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(dot) Gov: National Defense, Veterans, And The Federal Workers Responsible For Both : 1A Few Americans familiar with the federal government are unaware of the Department of Defense. The DOD is one of our largest agencies with a budget of $2 trillion dollars. That's roughly 16 percent of the entire federal budget.

And few veterans are unaware of the Department of Veterans Affairs, also called the VA. It facilitates programs that benefit those who've served in the armed forces and their families.

But who's watching over that trillion-dollar defense budget? And who's making sure those programs that help veterans are working?

For this installment of (dot) Gov, we dive into the federal workers who help make sure the DOD and the VA stay up and running.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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(dot) Gov: National Defense, Veterans, And The Federal Workers Responsible For Both

(dot) Gov: National Defense, Veterans, And The Federal Workers Responsible For Both

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A plaque of the Department of Defense seal is seen at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

A plaque of the Department of Defense seal is seen at the Pentagon in Washington, DC.

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Few Americans familiar with the federal government are unaware of the Department of Defense. The DOD is one of our largest agencies with a budget of $2 trillion dollars. That's roughly 16 percent of the entire federal budget.

And few veterans are unaware of the Department of Veterans Affairs, also called the VA. It facilitates programs that benefit those who've served in the armed forces and their families.

But who's watching over that trillion-dollar defense budget? And who's making sure those programs that help veterans are working?

For this installment of (dot) Gov, we dive into the federal workers who help make sure the DOD and the VA stay up and running.

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.