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Treasury Department

one of the executive branches of the United States Government; the fiscal branch of the Government. It controls the collection, custody, and disbursement of the public revenue. It is presided over by a secretary, who directs the collection, safekeeping, and disbursement of the revenue, submits to Congress the estimates TREASURY DEPARTMENT of annual expenditures, and of the probable revenue; prepares plans for the improvement and management of the revenue, and for the support of public credit; prescribes the forms of keeping and rendering all public accounts; collects and registers statistics of commercial and manufacturing operations, and in general directs the business of the department, in all of which he has the aid and advice of three assistant secretaries and the assistance of a corps of bureau officers who attend to matters of administrative detail in their respective services. Payments are made on warrants issued by the secretary or an assistant secretary, countersigned by either the first or second comptroller, and registered by the register of the treasury. The office of the Treasurer of the United States is a bureau of the Treasury Department, and is specially charged with the custody of the public money. Other important branches of the Treasury Department are the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Bureau of the Mint, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Secret Service Division engaged in the detection and prevention of counterfeiting.