William_T._Bianco,_David_T._Canon]_American_Polit

The modern federal bureaucracy 471

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

government handles an enormous range of functions. Second, the division of activities

among executive departments and independent agencies does not always have an

obvious logic. Why, for example, does the Department of Agriculture administer

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

tasks are handled by an independent agency whereas others fall within the scope

of an executive department.^34 Why is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) an

independent agency rather than part of the Department of Commerce—and why

is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) located within the Department of

Transportation rather than being independent?

Organizational decisions like these often reflect elected officials’ attempts to

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

the difference 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

The Structure of the Department of

Agriculture

The Department of Agriculture is headed by the secretary of agriculture and the deputy secretary of

agriculture and includes various assistant secretaries and undersecretaries for specific areas, such as

natural resources and the environment, farm services, rural development, and food safety.

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

NUTS

& B O LT S

13.2

Secretary

Deputy Secretary

Chief Economist Director,

National

Appeals Division

Oice of

Small and

Disadvantaged

Business

Utilization

Director of

Communications

Inspector

General

Oice of

Tribal

Relations

General

Counsel

Oice of

the Chief

Financial

Oicer

Oice of Budget

and Program

Analysis

Assistant

Secretary for

Congressional

Relations

Assistant

Secretary for

Administration

Chief Information

Oicer

Assistant

Secretary for

Civil Rights

Undersecretary for

Farm and Foreign

Agricultural Services

• Farm Service Agency


• Foreign Agricultural
  Service


• Risk Management
  Agency

Undersecretary for

Rural Development

• Rural Utilities
  Service


• Rural Housing
  Service


• Rural Business-
  Cooperative Service

Undersecretary for

Food, Nutrition, and

Consumer Services

• Food and Nutrition
  Service


• Center for
  Nutrition Policy
  and Promotion

Undersecretary for

Food Safety

• Food Safety and
  Inspection Service

Undersecretary for

Research, Education,

and Economics

• Agricultural
  Research Service


• National Institute of
  Food and Agriculture


• Economic Research
  Service


• National Agricultural
  Statistics Service

Undersecretary for

Marketing and

Regulatory Programs

• Agricultural
  Marketing Service


• Animal and Plant
  Health Inspection
  Service


• Grain Inspection,
  Packers and
  Stockyards
  Administration


• Forest Service


• Natural Resources
  Conservation
  Service

Undersecretary for

Natural Resources

and Environment

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