Government at Work! The Bureacracy

Bureaucracy A bureaucracy is a large, complex administrative stucture that handles the everyday business of an organization. A way to organize people to do work. Exist where ever there are large organizations. Features of a bureaucracy: Structured pyramid of workers where you have superiors and inferiors. Specialization: everyone has a specific job. Rules everyone has to follow.

Federal Bureaucracy The Executive Branch is the largest component of our federal bureaucracy. Includes: The Executive office of the President, the Executive Departments, and the Independent Agencies.

Executive Office of the President The Executive office is a complex organization of several agencies staffed by some 1,800 people of the president’s advisors and assistants. The two White House wings hold most of the President’s staff. The West Wing is where the Oval Office is located.

The Executive Office National Security Council Office of Management and Budget NSC: meets at the President’s call and advises him in all domestic, military, and foreign affairs that relate to our national security. OMB: After the White House this is the most influential unit of the Executive Office. They must prepare the federal budget. This is a carefully drawn plan for the conduct of government.

Other Executive Agencies The Office of National Drug Control Policy Council of Economic Advisors The Domestic Policy Council Council on Environmental Quality The Office of the Vice President The Office of the United States Trade Representative

Independent Agencies Agencies located outside the President’s cabinet departments. Over 150 today. These either do not fit within any of the departments or the have a very specific function. Largest: General Service Administration, NASA, and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

Civil Service Most people who work for the Federal Government are members of the civil service: they are employed by an independent agency (The Office of Personnel Management) Computer programmers, electricians, forest rangers, security guards, physicists, FBI agents, truck drivers… etc. Our Selective Service System is also a component of the Executive Branch Armed forces

Independent Regulatory Commissions These stand out because they are beyond the President’s reach and their purpose is to regulate parts of our economy. These are headed by a board of commissions appointed by the president and they have lengthy terms (longer than the president will be in office) Terms are staggered: they do not occur at the same time