Govt 5: The Federal Bureaucracy (v1.0)

 A key reference is Professor Jennifer Nicoll Victor PhD of George Mason University.

In two previous essays, I talked about the US constitution, and how government works. However, a good understanding of government is incomplete without understanding the vast federal bureaucracy that is part of the executive headed by the president. You need a map because it is vast. There are over 2 million civilian employees in the federal bureaucracy. It is the machine that makes government work. The lower ranks constitute a professional civil service with great expertise and skill, qualifications and merit and forms the vast majority. The leadership positions are mostly political appointees that a president names when elected and, in many cases, the senate confirms.

The US bureaucracy consists of the white house, executive office of the president, 15 cabinet departments, several corporations, and several independent agencies.

The white house consists of the president’s staff including chief of staff, advisors, speech writers, press secretary and communications director. They work in the white house.

The executive office of the president works out of the adjacent Eisenhower executive office building. It includes the office of management and budget, national security council, council of economic advisors. Office of national drug control policy, and the office of science and technology policy (with Biden this is a cabinet position).

All the cabinet departments are headed by a cabinet secretary (Department of justice is headed by the attorney general). Each department has a specific authority and function. The cabinet departments are (in alphabetical order):

1. The department of agriculture oversees all aspects of agribusiness. It includes the US forest service agency and the US farm service agency.

2. The department of commerce oversees all aspects of commerce. It includes NOAA (national oceanic and atmospheric administration) which houses the national weather service which has a huge amount of data on weather. It also includes the bureau of the census which collects census data every 10 years. It includes the US patent and trademark office.

3. The department of defense (DOD) is the largest cabinet. It is housed in the pentagon. It oversees the US armed forces including the army, navy, air force, marines, and space force. It includes the national security agency.

4. The department of education (DOE) oversees federal policies related to public education including federal loans and grants for education. However, most education policies (including curriculum) are at the state and local level.

5. The department of energy regulates policies related to energy including sources, pricing, security, and safety.

6. The department of health and human services (HHS) oversees a variety of healthcare aspects. It includes the center of disease control and prevention and the national institute of health. Both perform critical research functions. It also houses the Food and Drug Administration.

7. The department of homeland security (DHS). It was formed after the 9/11 attack. It includes the secret service, the Transportation security agency (TSA), and immigration and customs enforcement (ICE). It also houses the US coast guard and the federal emergency management agency (FEMA). FEMA assists areas struck by natural disasters.

8. The department of housing and urban development (HUD) oversees aspects of housing policy and regulation of the mortgage system. It includes the federal housing agency. However, many aspects of housing are managed at the state and local level.

9. The department of the interior oversees aspects of land and water management. It includes the US Geographical Survey, the National Park Service, the US fish and wildlife service, and the bureau of land management.

10. The department of justice (DOJ) is the nation’s chief law enforcement agency. It includes the federal bureau of Investigations, and the drug enforcement agency, and the Bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives.

11. The department of labor oversees labor practices and policies. It includes the bureau of labor statistics, and the occupational safety and health administration (OSHA). It regulates workplace safety and abusive work practices.

12. The state department oversees international diplomacy. It leads the diplomatic missions, embassies, consulates, and ambassadors.

13. The department of transportation (DOT) houses the federal aviation administration and the national highway traffic safety administration. It oversees the construction and maintenance of transportation systems including interstate highways.

14. The department of the treasury is the center of taxation, revenue, and accounting. It houses the Internal revenue service (IRS), the US Mint (coins) and the Bureau of engraving and printing (paper money). It also includes the consumer finance protection bureau (CFPB).  

15. The department of veteran’s affairs (VA) oversees all aspects of veterans. It includes the veteran’s health administration, the veteran’s benefits administration, and the national cemetery administration.

The key independent agencies are not part of the cabinet but headed by a presidential appointee. The key regulatory ones are:

1. The consumer products safety commission regulates the safety of consumer products.

2. The environmental protection agency (EPA) provides environmental regulation.

3. The Equal Employment Opportunity commission (EEOC) enforces laws that prevent discrimination in the workplace.

4. The farm credit administration oversees lending institutions for agriculture.

5. The federal communications commission (FCC) regulates all aspects of media and airwaves.

6. The federal election commission (FEC) oversees laws related to campaign finance.

7. The federal trade commission (FTC) oversees federal trade policies.

8. The securities and exchange commission (SEC) regulates the stock market, commodities market, etc.

9. The nuclear regulatory commission oversees nuclear power generation. (NRC)

10. The postal regulatory commission oversees the US postal service.

11. The federal reserve system is the central bank of the US. (Also called feds)

The key non regulatory independent agencies are:

1. The export-import bank

2. The National Science Foundation (NSF)

3. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

4. The Social Security Administration (SSA)

5. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

6. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

7. The United States Postal Service (USPS)

Government Corporations are somewhere between public and private. They include:

1. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)

2. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

3. The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation

4. AMTRAK (Trains)

5. Tennessee Valley Authority (Legacy Program)

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are massive federal programs where the policy is controlled by the social security administration but are primarily administered by the states.