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The Executive Branch and the
Federal Bureaucracy
Chapter 8
Bureaucracy
A large organization that is structured hierarchically to carry
out specific functions (”Fourth branch of Govt.”). Simply put,
Bureaucracy is a form of organization. Duties to enforce the
laws and regulations.
Private bureaucracies exist within organizations like
corporations. They have a single set of leaders.
Religious bodies can also be bureaucracies
Excluding the military, there are 2.8 million govt. employees.
In addition, there are subcontractors and consultants. If all
govt. employees are counted then it is more than 15 percent
of all civilian employment. The cost of the bureaucracy is
about 40 percent of the U.S. Gross National Product (GNP)
Public bureaucracies exist within organizations like
governments
Typically have multiple sets of leaders (Congress, President, etc.)
Serve citizen instead of stockholders
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The Civil War and the Growth
of Government
Civil War changes
Creation of the Department of Agriculture
Creation of the Pension Office
Authorization of thousands more employees
Permanent changes to the bureaucracy
From the Spoils System to the Merit System
Patronage system (“spoils system”)
Federal jobs given to loyal supporters
Civil Service system
Civil Service Reform (Pendleton) Act 1883 – Reform
measure that established the principle of federal employment on
the basis of open, competitive exams and created the Civil
Service Commission
Current system based on merit system…Jobs given according
to test scores, qualifications, and ability rather than party
loyalty.
Graded Service (GS) 1-15 for Civil Service positions
Office of Personnel Management oversees testing and hiring.
Merit Systems Protections Board hears employee grievances.
Military Enlisted Service (ES) positions are used.
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Diversity in the Bureaucracy: Minorities
in Federal Employment
Regulating Commerce
Growth of big business following Civil War
Unfair business practices
Additional departments
Reaction to railroad shipping rates led Congress to create
the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Department of Commerce and Labor created to protect
workers
Federal Trade Commission created to protect small
businesses from big businesses
Sixteenth Amendment (1913)
Federal income tax created to fund growth
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The World Wars and the Growth of Government
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Hundreds of new government agencies and social
programs during Depression called the New Deal.
World War II veterans benefits
Montgomery(GI) Bill 1944 – provided enlisted military
with low-cost mortgages, low-interest loans to start a
business, cash payments of tuition and living
expenses to attend college, high school or vocational
education, as well as one year of unemployment
compensation.
Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Housing
and Urban Development, Transportation
How many employees work in
the federal executive branch?
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How did World War II change
government?
Who Are Bureaucrats?
Covered by the Civil Service System
90-percent of federal employees
Not covered by the Civil Service System
10-percent of federal employees
Turnover
High in some agencies, low in others
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What are the federal agency regions, and
where are their headquarters located?
Formal Organization
Cabinet Departments – Line organizations answerable only to the president.
Created by Congress. They consist of top political appointees and then regular
employees who may resist change. Employ about 60 percent of all federal workers.
Independent Executive Agencies – Government units that closely resemble a
Cabinet department but have narrower areas of responsibility and perform services
rather than regulatory functions. Organized with a single head (usually called an
“administrator” who is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
Examples are Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Environmental Protections Agency
(EPA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA).
Independent Regulatory Commissions – Entities created by Congress with a
bipartisan board or commission consisting of 5-7 members appointed by the President
to make and to enforce rules, and they function in a legislative and judicial fashion.
Terms typically longer than 4 years. Examples are Federal Communications
Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Securities & Exchange
Commission (SEC).
Government Corporations – Businesses created by Congress to perform functions
that private businesses could perform. If it makes a profit they get to keep the
dividends. Has a board of directors and managers but no shareholders. Examples
are United States Postal Service, Amtrak and Tennessee Valley Authority.
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What are the Cabinet
departments?
Examples of Independent Executive Agencies
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Examples of Independent Regulatory Commissions
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Cabinet
Departments
and Functions
Who Does What?:
Major Regulatory
Bureaucracies
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Government Workers and Political
Involvement
Hatch Act 1939
Limits federal employees’ political activities in partisan
campaigns.
Prohibited federal employees from making political
contributions, working for a particular party, or campaigning for
a particular candidate
Too extreme
Federal Employees Political Activities Act 1993…Amends the
Hatch Act
Employees can run for public office in nonpartisan elections,
contribute money to political organizations, and campaign for or
against candidates in partisan elections.
Prohibited from engaging in political activity while on duty
Federal employees can’t display photos of themselves with
elected officials, unless it is an official photo.
Making Policy
Rule making
Quasi-legislative process
Regulations have force of law
Iron Triangles – 3 way alliance among legislators,
bureaucrats and interest groups
Issue Networks – Some believe they have replaced
iron triangles
Administrative adjudication
Quasi-judicial process
Involves decision making by the federal bureaucracy
as to whether or not an individual or organization has
complied with or violated government laws and/or
regulations.
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What constitutes an iron triangle?
Firing a Bureaucrat: What Is Required to
Dismiss a Federal Employee
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How is a regulation made?
How many comments do agencies receive
on proposed rules?
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Making Agencies Accountable
President
In charge of executing the laws of Congress. He delegates
powers to get the job done but will agencies be
responsive.
Can issue executive orders, which direct agencies to
follow certain rules or regulations. Such executive orders
have the force of law.
Judicial Branch
Authority to review the actions of the bureaucracy for
constitutionality.
Legislative Branch
Senate confirms president’s picks for agency heads
Oversight and investigations
Power of the purse…Controls the budget
How It Works:
The Budget
Process
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How are agencies made accountable?
8.4
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