Document 13.1 The Presidency and the Bureaucracy

INTRO EXECUTIVE BRANCH-FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

I. The Federal Administrative System of the Executive Branch: Executing the laws

A. Introduction

  • Federal departments and agencies are traditionally referred to as the “bureaucracy”
  • To a lot of people, the word “bureaucracy” has a negative meaning and is used to describe an inefficient organization clogged with red tape and staffed with security-conscious employees who care little about helping people

B. How the Federal Administrative System is Organized

  1. Federal employees work for departments and agencies, which are classified into 4 broad categories:

a. Departments-tend to be the largest and have broadest missions

  • 15 Federal departments employing 70 million people and spend 93% of all federal dollars
  • 14 are headed by secretaries, the other, the Department of Justice, is headed by the Attorney General and all heads are members of the president’s cabinet (closest advisors)
  • (see separate handout of the 15 executive departments)
  • If measured by the total number of employees, the Department of Defense is the largest
  • Measured by prestige, the Defense, Justice, State, and Treasury departments are considered part of the inner circle closest to the president, while the others receive little attention from the president
  • Measured by budget, the Department of Health and Human Services is the largest department. This department runs Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP and contains the FDA and the Center for Disease Control (CDC)

b. Independent agencies-tend to be smaller and have more focused missions

  • Unlike regulatory commissions, these report to the president
  • They are small federal organizations that serve specific groups of Americans or work on specific problems
  • There are roughly 60 agencies today
  • (see separate handout with the agencies on them)
  • There are many agencies within the Executive Branch which are not independent and report to the head of the department within which they fall

c. Regulatory Commissions-similar to agencies but free from presidential control

  • These are not controlled by the president or Congress
  • They are often small but their influence is large
  • (see separate handout with the commissions on it)
  • These are headed by a small number of commissioners who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate and who serve a fixed term (number of years is predetermined)
  • Commissioners cannot be removed without cause allowing them to be free from public pressure

d. Government Corporations-designed to operate like private businesses

  • No two are alike and the term is so loosely used that no one knows exactly how many of them exist within the federal government
  • There are anywhere from 31 to 47 and include the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (runs PBS), the US Postal Service, the National Railroad Passenger Association (Amtrak), and Americorps (runs a national service program)
  • The USPS lost $1 billion in 2006, bringing its total losses to $10 billion. It delivers over 200 billion pieces of mail annually

Executive Departments

  • Treasury-manages the economy
  • IRS-Internal Revenue Service-collects taxes
  • Defense-national security and military
  • Department of the Army
  • Department of the Navy (Navy and Marines)
  • Department of the Air Force
  • US National Guard-Army and Air reserves who can be federalized by the president of the US for emergency purposes
  • Justice-designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States
  • Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
  • Drug Enforcement Administration
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation-primary investigative arm of the DOJ
  • Federal Bureau of Prisons
  • State-the lead U.S. foreign affairs agency, and its head, the Secretary of State, is the President's principal foreign policy advisor. The Department advances U.S. objectives and interests in the world through its primary role in developing and implementing the President's foreign policy.
  • Veterans Affairs-helps veterans return to civilian life after service and administers programs of benefits for veterans, their families, and survivors.
  • Agriculture-USDA-It aims to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers, promote agricultural trade and production, work to assure food safety, protect natural resources, foster rural communities and end hunger, in America and abroad.
  • Forest Service-administers the nations forests and grasslands
  • Food and Nutrition Service-administers the nation’s domestic nutrition assistance programs including Food Stamps and National School Lunch
  • Food Safety and Inspection Service-meat, poultry, and eggs are inspected, safe to consume and labeled properly
  • Commerce-The mission is to "promote job creation and improved living standards for all Americans by creating an infrastructure that promotes economic growth, technological competitiveness, and sustainable development." Among its tasks are gathering economic/demographic data for business and government, issuing patents and trademarks, and helping to set industrial standards
  • Bureau of the Census-counts population
  • National Weather Service
  • Patent and Trademark Office-provides patent protection to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.
  • Education-does just what it says. Ironically, it is the smallest in size!
  • Energy-responsible for energy policy and nuclear safety. Its purview includes the nation's nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production for the United States Navy, energy conservation, energy-related research, radioactive waste disposal, and domestic energy production. All nuclear weapons are actually on loan to the DOC from the DOE, which has federal responsibility for the design, testing and production of all nuclear weapons.
  • Health and Human Services-has the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services.
  • CDC-Centers for Disease Control-focuses national attention on developing and applying disease prevention and control (especially infectious diseases), environmental health, occupational safety and health, health promotion, prevention and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States.
  • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-operates Medicare, which provides health insurance to the elderly, Medicaid, which helps states cover health care for the poor and SCHIP, a national program in the USthat provides health insurance for families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, yet cannot afford to buy private insurance
  • FDA-Food and Drug Administration-responsible for the safety regulation of most types of foods, dietary supplements, drugs, vaccines, biological medical products, blood products, medical devices, radiation-emitting devices, veterinary products, and cosmetics.
  • Homeland Security-has the responsibility of protecting the territory of the United States from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters. Whereas the Department of Defense is charged with military actions abroad, the Department of Homeland Security works in the civilian sphere to protect the United States within, at, and outside its borders. Its goal is to prepare for, prevent, and respond to domestic emergencies, particularly terrorism
  • USCIS-United States Citizenship and Immigration Services-charged with processing immigrant visa petitions, naturalization petitions, and asylum and refugee applications
  • Coast Guard-describes itself as "a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the Department of Homeland Security dedicated to protecting the safety and security of America." The other branches of the military are components of the Department of Defense.
  • FEMA-FederalEmergencyManagementAgency-coordinate the response to a disaster which has occurred in the United States and which overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities
  • US Secret Service-primary jurisdiction over the prevention and investigation of counterfeiting of U.S. currency and U.S. treasury bonds and notes, as well as protection of the President, Vice President, President-elect, Vice President-elect, past Presidents and their spouses (except when the spouse re-marries), certain candidates for the offices of President and Vice President within 120 days of a general presidential election, children of former presidents until age 16, visiting foreign heads of state and government along with their spouses (all called "protectees"),
  • Housing and Urban Development-scaled back urban development aspect and now focuses on housing, particularly low-cost loans for qualifiers, Section 8 housing for low-income participants, and prevention of discrimination in housing
  • Interior-manages and conserves most federally owned land
  • National Park Service-manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations
  • Labor-responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and economic stats
  • OSHA-Occupational Safety and Health Administration-mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths by issuing and enforcing rules (called standards) for workplace safety and health
  • Transportation-mission is to “Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future."
  • FAA-Federal Aviation Administration-commercial FLYING

Independent agencies

  • EPA-Environmental Protection Agency-works with state/local governments throughout the US to control and abate pollution in the air and water and to deal with problems related to solid waste, pesticides, radiation, and toxic substances
  • CIA-Central Intelligence Agency-collects, correlates, and evaluates intelligence information relating to national security
  • NASA-National Aeronautics and Space Administration-runs the US space program and conducts research aboard earth-orbiting satellites and interplanetary probes, explores new concepts in advanced aerospace technology, and operates the U.S. fleet of manned space shuttle orbiters.
  • SBA-Small Business Administration-protects small business by guaranteeing loans to small businesses, promoting the growth of minority-owned firms, and helping to secure contracts for small businesses to supply goods and services to the federal government.

Regulatory Commissions

  • Consumer Product Safety Commission-protects consumers-may recall products
  • Securities and Exchange Commission-regulates stock markets
  • Federal Election Commission-oversees federal election laws
  • Federal Communications Commission-monitors television and radio
  • Federal Trade Commission-regulates business
  • Federal Reserve Board-controls the supply of money
  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission-oversees nuclear power plants