Chapter 10: The Bureaucracy

U.S./VA GovernmentApril 27, 2009

The Cabinet Departments

• Department of State• Department of the

Treasury• Department of Defense• Department of Education• Department of the

Interior• Department of Energy• Department of

Transportation• Department of

Agriculture

• Department of Justice• Department of Labor• Department of Health

and Human Services• Department of Housing

and Urban Development

• Department of Commerce

• Department of Veterans Affairs

Which department is it?

Responsible for the overall foreign policy of the United States

A. JusticeB. Defense

C. StateD. Interior

Answer: State

Which department is it?

Protects American workers, ensures safe working conditions, safeguards a

minimum wage, and protects pension rights

A. DefenseB. LaborC. Justice

D. Health and Human ServicesAnswer: Labor

Which department is it?

Promotes and protects the industrial and commercial segments of the American

economyA. Commerce

B. TransportationC. Energy

D. Housing and Urban DevelopmentAnswer: Commerce

Which department is it?

Manages the monetary resources of the United States

A. Housing and Urban Development

B. EnergyC. State

D. TreasuryAnswer: Treasury

Which department is it?

Protects the security of the United States

A. JusticeB. Defense

C. Veterans AffairsD. Labor

Answer: Defense

Which department is it?

Coordinates federal assistance programs for public and private

schoolsA. Health and Human Services

B. Housing and Urban DevelopmentC. Education

D. Veterans Affairs Answer: Education

Which department is it?

Regulates aviation, railroads, and highways

A. Housing and Urban DevelopmentB. LaborC. Justice

D. TransportationAnswer: Transportation

Which department is it?

Protects public lands and natural resources

A. InteriorB. Housing and Urban Development

C. Veterans AffairsD. Justice

Answer: Interior

Which department is it?

Oversees legal affairs through the FBI, the INS, and the DEA

A. DefenseB. State

C. JusticeD. Labor

Answer: Justice

Which department is it?

Develops conservation programs and oversees the nation’s food supplyA. Health and Human Services

B. Housing and Urban DevelopmentC. EducationD. Agriculture

Answer: Agriculture

Which department is it?

A. Housing and Urban DevelopmentB. Health and Human Services

C. Veterans AffairsD. Energy

Manages Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security Assists former military officers

Manages city growth Oversees alternative fuel research

Which department is it?

A. Housing and Urban DevelopmentB. Health and Human Services

C. Veterans AffairsD. Energy

Manages Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security B

Assists former military officers CManages city growth A

Oversees alternative fuel research D

Bureaucracy Basics

• Bureaucrats: Civil servants who work for the bureaucracy

• Bureaucratic organizations are departments and agencies that are part of the Executive Branch and carry out the laws passed by Congress

• Currently, more than 3 million bureaucrats work for the U.S. government and the number is only growing

Bureaucratic Agencies

• Independent agencies: Perform various services for the Executive Branch– NASA and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)– CIA gathers, evaluates, and passes information to president– Government corporations are businesses run by the government,

such as U.S. Postal Service; operate like private businesses but get money from Congress, not private investors

• Regulatory commissions: independent of all three branches so they are protected from political pressure; make rules for and regulate conduct of large industries and business that affect public interest– Problems: #1 “revolving door” = usually their leaders come from

the industries and businesses that they now regulate; #2 increasing deregulation = a movement focused on getting rid of regulatory commissions in favor of keeping their actions in private companies

History of the Bureaucracy

• Spoils System = System where government jobs are given to supports of the politician who wins office– Really used by Andrew Jackson– Goal: to ensure that those in office are loyal to the leader– Problem: cause of inefficiency and corruption

• Pendleton Act = Created present Civil Service System– Civil Service System = workers are chosen by ability through

taking a test or through interviews, not through spoils system– Office of Management and Budget, Merit System Protection

Board– Goal: Fix the spoils system– Problem: How do you make sure that people really are hired

by merit?

Modern Civil Service System

• Benefits: difficult to get fired (job security), good health care and other benefits, lots of influence over how public policy affects the average person, continuity even as the president changes

• Problems: difficult to fire workers that are not serving well, very competitive and so hard to get hired at first; Hatch Act limits bureaucratic involvement in elections so you do not get to exercise your political beliefs as much as the average citizen

• Plum Book = lists all the jobs that president can appoint and fill; only remnant of the spoils system; these jobs usually last as long as the president is in power

Analyzing Documents

• Observation– Who, what, where, when, how– What is my first impression? What is going on?

• Interpretation– Why is it happening? How is it similar to other things I

have read/seen/experienced? What else do I know about the time period in which this document was created?

• Application– What does it mean? What conclusions can I draw? How

does it help me better understand what I am studying?

• Applies to charts, graphs, political cartoons, all kinds of art, primary sources, secondary sources, etc

Modern Bureaucracy

Modern Bureaucracy

Modern Bureaucracy• Four main ways to influence public policy

1. Shapes what the law actually means2. Source of ideas for new laws3. Settle disputes over application of a new law or set of rules4. Give advice to top decision makers

• Congress and Courts affect the bureaucracy– Bureaucrats have to build relationships with Congressional

committees so that they have enough money– Citizens that do not like an agency’s decision can take them to

court (if they are directly affected); court may rule to stop an action or enforce a rule/regulation; court rarely rules against agencies

– Iron Triangles: relationship between an agency, a Congressional committee, and an independent interest group run by an average person (ex. Armed Services Committee, NASA, Lockheed Martin)

Growth of Federal Bureaucracy

Growth of Federal Bureaucracy

1. Growth of the nation• Physical expansion (westward)

• Louisiana Purchase

• Technological expansion• Department of Transportation• Railroads, television, Internet

• Demographic expansion• Immigration (Ellis Island)• Welfare state

Growth of Federal Bureaucracy

Growth of Federal Bureaucracy

1. Growth of the nation2. International crises

• World War I/World War II• Cold War• Terrorism and Office of Homeland

Security

Growth of Federal Bureaucracy

Growth of Federal Bureaucracy

1. Growth of the nation2. International crises3. Economic problems at home

• Great Depression -> New Deal• 2009 Stimulus Plan

Growth of Federal Bureaucracy

Growth of Federal Bureaucracy

1. Growth of the nation2. International crises3. Economic problems at home4. Citizens’ demands

• Medicare/Medicaid• Social Security• Welfare

Growth of Federal Bureaucracy

Growth of Federal Bureaucracy

1. Growth of the nation2. International crises3. Economic problems at home4. Citizens’ demands5. The nature of the bureaucracy

itself• The bureaucracy spawns more

bureaucracy