The Presidency and the Bureaucracy The Executive Branch of the United States Government

Constitutional Powers of President Commissioning military officers State of the Union address to Congress Receiving ambassadors Granting pardons for federal offices Veto bills passed by Congress (entire bill) –NO line-item veto (even though it could control federal spending) (separation of powers) Appoint judges to federal judiciary –Similar judicial philosophies as the President

Presidents vs. Congress Frequent pattern of divided government Congress most likely to defer to President on foreign policy Presidents attempt to influence Congress –Using media to draw attention to program (President is more effective at this than Congress in setting policy agenda) –Assigning Exec. Office to lobby Congress –Exploiting partisan majority in Congress –Reminding Congress of his high approval ratings

Presidential Elections Electoral College encourages candidates to focus on competitive, populous states Voters choose candidate primarily based on party identification Number of female, minority group delegates at Democratic convention has grown over last 20 years Vice-presidents are chosen to balance the ticket (age, region, gender, ideology, etc.)

President’s Staff and Bureaucracy White House staff  personal loyalty to President Cabinet members don’t have dominant influence on Presidential policy –The goals of their agency often conflict with his –Harder for Presidents to control because: Agencies have support of interest groups Agencies have expertise Civil servants stay in jobs longer than President Congress competes with him for influence on them

Bureaucracy and President Office of Management and Budget (OMB) –Prepares budget for President –Executive spending proposals submitted to Congress Independent regulatory agencies are generally free from Presidential control

Congress and Bureaucracy Authorization of spending is a formal way Congress does oversight over bureaucracy

Random Bureaucracy Notes Federal Reserve Board activities directly influence bank interest rates Best predictor of a bureaucratic agency’s annual budget? –What was it the previous year?