Includes the White House OfficeServes the President

Offices in the Executive Branch

Must be approved by the Senate

Any advice given to the President will usually be on issues related to their departments

President will determine when they meet and how much to rely on their advise.

Department Heads

The Executive Branch is shaped like a triangle.

Top down: President

depts

hundreds of executive agencies

The Federal Bureaucracy

Departments and agencies carry out government programs in 3 ways:

1. Develop procedures for putting new laws into practice

2. Administer day-to-day operations of government

3. Regulate or police various governmental activities

This all helps shape government policy

The Federal Bureaucracy (cont.)

“Red Tape” – inefficiency caused by rules and regulations

Each person has a designed function & must operate within a chain of command

Federal Bureaucracy

Assist in enforcing lawsFederal

FBI – handles violations of federal law Counterfeiting Bank RobberyEspionage & spyingKidnapping

SBI – state – violations of state lawHighway patrolMurder if suspect & body stay in state

County – the countyLocal Police

Law Enforcement Agencies

Spoils System – giving federal jobs to people that helped the winner – “To the Victor belong the Spoils”

Government grew more and more incompetent as people who weren’t qualified filled positions (late 1800s)

Americans demanded change (Progressives)

Civil Service System

Reformed system came about – called the Merit System

Pendleton Act (1883) – instituted the Merit system where those most qualified get the jobsJobs are divided into 2 categories

Classified – jobs given based on exams & kept no matter who is president

Unclassified – jobs filled by appointment as in the spoils system – Appointed positions

Civil Service System Cont.

Hatch Act (1939)Forbids civil servants from working in a

campaign or participating in party politicsOffice of Personnel Management – administers

tests and hires workersMerit System Protection Board – handles

promotions based on merit

Civil Service System Cont.

Top department jobs usually go to political appointees Employment usually ends when the President

leaves office90% of national government employees are civil

service workersHiring is usually based on open, competitive

examinations and merit.Before 1883, hiring was based on “who you knew”

Political Appointees

The President and Cabinet

15 Executive department heads – advisers

Makes the president’s job easier by dividing the work

Head of the Dept of Justice is the Attorney General. All other heads are have the title of secretary

Department of Homeland Security – most recent addition – terrorism

President Washington’s Cabinet – Department of State, Department of Treasury and Department of War

President’s Cabinet Departments

State – Secretary of State – manages relations with other countries

Treasury – Secretary of Treasury – manages the nations money

Defense – Secretary of Defense – manages the military

Cabinet Cont.

John Kerry Chuck HagelJack Lew

Justice – Attorney General – legal affairs and the chief law enforcement officer in the US

Interior – Secretary of the Interior – manages public lands and natural resources

Agriculture – Secretary of Agriculture – designed to help farmers

Cabinet Cont.

Eric Holder Sally Jewell Tom Vilsack

Commerce – Secretary of Commerce – trade and promotes US business and tourism

Labor – Secretary of Labor – deals with working conditions and wages

Transportation – Secretary of Transportation – manages highways, railroads, airlines, and sea traffic

Cabinet Cont.

Penny Pritzker Thomas E Perez Anthony Foxx

Energy – Secretary of Energy – tries to find alternative sources of energy

Health and Human Services – Secretary of HHS – well being and health of Americans

Veterans Affairs – Secretary of Veterans Affairs – services for armed forces veterans

Cabinet Cont.

Ernest Moniz Sylvia Matthews Burwell Robert McDonald

Education – Secretary of Education – advice and funding for schools

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – Secretary of Housing and Urban Development – special needs and problems of cities

Homeland Security – Secretary of Homeland Security – oversees America’s defenses against terrorist attacks

Cabinet Cont.

Arne Duncan Julian Castro Jeh Johnson

Not a part of any cabinet, but still have to report out to the President

3 types: Executive Agencies

Government Corporations

Regulatory Commissions

Independent agencies

Specialized areas of governmentPresident chooses the head of each agencyExamples

EPA – Environmental Protection AgencyFDA – Food and Drug Administration CDC – Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Others – NASA, FED, NSA, FDA

Executive Agencies

DOES NOT REPORT TO THE PRESIDENTPresident appoints the head of regulatory

commissions but only Congress can remove (impeach)Protects the public by making and enforcing rules for

certain industriesEx. FCC, FAAControls certain types of businessMust be impartial with no political pressureRun by a board appointed by the President and

approved by the SenateUS Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Regulatory Commissions

Similar to private corporations – but the government owns and runs them.

General manager & board of directors runs each corporation

They charge for services, but are not supposed to make a profit, all $ goes back into the business

ExamplesPost OfficeSallie Mae, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac

Government Corporations

President addresses Congress every year to discuss his/her goals and concerns

Required by the Constitution “He shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State

of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” Article II, Section 3

Congress is in joint session – both houses are together to hear the President speak

State of the Union

Offices in the Executive BranchIncludes the White House OfficeServes the President

Executive Office of the President (EOP)

Created by FDR – 1939

Assists the President in doing his job

Includes over 2000 employees and $100 million budget

Prepares reports, drafts bills, checks the work of various executive agencies

Executive Office of the President (EOP)

Chief of Staff – decides what issues are brought to the President

Press Secretary – provides reporters with newsOffice of Management & Budget – prepares the

nation’s budget & makes reports to the President on the fiscal soundness of the nation

National Security Council – provides for the safety of the nation – CIA – gathers information on other nations

Core of EOP is the White House Office – 500 people who work for the President

White House PositionsChief of Staff – Denis

McDonough

Press Secretary – Jay Carney

Senior Advisors to the President – Valerie Jarrett and Jennifer Palmieri

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)Prepares the federal budget and helps the President

monitor government spending

Federal budget lays out the administrations plans and goals for the upcoming year

National Security Council (NSC)Helps President coordinate the military and

construct foreign policy.

Includes the V.P., Sec. of State, Sec. of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and top commanders of each of the armed forces.

Forms our nations foreign policies and principles of the U.S. Supervises the CIA.

Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)Contains three independent members or economists

Advise the President about economic matters: employment in the U.S., tax policy, inflation, trade with other countries, etc.

Independent agenciesNot a part of any cabinet, but still have to report out

to the President

3 types: Executive Agencies

Government Corporations

Regulatory Commissions

Executive AgenciesSpecialized areas of governmentPresident chooses the head of each agencyExamples

EPA – Environmental Protection AgencyFDA – Food and Drug Administration CDC – Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Others – NASA, FED, NSA, FDA

Regulatory CommissionsDOES NOT REPORT TO THE PRESIDENTPresident appoints the head of regulatory

commissions but only Congress can remove (impeach)Protects the public by making and enforcing rules for

certain industriesEx. FCC, FAAControls certain types of businessMust be impartial with no political pressureRun by a board appointed by the President and

approved by the SenateUS Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Government CorporationsSimilar to private corporations – but the

government owns and runs them.General manager & board of directors runs each

corporationThey charge for services, but are not supposed to

make a profit, all $ goes back into the businessExamples

Post OfficeSallie Mae, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac