PSC 101 Bureaucracy 1 Types of Federal Agencies

Summary

In this enlightening discussion, Michael Hart explores the often underestimated power of the federal bureaucracy, a cornerstone of the U.S. government. He breaks down the various components of the federal bureaucracy, emphasizing its significant influence on national governance, mostly functioning within the executive branch. The video elaborates on types of federal agencies including executive departments, independent regulatory and executive agencies, government corporations, and government-sponsored enterprises. Each type is distinct in its operation and purpose, contributing uniquely to the governance and economy of the United States.

Highlights

• Federal bureaucracy is a powerful element in U.S. governance, often more influential than other branches when paired with the executive. 💪
• The bureaucracy comprises various types: executive departments, independent regulatory and executive agencies, government corporations, and government-sponsored enterprises. 🏛️
• Executive departments are key players, expanding over the years to enhance national governance. 📈
• Independent agencies enjoy a certain degree of political insulation, performing vital regulatory roles. 🛡️
• Government corporations and sponsored enterprises highlight the blend of governmental responsibility with economic pragmatism. 💼
• The bureaucracy employs approximately 2.5 million civilians, emphasizing its massive organizational structure. 👥

Key Takeaways

• The federal bureaucracy wields significant power, comparable to any other government branch. 🤔
• Executive departments have expanded from three to 15 since 1789. 🏛️
• Independent agencies retain a degree of freedom, minimizing political influence. 🤓
• Government corporations function like businesses but without a profit motive. 🏢
• Government-sponsored enterprises blend private sector and government roles. 🏦

Overview

Federal bureaucracy is often regarded as one of the most powerful elements of the United States government, particularly when working in tandem with the President. This robust system comprises various agencies functioning predominantly within the executive branch, expanding their reach and influence across the entire nation.

One key aspect of the federal bureaucracy is its structure, which includes a variety of agencies such as executive departments, independent regulatory and executive agencies, government corporations, and government-sponsored enterprises. Each of these has its specific roles and responsibilities, ranging from regulation to providing essential services to the public. Notably, these agencies together employ around 2.5 million civilians, indicating a vast network crucial to implementing government policies.

This structural diversity allows the bureaucracy to function effectively, with executive departments expanding from the original trio set in 1789 to 15 powerful entities today, such as the Department of Homeland Security. Meanwhile, independent agencies operate with degrees of freedom that shield them from direct political pressure, allowing for focused regulatory work. Additionally, government corporations and sponsored enterprises reflect the hybrid nature of U.S. governance, combining governmental oversight with private sector dynamics.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Federal Bureaucracy Federal bureaucracy is a crucial aspect of governance in the United States, often perceived as possessing significant power, potentially more than any other government segment. Its influence is especially pronounced when combined with the presidential authority, making the executive branch—comprising virtually all bureaucratic agencies and led by the President and his advisors—the most powerful federal branch.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Types of Federal Bureaucracy Agencies The chapter 'Types of Federal Bureaucracy Agencies' discusses the various components that make up the federal bureaucracy. It breaks down the federal bureaucracy into distinct categories: executive departments, independent regulatory agencies, independent executive agencies, government corporations, and government-sponsored enterprises.
• 01:00 - 02:30: Executive Departments In 1789, the United States government started with only three executive departments: the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of War. Over time, the Department of War was renamed the Department of Defense. Today, the United States government consists of 15 executive departments, with the most recent addition being the Department of Homeland Security, established in 2002 following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Independent Executive Agencies This chapter discusses the structure and leadership of independent executive agencies within the government. Each department is typically headed by a Secretary, who is supported by an Undersecretary. However, the Department of Justice differs in its naming conventions, being led by an Attorney General and assisted by the Assistant Attorney General. The text underlines the roles of these key figures in the functioning of independent executive agencies.
• 03:00 - 05:00: Independent Regulatory Agencies Independent regulatory agencies are pivotal components of the government. Leaders in these agencies are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. They serve at the President's discretion and can be dismissed at any moment. Typically, the average tenure for department heads is approximately two and a half years. Each government department, such as the Department of Homeland Security, encompasses multiple agencies. An example given is the Immigration and Naturalization Service within the Department of Homeland Security.
• 05:00 - 07:00: Government Corporations The chapter discusses various types of agencies within the government structure. It highlights the Department of Defense and its associated agencies like the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Defense Advanced Research Agency. Additionally, it notes the existence of agencies that are not part of any department, categorizing them as independent executive agencies and independent regulatory agencies.
• 07:00 - 10:00: Government-Sponsored Enterprises The chapter titled 'Government-Sponsored Enterprises' discusses independent executive agencies, which are led by directors appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. These directors serve at the president's discretion and can be dismissed at any time. Unlike other agencies, independent executive agencies report directly to the president rather than through a department secretary, desiring a direct line of communication and responsibility with the president. The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) is one such independent executive agency.
• 10:00 - 10:30: Summary of Federal Bureaucracy The chapter discusses two types of agencies within the federal bureaucracy: independent executive agencies and independent regulatory agencies, also known as independent regulatory commissions. Both types do not fall under any specific department; however, independent regulatory agencies are somewhat removed from the executive branch, unlike independent executive agencies.

PSC 101 Bureaucracy 1 Types of Federal Agencies Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 federal bureaucracy is a very important topic some say that federal bureaucracy in fact has more power than any other part of the united states government it is certainly true that in combination with the power of the president federal bureaucracy is enormously powerful and the executive branch to which virtually every bureaucratic agency belongs headed by president and his advisors is the most powerful branch of the federal
• 00:30 - 01:00 government so we will consider today different parts of the federal bureaucracy or more precisely different types of the federal bureaucracy so see here on this next slide we see how the federal bureaucracy can be broken down into executive departments independent regulatory agencies independent executive agencies government corporations and government sponsored enterprises when it comes to executive departments
• 01:00 - 01:30 throughout 15 originally in 1789 there were only three the department of state the department of the treasury and the department of war later the department of war would be renamed into the department of defense but today the united states boasts 15 different executive departments the latest of which the department of homeland security was created in 2002 following attacks of september the 11th of 2001 by
• 01:30 - 02:00 terrorists so each department is headed by secretary and secretary has assistance of the undersecretary the department of justice is a little bit different in tame in terms of the naming convention the department of justice is headed not by a secretary but by attorney general who is assisted by you guessed it the assistant attorney general now secretaries under secretary's attorney generals and their assistants
• 02:00 - 02:30 are appointed by president and confirmed by the senate they serve at the will of president and can be fired at any time the average term of service for department secretaries is about two and a half years now each department has multiple agencies for example department of homeland security has incited the immigration and naturalization service
• 02:30 - 03:00 the customs and a number of other agencies the department of defense has incited the defense intelligence agency uh the defense advanced research agency etc etc now we also have the types of agencies that are not a portion of any department they don't belong to any department these are independent executive agencies and also independent regulatory agencies
• 03:00 - 03:30 independent executive agencies are headed by director who is appointed by president and confirmed by the senate director serves at the pleasure of the president and can be fired at any time now independent executive agencies do not like the filter of departments they do not like to report to department secretary first so they want to have a direct line of communication with president and direct responsibility to president so cia's the central intelligence agency is
• 03:30 - 04:00 an example of an independent executive agency another type of agency is independent regulatory agency also known as independent regulatory commission now this type is very similar to independent executive agencies in that it does not belong inside any department but the difference is that unlike independent executive agencies independent regulatory agencies are somewhat removed in terms of what should i say
• 04:00 - 04:30 put daily political pressure these agencies are still created by congress and funded by it and they have a specific mission set for it by congress however now these agencies are headed by and operated by technical professionals who do not experience the same daily pressures from politicians that you might find inside executive departments or independent executive agencies
• 04:30 - 05:00 examples include but are not limited to the federal reserve system the federal election commission the nuclear regulatory agency would you like your nuclear power plants to be regulated based on technical expertise or based on political machinations and intrigues would you like the supply of money in circulation to be regulated by professional economists based on what what is economically sound or would you like to have that done by politicians
• 05:00 - 05:30 based on political considerations so we have decided to remove a certain degree of political considerations from the operation of these agencies these agencies once again have responsibility to ask the american people through our congressional representatives and congress still has some power over them they're not renegade bureaucrats but they're simply freer than other parts of government from constant political pressures
• 05:30 - 06:00 we also have government corporations which is an interesting type of agency because many people associate the united states with a pure capitalist model or a model of the free market however government corporations are a sign that this is not the case just like private corporations government corporations serve the economic function of providing goods and or services the difference is that unlike private corporations government corporations
• 06:00 - 06:30 do not have private investors they do not have private stakeholders they are not expected to make a profit in fact some of them actually operate at a loss they are subsidized by us the taxpayers now examples include the post office of course this is the best known federal government agency perhaps rightly so all of us have some interaction with the post office
• 06:30 - 07:00 and also the post office employs more people than any other government organization in the united states amtrak is the rail service and tva tennessee valley authority was created in the 1930s to provide subsidized electricity to the appalachian region and it continues to exist to this day the last type of uh
• 07:00 - 07:30 gov of bureaucracy is government-sponsored enterprises this is different because government-sponsored enterprises are not entirely governmental agencies they are partly government and partly private the government part comes from the fact that they were created by the government they have been set certain parameters of operation their admission has been set for them by the government but after that they were turned over to
• 07:30 - 08:00 private investors and so they operate uh as private corporations seeking in fact to make a profit examples include uh farmers mac fannie mae freddie mac genie may all the ones that i have named are actually secondary mortgage market operators these are agencies that have been created some during the great depression in the 1930s some during the 1960s in order to flood the market with money flood the
• 08:00 - 08:30 real estate market with money to make it easier for people to obtain mortgages what happens is when your bank let's say a private bank let's call it bank of america issues a mortgage to you it does not keep that mortgage it sells it typically to fannie mae and then your bank collects your mortgage payments on behalf of fannie mae and fannie mae is the real owner of your mortgage and your neighbor's mortgage and it packages your mortgage with your
• 08:30 - 09:00 neighbor's mortgage and your neighbor's neighbor's mortgage and sells these packaged mortgages as mortgage-backed backed securities to investors on wall street who in turn take out insurance from insurance companies for these mortgages called credit default swaps and in fact what happens is the entire financial system of the united states becomes involved in this operation of risk distribution and allowing it to
• 09:00 - 09:30 flood the market with money making it easy for people to borrow money to buy real estate the downside of it is when people are in trouble because the economy goes into recession and can no longer repay their mortgages what happens is the entire financial system of the united states is under pressure and this means that it negatively affects the entire economic system of the world and so we have now covered different
• 09:30 - 10:00 types of government agencies at the federal level to summarize to summarize these agencies are executive departments independent regulatory agencies independent executive agencies government corporations and government-sponsored enterprises each of them has a distinct mission each of them is there to provide goods or services or regulatory services
• 10:00 - 10:30 or some other governmental services and all together the federal bureaucracy employs approximately two and a half million civilian employees this is quite a number and these employees are extremely important in actually carrying out the mission of the government okay