The Presidency and the Bureaucracy

The Executive Branch of the United States Government

Constitutional Powers of President

• Commissioning military officers

• State of the Union address to Congress

• Receiving ambassadors

• Granting pardons for federal offices

• Veto bills passed by Congress (entire bill)– NO line-item veto (even though it could control

federal spending) (separation of powers)

• Appoint judges to federal judiciary– Similar judicial philosophies as the President

Presidents vs. Congress

• Frequent pattern of divided government• Congress most likely to defer to President on

foreign policy• Presidents attempt to influence Congress

– Using media to draw attention to program (President is more effective at this than Congress in setting policy agenda)

– Assigning Exec. Office to lobby Congress– Exploiting partisan majority in Congress– Reminding Congress of his high approval ratings

Presidential Elections

• Electoral College encourages candidates to focus on competitive, populous states

• Voters choose candidate primarily based on party identification

• Number of female, minority group delegates at Democratic convention has grown over last 20 years

• Vice-presidents are chosen to balance the ticket (age, region, gender, ideology, etc.)

President’s Staff and Bureaucracy

• White House staff personal loyalty to President

• Cabinet members don’t have dominant influence on Presidential policy– The goals of their agency often conflict with his– Harder for Presidents to control because:

• Agencies have support of interest groups• Agencies have expertise• Civil servants stay in jobs longer than President• Congress competes with him for influence on them

Bureaucracy and President

• Office of Management and Budget (OMB)– Prepares budget for President– Executive spending proposals submitted to

Congress

• Independent regulatory agencies are generally free from Presidential control

Congress and Bureaucracy

• Authorization of spending is a formal way Congress does oversight over bureaucracy

Random Bureaucracy Notes

• Federal Reserve Board activities directly influence bank interest rates

• Best predictor of a bureaucratic agency’s annual budget?– What was it the previous year?