American Politics Today - Essentials (3rd Ed)

336 CHAPTER 11|THE BUREAUCRACY

There are two important lessons to draw from these charts. First, the federal

government serves an enormous range of functions. Second, the division of activi-

ties among executive departments and independent agencies does not always have

an obvious logic. Why, for example, does the Department of Agriculture adminis-

ter rural utilities programs and food stamps? Similarly, it is not always clear why

certain tasks are handled by an independent agency while others fall within the

scope of an executive department.^38 Why is the Federal Reserve an independent

agency rather than part of the Department of the Treasury?

Organizational decisions like these often refl ect elected offi cials’ attempts to

shape agency behavior—and the extent to which political process matters.

Part of the diff erence between independent agencies and the organizations

contained within executive departments has to do with the president’s ability to

control these organizations’ activities. Organizations that fall within an executive

department, such as the Internal Revenue Service, can be subject to presidential

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Organization Chart, http://www.usda.gov/documents/AgencyWorkfl ow.pdf (accessed 4/23/10).

THE STRUCTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FIGURE » 11.3

SECRETARY

Deputy Secretary

Director of

Communications

Inspector

General

General

Counsel

Chief Information

Officer

Chief Financial

Officer

Executive

Operations

Assistant Secretary

for Congressional

Relations

Assistant Secretary

for

Administration

Assistant Secretary

for Civil Rights

Under Secretary for

Natural Resources

and Environment

Forest Service

Natural Resources

Conservation Service

Under Secretary for

Farm and Foreign

Agricultural Services

Farm Service Agency

Foreign Agricultural

Service

Risk Management

Agency

Rural Utilities

Service

Rural Housing

Service

Rural Business

Cooperative Service

Under Secretary for

Rural Development

Under Secretary for

Food, Nutrition, and

Consumer Services

Food and Nutrition

Service

Center for

Nutrition Policy

and Promotion

Under Secretary for

Food Safety

• Food Safety and
  Inspection Service
  
  
  • 
    
  
  
  • 
    
  
  
  • 
    
  
  
  • 
    
  
  
  • 
    
  
  
  
  

Agricultural

Research Service

National Institute of

Food and Agriculture

Economic Research

Service

National Agricultural

Liberty

National Agricultural

Statistics Service

Under Secretary for

Research, Education,

and Economics

Under Secretary for

Marketing and

Regulatory Programs

Agricultural

Marketing Service

Animal and Plant

Health Inspection

Service

Grain Inspection

Packers and

Stockyards

Administration