Unit 2: Executive Branch Organization

1.How is the executive branch of government organized?

  • The President’s Administration – top officials who advise and assist the President in his/her job of running the country. Get their positions based on the spoils system - ______
  • Usually ______with each new President

Identify each of the following parts of the President’s Administration:

ADMINISTRATION TITLE / RESPONSIBILITY
Executive Office of the President (EOP): The White House Office (WH0), Press Secretary, Chief of Staff
National Security Council (NSC)
Council of Economic Advisors (CEA)
The Cabinet: composed of the Heads of ______
  • The Federal Bureaucracy – composed of around three million civilian workers in the many government agencies and departments. Generally keep their jobs no matter who is President.
  • Civil Service Workers - ______
  • Civil Service System - ______
  • The Merit System - ______
  • What does the federal bureaucracy do?

1.______

2.______

3.______

What are independent agencies in the executive branch? ______

  • Executive Agencies ______
  • Example ______
  • Government Corporations ______
  • Example ______
  • Regulatory Boards and Commissions ______
  • Members are appointed by the ______but can only be removed from office by ______

Identify each of the following regulatory agencies

Agency / Responsibility
OSHA -
FTC -
EPA -
FCC -

Identify what each of the following executive departments is responsible for (pg 227):

Department of State (1789)
Department of the Treasury (1789)
Department of Defense (1789 as War Department, changed in 1949)
Department of the Interior (1849)
Department of Justice (1870)
Department of Agriculture (1889)
Department of Commerce (1903)
Department of Labor (1913)
Department of Health and Human Services (1953)
Department of Housing and Urban Development (1965)
Department of Transportation (1966)
Department of Energy (1977)
Department of Education (1979)
Department of Veterans Affairs (1989)
Department of Homeland Security (2002)

Presidential Diary

For this activity you will assume the role of the President. You will write a journal/diary entry describing what you did over the course of one day. You should include the following:

  • Reference to meeting with 5 Department heads
  • Reference to 3 of the roles you serve as President
  • Reference to 3 government agencies.

You should illustrate that you understand what each agency, role, or department do.

Example of what to do: “This morning, I met with the head of the Dept. of Education to hear his thoughts on how we can improve student test scores”. (Reading this, you can infer that the Dept. of Edu. deals with student learning)

Example of what NOT to do: “This morning I met with Veterans Affairs to discuss stuff. Then I met with the VP”.