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The Federal Bureaucracy

The Federal Bureaucracy. AP Government Unit 4B. Bureaucracy. Professional corps of unelected officials organized in a pyramid hierarchy, functioning under impersonal uniform rules and procedures. Bureaucracy literally means “rule by desks”. Characteristics.

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The Federal Bureaucracy

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  1. The Federal Bureaucracy AP Government Unit 4B

  2. Bureaucracy Professional corps of unelected officials organized in a pyramid hierarchy, functioning under impersonal uniform rules and procedures.

  3. Bureaucracy literally means “rule by desks”

  4. Characteristics • Administration of government through departments • Consists of unelected often highly trained professionals • Task specialization • Hierarchical authority • Impersonal • Inclined to follow rigid or complex procedures • May stifle effectiveness and innovation • Red tape

  5. President Independent Agencies, Boards & Commissions Executive Office of the President Includes White House Staff Executive Branch Departments Makes up the main portion of the Cabinet Parts of the Executive BranchAKA…The Bureaucracy

  6. U.S. Department of Justice Organizational Chart

  7. Federal Bureaucracy • Mechanism that carries out day to day business of government. • Created to carry out broad range of tasks, to provide necessary services, and to act as experts in particular areas of policy. • Grown to 2.8 million civilian employees • AKA the Fourth Branch

  8. The Bureaucrats • Who They Are and How They Got There • Most demographically representative part of government. • Diversity of jobs mirrors private sector. Figure 15.2

  9. Weberian Model of Bureaucracy • Political process controlled by political elites in bureaucracy • Bureaucrats use model to make government more efficient, run like well-organized machine • Hierarchical authority structure • Task specialization • Operate on merit principle • Behave with impersonality

  10. President Independent Agencies, Boards & Commissions Executive Office of the President Executive Departments Organization of Federal Bureaucracy • Consists of: • EOP • Executive departments • Independent agencies • Government corporations • Includes Independent Executive Agencies • Independent regulatory commissions

  11. President Independent Agencies, Boards & Commissions Executive Office of the President Executive Departments Executive Office of the President“The EOP” • Not a single office or department, but a collection of agencies that are directly responsible for helping president deal with Congress and manage larger executive branch.

  12. Parts of the EOP:White House Staff • White House staffers are usually • Former campaigners, trusted workers • Hired and fired at will of president • Most powerful White House Staffer is Chief of Staff • Chief of Staff one of President's closest advisers, also close friend. • Nicknamed "the gatekeeper." • Responsible for overseeing actions of other members of White House staff, managing president's timetable, and controlling outsiders' access to president. • Positions in WH Office (including Chief of Staff) do not need to be approved by the Senate

  13. Executive Office of the Presidency“EOP Agencies” • Report directly to President • Most important agency- • Office of Management and Budget (OMB) • Other important EOP agencies • National Security Advisors (NSA) • Council of Economic Advisors • EOP agency heads can be fired at will, but several need Senate approval

  14. Executive Departments • Department heads advise President on policy issues and help execute policies. • Each Executive Department also part of President’s Cabinet • Cabinet not mentioned in Constitution • Created first by Washington • Cabinet secretaries appointed by president and need Senate approval • President controls Cabinet • Considered “yes” men and women! • Don’t disagree (in public at least!)

  15. Executive Departments • 14 Cabinet Departments • 15 Executive Departments headed by a secretary • Department of Justice headed by Attorney General • Each has own budget, staff and policy areas • Some Republicans (and Libertarians) have been trying to eliminate several departments including Education and Energy

  16. The Executive Departments 8. Housing and Urban Development 9. Interior 10. Justice 11. Labor 12. State 13. Transportation 14. Treasury 15. Veteran’s Affairs • Agriculture • Commerce • Defense • Education • Energy • Health and Human Services • Homeland Security http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/cabinet.html

  17. Example “The Department of the Interior” Figure 15.4

  18. Independent Agenciesand Commissions • Government offices that report to President but have more independence (AKA Quasi- Independent) • FDIC, CIA, SEC, EPA… • Make regulations to help implement laws • Don’t report to president for instructions • Deal with own issues and staff independently • President appoints agency heads for fixed terms • Agency heads must be approved by Congress • Can be removed only for “a just cause”

  19. Independent Regulatory Agencies (IRA’s) • Independent of executive departments. • Meant to impose and enforce regulation free of political influence, help carry out policy or provide special services. • Securities and Exchange Commission • Consumer Product Safety Commission • IRAs run by board rather than 1 person. • President appoints board members, members serve terms longer than single Presidential term • Board members also appointed at different times, so unable to stack Boards or Commissions.

  20. The Independent Regulatory Agencies • Responsible for some sector of economy making rules and judging disputes to protect public interest • Example: Food and Drug Administration and Interstate Commerce Commission • Headed by commission of 5-10 people. • Rule making important function watched by interest groups and citizens alike. • Concern over “capture” of agencies by Congress or President (want to remain independent!)

  21. The Government Corporations • Similar to Independent Agencies but more “Business-like” entities • Provide service like private companies and typically charges for services. • Designed to run like businesses and hopefully generate profit • (Postal Service, Amtrak)

  22. Independent Executive Agencies • Agencies that don’t fit in anywhere else. • NASA

  23. About 1,000 of the more than 7,000 presidentially-appointed positions to be filled during any presidential transition process require confirmation by a majority vote of the U.S. Senate. • Secretaries of the 15 Cabinet agencies, deputy secretaries, under secretaries and assistant secretaries, and general counsels of those agencies: Over 350 positions. • 2. Certain jobs in the independent, non-regulatory executive branch agencies, like NASA and the National Science Foundation: About 120 positions • 3. Director positions in the regulatory agencies, like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration: 130 positions • 4. U.S. Attorneys and marshals: About 200 positions • 5. Ambassadors to foreign nations: 150 positions • 6. Presidential appointments to part-time positions, like the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System: 160 positions http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepresidentandcabinet/a/sentateconfirm.htm

  24. What Roles Do Government Bureaucrats Perform? • Communicate with each other • Maintain paper for accountability • Enforces/carries out law • Implement objectives of organization. • Congress delegated significant amount of authority to bureaucracy by granting agencies power to draft federal regulations (rule-making)

  25. Changes in Bureaucracy Prior to 1883, bureaucrats were political appointees—result of spoils system or patronage. Civil Service Act of 1883 created merit system for hiring of bureaucrats.

  26. How Do Bureaucrats Get Their Jobs Today? • Most must apply Office of Personnel Management • Federal office in charge of most of government’s hiring. • Merit System: Entrance exams and promotion ratings to find people with talent and skill. • System of hiring and promotion based on merit and nonpartisanship

  27. Sample Civil Service Exam Questions Which of the following pairs of words has the OPPOSITE meaning? guarded-suspicious legendary-mythical expeditious-leisurely rancid-putrid delicate-frail

  28. Sample Civil Service Exam Questions Which of the following pairs of words has the OPPOSITE meaning? guarded-suspicious legendary-mythical expeditious-leisurely rancid-putrid delicate-frail

  29. Sample Civil Service Exam Questions Look at this series: 44, 44, 50, 50, 56, . . What number should come next? 44 48 56 62

  30. Sample Civil Service Exam Questions Look at this series: 44, 44, 50, 50, 56, . . What number should come next? 44 48 56 62

  31. Sample Civil Service Exam Questions Which of the following pairs of words has the SAME meaning? sly-cunning infallible-weak decisive-hesitant predictable-mysterious derisive-complimentary

  32. Sample Civil Service Exam Questions Which of the following pairs of words has the SAME meaning? sly-cunning infallible-weak decisive-hesitant predictable-mysterious derisive-complimentary

  33. Sample Civil Service Exam Questions Choose the correct sentence from the following list. The search took place without incident, except for a brief argument between two residents. The search took place without incident. Except for a brief argument between two residents. The search took place. Without incident except for a brief argument between two residents. The search, took place without incident except, for a brief argument between two residents.

  34. Sample Civil Service Exam Questions Choose the correct sentence from the following list. The search took place without incident, except for a brief argument between two residents. The search took place without incident. Except for a brief argument between two residents. The search took place. Without incident except for a brief argument between two residents. The search, took place without incident except, for a brief argument between two residents.

  35. Bureaucracy “Personalities” • Tend to take on own ‘personalities’ • Conservatives dominate Dept. of Defense • Liberals dominate social service departments like Education and Health and Human Services • Other examples: • “Activist” bureaus and agencies: • EPA, FDA, Federal Trade Commission • “Traditional” bureaus and agencies: • Agriculture, Treasury, and Commerce

  36. TOP Jobs • Recruitment for top bureaucratic jobs from Plum Book • Published by Congress • Lists very top jobs available for Presidential appointment. • Use patronage to find applicants • Ambassadorships, top level officials… • Presidents find “capable people” to fill positions.

  37. Discretionary Authority • Real power: ability for bureaucrats to choose courses of action and make policies that affect all Americans • “Discretionary authority” can carry weight of laws for general public and businesses/corporations • Examples: • Safety features on cars • Pollution emission standards • Product standards

  38. How Presidents Try to Control Bureaucracy • Appoint right people. • Issue executive orders. • Tinker with agency’s budget. • Reorganize agency.

  39. Executive Branch IMPLEMENTS Laws • What Implementation Means • Involves translating goals and objectives of policy into operating, ongoing program for chief executive. • In other words….making law work in real world! • Creating / assigning an agency policy • Turning policy into rules, regulations and forms. • Coordinating resources to achieve goals.

  40. How Congress Tries to Control the Bureaucracy • Influence presidential appointments. • Tinker with agency’s budget. • Hold hearings. • Rewrite legislation or make it more detailed.

  41. Congressional Connection • Congress appropriates funds for bureaus and agencies • Appropriations Committee held majority of power • Committee has lost some of its power due to: • Trust funds operate outside regular government budget to assure citizens services and benefits • Social Security • Annual Authorizations gives whole Congress chance to voice opinion yearly on appropriations for bureaus and agencies • Recent budget deficits have meant Congress trying to reduce spending

  42. Committee Clearance • Informal way Congress can still control bureaucracy • Congress may obtain right to void decision of bureau or agency chief • May be political or personal reasons

  43. Legislative Veto • Requirement that executive decision must lie before Congress for specified period before takes effect • Congress could review and VETO decision if both houses/chambers agreed • Supreme Court asked to rule on this practice in Chadha case

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