But what do these agencies do? Below, we explore.

We'll start with some of the better-known ones that you might have already heard about:

1) Corporation for Public Broadcasting

This is, of course, the agency that helps fund public broadcasters nationwide, including NPR and PBS. As The Fix's Callum Borchers reported this week, though, the CPB is actually a small portion of the funding for those national public media outlets. The proposed cuts would be felt much more by local public broadcasters, which account for about 90 percent of its more than $440 million in grants.

2) National Endowment for the Arts

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This is the agency that delivers grants to fund and promote various fine arts across the country. Having recently turned 50, it was launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson as a way of helping foster the arts as part of the Great Society. Its budget is $148 million.

3) National Endowment for the Humanities

Similar to the NEA — and with the same $148 million budget and launch date — the NEH deals with grants for education programs related to culture.

4) Institute of Museum and Library Services

Launched 20 years ago under President Bill Clinton, this agency is the main federal funder of local libraries and museums across the United States. It had a budget of $230 million last year. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) has targeted it for elimination before, arguing museums and libraries should be funded by the private sector.

Now for the lesser-known agencies targeted for elimination:

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5) Corporation for National and Community Service

The biggest of all these programs, at more than $1 billion, this agency houses national service initiatives such as AmeriCorps.

6) Legal Services Corporation

At more than $300 million, this agency helps provide free legal advice to poor people.

7) Institute of Peace

Spurred by the peace movement of the 1970s and efforts to launch a peace academy akin to the country's military academies, President Ronald Reagan signed the Institute of Peace into law in 1984. The agency is intended to analyze and try to prevent conflicts around the world and has a $35 million budget. But it's long had its critics, including the bipartisan team of Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and liberal then-representative Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.).

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8) Interagency Council on Homelessness

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The independent agency is tasked with creating and implementing a federal strategy to fight homelessness. Its budget is $4 million.

And now for some regional agencies:

9) Appalachian Regional Commission

This agency was founded about a half-century ago to help promote economic growth in oft-struggling Appalachian counties stretching from New York to Mississippi. Its budget is $146 million.

10) Delta Regional Authority

Another regional economic development agency, this one has a budget of $25 million and serves counties in eight states in the Mississippi Delta region: Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois.

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11) Northern Border Regional Commission

A third regional economic development agency, it has a budget of $8 million and serves parts of Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.

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12) Denali Commission

A fourth regional economic development agency, focused on Alaska. It's got a $20 million budget.

Some agencies geared toward international relations:

13) African Development Foundation

This agency focuses on directing aid to countries in sub-Saharan Africa, providing grants to help efforts by community groups and others. It has a $30 million budget.

14) Inter-American Foundation

It funds grass-roots groups and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Latin America and the Caribbean, at a budget of $22 million.

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15) U.S. Trade and Development Agency

Aimed at promoting U.S. exports, it works to do things such as improve transportation infrastructure and otherwise facilitate trade in dozens of countries. Its current budget is $60 million.

16) Overseas Private Investment Corporation

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With a budget of $83 million, it promotes U.S. economic investment in the developing world by working with private partners.

17) Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Founded as part of the Smithsonian Act nearly 50 years ago and named after President Woodrow Wilson, it is essentially a government-funded foreign policy think tank. It currently has a budget of $11 million.

And the rest:

18) Chemical Safety Board

This was part of the Clean Air Act of 1990, and it helps investigate industrial chemical accidents. It has a budget of $11 million.

19) Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation