10 Key Bureaucracy Objectives
1. Define BUREAUCRACY. Explain the organizational chart of the Executive Branch also known as the federal bureaucracy.
The federal bureaucracy is the group of government employees who are responsible for implementing public policy. Bureaucrats often have considerable power because laws are written vaguely. This leaves great room for interpretation. Often this results in government regulations that do not match the spirit or letter of the original law. Bureaucrats can significantly influence public policy. This is especially true when both the Congress and the president disagree on a policy.
The great paradox of the federal bureaucracy is that we need the federal government to enforce and implement important laws but hold them in low regard for doing so inefficiently and wastefully. Inefficiency is commonplace due to the inordinate amount of government red tape. Checks and balances put in place a complex set of procedures.
Employees of the federal government, known as civil servants, are hired on the basis of their qualifications. Few patronage positions remain. The spoils system may have strengthened political parties but it brought in bureaucrats who lacked the proper experience. Today the federal bureaucracy employs over 2 million civil servants. The federal bureaucracy grows in direct correlation to the expansion of public policy. The single greatest example of this was during the New Deal.
Oversight of the federal bureaucracy is difficult because most elected officials lack expertise in the minutia of public policy. Laws have been passed, however, to check the activity of bureaucrats. The Hatch Act was a provision that prohibited civil servants from using government resources for political purposes.
The Federal Bureaucracy is characterized by its organization, specialization and expertise. Whereas once the executive branch was staffed primarily by patronage appointments – that is by friends and patrons of the president – the Civil Service Act of 1883 established the merit system. Today the vast majority of the Federal Bureaucracy is made up of career civil servants.
The Federal Bureaucracy tends to be organized hierarchically. Underneath the President of the United States and his White House staff and executive office are the Cabinet Departments.
Each Cabinet Department has a head, usually called a Secretary, with multiple levels and layers of responsibility. The most noted Cabinet Departments are:
The Federal Bureaucracy is organized in order to deliver government services as efficiently as possible. Considering the number of tasks and the diversity of constituents this is not always easy.
Let us review what we have learned. The Federal Bureaucracy transforms Federal policy into action. The Federal Bureaucracy is characterized by its organization. The Federal Bureaucracy tends to be organized hierarchically.
2. Discuss the utility and effectiveness of the President’s Cabinet.
Despite what many might think, the President’s closest and most loyal advisors are not found in the Cabinet but in his White House Office. These hundreds of staff members are most often drawn from the President’s campaign. The President’s political and policy decisions are made alongside his White House Office staff.
This should not negate the importance of the President’s Cabinet. Each Cabinet Department has a head, usually called a Secretary, with multiple levels and layers of responsibility. The most noted Cabinet Departments are:
3. Explain how the bureaucracy implements public policy.
Iron Triangles, or issue networks as they are now called, are not easy to understand. They are nevertheless the keys to understanding how public policy is both made and sustained. Public policies are a byproduct of relationships between Congressional committees, related interest groups and specific executive agencies. Because all three groups share a particular interest they guard specific policies from outsiders. This makes it nearly impossible to change specific government policies despite common sense objections. Iron Triangles become entrenched in time and help explain why it is so difficult to reduce the size and scope of the national government.
4. Explain the complex and often contentious relationship between the President and the Executive Branch.
After a president is inaugurated we speak of “the Administration.” This refers to the government as led by the new president and his team. A new president may have the opportunity to bring with him as many as a few thousand appointees. Most of these are drawn from the campaign and they serve at the pleasure of the president. But they hardly dent the permanent government know as the federal bureaucracy.
Often President’s are frustrated by their inability to dramatically change the bureaucracy. Most Presidents try to bring reforms but often fail.
The reason is that over two million public employees of the federal bureaucracy will still be working in their respective jobs long after a president’s term is over. The vast scale and scope of the Executive Branch transcends micro-management.
A common refrain from most Presidents is, “You will say do this and do that but nothing will get done.” Nevertheless “the Administration” must accept the blame when bureaucratic mistakes and invariable missteps happen.
5. Explain how the federal bureaucracy exercises legislative authority.
It is no secret. Congress often intentionally passes vague laws. This gives either intended or unintended power to federal bureaucrats who are then left to interpret these laws in the field. In other words, regulators of the federal government are often given legislative authority.
For example, the Environmental Protection Agency can write rules and regulations that affect and impact air quality. An Act of Congress authorizes them to do so and may even provide the necessary funding but the details are written and enforced by bureaucrats.
For many this is a direct affront on constitutional government. In essence, it is argued, unelected government workers often act without sufficient checks.
Needless to say it puts every citizen on guard as critical watchdogs overseeing government activity that often goes unnoticed.
6. Explain how the federal bureaucracy exercises judicial authority.
Adjudication of disputes appropriately falls upon our court system. Yet as our vast bureaucracy has grown exponentially so too has its power to use its discretionary authority to determine resolutions. These administrative tribunals are not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. Nor will you find much about them in the political science literature. The federal bureaucracy exercises more and more judicial authority.
For many this is worrisome. Some argue that a shadow government, lying outside of normal checks and balances, often rules on our most important disputes. Keeping an eye on these activities is not easy.
An example of one such tribunal is the Interstate Commerce Commission. These appointed officials are responsible for enforcing laws that govern transportation which often include the regulation of shipping rates. When disputes arise the Commission has the authority to render a decision with the authority of law.
This is but another example how the aggrandizement of the United States government continues to pose challenges that the framers had not anticipated.
7. Discuss the effectiveness of Congressional oversight of the federal bureaucracy.
Holding the Federal Bureaucracy accountable is our biggest challenge. Remember it was Ronald Reagan who said “government is not the solution . . . government is the problem.” Over time Americans have grown frustrated with the unresponsiveness of the Federal Bureaucracy just as Weber warned over one hundred years ago.
So how do we control the Federal Bureaucracy?
First and foremost the executive branch tries to control itself. The President of the United States is the manager-in-chief. The Oath of Office assigns the President to “faithfully execute” the laws. This has meant that every presidency concerns itself with reinventing how the Federal Bureaucracy works. President Bill Clinton initiated a National Performance Review. This program required each Federal agency to carefully reevaluate its mission statements and objectives. President George W. Bush went even further and tried to inject more of a business model to government services. He went so far as to introduce more and more privatization into the Federal Bureaucracy. This is one reason why the numbers of people directly working for the Federal Bureaucracy appears to be flat. Our government has increasingly out sourced its responsibilities.
The legislative branch also plays an important role in controlling the Federal Bureaucracy. The U.S. Congress is given oversight authority of the Federal Bureaucracy. This involves holding public hearings in which various levels of the bureaucracy are asked to account for themselves. In addition to writing the legislation that creates federal agencies in the first place the Congress also controls the bureaucracy through its budget. The power of the purse is an important tool when disciplining the Federal Bureaucracy. Invariably, however, iron triangles are formed which reduce the impact of congressional oversight. Iron triangles are particular issue networks made up of congressional committees, federal agencies and special interest groups. Since they all share the same goals these respective iron triangles are protected from any serious reform.
When government is asked to do something – and it is asked a lot – somebody has to do it. Those individuals who transform public policy into actionable services are Federal bureaucrats. As the action figures in our government they come under frequent criticism and attack. Characterized by its hierarchical organization and specialization, the ever-growing Federal Bureaucracy has been asked to address more and more. With its size comes inefficiency and unresponsiveness making us wonder if we can live with it.
One thing about the Federal Bureaucracy is certain, however, we cannot live without it.
8. Discuss the effectiveness of the Courts’ judicial review of the federal bureaucracy.
Max Weber, a German sociologist who studied rational organizations in the 19th century, compared modern bureaucracies to well oiled machines. Each part has its own special unique role to play if the machine is working right. The problem, of course, is that we do not always operate like machines. We make mistakes. Interpersonal issues like political differences get in the way of our expertise. This is why over time bureaucracies have taken on a negative connotation. The size and scale of the Federal Bureaucracy has taken on proportions that are difficult to control and manage.
The Supreme Court is our final arbitrator when exercising control over the Federal Bureaucracy. Court cases arise that help to define the Federal Bureaucracies rights and responsibilities. For instance in the Supreme Court case of Wilder v. Virginia Hospital Association (1990) the justices ruled that eligible for federally assisted health care must have “reasonable access” to facilities of “adequate quality.” Rules such as these help the Federal Bureaucracy shape policy in accordance to the law.
9. Explain the federal budget process. Compare and contrast the Office of Management and Budget with the Congressional Budget Office. Define entitlement programs.
When reviewing the federal budget process you better review your GSL (Government as a Secondary Language) if you expect to understand what is going on.
Here are five key budget basics:
Revenues—the taxes collected by the federal government that pay for government expenses.
Entitlement Spending—governmental expenses that are permanent and can only be changed with amendments to laws. Of the $3.5 trillion dollars that the federal government spends, more than $2 trillion is spent on entitlement spending.
Social Security is the government’s single most expensive program, and only getting more expensive with a larger pool of retirees who are living longer than ever.
Discretionary Spending—well less than ½ of the federal government’s expenses are costs that can be adjusted on an annual basis.
Defense spending takes up the lion’s share of this spending with close to $700 billion spent in this area.
Deficit and Debt—our federal government has spent over a trillion dollars more than it takes in for revenues this year. With the accumulation of deficits during the last 40 years, our government as accrued more than $14 trillion in total debt during that time.
Under current law the executive branch prepares the budget. The Office of Management and Budget is responsible for this herculean task. But it is the Congress who possesses the power of the purse. Congress debates, authorizes and appropriates the federal budget.
Even when Congress cannot agree on the details trillions of dollars are collected and spent each year. That you can count on.
10. Identify and state the significance of the Federal Reserve and its Chairman.
The federal government and its bureaucracy try to help encourage positive economic activity. This includes both monetary and fiscal policy. Of all the branches the judiciary plays the least role in our economy.
Our economy is best measured by looking at its output or Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The executive department that oversees economic policy is the Treasury Department.
The Treasury Department, overseeing fiscal policy, produces currency, supervises national banks and collects taxes paid to the United States. When government spending is equal to its revenues it is called a balanced budget. When spending exceeds its revenue it is called a budget deficit. The total accumulation of money borrowed by the government is called the federal debt.
Although the Treasury Department takes the lead in overseeing fiscal policy the president’s closest economic advisors are found inside the White House Office – more specifically in the National Economic Council. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) also help the president.
The Federal Reserve, overseeing monetary policy, attempts to control inflation. Inflation is an increase in consumer prices.
The politics governing the economy vary greatly though both parties support the system of capitalism. Conservatives advocate supply-side economics. This position believes that lowering taxes stimulates economic activity and investment. Liberals advocate Keynesian economics. This position believes the government should pump deficit spending into the economy to stimulate growth.
Democrats typically represent labor while Republicans represent capital. In other words, liberals are workers and conservatives are owners.
Democrats think they protect U.S. labor jobs by opposing free trade. Republicans favor free trade because they claim it lowers prices.
The Congress receives help in its oversight of the economy by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The Commerce committees in both House and Senate yield the most power over economic policies.
The large federal budget is made up primarily of mandatory spending. Because the entitlement programs, Social Security and Medicare, make up a majority of the budget the Congress and the president have very little discretionary spending to play with. This also makes it quite difficult to cut the budget. It is virtually impossible to cut the entitlement programs. Programs like Social Security are called the “third rail” of politics. They are untouchable due to the risk of making unpopular decisions. Medicare is government sponsored health care for those over 65 years of age.
When government is asked to do something – and it is asked a lot – somebody has to do it. Those individuals who transform public policy into actionable services are Federal bureaucrats. As the action figures in our government they come under frequent criticism and attack. Characterized by its hierarchical organization and specialization, the ever-growing Federal Bureaucracy has been asked to address more and more. With its size comes inefficiency and unresponsiveness making us wonder if we can live with it.
One thing about the Federal Bureaucracy is certain, however, we cannot live without it.
Source: citizenu.org
The federal bureaucracy is the group of government employees who are responsible for implementing public policy. Bureaucrats often have considerable power because laws are written vaguely. This leaves great room for interpretation. Often this results in government regulations that do not match the spirit or letter of the original law. Bureaucrats can significantly influence public policy. This is especially true when both the Congress and the president disagree on a policy.
The great paradox of the federal bureaucracy is that we need the federal government to enforce and implement important laws but hold them in low regard for doing so inefficiently and wastefully. Inefficiency is commonplace due to the inordinate amount of government red tape. Checks and balances put in place a complex set of procedures.
Employees of the federal government, known as civil servants, are hired on the basis of their qualifications. Few patronage positions remain. The spoils system may have strengthened political parties but it brought in bureaucrats who lacked the proper experience. Today the federal bureaucracy employs over 2 million civil servants. The federal bureaucracy grows in direct correlation to the expansion of public policy. The single greatest example of this was during the New Deal.
Oversight of the federal bureaucracy is difficult because most elected officials lack expertise in the minutia of public policy. Laws have been passed, however, to check the activity of bureaucrats. The Hatch Act was a provision that prohibited civil servants from using government resources for political purposes.
The Federal Bureaucracy is characterized by its organization, specialization and expertise. Whereas once the executive branch was staffed primarily by patronage appointments – that is by friends and patrons of the president – the Civil Service Act of 1883 established the merit system. Today the vast majority of the Federal Bureaucracy is made up of career civil servants.
The Federal Bureaucracy tends to be organized hierarchically. Underneath the President of the United States and his White House staff and executive office are the Cabinet Departments.
Each Cabinet Department has a head, usually called a Secretary, with multiple levels and layers of responsibility. The most noted Cabinet Departments are:
- The State Department – responsible for foreign policy
- The Treasury Department – responsible for monetary policy
- The Department of Defense – responsible for national security
- The Department of Education is trying to reform public education in America
- The Department of Health and Human Services is implementing many changes in the way health care will be provided to millions of Americans.
- NASA, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration, studies and explores regions outside of our atmosphere.
- The CIA, the Central Intelligence Agency, gathers and interprets foreign intelligence in order to keep us safe at home.
- The EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency, develops policies and programs to clean our environment.
The Federal Bureaucracy is organized in order to deliver government services as efficiently as possible. Considering the number of tasks and the diversity of constituents this is not always easy.
Let us review what we have learned. The Federal Bureaucracy transforms Federal policy into action. The Federal Bureaucracy is characterized by its organization. The Federal Bureaucracy tends to be organized hierarchically.
2. Discuss the utility and effectiveness of the President’s Cabinet.
Despite what many might think, the President’s closest and most loyal advisors are not found in the Cabinet but in his White House Office. These hundreds of staff members are most often drawn from the President’s campaign. The President’s political and policy decisions are made alongside his White House Office staff.
This should not negate the importance of the President’s Cabinet. Each Cabinet Department has a head, usually called a Secretary, with multiple levels and layers of responsibility. The most noted Cabinet Departments are:
- The State Department – responsible for foreign policy
- The Treasury Department – responsible for monetary policy
- The Department of Defense – responsible for national security
- The Department of Education is trying to reform public education in America
- The Department of Health and Human Services is implementing many changes in the way health care will be provided to millions of Americans.
3. Explain how the bureaucracy implements public policy.
Iron Triangles, or issue networks as they are now called, are not easy to understand. They are nevertheless the keys to understanding how public policy is both made and sustained. Public policies are a byproduct of relationships between Congressional committees, related interest groups and specific executive agencies. Because all three groups share a particular interest they guard specific policies from outsiders. This makes it nearly impossible to change specific government policies despite common sense objections. Iron Triangles become entrenched in time and help explain why it is so difficult to reduce the size and scope of the national government.
4. Explain the complex and often contentious relationship between the President and the Executive Branch.
After a president is inaugurated we speak of “the Administration.” This refers to the government as led by the new president and his team. A new president may have the opportunity to bring with him as many as a few thousand appointees. Most of these are drawn from the campaign and they serve at the pleasure of the president. But they hardly dent the permanent government know as the federal bureaucracy.
Often President’s are frustrated by their inability to dramatically change the bureaucracy. Most Presidents try to bring reforms but often fail.
The reason is that over two million public employees of the federal bureaucracy will still be working in their respective jobs long after a president’s term is over. The vast scale and scope of the Executive Branch transcends micro-management.
A common refrain from most Presidents is, “You will say do this and do that but nothing will get done.” Nevertheless “the Administration” must accept the blame when bureaucratic mistakes and invariable missteps happen.
5. Explain how the federal bureaucracy exercises legislative authority.
It is no secret. Congress often intentionally passes vague laws. This gives either intended or unintended power to federal bureaucrats who are then left to interpret these laws in the field. In other words, regulators of the federal government are often given legislative authority.
For example, the Environmental Protection Agency can write rules and regulations that affect and impact air quality. An Act of Congress authorizes them to do so and may even provide the necessary funding but the details are written and enforced by bureaucrats.
For many this is a direct affront on constitutional government. In essence, it is argued, unelected government workers often act without sufficient checks.
Needless to say it puts every citizen on guard as critical watchdogs overseeing government activity that often goes unnoticed.
6. Explain how the federal bureaucracy exercises judicial authority.
Adjudication of disputes appropriately falls upon our court system. Yet as our vast bureaucracy has grown exponentially so too has its power to use its discretionary authority to determine resolutions. These administrative tribunals are not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. Nor will you find much about them in the political science literature. The federal bureaucracy exercises more and more judicial authority.
For many this is worrisome. Some argue that a shadow government, lying outside of normal checks and balances, often rules on our most important disputes. Keeping an eye on these activities is not easy.
An example of one such tribunal is the Interstate Commerce Commission. These appointed officials are responsible for enforcing laws that govern transportation which often include the regulation of shipping rates. When disputes arise the Commission has the authority to render a decision with the authority of law.
This is but another example how the aggrandizement of the United States government continues to pose challenges that the framers had not anticipated.
7. Discuss the effectiveness of Congressional oversight of the federal bureaucracy.
Holding the Federal Bureaucracy accountable is our biggest challenge. Remember it was Ronald Reagan who said “government is not the solution . . . government is the problem.” Over time Americans have grown frustrated with the unresponsiveness of the Federal Bureaucracy just as Weber warned over one hundred years ago.
So how do we control the Federal Bureaucracy?
First and foremost the executive branch tries to control itself. The President of the United States is the manager-in-chief. The Oath of Office assigns the President to “faithfully execute” the laws. This has meant that every presidency concerns itself with reinventing how the Federal Bureaucracy works. President Bill Clinton initiated a National Performance Review. This program required each Federal agency to carefully reevaluate its mission statements and objectives. President George W. Bush went even further and tried to inject more of a business model to government services. He went so far as to introduce more and more privatization into the Federal Bureaucracy. This is one reason why the numbers of people directly working for the Federal Bureaucracy appears to be flat. Our government has increasingly out sourced its responsibilities.
The legislative branch also plays an important role in controlling the Federal Bureaucracy. The U.S. Congress is given oversight authority of the Federal Bureaucracy. This involves holding public hearings in which various levels of the bureaucracy are asked to account for themselves. In addition to writing the legislation that creates federal agencies in the first place the Congress also controls the bureaucracy through its budget. The power of the purse is an important tool when disciplining the Federal Bureaucracy. Invariably, however, iron triangles are formed which reduce the impact of congressional oversight. Iron triangles are particular issue networks made up of congressional committees, federal agencies and special interest groups. Since they all share the same goals these respective iron triangles are protected from any serious reform.
When government is asked to do something – and it is asked a lot – somebody has to do it. Those individuals who transform public policy into actionable services are Federal bureaucrats. As the action figures in our government they come under frequent criticism and attack. Characterized by its hierarchical organization and specialization, the ever-growing Federal Bureaucracy has been asked to address more and more. With its size comes inefficiency and unresponsiveness making us wonder if we can live with it.
One thing about the Federal Bureaucracy is certain, however, we cannot live without it.
8. Discuss the effectiveness of the Courts’ judicial review of the federal bureaucracy.
Max Weber, a German sociologist who studied rational organizations in the 19th century, compared modern bureaucracies to well oiled machines. Each part has its own special unique role to play if the machine is working right. The problem, of course, is that we do not always operate like machines. We make mistakes. Interpersonal issues like political differences get in the way of our expertise. This is why over time bureaucracies have taken on a negative connotation. The size and scale of the Federal Bureaucracy has taken on proportions that are difficult to control and manage.
The Supreme Court is our final arbitrator when exercising control over the Federal Bureaucracy. Court cases arise that help to define the Federal Bureaucracies rights and responsibilities. For instance in the Supreme Court case of Wilder v. Virginia Hospital Association (1990) the justices ruled that eligible for federally assisted health care must have “reasonable access” to facilities of “adequate quality.” Rules such as these help the Federal Bureaucracy shape policy in accordance to the law.
9. Explain the federal budget process. Compare and contrast the Office of Management and Budget with the Congressional Budget Office. Define entitlement programs.
When reviewing the federal budget process you better review your GSL (Government as a Secondary Language) if you expect to understand what is going on.
Here are five key budget basics:
Revenues—the taxes collected by the federal government that pay for government expenses.
Entitlement Spending—governmental expenses that are permanent and can only be changed with amendments to laws. Of the $3.5 trillion dollars that the federal government spends, more than $2 trillion is spent on entitlement spending.
Social Security is the government’s single most expensive program, and only getting more expensive with a larger pool of retirees who are living longer than ever.
Discretionary Spending—well less than ½ of the federal government’s expenses are costs that can be adjusted on an annual basis.
Defense spending takes up the lion’s share of this spending with close to $700 billion spent in this area.
Deficit and Debt—our federal government has spent over a trillion dollars more than it takes in for revenues this year. With the accumulation of deficits during the last 40 years, our government as accrued more than $14 trillion in total debt during that time.
Under current law the executive branch prepares the budget. The Office of Management and Budget is responsible for this herculean task. But it is the Congress who possesses the power of the purse. Congress debates, authorizes and appropriates the federal budget.
Even when Congress cannot agree on the details trillions of dollars are collected and spent each year. That you can count on.
10. Identify and state the significance of the Federal Reserve and its Chairman.
The federal government and its bureaucracy try to help encourage positive economic activity. This includes both monetary and fiscal policy. Of all the branches the judiciary plays the least role in our economy.
Our economy is best measured by looking at its output or Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The executive department that oversees economic policy is the Treasury Department.
The Treasury Department, overseeing fiscal policy, produces currency, supervises national banks and collects taxes paid to the United States. When government spending is equal to its revenues it is called a balanced budget. When spending exceeds its revenue it is called a budget deficit. The total accumulation of money borrowed by the government is called the federal debt.
Although the Treasury Department takes the lead in overseeing fiscal policy the president’s closest economic advisors are found inside the White House Office – more specifically in the National Economic Council. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) also help the president.
The Federal Reserve, overseeing monetary policy, attempts to control inflation. Inflation is an increase in consumer prices.
The politics governing the economy vary greatly though both parties support the system of capitalism. Conservatives advocate supply-side economics. This position believes that lowering taxes stimulates economic activity and investment. Liberals advocate Keynesian economics. This position believes the government should pump deficit spending into the economy to stimulate growth.
Democrats typically represent labor while Republicans represent capital. In other words, liberals are workers and conservatives are owners.
Democrats think they protect U.S. labor jobs by opposing free trade. Republicans favor free trade because they claim it lowers prices.
The Congress receives help in its oversight of the economy by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The Commerce committees in both House and Senate yield the most power over economic policies.
The large federal budget is made up primarily of mandatory spending. Because the entitlement programs, Social Security and Medicare, make up a majority of the budget the Congress and the president have very little discretionary spending to play with. This also makes it quite difficult to cut the budget. It is virtually impossible to cut the entitlement programs. Programs like Social Security are called the “third rail” of politics. They are untouchable due to the risk of making unpopular decisions. Medicare is government sponsored health care for those over 65 years of age.
When government is asked to do something – and it is asked a lot – somebody has to do it. Those individuals who transform public policy into actionable services are Federal bureaucrats. As the action figures in our government they come under frequent criticism and attack. Characterized by its hierarchical organization and specialization, the ever-growing Federal Bureaucracy has been asked to address more and more. With its size comes inefficiency and unresponsiveness making us wonder if we can live with it.
One thing about the Federal Bureaucracy is certain, however, we cannot live without it.
Source: citizenu.org
