The Presidency and the Bureaucracy The Executive Branch of the United States Government
The Presidency and the Bureaucracy
The Executive Branch of the United States Government
Constitutional Powers of President
• Commissioning military officers
• State of the Union address to Congress
• Receiving ambassadors
• Granting pardons for federal offices
• Veto bills passed by Congress (entire bill)– NO line-item veto (even though it could control
federal spending) (separation of powers)
• Appoint judges to federal judiciary– Similar judicial philosophies as the President
Presidents vs. Congress
• Frequent pattern of divided government• Congress most likely to defer to President on
foreign policy• Presidents attempt to influence Congress
– Using media to draw attention to program (President is more effective at this than Congress in setting policy agenda)
– Assigning Exec. Office to lobby Congress– Exploiting partisan majority in Congress– Reminding Congress of his high approval ratings
Presidential Elections
• Electoral College encourages candidates to focus on competitive, populous states
• Voters choose candidate primarily based on party identification
• Number of female, minority group delegates at Democratic convention has grown over last 20 years
• Vice-presidents are chosen to balance the ticket (age, region, gender, ideology, etc.)
President’s Staff and Bureaucracy
• White House staff personal loyalty to President
• Cabinet members don’t have dominant influence on Presidential policy– The goals of their agency often conflict with his– Harder for Presidents to control because:
• Agencies have support of interest groups• Agencies have expertise• Civil servants stay in jobs longer than President• Congress competes with him for influence on them
Bureaucracy and President
• Office of Management and Budget (OMB)– Prepares budget for President– Executive spending proposals submitted to
Congress
• Independent regulatory agencies are generally free from Presidential control
Congress and Bureaucracy
• Authorization of spending is a formal way Congress does oversight over bureaucracy
Random Bureaucracy Notes
• Federal Reserve Board activities directly influence bank interest rates
• Best predictor of a bureaucratic agency’s annual budget?– What was it the previous year?