Federal Bureaucracies

AP gov federal bureaucracies terms & definitions

Congress

• Provide legislation either friendly or oversight to a interest group

• The interest group would then provide congressional support and be a lobbyist and the Bureaucracy would then be funded

• The Bureaucracy would then carry out the laws of _______

Independent Regulatory Commission

• Major purpose is to regulate the economy to protect the public interest

• Agencies that regulate or punish wrongdoing for people, groups, corporations, etc. that are not following the rules

• Ex. FCC regulates broadcastings & Federal TRade Commission determines if a product is being falsely advertised

Plum Book

The US government policy & supporting positions, published every four years after the presidential election. Used to identify presidentially appointed positions within the federal government

Acts of Congress

What created the federal bureaucracy?

The President

Who are most federal bureaucracies responsible to?

Competitive Civil Service Program

Program that almost all federal jobs are filed through

Implement

Federal bureaucracies _________ the law

Expertise

Federal bureaucracies provide _______ in a specific field

President, Congress

Federal bureaucracies provide research & information to both the _______ and ___________

Quasi

Federal bureaucracies have _____-judicial powers & responsibilities

The Spoils System

Practice in which the political party winning an election rewards its campaign workers / active supports with favors & appointments to government posts

The Pendleton Act

Provided that federal jobs be awarded on the basis of merit & through competitive exams

The Hatch Act

Limits the political activities of federal employees

Executive / Cabinet Departments

• There are 15 of these departments

• If the agency has “Department” in the name, we know it is part of this

• Ex: Department of Transportation

Independent Executive Agency

• Process of elimination from other agencies should be use to determine this agency

• Ex: Nasa & National Archives

Government Corporation

• These agencies charge for their services

• Ex. The US Postal Service charges to mail a letter & AMTRAK charges to ride on trains

• These agencies operate separately from the government like a private corporation does, but accept funding from the government

• These agencies tend to lose money because of the constraints Congress places on them to operate in money-losing parts of the country

President

(Federal Bureaucracy Oversight) Who can:

• Appoint & remove agency heads

• Issue executive orders

• Reorganize the bureaucracy

• Propose the agency’s budget

Judiciary

(Federal Bureaucracy Oversight) Who can:

• Use judicial review

Congress

(Federal Bureaucracy Oversight) Who can:

• Create / abolish agencies & departments

• Cut / reduce funding

• Investigate activities

• Pass legislation that alters agency functions

• Influence / fail to confirm presidential appointments

Federal Courts

(Federal Bureaucracy Oversight) Who can:

• Determine the constitutionality of an agency’s actions

• Provide due process for individuals affected by bureaucratic actions

Previous budgets

What is the best prediction for new budgets?

Discretionary Authority

The ability to choose courses of action & make policies that are not spelled out by law

• The more of this, the more powerful the bureaucracy

Executive Political Appointments

• Cabinet Secretaries and Deputy Secretaries – Serve at pleasure of president

• About 6,500 political appointees

• 1,500 require Senate confirmation

Senior Executive Service

• Advance through the ranks

• Slightly more job security

• Paid and treated like VP’s of businesses

Career Civil Servants

• Merit System

• About 90% of federal bureaucracy

• About 3 million employees

• Continuity of Service; enjoy significant job security & protection; will have job long after president and political appointees have moved on

Paying subsidies, transferring money, devising and enforcing regulations

Congress has delegated authority to regulatory agencies in these three areas

Rule – Making Authority

The power of a government agency to create rules and regulations

Implementation

The process of putting a decision or plan into effect; execution

Bureaucratic Discretion

Individual bureaucrats/agencies have to make choices about how to implement existing laws, which enhances bureaucratic power

Bureaucratic Adjudication

A quasi-judicial process in which a bureaucratic agency settles disputes between two parties in a manner similar to the way courts resolve disputes

Regulation

A rule or directive made and maintained by an authority

Environmental Protection Agency

• Protects people and the environment from significant health risks

• Sponsors and conducts research

• Develops and enforces environmental regulations

Federal Elections Commission

Independent regulatory agency of the United States whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections

Securities and Exchange Commission

• Protect investors

• Maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets

• Facilitate capital formation

Department of Homeland Security

• Works to improve the security of the United States

• Customs, border, and immigration enforcement

• Emergency response to natural and manmade disasters

• Antiterrorism work

• Cybersecurity

Department of Transportation

• Regulates America’s transportation needs, policies and planning

• Works to ensure safe, efficient, and convenient land and air transportation

Department of Education

• Coordinates federal assistance programs for public and private schools

• Develops programs to help students with limited English proficiency and physically challenged students

Department of Veterans Affairs

• Oversees medical care for veterans and families

• Manages educational programs for veterans

Presidential Controls

• Appointments to agencies

• Executive orders

Red Tape

• Refers to the ridgid or mechanical adherence to bureaucratic rules and regulations, especially those involving unnecessary paperwork

• Involves government procedures which are oppressively complex and time-consuming

Congressional Controls

• Oversight powers

• Controls funding

Federalist #10

James Madison first warned of the “mischiefs of faction” in ________

Iron Triangle

• When bureaucratic agencies, congressional oversight committees, and special interest groups form an unofficial alliance

• The policy-making relationship among the congressional committees, the bureaucracy, and interest groups

Subgovernments

Another name for iron triangles

Legislative Committee, Bureaucratic Agency, Interest Group

3 general groups involved in an iron triangle

Interest Group

• Gather electoral support for a congressional candidate by encouraging to vote or money to the candidate

• If elected, fund and provide political support to a government agency which will then have low regulation, and special favors