Federal Agencies

What Is a Bureaucracy? Hierarchical authority. Pyramid structure with a chain of command running from top to bottom. Job specialization. Each person has certain defined duties and responsibilities. Formalized rules. Work is done according to a set of established regulations and procedures.

Federal Bureaucracy The federal bureaucracy is all of the agencies, people, and procedures through which the Federal Government operates. The President is the chief administrator of the Federal Government. In order to enact and enforce policy, Congress and the President have created an administration—the government’s many administrators and agencies. The chief organizational feature of the federal bureaucracy is its division into areas of specialization.

The Cabinet The Cabinet is an informal advisory body brought together by the President to serve his needs. The heads of the executive departments form the Cabinet. The President appoints the head of each of the executive departments, with Senate approval. Cabinet members serve as both head of their respective departments and as advisors to the President.

The West Wing of the White House Chapter 15, Section 2 The President’s closest advisors work in the West Wing of the White House, near the oval office.

Executive Office of President Office of Management and Budget (OMB) –Prepares national budget for the President National Security Council (NSC) –The National Security Council (NSC) acts to advise the President on all domestic, foreign, and military matters that relate to the nation’s security. – include the Vice President Council of Economic Advisers

The State Department The State Department is headed by the secretary of state, who ranks first among the members of the President’s Cabinet. An ambassador is a personal representative appointed by the President to represent the nation in matters of diplomacy. The State Department issues passports, certificates issued to citizens who travel or live abroad. Diplomatic immunity is usually applied to ambassadors and means that they are not subject to the laws of state to which they are accredited.

The Defense Department This chart shows the chain of command of the American military services.

The Military Departments The Department of the Army The army is the largest and the oldest of the armed services. The army consists of standing troops, or the Regular Army, and its reserve units—the Army National Guard and Army Reserve. The Department of the Navy The navy’s major responsibilities are for sea warfare and defense. The U.S. Marine Corps, a combat-ready land force, are under the auspices of navy command. The Department of the Air Force The air force is the youngest branch of the armed services. The air force’s main responsibility is to serve as the nation’s first line of defense.

The Independent Executive Agencies Examples of independent executive agencies include NASA, the EPA, and the General Services Administration. Some independent executive agencies are far from well-known. The independent executive agencies include most of the independent agencies. Independent executive agencies simply do not have Cabinet status. (like the14 executive departments)

The CIA and the INS The CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a key part of the foreign policy establishment. The CIA is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting information for the President and the NSC. A full range of espionage, or spying, activities are undertaken by the CIA. The INS The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) deals with persons who come to the United States from abroad to live and work, and who may become naturalized citizens. The INS enforces immigration laws and requirements and administers benefits to immigrants.

NASA and the Selective Service NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the independent agency which deals with the nation’s space policy. The Selective Service The Selective Service System handles, when necessary, the conscription—or draft—of citizens for service in the armed forces.

Foreign Policy Defined Chapter 17, Section 1 A nation’s foreign policy is made up of all the stands and actions that a nation takes in every aspect of its relationships with other countries. The President, the nation’s chief diplomat and commander in chief of its armed forces, has traditionally carried the major responsibility for both the making and conduct of foreign policy.

Foreign Aid Foreign aid — economic and military aid to other countries—has been a basic feature of American foreign policy for more than 50 years. Most aid has been sent to those nations regarded as the most critical to the realization of this country’s foreign policy objectives. Most foreign aid money must be used to buy American goods and products.

Security Alliances Other Alliances The United States is also part of the Rio Pact with Canada and Latin America, the ANZUS pact with Australia and New Zealand, as well as other pacts in the Pacific region. The United States has also taken an active interest in the actions that unfold in the Middle East, although America is not part of any formal alliance in the region. NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed to promote the collective defense of Western Europe. Today, NATO’s purpose has changed. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO’s goals have broadened to include peacekeeping roles, such as in the Balkans, and establishing a continued relationship with Russia.

The United Nations The United Nations was formed following World War II to promote peace and security across the globe. The General Assembly acts as “the town meeting of the world.” Oversight and maintenance of international peace is delegated to the UN Security Council, of which the United States is a permanent member. Peacekeeping missions, international aid to children and women, and investigations and aid for world health services are all examples of current United Nations functions.