Chapter Overviews

Chapter 10: The Federal Bureaucracy

Chapter Overviews

[logo] Essential Question
How is the federal bureaucracy organized to serve Americans, and how do federal agencies carry out their missions?

Section 1 Bureaucratic Organization
The federal bureaucracy is organized into departments, agencies, boards, commissions, corporations, and advisory committees. Most belong to the executive branch and were created by an act of Congress. The 15 cabinet departments include the Departments of State, Defense, Treasury, Interior, Agriculture, Justice, Commerce, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Health and Human Services, Education, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security. Each department has bureaus or agencies within it. The president appoints each department's secretary, undersecretary, and assistant secretaries.

The federal bureaucracy also includes more than 100 independent organizations that are not part of the departments. Examples of independent agencies include the Social Security Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Central Intelligence Agency. Some independent agencies are government corporations, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority.

To keep regulatory commissions impartial, they are independent of all three branches of government. Regulatory commissioners do not report to the president. Commissions make rules for industries and businesses that affect the public. They also regulate the conduct of these businesses. Lobbyists often pressure regulatory agencies, and critics cite the "revolving door" between businesses and the commissions that regulate them.

Section 2 The Civil Service System
Federal employees are vital to the smooth functioning of the American government. Approximately 11 percent of federal employees work in Washington, D.C., the rest work in offices across the country and the world. About half are administrative and clerical workers. The government also employs doctors, lawyers, scientists, engineers, and many other professionals.

The spoils system fostered inefficiency and corruption. After President James A. Garfield was shot and killed by a man expecting political favors, Congress passed the Pendleton Act, which created the Civil Service Commission. Today the Office of Personnel Management handles recruitment, pay, and exams for federal workers. Government jobs are attractive because of the many benefits they offer. Federal workers cannot engage in political activities during work hours, however. About 10 percent of the jobs in the executive branch are outside the civil service system and instead filled by presidential appointees, such as the cabinet secretaries, agency heads, and ambassadors to foreign countries.

Section 3 The Bureaucracy at Work
In theory, federal bureaucrats carry out only the policies and programs the president and Congress make, but in practice bureaucrats also make public policy. Administering programs requires federal bureaucrats to write rules and regulations and to set standards to implement laws. Rules help ensure that only eligible people receive benefits from the policies and programs. Some federal agencies, such as regulatory commissions, also shape policy by deciding disputes over how a set of rules should be applied. In addition, bureaucrats provide top decisions makers with information and advice.

The federal bureaucracy has grown because the nation's population has grown. International crises and economic problems at home also lead to an increase the size of the bureaucracy. Citizens' and interest groups' demands for action often result in a new agency being formed.

Congress's major power over the bureaucracy is its control over each agency's budget. Congressional committees, client or interest groups, and federal agencies often form an iron triangle when creating public policy. Critics believe that iron triangles allow interest groups undue influence outside the control of the executive branch.