chAPTeR eleven • The BuReAucRAcy 255
to carry out specific laws in the public interest. Regulatory agencies and commissions actu-
ally combine some functions of all three branches of government—legislative, executive,
and judicial. They are legislative in that they make rules that have the force of law. They
are executive in that they provide for the enforcement of those rules. They are judicial in
that they decide disputes involving the rules they have made.
Heads of regulatory agencies and members of agency boards or commissions are
appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate, although they do not report
to the president. When an agency is headed by a board rather than an individual, the
members of the board cannot, by law, all be from the same political party. Presidents can
influence regulatory agency behavior by appointing people of their own parties or indi-
viduals who share their political views when vacancies occur, in particular when the chair
is vacant. Members may be removed by the president only for causes specified in the law
creating the agency.Agency capture. Over the last several decades, some observers have concluded that
regulatory agencies, although nominally independent, may in fact not always be so.TABle 11–2: executive departments (continued)
Department and
year established
Principal Functions
selected subagencies
housing and Urban
Development (1965)
(9,114 employees)Deals with the nation’s housing needs,
develops and rehabilitates urban
communities, oversees resale of mortgages.Government National Mortgage Association, Office
of Community Planning and Development, Office of
Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
Transportation (1967)
(57,042 employees)Finances improvements in mass transit;
develops and administers programs for
highways, railroads, and aviation.Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Highway
Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, Federal Transit Administration.
energy (1977)
(15,715 employees)Promotes the conservation of energy and
resources, analyzes energy data, conducts
research and development.Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, National
Nuclear Security Administration.health and human
services (1979)d
(86,532 employees)Promotes public health, enforces pure food
and drug laws, conducts and sponsors
health-related research.Food and Drug Administration, Public Health Service,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National
Institutes of Health, Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services.
education (1979)d
(4,294 employees)Coordinates federal programs and policies
for education, administers aid to education,
promotes educational research.Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation
Service, Office of Elementary and Secondary
Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, Office
of Vocational and Adult Education, Office of Federal
Student Aid.
veterans affairs (1988)
(328,088 employees)Promotes the welfare of veterans of the
U.S. armed forces.Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits
Administration, National Cemetery Systems.
homeland
security (2003)
(197,627 employees)Attempts to prevent terrorist attacks
within the United States, control America’s
borders, and minimize the damage from
natural disasters.U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Coast
Guard, Secret Service, Federal Emergency
Management Agency, U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services, U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement.dFormed from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (created in 1953).Copyright 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
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