• Independent agencies of the United States federal
government are those agencies that exist outside of
the federal executive departments , are not headed by
a Cabinet secretary.
• They are agencies that, while constitutionally part of
the executive branch, are independent of presidential
control, usually because the president's power to
dismiss the agency head or a member is limited.
• Established through separate statutes passed by the
Congress, each respective statutory grant of authority
defines the goals the agency must work towards, as
well as what substantive areas, over which it may have
the power of rulemaking. These agency rules and
regulations, while in force, have the power of federal
law.
Executive independent agencies
• General services Administration- maintains
government buildings
• NASA- our space program
• EPA- Environmental protection agency
• The Peace corps- administered through the
department of state
• The civil rights commission
• The Federal Elections commission
• The National Transportation and Safety Board
(NTSB)
Independent regulatory commissions
• These are independent government agencies
that regulate a specific area of government
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The federal reserve
Federal Trade commission
Securities and exchange commission
Federal Communications Commission
National labor relations board
Federal maritime Commission
Consumer product safety commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Government corporations
• Set up by Congress to perform business-like
tasks
• FDIC- insures bank accounts to $250,000
• National railroad passenger corporation
• Pension benefit Guaranty Corporation
The Civil Service
• 2.7 million people work for the federal
government.
• Just over half do not have a bachelor’s degree.
• Civil Service jobs are based on merit.
Applicants take the civil service exam.
Office of personnel Management
• Conducts background checks on prospective
civil service employees
• Keeps a register of the scores of people who
take the exam.
The Hatch Act 1939
• Forbids civil service employees from running
for political office.
Why work for the government?
• Benefits.
• Sundays and Federal holidays off.
• Many government jobs still rely on a pension
system which is now rare in the private sector.