Chapter 7: The Federal Bureaucracy

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the structure, historical development, policymaking functions, and constitutional checks associated with the U.S. Federal Bureaucracy.

Federal Bureaucracy

The departments and agencies within the executive branch that carry out the laws of the nation.

Bureaucrats

Officials employed within government agencies who create regulations, demand safe products and fair labor practices, and interact directly with Americans in their daily lives.

Article II (Bureaucratic Basis)

The constitutional basis for the federal bureaucracy, which mandates that the president must 'execute' the laws.

Original Cabinet Departments

The three advisory bodies established under George Washington's administration: State, War/Defense, and Treasury.

Cabinet Departments (Modern)

The fifteen main administrative units created by Congress, each responsible for a major area of public policy.

Political Patronage / Spoils System

The practice of filling administrative government positions as a reward for political support rather than merit.

Merit-Based System

A system of hiring and promotion based on competitive testing results, education, and other qualifications rather than political connections.

Pendleton Act of 1883

Legislation that replaced the political patronage spoils system with a merit-based hiring and promotion system.

Executive Political Appointees

Top-level bureaucrats, including cabinet secretaries and deputy secretaries, who occupy short-term positions and are directly impacted by presidential transitions.

Senior Executive Service (SES)

A level of federal bureaucrats expected to use their authority to achieve concrete results, possessing slightly more job security than political appointees.

Career Civil Servants

Permanent government workers whose job ranks are defined according to GS levels, hired based on merit with protections that allow them to stay after presidents come and go.

Implementation

The main function of the bureaucracy, defined as putting into action the laws that Congress has passed.

Bureaucratic Discretion

The authority of bureaucrats to decide how a law is implemented when congressional policies are vague or introduced into an existing body of laws.

Regulation

The process through which the federal bureaucracy fills in the critical details of a law.

Independent Executive Agencies

Government entities with regulatory powers, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), whose top officials serve at the pleasure of the president.

Independent Regulatory Commissions

Approximately 20 agencies, such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), whose commissioners serve for set terms and are more insulated from political influence.

Bureaucratic Adjudication

The quasi-judicial power of the bureaucracy to act as a court to settle disputes between parties.

Hatch Act

A law restricting federal employees from engaging in political campaigns, prohibiting them from raising money, participating in federal campaigns, or holding elected office.

Policy Evaluation

The stage of the policymaking process that involves determining if a policy is achieving its stated objectives.

Policy Termination

The formal ending of a policy or agency, which Congress can enact through legislation or courts can order using judicial review.

Government Accountability Office (GAO)

A legislative support agency that monitors if funds are being spent appropriately, serving as a safeguard against mistakes and holding bureaucrats accountable.

Congressional Hearings

Oversight proceedings where members of the bureaucracy may be required to testify before Congress to justify their actions.

Judicial Restraint on Bureaucracy

Court rulings and decisions that restrict and constrain the scope of accepted bureaucratic action.

Reliance on Private Contractors

The practice of relying on non-governmental bodies to implement policy, which came under intense scrutiny after the disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina.