Ms. Valentine's Notes
Unit 3
The Federal Bureaucracy
nThe executive branch consists of many departments and agencies.
n The people who work for these organizations are called bureaucrats or civil servants.
n The federal bureaucracy is organized into departments, agencies, boards, commissions, corporations, and advisory committees.
n Most report to the president, but some report to Congress.
The Constitution provides indirectly for the bureaucracy in Article II section 2.
The president may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments
And it gives the president the power to appoint the heads of those departments.
Nearly 3 million civilians work for the federal government across the nation and around the world.
The first four cabinet offices were established in 1789.
Each department is headed by a Secretary.
Departments usually have a second in command, called an under secretary or deputy secretary.
Departments are broken into units with various names like bureau, agency, office, administration, or division.
The Department of State is responsible for the overall foreign policy of the United States.
-This department staffs embassies.
The Department of the Treasury manages the monetary resources of the United States.
The Bureau of the Mint manufactures coins.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produces paper money.
The IRS collects taxes.
The Secret Service provides protection.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms administers explosives and weapons laws, and regulates production and distribution of alcohol and tobacco.
Department of the Interior
Protects public lands and natural resources throughout the nation and oversees relations with Native Americans.
The Bureau of Mines oversees the mining of natural resources.
The National Park Service.
Department of Agriculture
Helps farmers improve their incomes and expand their markets.
Safeguards the nations food supply.
USDA
Department of Justice
First established as the Office of the Attorney General in 1789.
Became the Department of Justice in 1870.
The FBI
The INS
DEA
Antitrust Division
Civil Rights Division
Department of Commerce
Created to promote the industrial and commercial segments of the American economy.
The Census Bureau
The Patent and Trademark Office
The National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Department of Labor
Charged with protecting American workers
The Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Office of the American Workplace
OSHA
Department of Defense
First called the War Department and then the United States Military Establishment.
Protects the security of the United States.
Through the Joint Chiefs of Staff - leaders of the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force - it oversees the armed forces.
Department of Health and Human Services
Directs programs concerned with the health and social services needs of the American people.
Medicaid
Medicare
Social Security Administration
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Created to preserve the nations communities and ensure Americans of equal housing opportunities.
Department of Transportation
Regulates all aspects of American transportation needs, policy development, and planning.
U. S. Coast Guard
Department of Energy
Plans energy policy and researches and develops energy technology.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Department of Education
An educated public is and essential feature of a democratic form of government.
This department was created to coordinate federal assistance programs for public and private schools.
Department of Veteran Affairs
Administers several hospitals as well as educational and other programs designed to benefit veterans and their families.
Department of Homeland Security
Created after the September 11 attacks, this department controls
Coast Guard
Border Patrol
INS
Customs Service
FEMA
Independent Agencies
The federal bureaucracy also contains over 100 independent organizations that are not part of the cabinet departments.
The president appoints the heads of these agencies.
NASA
CIA
Government Corporations
There are at least 60 businesses run b the federal government.
Tennessee Valley Authority
FDIC
USPS
Regulatory Commissions
oThese are independent of all three branches of government.
oThey were created to make rules for large industries and businesses that affect the interests of the public.
oThey also regulate the conduct of these businesses and industries.
Civil Service System
Only 11 percent of all federal government employees work in Washington D.C.
About half of the federal employees are administrative and clerical workers.
The government also employs doctors, veterinarians, lawyers, FBI agents, forest rangers, air traffic controllers, scientists, engineers, accountants, and many other professionals.
The typical man or woman in the federal service is more than 40 years old and has worked for the government for about 15 years.
From the beginning of our government under the Constitution, presidents have been entrusted with the power to appoint government officials.
Washington declared that he appointed officials according to fitness of character.
When Jefferson entered office, he found most federal workers opposed him and his political ideas. So he replaced many of those with people from his own political party.
Andrew Jackson fired about 1,000 federal workers and replaced them with his own party supports. In defense of Jackson, a New York senator proclaimed, to the victor belong the spoils.
The spoils system came to be the phrase used for Jacksons method of appointing federal workers.
The term spoils system describes the practice of victorious politicians rewarding their followers with government jobs.
The spoils system fostered inefficiency and corruption.
Most federal workers were not experts in their jobs.
Corruption developed as people used their jobs for personal gain.
Jobs were often bought and sold.
Bureaucrats regularly gave jobs to their friends rather than the lowest bidder.
In 1871, President Grant persuaded Congress to set up the first Civil Service Commission.
The Pendleton Act
Passed in 1873, under the direction of President Arthur, Congress setup the first civil service system.
Government employment is based on open, competitive examination and merit.
The Civil Service Commission became responsible for administering examinations and supervising the operation of the new system.
In 1979, the Civil Service Commission was replaced by two new agencies.
The Office of Personnel Management which handles recruiting, pay, retirement policy and examinations for federal employees.
The Merit System Protection Board which settles job disputes and investigates complaints from federal workers.
Civil Service Today
Almost all federal jobs are filled through the competitive civil service system.
Every job opening has about 76 applicants.
Job notices are posted in post offices, newspapers, and Federal Job Information Centers in many communities.
Most jobs require a written exam.
Some applicants are evaluated on the basis of training and experience. Veterans are given special preference.
Benefits
Salaries are competitive with the private sector.
Federal workers get from 13 to 26 days of paid vacation every year.
Extensive health insurance plans.
13 days of sick leave every year.
May retire at age 55.
Retire after 30 years and get half pay for the rest of their lives.
Job security. Workers can only be fired for specific reasons and only after a long, complex series of hearings.
Problem
Job security.
The system was designed to hire federal workers on merit and protect them from being fired for political reasons, but it can help protect a small number of incompetent inefficient workers.
The Hatch Act
This act limits how involved federal workers can become involved in elections.
It was passed in 1939, to prevent a political party from using federal workers in election campaigns.
It prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities while on duty.
About 10% of executive branch jobs are appointed by the president.
Each presidential election year, Congress publishes the plum book.
This book contains a list of all the federal jobs that the new president may fill.
Political Parties
A political party is a group of people with broad common interests who organize to win elections, control government, and influence government policies.
One Party System
Basically the party is the government.
Usually found in nations with authoritarian governments.
China, Vietnam, Cuba, North Korea
Also exist where religious leaders dominate the government. Government dominated by religion is a theocracy.
Iran
Multiparty System
The most common political system today.
The parties often represent widely differing ideologies or basic beliefs about government.
One party rarely gets enough support to control the government.
Two-Party Systems
The U.S. is considered a two party system because there are two major political parties that compete for control, although minor parties exist.
Many of the Founders distrusted factions or groups with differing political views.
James Madison observed: The public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties
George Washington in his farewell address of 1796 warned against the baneful effects of the spirit of party.
By the end of Washingtons second term we had the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.
With the election of Andrew Jackson, the Democratic-Republicans split into the Democrats and the National Republicans or the Whigs.
By the 1850s slavery divided the Democrats and the Whigs creating the Republican Party.
Minor or Third Parties
Third parties have been on the American scene since the early days.
There are three types of third parties.
Single-issue parties which focus exclusively on one major social, economic or moral issue.
Ideological parties focus on overall change in society rather than on an issue.
Splinter parties are those that break away from a major party because of some disagreement.
Minor parties influence national elections by taking votes away from the two major parties.
Because of the two party system, minor parties have difficulty getting on the ballot in all 50 states.
Names of the two major party candidates are automatically on the ballot in many states, but third party candidates are required to obtain a large number of voter signatures in a short time.