1. Offices and Cabinet of the Executive Branch

2. Offices in the Executive Branch
Includes the White House Office
Serves the President

3. The Federal Bureaucracy
The Executive Branch is shaped like a triangle.
Top down: President
Departments
Hundreds of executive agencies

4. President’s Cabinet Departments
15 Executive department heads – advisers
Makes the president’s job easier by dividing the work
Head of the Dept of Justice is the Attorney General. All other heads are have the title of secretary
Department of Homeland Security – most recent addition – terrorism
President Washington’s Cabinet – Department of State, Department of Treasury and Department of War

5. Department Heads Must be approved by the Senate
Any advice given to the President will usually be on issues related to their departments
President will determine when they meet and how much to rely on their advise.

6. The Federal Bureaucracy (cont.)
Departments and agencies carry out government programs in 3 ways:
Develop procedures for putting new laws into practice
Administer day-to-day operations of government
Regulate or police various governmental activities
This all helps shape government policy

7. Civil Service System
Spoils System – giving federal jobs to people that helped the winner – “To the Victor belong the Spoils” Before 1883, hiring was based on “who you knew”
Government grew more and more incompetent as people who weren’t qualified filled positions (late 1800s)
Americans demanded change (Progressives)

8. Civil Service System Cont.
Reformed system came about – called the Merit System
Pendleton Act (1883) – instituted the Merit system where those most qualified get the jobs
Jobs are divided into 2 categories
Classified – jobs given based on exams & kept no matter who is president
Unclassified – jobs filled by appointment as in the spoils system – Appointed positions

9. Civil Service System Cont.
Office of Personnel Management – administers tests and hires workers
Merit System Protection Board – handles promotions based on merit. Hiring is based on open, competitive examinations and merit.

10. Political Appointees
Top department jobs usually go to political appointees
Employment usually ends when the President leaves office

11. The President and Cabinet

12. Cabinet Cont.
State – Secretary of State – manages relations with other countries
Treasury – Secretary of Treasury – manages the nations money
Defense – Secretary of Defense – manages the military
John Kerry
Jack Lew
Ashton Carterl

13. Cabinet Cont.
Justice – Attorney General – legal affairs and the chief law enforcement officer in the US
Interior – Secretary of the Interior – manages public lands and natural resources
Agriculture – Secretary of Agriculture – designed to help farmers
Loretta Lynch
Sally Jewell
Tom Vilsack

14. Cabinet Cont.
Commerce – Secretary of Commerce – trade and promotes US business and tourism
Labor – Secretary of Labor – deals with working conditions and wages
Transportation – Secretary of Transportation – manages highways, railroads, airlines, and sea traffic
Thomas E Perez
Anthony Foxx
Penny Pritzker

15. Cabinet Cont.
Energy – Secretary of Energy – tries to find alternative sources of energy
Health and Human Services – Secretary of HHS – well being and health of Americans
Veterans Affairs – Secretary of Veterans Affairs – services for armed forces veterans
Ernest Moniz
Sylvia Matthews Burwell
Robert McDonald

16. Cabinet Cont.
Education – Secretary of Education – advice and funding for schools
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – Secretary of Housing and Urban Development – special needs and problems of cities
Homeland Security – Secretary of Homeland Security – oversees America’s defenses against terrorist attacks
Arne Duncan
Julian Castro
Jeh Johnson

17. Executive Office of the President (EOP)
Office of Management & Budget (OMB) – prepares the nation’s budget & makes reports to the President on the fiscal soundness of the nation. Federal budget lays out the administrations plans and goals for the upcoming year
Core of EOP is the White House Office – 500 people who work for the President

18. National Security Council (NSC) – provides for the safety of the nation. Helps President coordinate the military and construct foreign policy. Forms our nations foreign policies and principles of the U.S. Supervises the CIA.
Includes the V.P., Sec. of State, Sec. of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and top commanders of each of the armed forces

19. Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) –
Contains three independent members or economists
Advise the President about economic matters: employment in the U.S., tax policy, inflation, trade with other countries, etc.

20. White House Positions
Chief of Staff – Denis McDonough – decides what issues are brought to the president
Press Secretary – Jay Carney – provides reporters with news
Senior Advisors to the President – Valerie Jarrett and Jennifer Palmieri

21. Independent agencies
Not a part of any cabinet, but still have to report out to the President
3 types: Executive Agencies
Regulatory Commissions
Government Corporations

22. Executive Agencies Specialized areas of government
President chooses the head of each agency
Examples
EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
CIA – Central Intelligence Agency
NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NSA – National Security Agency
FDA – Food and Drug Administration

23. Regulatory Commissions
DOES NOT REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT
Run by a board appointed by the President and approved by the Senate
Protects the public by making and enforcing rules for certain industries
Controls certain types of business
Must be impartial with no political pressure
Ex. FCC – Federal Communications Commission FAA – Federal Aviation Administration
FEC – Federal Election Commission
FTC – Federal Trade Commission
NRC – Nuclear Regulatory Commission

24. Government Corporations
Similar to private corporations – but the government owns and runs them.
General manager & board of directors runs each corporation
They charge for services, but are not supposed to make a profit, all $ goes back into the business
Examples
Post Office
Fannie Mae
Amtrak