The Federal Bureaucracy
The 4 million people who run the
Government
Discuss the similarities and
differences between the Cabinet,
EOP, Independent Agencies,
Government Corporations
Similarities
• Each Part was created
by Congress
• Congress Controls the
Purse Strings
• All workers hired
through OPM
• Career Bureaucrats
• Political
Appointments
• Serves the publics by
providing valuable
services (Social
Security)
• Regulations (EPA)
• Divided Loyalties
between President,
Congress, Special
Interest Groups
Cabinet
• Headed by Secretaries
(except Justice)
• Appointed by Pres
• 2/3 Senate
• Serve Length of
President’s term
• Fired by President
• Tend to be loyal to
their own agency
• www.whitehouse.gov
Executive Office of the President
• Chosen by the President
• Serve the White House Only
• Leaders are loyal to the President
Independent Regulatory
Agencies
• Designed to be Independent of the President
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Why?
Leaders Serve fixed terms
Write Rules in the Federal Register
FCC
EPA
FDA
Government Corporations
• Part Government/ Part
Corporation
• Can control their own
funding
• Government
subsidizes losses
• Provide Public
Services
• Postal Service
• Amtrack
• NPR/PBS
Identify and Define REGO
• Clinton/Gore plan to
scale back the size of
the Bureaucracy
• Gore headed the NPR
National Performance
Review
• Most Successful
Attempt to limit the
size of Government
• The Plan
• Make Government
Run more like a
business
• Cut
outdated/unnecessary
programs
Major Changes
• Privatization
(Devolution)
• Customer Service
• Social Security
worked longer hours
• Tax forms online
• Update Telephone
service
• Rewritten Regulations
in Register to
Laymen’s Terms
• Got rid of obsolete
rules
• Rewards for
Efficiency ($400
hammer)
Success!
• The most successful reform
• Only President to act on Campaign promise
of limited government
• Couldn’t have been done with GOP
Congress
• Smoke and mirrors? Government not really
cut/services devoluted to private companies
Spoils System vs. Merit System
• Spoils System
– President Rewards
supporters with jobs
– Job not based on merit
but Service
– Bad for employees
– Presidents couldn’t
meet all demands
(Assassination of
President Garfield)
• Merit System
– Created by the
Pendleton Act
– Eliminated spoils
system
– OPM
– Civil Service Exam
– Whistleblower Act
• Tattletale on boss with
legal support
Hatch Act
• Keeps Federal Employees from
participating in politics
– Could not run for federal office
– Cannot campaign on the “Clock”
– Less restrictive under Clinton
Hatch Act Rules
• Bureaucrats CAN”T
– Run for Public office
– Fund raise during work
– Discourage
subordinates from
Political Activity
• Bureaucrats Can
– Vote and assist with
Registration
– Contribute to
campaigns
– Campaign off duty
– Hold office in their
political party
Criticisms of the Bureaucracy
• Red Tape
– Too many rigid procedures- ie – all hiring
through the OPM
– Too many policies
– Too many forms to fill out, Lines to wait
Problems
• Inefficiency
– No profit motive
– Duplication of Services
• Perfomance of similar services
• Federalism/ programs at all 3 levels
Problems
• Bureacracy is a lawmaker
– Regulations with weight of law
– Too big/ privatization
– Corruption
• Iron Triangles
Iron Triangle
• Relationship between
Exec/Legislative/ and
Special Interest
Groups
• Contributes to
positives and
negatives
• Exchange of
Knowledge
• High
Prices/Government
spending
• Examples Agriculture/
Defense (Military
industrial complex)
Transparency in Government
• Freedom of
Information Act
– Makes most public
records accessible to
citizens
– Very expensive
• Whistleblower Act
– Report wrong doing by
bosses
– Created the Office of
Special Counsel
– FBI Crime lab/sloppy
chemical testing
– IRS promotion of
creating leins