Reserved for agencies of cabinet rank
Department
Often but not always used for major governmental units of near cabinet status such as EPA and NASA
Agency/Administration
Usually given to government bodies that regulate business activities such as the Securities Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commision, but may be given to investigate, advisory, or reporting bodies such as the Civil Rights Commission and the Federal Elections Commission
Commision
Most often given to bodies that conduct business-like activities such as the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Corporation/Authority
Often used to denote a major division of a department such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (DOJ)
Bureau/Office
Provide support and assist the President in the exercise of executive power and management of the executive branch
Staff agencies
Responsible for the day-to-day operations and enforcement of federal policies
Line agencies
- the head of the 15 departments make up the cabinet
- they also are the presidents primary advisors
- each department head is known as the secretary except the attorney general
- secretaries are assisted by undersecretaries or deputy secretaries and several assistant secretaries
The cabinet
It is a large complex administrative body built upon three principles
1) Hierarchical Authority
2) Job Specialization
3) Formal Rule
Bureaucracy
- government agencies that are outside the control
- these fall into three groups
1) Independent Executive Agencies
2) Independent Regulatory Commissions
3) Government Corporations
Independent agencies
- lack cabinet status
- carry out government policies
Independent executive agencies
- are beyond the reach of the reach of presidential direction and control
- police important aspects of the nations economy
- run by boards of of 5 to 7 members
- appointed with senate consent
- have staggered terms of such length that a president will be unable to control the agencies
- have quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial powers
Independent regulatory commissions
- under presidential direction and control
- carry out business-like activities
- ran by a board of directors
- have flexibility to determine their own policies and operate much like a private business
Government corporations
- presidents from George Washington forward have favored members of their own party holding appointive offices
- however, Andrew Jackson is considered the father of the spoils system
- Jackson defended the spoils system on four grounds
- inefficiency and even corruption became the order of the day
- the Pendleton act(1883)
- hatch act(1939)
- Taft-Hartley act(1978)
The civil service
1) since the duties of public office are basically simple any normally intelligent person can fill such office
2) there ought to be a “rotation in office” so that a large number of people can have the privilege of serving in government
3) long service in office by any person can lead to both tyranny and inefficiency
4) the people are entitled to have the party they have placed in power in control of all government offices from top to bottom
The four grounds Jackson defended the spoils system on
- July 2, 1881 president Garfield is shot by Charles j Guiteau after being refused an appointment as ambassador to Austria (Garfield died 80 days later)
- Chester a. Arthur, now president, pushes for civil service reform
- the Pendleton act established two categories of employees-classified and unclassified
The Pendleton act (1883)
Classified employees may not be party activists
The hatch act (1939)
Federal employees may not strike but may join unions
The Taft Hartley act (1947)
- civil service commission is replaced by the office of personnel managements and the merit systems protection board
- OPM is responsible for recruiting, examining and hiring most federal employees
- MSPB is headed by a three member panel that policies and protects the merit principle in the federal bureaucracy
Civil service reform of 1978
