the decennial census of population and other Census Bureau programs.
Census of Population and Housing Reports - 1790 to 2010
Includes PDF files of printed reports from the decennial censuses from 1790 to 2010.
Congress.org
Library of Congress web site that makes federal legislative information freely available to the public. Includes bill text and status, roll call votes, member information, and links to other information.

Federal Digital System (FDsys) This link opens in a new window
The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) Federal Digital System (FDsys) website has been retired and replaced by govinfo, which provides free public access to the full text of official publications from all three branches of the federal government.
1993-present; GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys) automates the collection and dissemination of electronic information from all three branches of government. Information is submitted directly into FDsys, permanently available in electronic format, authenticated and versioned, and publicly accessible for searching and downloading. [This resource is publicly accessible.]

FindLaw
A searchable database of the Supreme Court decisions since 1893; part of the free legal information on the Internet provided by Thomson Reuters [not an official U.S. government web site].
Grants.gov
Official web site of the U.S. government for finding and applying for federal grants.
Library of Congress
Provides access to the Library's catalogs, collections, digital content, and other information and links.
National Archives and Records Administration
Provides catalogs and tools for searching NARA's collections, access to NARA's digital content and databases, and links to other archival resources.
National Center for Health Statistics
Provides links to data, publications, and other information on health care, vital statistics, health expenditures, and other related topics.
National Library of Medicine
Provides access to NLM catalogs and publications, data and statistics from NLM programs, and other links and information on medicine and health. PubMed is a service of NLM.
Regulations.gov
Official web site of the U.S. government for public participation in the federal regulatory process. Allows users to search for proposed regulations and comment directly.
Supreme Court of the United States
Provides the text of Supreme Court opinions from October 1991 (volume 502) to the present. Also provides the text of oral arguments (2000 to the present), docket information, biographies of the Justices, and other information about the Court.
White House
Provides information from the White House and executive branch agencies, including blogs, photos/videos, speeches, reports, and other information. Provides links to presidential memoranda, executive orders, and proclamations.
World Factbook (CIA)
Provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for countries around the world.

National Journal

National Journal This link opens in a new window
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Provides access to editorial coverage on policy and politics, including legislative landscape and complex policy issues.
Current; National Journal's portfolio of time-saving tools and editorial coverage on policy and politics provides critical insight into the legislative landscape and complex policy issues. Content includes
: thousands of fully editable PowerPoint slides and graphics break down major political and policy issues, including legislative forecasts, profiles on members of Congress/ key administration officials, and policy primers. Pre-made slides and decks for student projects, class lectures, and university communications about what's happening in Washington (including on websites, social media platforms, etc.)
National Journal Daily: information on committees, hearings, markups and legislative insider analysis
The Hotline: includes campaign and election information and analysis
The Almanac of American Politics: biographical information for all members of Congress and governors in addition to demographic information by district and state
Congressional and Federal Staff Directory: searchable and exportable directory of all Members of Congress, congressional staff, committee staff, federal agency and administration contacts
The Daybook: calendar of the important events happening on and off Capitol Hill
Data and Charts: high-quality public policy data sets
Policy Webinars--hosted by in-house experts and featuring various key policy areas and discussing what's next for the new administration and Congress

Elections & Legislative

The American Presidency Project

A collaborative effort from the University of California at Santa Barbara, these archives contain 104,106 documents related to the study of the Presidency. Includes voter turnout, financing elections, election documents, speeches, briefings, statements, and much more.

Constituency-Level Elections Archive (CLEA)

A repository of detailed election results at the constituency level for lower house legislative elections from around the world.

ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
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Provides access to records and publications of the U.S. Congress, 1789-present.
1789-present; formerly LexisNexis Congressional, these are retrospective collections of the publications of the U. S. Congress, including:
U.S. Congressional Hearings, 1824-2003
U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1789-2003
U.S. Congressional Serial Set Maps
U.S. Congressional Record, 1789-1997
U.S. Congressional UnPubished Hearings, Part A and B
For help getting started, see Quick Start Guide for ProQuest Congressional Digital Research Collection.

Congressional information

See Dan O'Mahony's guide to congressional information.