Chp.7 The Executive Branch
The executive branch relies on a large federal
bureaucracy to carry out its work and raise
revenue.
Sec. 1: The Federal Bureaucracy
The federal bureaucracy
includes all the
organizations and
agencies of the
executive branch. The
civil service system is
used to place qualified
civilians into positions
of the federal
bureaucracy.
Do Now
What are
some of the
agencies that
work for the
Executive
branch and
what do they
do?
Learning Goals
Objectives
▪ Learn what the federal
bureaucracy is.
▪ Learn what the civil
service is and how its
changed over the years.
Essential Question
▪ What are the
functions of
executive
departments and
independent
agencies?
I. What is the Federal Bureaucracy?
A.Bureaucracy
i. Any organization having the
following features:
a) Clear formal structure
b) Division of labor
c) Set of rules & procedures by which it
operates.
B. Bureaucrats
i. Administrators & skilled, expert
workers who carry out tasks of the
fed. Bureaucracy.
II. The Civil Service
A. Civil Service
i.
Civilians who carry out the work
of the fed. Gov’t.
B. The Spoils System
i.
Gov’t. jobs given out as political
rewards for supporting the Prez.
ii. “To the victors go the spoils.”
iii. Inexperienced & inefficient
C. The Civil Service Today
i. Pendleton Civil Service Act
ii. 90% of jobs are based on merit through
standardized examinations.
Exit Slip
1. Critics of the _______________________ believed it hindered the
government from doing its job and led to corruption.
2. The departments, agencies, and organizations of the executive
branch are collectively known as the federal
_______________________.
3. Any nonmilitary worker is a member of the
_______________________.
4. How are civil service employees chosen today?
5. Who carries the responsibility of implementing legislation and
executive orders?
Sec. 2: Executive Dept. & Independent Agencies
Executive
departments and
independent
agencies provide
key services and
regulate important
industries for the
American people.
Do Now
What are some
government
agencies that you
have heard of?
What do those
agencies do?
Learning Goals
Objectives
▪ Purpose of executive departments.
▪ Primary functions of executive
departments today
▪ List independent agencies.
▪ Issues regarding power &
accountability in the federal
bureaucracy.
Essential Question
▪ What explains the
growth in the
number of executive
departments that
occurred in the
1900s?
I. Executive Departments
A. Early Departments
i. As needs arise new departments are made
ii. Ex. Dept. of Interior, Dept. Labor
B. Departments since 1950
i. Increase of Fed Gov’t. power = New Departments
ii. Housing & Urban Development, Energy
C. Departments Today
i.
Health & Human Services
a.
Protect Americans’ health, 65,000 employees
ii. Department of Defense
a.
Protects the nation, Over 3 million employees
iii. Homeland Security
a.
Newest, (Police, borders, emergency agencies, transportation, etc.)
II. Independent Agencies
A. 140 gov’t. agencies that operate separately from the
executive departments.
B. Independent Executive Agencies
i.
Oversee & manage a specific aspect of fed. Gov’t. (NASA,
Peace Corps)
C. Independent Regulatory Commissions
i.
ii.
Regulate some aspect of the economy
Bipartisan: Includes members from both major political parties
a. SEC: Securities & Exchange Commission watches stocks
D. Government Corporations
i.
Organized & run like businesses but are owned in whole or in
part by the fed. gov’t.
E. Iron Triangle: Bureaucratic agencies, congressional
committees, and interest groups work together for benefits
Creating an Executive Department
▪ Small groups of 3 or 4.
▪ Think of ideas for a new executive department (Not
something already being done)
▪ Draft a formal statement stating the purpose & function
of the department
–Persuade, compromise, negotiate conflicts or
differences w/in your group
▪ Present your proposal to the class (Can make flyers or
pictures)
Sec. 3: Financing Government
By collecting taxes and
borrowing money, the
fed. gov’t. is able to
generate the funds it
needs to run the
nation. The gov’t. then
assigns these funds to
create a federal
budget for the
upcoming year.
Do Now
How would you
allocate the
nation’s money if
you were in
charge of the
budget? You can
use percentages.
Learning Goals
Objectives
▪ Ways the federal government pays for its
operations.
▪ Describe the two types of government
spending.
▪ Explain how the federal budget process
works.
▪ Understand how fiscal & monetary policy
affect the nation’s economy.
Essential Question
▪ What are the
main goals of
the federal
government’s
fiscal policy and
monetary
policy?
I. Paying for Government
A. Income Taxes: Tax on a person’s or business’ income.
i.
Progressive Tax: Rate increases as amount taxable
increases.
B. Payroll Taxes: Money withheld from a person’s
paycheck
i. Regressive Tax: Tax applied only up to a certain amount .
ii. Proportional Tax: Tax applied at same rate to all incomes.
C. Other Sources of Revenue
i.
Tariffs, estate tax, gift tax, Loan interest
D. Borrowing Money
i.
Bond: Borrower pays back money at a certain time +
interest
ii. Federal Debt: Money gov’t. borrowed and not yet repaid.
II. Government Spending
A. Mandatory Spending
i. Required by laws & not subject to the annual budget process.
ii. Ex. Social Security
B. Discretionary Spending
i. Subject to the annual budget process
ii. Ex. Defense, Education, Aid
C. The Budget Process
i.
President’s Budget
i. President proposes budget reflecting their priorities.
ii. Budget shows how spending & revenue will be effected
in the future
ii. Budget in Congress
i. President gives budget to Congress and Congressional
Budget Office
ii. Agree on amount and then argue how best to spend it.
III. Fiscal & Monetary Policy
A. Fiscal Policy: Creating the fed. Budget & tax
laws.
i. Provide funds for gov’t w/out hurting economy
ii. 3 Options: Spend more money or Cut Taxes or Spend
& Cut
B. Monetary Policy: Alters money in circulation &
interest rates for borrowed money.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Selling bonds reduces money in circulation
Buying back bonds puts money into system
Raising interest rates reduces money in circulation
Requires bank to have more money in reserve
reduces money in circulation
Exit Slip
1. A tax on a person’s or corporation’s income
2. A tax whose rates increase as the amount that is subject to taxation increases
3. Money that is withheld from a person’s paycheck by his or her employer
4. Tax that has greater impact on lower income earners than on upper-income
earners
5. A financial instrument by which a borrower agrees to repay borrowed money,
plus interest, at a future date
6. Actions and decisions made by Congress and the president to create the
federal budget and tax laws
7. Actions and decisions made by the government that change the amount of
money in circulation and the interest rates at which money is borrowed