C H A P T E R 1 5

THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY: THE ORGANIZATION AND TASKS OF THE

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

THE CONSTITUTION AND THE BUREAUCRACY ( EXECUTIVE BRANCH DEPARTMENTS / AGENCIES)

• The Executive branch is tasked with carrying out the laws created by Congress• to do so the executive branch has grown to include 15

cabinet departments, independent agencies, and the Office of the President• They are organized in a bureaucratic fashion( hence the

name)• No employees are elected, some are appointed, most are

hired• 2,000 appointments / 2.7 million employees

THE BUREAUCRACY

Constitution• “The President has the

power to appoint, with the advise and consent of the Senate ambassadors, judges, and all other officers…which shall be provided by the law”

Where does the Bureaucracy come

from? • Congress creates

departments / agencies• The President

nominates heads and other high officials• The Senate confirms

these officials

WHAT IS A BUREAUCRACY?

• a way of organizing a large group of people to

make sure that goals are met efficiently and effectively• NHV school districtEach person has a specific job with specific dutiesThere is a chain of command that is followed• Board & Superintendent

• Principals• Vice Principals• Department Supervisors

• Teachers

FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY

What they do:• the various agencies/ departments of the federal

government that do the day-to-day work of carrying out the laws created by Congress

• we have organized them in a bureaucratic manner (that is why we call them the bureaucracy)• The FDA inspector that ensures the safety and cleanliness of

a meat-packing plant• The IRS agent that audits someone suspected of tax evasion• The CIA agent analyzing intelligence on a suspected terrorist

plot against a US embassy

FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY

• How the bureaucracy is arranged• Various units in each agency / department are arranged in

a hierarchy (clear lines of authority)http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/rls/dos/99494.htm • employees are recruited and promoted based on relevant

expertise in field • Only a handful of those who work in the executive branch are

appointed, most are hired as career bureaucrats • Job specialization• Operations are guided by rules and procedures that are

clearly defined• The goal of each agency/ department is to achieve goals

efficiently and effectively

HISTORY OF THE BUREAUCRACY

• 1789-1816: handful of federal employees• 1816-1861: grows 8 fold, 86% of the growth was

due to growth of demand for postal service• 1861-1901: grow substantially: labor , agriculture,

commerce • Mostly service• Research, pass out benefits, dispense federal lands…

• 1887: ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) created, regulation of the economy begins!!!!

HISTORY OF THE BUREAUCRACY

• 1901-1933: Progressive Era and WWI cause growth in executive branch• PE: new agencies created to enforce laws• FDA, NLRB, IRS , Federal Reserve

• WWI: wars always create growth

• 1933-today: New Deal and WWII• Two most impactful events in growth of exec branch• People now expect the gov to take an active role in

economic and social problems• About 2 million work in the executive branch!

HISTORY OF THE BUREAUCRACY

• 1933-today: Congress has conceded discretionary authority (power to choose how policies are carried out) to executive branch agencies/ departments• FDA: decide what drugs can come to the market• FCC: decide who can own TV stations• FBI: what dissident groups should be investigated• EPA: what fumes can be emitted by a factory smokestack

History of the Bureaucracy…who works in the Executive Branch- 1789 to 1883: Presidents

were able to replace nearly all executive branch officials with new appointees- Cleveland replaced 40,000

Republican postal employees with Democrats

• “to the victor belong the spoils,” Andrew Jackson- awarded federal posts to party loyalists• Upper-class, white males

The Civil Service • The Pendleton Act (1883)

created the fed civil service system, workers are selected according to merit, not party loyalty

• The Office of Personnel Management (OPM)• Administers civil service

laws and regulations• Is in charge of hiring for

most fed agencies • Basically the human

resources office for the gov

ORGANIZATION OF THE BUREAUCRACY

President (help me I am only 1

person)

Executive Office of the President : Advise the

President and help him get his message

out to the publicCreated in 1939

White House Office: core group of close advisors that work in the

White House

Cabinet departments

Independent agencies

Regulatory commissions

Government corporations

WHITE HOUSE OFFICE

• Made up mainly of advisors to the President and support staff• 454 staffers http://www.whitehouse.gov/21stcenturygov/tools/salaries • http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop

• Close proximity to the President = power• White House Chief of Staff (Denis McDonough) oversees all

of the White House Staff and the Executive Office of the President

• Many go on to other important political positions• Jack Lew: Chief of Staff / Sec of Treasury • Rahm Emmanuelle / Mayor of Chicago

KEY MEMBERS OF WHITE HOUSE STAFF

• Chief of Staff – gatekeeper who controls access to the President, manage the entire White House and determines what information flows to the President

• Deputy Chief (s) of Staff, Senior Advisors, speechwriters

• Press Secretary – presidential daily briefing, public relations, manage image of the president

• First Lady

• National Security Advisor (key member of the National Security Council)

 

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

• http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop The following entities exist within the Executive Office of the President:Council of Economic AdvisersCouncil on Environmental QualityExecutive ResidenceNational Security CouncilOffice of AdministrationOffice of Management and BudgetOffice of National Drug Control PolicyOffice of Science and Technology PolicyOffice of the United States Trade RepresentativeOffice of the Vice PresidentWhite House Office

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

• Executive Office of the President• Report directly to the president• Not located in the White House • Appointments must be confirmed by the SENATE• Overseen by the Chief of Staff (White House Office)• 1,500-2,000 staffers work for the EOP

• Only a handful appointed

Important agencies include….• The Office of Management and Budget

• Examine the operations of the Executive Branch to evaluate efficiency and suggest plans for improvement

• Review spending proposals from each cabinet department • Prepare the federal budget

• The National Security Council• Advise the President on national security/ foreign policy matter• **Coordinate policies among various security-related government agencies • Members include secretary of state, national security advisor, secretary of defense, vice president,

director of national intelligence, and others • Council of Economic Advisors

• 3 prominent economists who advise the President on economic policy• Office of the Vice President

 

CABINET DEPARTMENTS

President (help me I am only 1 person)

Executive Office of the President

White House Office

Cabinet departments

Independent agencies

Regulatory commissions

Government corporations

CABINET DEPARTMENTSCABINET DEPARTMENTS

DepartmentState

TreasuryInteriorJustice

AgricultureCommerce

LaborDefense

Housing and Urban DevelopmentTransportation

EnergyHealth and Human Services

EducationVeterans’ Affairs

Homeland Security

CABINET DEPARTMENTS• Cabinet Departments • Appointments must be approved by the SENATE• Very visible / political job• Short tem job (1 or 2 terms)• Divided loyalties? Some suggest that cabinet secretaries are more concerned with

expanding their budgets and promoting the departmental goals rather than an undying loyalty to the President and his objectives

• Broad mission: i.e. homeland security

• Original intentions – key close advisors to the President• Washington administration – rather than work together as intimate advisors –

Jefferson and Hamilton feuded

• 15 departments exist today – generally don’t act as close advisors, that role is taken by the EOP• More concerned with overseeing their massive departments

CABINET DEPARTMENTS: HOMELAND SECURITY: ORGANIZATION

INDEPENDENT AGENCIES

• Examples: NASA, CIA, EPA, Federal Reserve (more on this later)• Smaller / more focused mission than cabinet

departments• Leadership is appointed by Pre / approved by

Senate• Can’t be removed by President, can be impeached• Intentionally removed from cabinet as to avoid political

entanglements• Heads tend to keep position much longer than cabinet

heads

REGULATORY COMMISSIONS

• Examples:• FCC (Federal Communications Commission) http://

www.fcc.gov/what-we-do • FERC (Federal Energy regulation commission)https://www.ferc.gov/about/ferc-does.asp

• Specific function (usually economic) with some judicial responsibilities (power to punish)• Leadership not political in nature• Generally serve long terms• President can’t remove them from office, can be

impeached

GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS

• government agency that is established by Congress to provide a market-oriented public service and to produce revenues that meet or approximate its expenditures• Examples: USPS, TVA, FDIC• Leadership not political in nature• Generally serve long terms• Can’t be removed by the President, can be impeached

PROBLEMS WITH BUREAUCRACY

• Red tape• Duplication• Waste• Too much power?!?

THE FEDERAL RESERVE: TOO MUCH POWER?

Fiscal policy• Employed by Congress

and the President• Taxing and spending

plans designed to influence the economy• Tax breaks for home-

owners• Stimulus packages

Monetary policy• Employed by the Federal

Reserve (our central bank)• Sets rules and regulations

for banks to follow• Manages all electronic

transfers of money • Controls the amount of $ in

circulation • Interest rates• Reserve requirements• Sale of bonds

FEDERAL RESERVE

• Should an independent agency have that much control over the economy?• Pros / Cons

WHO HAS THE POWER IN OUR GOV’T? IRON TRIANGLES

• According to the theory: agencies and departments usually keep close contacts with interest group lobbyists who want to influence their actions.

• Interest groups may provide valuable statistics to government agencies, and they are motivated to have their point of view heard.

• Both lobbyists and bureaucrats value contact with congressional subcommittees that shape the laws that govern their interests.

• Working together, these three groups set most government policies.

Example: AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) the House subcommittee on aging, and the Social Security administration all working together to create legislation that would increase the rate of inflation on SS benefits

Sometimes called “sub-governments”

ISSUE NETWORKS

• On the rise over the past 20 years…• Less about parties than iron triangles • alliance of various interest groups and individuals

who unite to promote a single issue in gov’t policy.• push for a change in policy within the

government bureaucracy• Example: network of environmental groups and

individuals who push for more environmental regulation in government policy.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN IRON TRIANGLES AND ISSUE NETWORKS

• Iron Triangle relationships seek only to benefit those involved at the expense of the constituencies that Congress and the Federal bureaucracy are supposed to represent, the general public

WHERE DOES THE POWER OF THE BUREAUCRACY COME FROM?

• They are essential: the laws of Congress need to be carried out• Need air traffic controllers…

• Expertise: employees in agencies have technical knowledge and skills• Congress relies on this to carry out their laws

• Discretion: because of the expertise of agency employees, they are given broad leeway in deciding how to carry out legislation• Why?

• Too time consuming for Congress to create legislation and decide all of the specifics related to carrying it out

• Congress can’t be blamed if the policy doesn’t work out• Easier for an agency to come to an agreement than for congress to do so

• Clientele groups: the people who benefit from an agency can help provide influence from that agency• If the people who benefit from an agency are politically powerful their budget is

less likely to be cut

HOW DOES CONGRESS CHECK THE POWER OF THE BUREAUCRACY?

• Congress-members often become familiar with problems in the bureaucracy through their casework• Constituents contacting members for help with an issue

• Power of the purse / budgetary limits can be placed on agencies

• “sunset laws”• Create an end date for specific types of regulation

• Congress can dissolve an agency or create new agencies that take power away from existing agencies

• Congress has the power of oversight• Hearings / investigation

THE COST OF THE BUREAUCRACY

• http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/01/news/economy/gao_report_government_duplication/index.htm• http://

s3.amazonaws.com/atrfiles/files/files/092512pr-costhiringfedworker3.pdf