Executive Branch Implementing and Enforcing the Laws

The Bureaucracy  The Executive Office of the President  Cabinet  Government Corporations  Independent Regulatory Agencies  Independent Executive Agencies  Armed Forces  More than 4 million employees

The Bureaucracy  In the past, jobs were given out through patronage  Pendleton Civil Service Act 1883—jobs now given out through civil service examination… based on merit

Bureaucracy  Departments/agencies are created by Congress  Congress sets the budget and writes the policies  Many departments/agencies are responsible to the President

Executive Office of the President (EOP)  Created in 1933 by FDR  Headed by White House Chief of Staff  Contains many of the President’s closest advisors  Provides information, advice, analysis, options  Currently over 1800 people work in the EOP

EOP—Press Secretary  Provides daily news briefings on the president’s activities and on the administration  Meets with the White House press corps  White House Press Corps—reporters who cover government news

EOP—National Security Council  Created in 1947  Coordinates the president’s foreign and military policy advisors  Advises on foreign policy, intelligence and national security  Includes Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense

EOP—Council of Economic Advisors  Three members  Provides information on unemployment, inflation and other economic issues  Advises on both domestic and international economic issues

EOP—Office of Management & Budget  Helps to write the President’s budget  Once the budget is approved by Congress, OMB oversees the implementation of the budget by government agencies

The Cabinet  There are 15 Cabinet Departments  The newest department is Homeland Security established by Homeland Security Act 2002  The four original cabinet departments Department of State Department of Treasury Department of Defense Department of Justice  The secretary of each department is appointed by the president & confirmed by the Senate

Government Corporations  They provide a service that could be provided by a private company  They charge for their services  Tennessee Valley Authority est provides electricity, flood control, protects against soil erosion  US Postal Service is the largest and one of the oldest; originally headed by Benjamin Franklin

Independent Regulatory Agencies  Make and enforce rules to protect the public  Interstate Commerce Commission  Federal Reserve Board—headed by Ben Bernanke  Federal Election Commission founded 1975 to regulate campaign finance laws

Independent Regulatory Agencies  Executive Order of Pres. Obama— agencies need to review their rules to update and streamline the rules office/2011/07/11/executive-order-regulation-and- independent-regulatory-agencies office/2011/07/11/executive-order-regulation-and- independent-regulatory-agencies

Independent Executive Agencies  All the other agencies that don’t fit in the previous categories  Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)  National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Federal Budget Revenue

Federal Budget Spending

The Federal Budget  Budget Deficit … in one budget spending more than the government collects in taxes  National Debt … all of the previous deficits added together  The Congressional Budget Office estimates the 2012 Budget deficit was about $1.1 trillion, lower than the 2011 budget deficit

Path of the Budget--OMB  In February, president sets out his goals and spending priorities  OMB issues guidelines to agencies, provides economic analysis  Agencies give budget projections to OMB  Agencies prepare their budget and send to OMB

 Reviews agency budgets and overall budget policy  OMB drafts the budget message  President revises & approves budget message  Sends budget to Congress by 1 st Monday in February for the next year’s budget  Ex: Feb for the 2013 budget Path of the Budget— the President

Path of the Budget-- Congress  Goes to House and Senate Budget Committees  Congressional Budget Office analyses the budget & advises Congress on the consequences of the budget  Budget committees submit budget resolution that proposes a budget ceiling and a ceiling for spending categories (such as health, defense…)  House begins considering appropriations bills

Budget Laws  Congressional Budget and Impoundment Act 1974 established a fixed budget calendar  Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act 1985 also called the Balanced Budget Act mandated allowable deficit levels for each year until the budget was to be balanced in 1993  Budget Enforcement Act 1990 revised GRH; there would be no penalty if a budget deficit occurred

Budget Laws  Tax Reform Act 1986 (a) eliminated or reduced value of many tax reductions (b) removed low income people from the tax rolls (c) reduced the number of tax brackets from 15 to 2

Budget Laws  Budget Resolution … sets limits on expenditures based on revenue projections. Congress has to agree to a total spending level  Budget Reconciliation … revises program authorizations to achieve required savings

Budget Laws  Authorization Bill … establishes a discretionary government program or an entitlement. Specifies program goals and maximum spending.  For entitlements, sets or changes eligibility standards and benefits  Appropriations bills … actually funds programs established by authorization bills

Budgetary Barriers to reform or new policy  Entitlements… social security, pensions, welfare  Interest on the national debt  Are uncontrollable

Nonbudgetary Barriers to reform or new policy  Desire for smaller government (generally Republicans)  Older voters want to keep entitlements… biggest entitlement is Social Security  “Don’t cut my programs” attitude… agricultural subsidies, veteran’s aid  Interest groups want to maintain status quo

Nonbudgetary Barriers  Partisanship… members of Congress elected on their own record… casework, credit claiming & pork  Lack of strong party system, due to being elected on own record, not because of the party  Divided government/gridlock between President and Congress

Sources         nts_Library/gramm.htm nts_Library/gramm.htm  sources sources 