The Bureaucracy

1. 0 The Bureaucracy The Fourth Branch of Government

2. 0 • The word “bureaucracy” comes from the French word “bureau” which refers to the desk of a government worker and “cracy” representing a form of government

3. 0 What is a bureaucracy? • A hierarchical chain of command • Division of labor and specialization of jobs • Clear lines of authority (everyone reports to someone) • Impersonal rules and merit based decision making (promotions are based on skills-not who you know)

4. 0 Who is the Bureaucracy? • Approximately 5 million government workers made up today’s federal bureaucracy • The number is even greater if you count state and local workers

5. 0 • Most work in regional offices throughout the country • Only about 10 percent of the federal employees actually work in Washington, D.C.

6. 0 For instance, each state has many offices dealing with Social Security

7. 0 • About a third of federal employees work for the armed forces or defense agencies

8. 0 History of our Bureaucracy • 1789 George Washington headed a federal bureaucracy with several departments Congress had created • Each department was headed by a “secretary” • Government grew slowly as needs arose and demands were articulated (usually grew during a time of crisis and times of war)

9. 0 • After the Civil War, demands on our government continued to grow • 1830s-1880s-public jobs came to be known as the “spoils of politics” • New federal employees were hired every time there was a change in the Executive Branch (President who won awarded the jobs) • By 1880, many were calling for a change-Congress passed the Civil Service Reform Act, more commonly known as the Pendleton Act

10. 0 • this act was supposed to reduce “patronage “ • And build up a “merit-based” system of public jobs in the federal government (career employees instead of changing every 4 years) • Created the principle of federal government based on competitive exams and created a bipartisanCivil Service Commission to oversee reforms

11. 0 Hatch Act • Today over 90% of government jobs are under the Civil Service • The Hatch Act, enacted in 1939, was designed to protect federal employees from being forced to contribute to or work for election campaigns • Hatch Act also prevented federal government employees from being directly involved in political campaigns

12. 0 • But today federal employees can still vote! • Wear political buttons • Join political parties

13. 0 • In 1978, the Civil Service Commission was replaced with the Office of Personnel Management and the Merit Systems Protection Board • These two agencies are responsible for enforcing existing civil service laws, coordinating the testing of applicants, setting up pay scales and appointing people to federal jobs

14. 0 Federal Employee Political Activities Act • Many felt the Hatch Act went too far-Under Bill Clinton, the Federal Employee Political Activities Act was passed which allows employees of the federal government to run for office in nonpartisan elections (like school boards), contribute money if they wish and participate in campaigns in their after-work hours-

15. 0 Executive Branch • The Executive Branch of government includes four major types of bureaucratic structures (1) Executive Departments (2) Independent Executive Agencies (3) Independent Regulator Agencies (4) Government Corporations

16. 0 (1) Executive Departments • They are directly accountable to the President • They are responsible for performing government functions such as training our military troops (Department of Defense), printing money (Treasury Department), and protecting our borders (Homeland Security)

17. Helping farmers with new technology (Department of Agriculture); help students with loans (Department of Education); help a family with benefits for their father who served in WWII(Department of Veterans Affairs)

18. Taking the 2010 Census Department of Commerce Department of Education Helping students get loans

19. Issue you a passport so you can travel • Helping our nation’s veterans

20. Issuing Savings Bonds

21. Keeping track of unemployment statistics

22. 0 • Each Department was created by CONGRESS as the need arose • Each department manages a specific policy area • Head of each department is known as a “Secretary (except for the Department of Justice) • Each Secretary appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate by a SIMPLE MAJORITY • These Secretaries serve at the President’s pleasure (they can be hired and filed at will) • They loose their job when the President leaves office

23. 0 • But the Executive Branch has many duties that do not “fit” into any of the 15 Executive Departments

24. (2) Independent Agencies • Federal bureaucracy also contains more than 100 independent agencies, boards and commissions that are not part of any cabinet department • President appoints heads of these organizations also

25. 0 • The Constitution says little about the organization of the executive branch • As our government’s role has expanded, it became clear that a single type of organization would not be appropriate for every task assigned to the bureaucracy • Cabinet departments for example, are headed by people who serve at the pleasure of the president and are there to help him carry out his policies

26. 0 • But other agencies must implement or carry out the LAWS, without reference to an individual president’s preferences • The agencies require protection from political interference, as do those established to do highly technical work

27. 0 (II.) Independent Executive Agencies

28. 0 • Differ from our 15 Departments in that they are usually smaller, and their heads do not sit in the Cabinet • Agency heads, however are appointed and responsible to the President-they are like Cabinet Secretaries, and serve at his “pleasure” • Occasionally, the President does extend Cabinet “rank” to these heads, as in the case of the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency

29. 0 • Today there are over 200 independent executive agencies (1) These Independent agencies closely resemble Cabinet departments but have narrowerareas of responsibility (2) They perform a “service” rather than regulatory functions (3) They exist apart from our Departments for practical or symbolic reasons

30. Examples

31. (1) Environmental Protection Agency • Some of these agencies are so big they resemble an executive department such as the Environmental Protection Agency

32. EnvironmentalProtectionAgency • charged to protect human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. • EPA was proposed by President Richard Nixon and began operation on December 2, 1970 • It is led by its Administrator, who is appointed by the President of the United States. • The EPA is not a Cabinet agency, but the Administrator is normally given cabinet rank.

33. 0 Environmental Protection Agency • Was created in 1970 to administer programs aimed at controlling pollution and protecting the nation’s environment • It administers all congressional laws concerning the environment and pollution • They also advise the President about environmental concerns

34. (2) National Aeronautics and Space Administration

35. 0 • NASA could have been part of the Defense Department • But that would have conjured up thoughts of the space program dedicated solely for military purposes rather than for civilian satellite communication or scientific exploration

36. Some perform services for the Executive Branch (3) General Services Administration is responsible for contracting and maintaining all government buildings Also supplies equipment for federal offices

37. (4) National Archives and Records Administration • Maintains all records and publishes all rules applying to various federal agencies

38. Gathers information about what is going on in other countries, evaluates it, and passes it on to the president and other foreign-policy decision makers Uses its own secret agents, paid informants, foreign news sources and friendly governments to collect such information (5) Central Intelligence Agency

39. 0 III. Independent Regulatory Commissions

40. 0 • Independent regulatory commissions are agencies that were created by Congress to exist outside of the major departments and REGULATE a specific economic activity or interest

41. They are independent of all three branches of the national government • To keep the regulatory commission impartial, Congress has been careful to protect them form political pressure. • How?

42. (1) Each COMMISSION has from 5 to 1l “commissioners” whom the president appoints with Senate consent (no one person in charge) (2) The terms of office of these board members are long-in some cases, as long as 14 years-and the starting dates of the terms are staggered (3) Unlike other bureaucrats, these commissioners do not report to he president, nor can the president fire them

43. 0 • Because of the complexity of modern economic issues, Congress sought to create agencies that could develop expertise and provide continuity of policy because Congress nor the Courts have the time or talent to do so

44. 0 • They are part quasi legislative and quasi judicial in nature because they make regulations and they must enforce them • They are also known as the alphabet agencies

45. 0 Alphabet Agencies (1) Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) founded in 1887to regulate specific issues of interstate relations • (2) Federal Trade Commission (FTC) founded in 1914 to regulate unfair or deceptive advertising or products that may be unsafe; and for stopping the formation of monopolies in the business sector and for protecting consumer rights

47. 0 (3) Federal Reserve System Board of Governors (the Fed) founded in 1913; responsible for determining policy with respect to interest rates, credit availability and the money supply

48. 0 What IS the Federal Reserve System? • The Federal Reserve System, also known as "The Fed," is the central bank of the United States. • It was created to provide the nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system. • The Federal Reserve System is a network of twelve Federal Reserve Banks and a number of branches under the general oversight of the Board of Governors.

49. 0 (4) Federal Communications Commission (FCC) founded in 1934 to regulate radio, television and cable industries and grant licenses to t.v. and radio stations

50. (5) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) founded in 1934 during the New Deal to regulate the sale of securities and the stock markets hopefully preventing such abuses as “insider trading”