1. Chapter 7: The Executive Branch at Work Section 2: Executive Departments and Independent Agencies (pgs )

2. Executive Departments
These departments are the major units of policy making in the executive branch.
There are 15 departments and they employ about 60% of all federal government employees.
Within departments there are smaller, more narrowly focused agencies.
Congress and the president share responsibility for them.
The President picks the top officials, and Congress funds each department.

3. Early Departments
Washington established the first executive departments in 1789.
These were the Departments of State, Treasury, and War.
The post of attorney general was also established but the Department of Justice was not created until 1870
After the Mexican-American War the Department of Interior was created for managing public lands & Indians.
In 1913 the Department of Labor was created to deal with organized labor.

4. New Departments Since 1950
In this post—WWII era, Congress has created 7 executive departments
These new departments reflect the expanded role of the government in Americans lives.
Americans now expect the Government to take action when a problem confronts society.
Examples: The Department of Housing and Urban Development was created after the Watts Riots in L.A. in 1965 and the Department of Energy was created after the 1973 Arab oil embargo.

5. The Executive Departments (pgs. 198-199)
Department of State 1789
Department of Defense 1789 (1947)
Department of the Treasury 1789
Department of the Interior 1849
Department of Agriculture 1862
Department of Justice 1870
Department of Commerce 1903
Department of Labor 1913
Department of Health and Human Services 1953
Department of Housing and Urban Development 1965
Department of Transportation 1966
Department of Energy 1977
Department of Education 1980
Department of Veterans Affairs 1989
Department of Homeland Security 2003

6. Health & Human Services (HHS)
It is the job of this department to protect the health of the American people.
Also, it is the main provider of social services. (welfare)
It employs over 65,000 people and is in charge of Social Security, Medicare, & Medicaid. (it supplements health care to about ¼ of Americans)
It also has smaller agencies like the Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

7. Department of Defense (DOD)
1st called the Department of War in 1947 it was changed to Department of Defense
The DOD is massive, with 1.3 million active duty & 1.1 million National Guard and another 670,000 civilian employees
It has the largest budget (in 2008 it was $480 billion)
Procurement of equipment was $100 billion and another $75 billion for research.

8. Department of Homeland Security
Begun in 2003 b/c of the attacks on 9/11
This was a reorganization of several agencies that were already in place.
The purpose was a refocus on security.
It is in charge of law enforcement, border security, transportation, immigration, emergency preparedness, and all issues dealing with protecting our nation from attacks on U.S. soil.

9. Independent Agencies
There are 140 independent agencies that operate separately from executive departments.
They are created by an act of Congress.
They address certain issues that have become too complicated or require too much specialized knowledge to handle through regular legislation.
Example: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
These agencies have not only the power to make regulations that have the force of law but also the authority to decide disputes over their regulations.

10. Independent Executive Agencies
These agencies are given executive powers like executive departments but they are not at the cabinet level
Congress establishes and retains authority over them but the president exercises much of the control over their operation
The president nominates the top officials of these agencies, they are approved by the Senate but report to the president.
Examples: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) & the Peace Corps

11. Independent Regulatory Commissions
The purpose of these are to regulate some aspect of the economy.
They set and enforce rules that have the force of law, and most have quasi-judicial powers to settle disputes arising from their rules.
Most are led by a 3 to 7 person board, nominated by the president and approved by the Senate.
The board must be bipartisan, they can’t be fired by the president and have fixed terms of office.
Examples: The Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Congress can override these Commissions

12. Government Corporations
This is the 3rd type of independent agency
They are organized and run like a businesses but are owned in whole or in part by the federal government.
Congress creates these to achieve a public goal that private business may not be able to address.
Examples: The U.S. Postal Service (USPS), National Railroad Passenger Corporation or Amtrak
Gov. Corporations are not expected to make money but to at least brake even.

13. Power & Accountability in the Federal Bureaucracy
In 1946, Congress past the Administrative Procedure Act that set guidelines for agency rule making including a period for public comment & participation.
Freedom of Information Act of 1965
A danger in government is when agencies, oversight committees and outside interest groups form an iron triangle