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4 branches
have power and are independent
how does the bureaucracy use information
to counter the risk of distorted information coming from the bureaucracy, congress gathers its own information through legislative committees and through the congressional budget office and government accountability office.
the range of policy issues is so vast that
congress must inevitability rely on officials in the bureaucracy for important information about many public policies
USA gov
bureau labor of statistics repository of expertise
delegated rulemaking authority
congress delegates by law policy-making congress empower and congress gives away power to 4b
congress writes law in general terms
4 branch fills in details using its expertise empowers 4 branch makes policy
controlling 4b equal big problem oversight of 4 b
all 3 branches do it
how do the 3 branches attempt to hold the bureaucracy accountable
the president attempts to oversee, guide and control the bureaucracy through the supervisory authority of political appointees at the top levels of each agency
legislative branch oversight arises when congressional committees and summon officials to testify, moreover congress controls each agency’s budget
judicial oversight comes into play when individuals and interest groups file lawsuits claiming that agencies are not implementing laws properly
President and congress need help with oversight p watchdog and p enforcer
OMB
OMB reports directly to the president and helps a wide range of executive departments and agencies across the Federal Government
to implement the commitments and priorities of the president
how is he budget development and execution oversight of the agency performance
look it up
Goa
is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the congressional watchdog, GOA investigates how the federal government spends taxpayers dollars
goa supports congressional oversight by
auditing agency operations to determine whether federal funds are being spent efficiently and effectively
investigating allegations of illegal and improper activities
reporting on how well government programs and policies are meeting their objectives
why is omb 600, gao 5000 employees not bigger
need to maintain loyalty
why 4 branches often not responsive to policy preferences of president and congress
large organizations resist change
1 civil service system governs 4b employees
non-partisan, merit-based hiring, protection from political retribution
what are the problems with government bureaucracy
civil service protections can make it difficult for top officials to motivate government employees and spur them to take actions, especially when those actions require changing an agency’s priorities or operating methods
political appointees equal 800 at the top
is leverage for president Problems?
civil service employees = 799,200
department of defense
meet Dr. Mark Esper is Trump’s top man at the pentagon
he listens to all day the reasons why the pentagon cant change the way it does things and eventually (department of defense
4 branches have policy preferences of its own
experts with a mission
serve the public
they resist interference from president and congress
attitude
national park service
since 1916 the American people have entrusted the national park service with the care of their national parks. we are proud to safeguard these more than 400 places and to share their stories with more than 275 million visitors every year.
how does the bureaucracy use information
long time officials within the bureaucracy with experience and expertise may disagree with laws and policies sought by the president and presidential appointees.
these officials may alert sympathetic members to congress to initiate investigations and publicize the president’s actions by leaking information to the news media.
policymaking is a contest for information the 4b’s advantages is
expertise, size security,
the disadvantage of P and Congress
small staffs, electoral demandsgeneralists
how does the bureaucracy use information
congressional reliance on officials in the bureaucracy for information can create problems if presidential appointees use their authority to direct subordinates to withhold or distort information as a means of advancing the presidents political agenda
the forest service mission
as set forth by law, is to achieve quality land management under the sustainable multiple-use management concept to meet the diverse needs of people
let’s keep toilets safe
flush without fear
