THE MODERN FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY| 335
The Structure of the Federal Government
Figure 11.2 shows the structure of the executive branch of the federal government.
As discussed in Chapter 10, the Executive Offi ce of the President (EOP) contains
organizations that support the president and implement presidential policy initia-
tives; individuals working in these organizations are part of the administrative
presidency that seeks to ensure that bureaucrats implement the president’s policy
priorities, bringing the actions of bureaucrats (agents) in line with the president’s
(principal’s) preferences.^37 Among its many offi ces, the EOP contains the Offi ce of
Management and Budget, which prepares the president’s annual budget pro-
posal and monitors government spending as well as the development of new regu-
lations. Below the EOP are the 15 executive departments, from the Department of
Agriculture to the Department of Veterans Aff airs. The heads of these 15 organi-
zations make up the president’s cabinet.
Each executive department contains many smaller organizations. Figure 11.3
shows the organizational chart for the Department of Agriculture.
Below the executive departments, but not subordinate to them, are agencies,
commissions, and government corporations that are called independent agen-
cies, or independent establishments, to highlight that they are not part of an
executive department. Most of these carry out specialized functions, such as the
Federal Reserve (which manages the money supply, banking system, and inter-
est rates) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (which regulates the
banking industry). The fi gure only includes some noteworthy agencies; there are
many more.
THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
FIGURE » 11.2
Source: Based on GPO Access: Guide to the U.S. Government, http://bensguide.gpo.gov/fi les/gov_chart.pdf (accessed 9/22/12).
President
Vice President
Executive Office of the President
Department of
Agriculture
Department of
Commerce
Department of
Defense
Department of
Education
Department of
Energy
Department of
Health and Human
Services
Department of
Homeland
Security
Department of
Housing and Urban
Development
Department of
the Interior
Department of
Justice
Department of
Labor
Department of
State
Department of
Transportation
Department of
the Treasury
Department of
Veterans
Affairs
Selected Independent Establishments and Government Corporations
Central Intelligence Agency
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Environmental Protection Agency
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Federal Communications Commission
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Federal Election Commission
Federal Reserve System
Federal Trade Commission
General Services Administration
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities
National Labor Relations Board
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK)
National Science Foundation
Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
Peace Corps
Securities and Exchange Commission
Selective Service System
Small Business Administration
Social Security Administration
U.S. Agency for International Development
U.S. Postal Service
independent agencies
Government offi ces or organizations
that provide government services
and are not part of an executive
department.
Offi ce of Management and
Budget An offi ce within the
Executive Offi ce of the President
that is responsible for creating the
president’s annual budget proposal
to Congress, reviewing proposed
rules, and other budget-related
tasks.