Government Chapter 10

The cabinet and the Federal Bureaucracy

Executive Branch

• The President and “stuff”• “stuff”– Cabinet departments (15)• Smaller agencies within each Department

– Independent agencies– Regulatory Commissions– Government corporations

Federal Bureaucracy

• Federal bureaucracy– the term for the hundreds of agencies within the executive

branch.• Bureaucrats

– civil servants who work within the federal bureaucracy• Hatch Act

– legislation which limits the involvement of federal employees in elections

• Iron triangle– alliances between congressional committees, interest

groups and executive agencies.

Iron Triangle

Civil Service System

• Spoils system– the old system of giving government jobs to friends and political allies

regardless of their qualifications• Merit based system

– Using qualifications as a basis for awarding jobs• Pendleton Act

– Legislation that created the civil service system and eliminated the spoils system

• Civil service exam– the test required to qualify for jobs in the federal bureaucracy

• Office of Personnel Management (OPM)– the agency in charge of hiring employees for the federal bureaucracy

Cabinet Departments

• department of Agriculture– assists farmers, develops conservation programs,

and provides financial credit to farmers• department of Commerce– promotes and protects industry and regulates

businesses• department of Defense– manages the armed services for the United States

Cabinet Departments cont.

• department of Energy– plans energy policy and researches alternative power sources

• Department of the Interior– protects public land and natural resources and handles

relations with Native Americans• Department of Justice

– Oversees the nations legal affairs – contains the FBI

• Department of Labor– protects American workers, ensures safe working conditions

and sets the minimum wage

Cabinet Departments cont.

• Department of State– staffs embassies and handles foreign affairs

• Department of Transportation– regulates all aspects of American Transportation needs including

airlines• Department of Treasury

– manages monetary resources; handles money• Department of Homeland Security

– secure the nation from the many threats that we face, including terrorism.

– Includes the Coast Guard, Border Patrol and many other agencies.

Cabinet Departments cont.

• Department of Veteran's Affairs– assists former military personnel and runs hospitals

for them• Department of Health and Human Services– oversees the implementation of "Obamacare"

• Department of Housing and Urban Development– educates Americans to avoid foreclosures

• Department of Education– provides research and funding for schools

Government Corporations

• U.S. Postal Service (USPS)– A government corporation that uses its profits to

keep itself running.• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)– government corporation operating as an

independent agency that protects banks• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)– federally owned corporation that provides

electricity and power in rural areas

Independent Regulatory Agencies

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)• Federal Communications Commission (FCC)– independent regulatory agency that monitors

radio and television broadcasts

Independent Agencies

• Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)– Makes rules for the stock market – Prevents cheating

• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)– an independent agency that helps other executive

agencies within the federal bureaucracy by gathering information