The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is a cabinet-level executive department of the federal government responsible for promoting economic growth, job creation, trade, technological innovation, and regulating exports, including maintaining export controls and the Entity List to address national security threats. Established on February 14, 1903, as the Department of Commerce and Labor under President Theodore Roosevelt, it was reorganized and renamed the Department of Commerce on March 4, 1913, when labor functions were transferred to the newly formed Department of Labor under President William Howard Taft. Headquartered in the Herbert Hoover Building in Washington, D.C., since 1932, the department works to foster sustainable development, enhance international trade, ensure favorable trade terms, improve access to high technology, and strengthen U.S. global competitiveness. It collaborates with businesses, educational institutions, universities, cities, and towns to drive economic vitality and supports key areas such as trade enforcement, economic development, and data collection through its various bureaus and agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Census Bureau, the Patent and Trademark Office, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The department plays a critical role in advising the President on economic policy and implementing initiatives to promote economic growth. Historically, it has evolved from managing lighthouses and basic trade statistics to overseeing advanced economic and scientific programs, with agencies like the Weather Bureau (now National Weather Service) transferred in 1940 and the Patent and Trademark Office moved in 1925. The DOC's influence extends to trade policy, including antidumping duties and international agreements, as well as disaster recovery funding through the Economic Development Administration. It has faced criticisms and controversies, such as its role in the 1940s internment of Japanese Americans via Census Bureau data and debates over programs considered wasteful. Despite shifts in agencies over time, the department remains a cornerstone of U.S. economic strategy, balancing promotion of business interests with regulatory oversight. It is led by the Secretary of Commerce, currently Gina Raimondo, who was confirmed in 2021.