The Cabinet and Bureaucracy PDF

The Cabinet and the Bureaucracy Of the United States of America Where did this mob come from? The Constitution allows for the President to invite the opinions of the main officers of the Exec. Dept, but there is no mention of a ‘Cabinet’, yet it’s always existed The Cabinet compri...

The Cabinet and the Bureaucracy Of the United States of America Where did this mob come from? The Constitution allows for the President to invite the opinions of the main officers of the Exec. Dept, but there is no mention of a ‘Cabinet’, yet it’s always existed The Cabinet comprises the President, the Vice President, the officers who head the 14 departments, plus others the President wishes to seek the advice from So does it have any influence? Abraham Lincoln – “Seven noes, one aye – The Ayes have it” Presidents tend to view Cabinet members as spokespeople for their department, with nothing to contribute in other areas Therefore they are very different to the UK Cabinet – Doesn’t work as a team, does not help push policy through Congress or are they necessarily Choosing the Cabinet The likely tone and style of a Presidential administration is set by the choice of Cabinet members Once again the Senate has to approve appointments, but they are likely to already be effective in their own departments. It does not follow that prominent people in the Presidential Campaigns are rewarded with cabinet posts. Choice cont…. Choices will be loyal to them and their programmes Choices will reflect American society, race, sex, religion Expertise and specialist knowledge is the key. Moves to poach congressmen, however, they are unlikely to swap the legislative, for an administration role with no direct control over policy Party Influence Republican ○ Choices have a business Background ○ Mainly commerce and manufacturing Democrat ○ More likely to have worked in public service ○ Trade Unionists are a popular choice Role of the Cabinet The Cabinet is an advisory Body only The President chooses to consult whoever they wish – He/She does not need to consult with Cabinet even in a crisis There is no Collective Responsibility Examples include divisions over Vietnam and Britains role in the Falklands Where disagreements do happen there is no need to reign, though may do so if at odds with the President – Cabinet members not responsible to the legislature only the Exec The Bureaucracy – Who are they? People whose career is based on Govt. service, they work for Presidents and their political appointees Some 5 million people work in the Executive Branch (40% military) 12% work in Washington DC There are 15 000 different categories of federal employees, including inspectors, engineers, secretaries and clerks Role As Executive decisions are taken elsewhere, the bureaucrats put the decisions into effect However, this is a naïve view – much of the legislation in front of congress, begins its life in the Government Departments. Congressmen, know this and try to influence policy at this early stage. Although appointed, they may ‘go native’ and work more for the office than for the President Pendleton Act - 1883 Limited the number of appointments Established a merit system for about 10% of the jobs, based on education and job credentials, today it is 95% The President can nominate 3000 Senior Civil Servants 700 of these have to be approved by the Senate Appointees will be loyal and competent and Role of Congress in the Bureaucracy Congress can create or Congress has no destroy an agency control over the Authorises and operation of agencies approves reorganisation plans Walles ”Active and Defines powers and largely independent authorises finance participants, negotiating with Congress & The Presidnet” Types – Government Department The heads of these make-up the Cabinet There are 14 Cabinet level departments including, Treasury, Defense, Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labour, Health, Education, Housing, Transportation and Energy Independent Agencies In it, but not of it – Powerful, yet not official members of the Executive Executive Agencies – Provide either special services to the Govt. or to the People (Veterans Adminsitration) Regulatory Commissions – Monitor sections of the economy (Federal Reserve Board, Environment protection Agency) Role of Independents Appointed by Presidents Once appointed, the incumbents have security and are independent. Quasi-Judicial and Quasi-legislative roles, as well as Executive ones. New Presidents have to wait for terms to expire before making ‘friendly’ appointments Government Corporations Corporation is the American equivalent of nationalisation of industries, protected, but not free from market pressures, Such as the Panama Canal Company These corporations have a massive annual turnover and are responsible for projects of massive importance Problems as Al Gore’s National Performance Review has highlighted Governmental Organisations are wasteful Working practices are archaic Lack of incentive to innovate Absence of penalties for inadequate performance Success of the NPR Number of employees pruned by 300 000 Transforming the Federal Emergency Management Agency into a highly efficient disaster relief unit Removing thousands of pages of largely incomprehensible language Other factors in the pruning back of the state The ending of the Cold War – Defense cuts Support for the 1993, Government Performance and Results Act – Every Govt. agency to publicise its results Republican call for ‘Smaller Government’, abolition of some agencies and privatisation of others Conclusions Most people both fear and admire the President and their power The President needs to get support from a variety of advisors, the VP, the Cabinet and the Executive Office Policies come from the Bureaucracy and are implemented by the bureaucracy, so its role in the Executive cannot be underestimated.