ABSTRACT
The president is admittedly the most important figure in the executive branch but by no means its sole member. The executive is composed of fifteen separate departments (see Table 5-1 ) and some 140 separate agencies, which together employ 1.7 million civilians. As such, it constitutes the largest and most complex entity in the federal government. Its size is a function of its responsibilities in the governmental process. These responsibilities include administering a myriad of federal programs-currently about 1,600 in number-that have an impact on nearly every aspect of American life. This function takes on added significance since the legislation enacting these programs is written often in rather general language. Consequently, the bureaucracy can exercise considerable discretion in deciding how such programs should be implemented. In addition to being an implementer of legislation, the bureaucracy is also a proposer. Indeed, most of the legislation annually submitted to Congress by the president is planned and drafted by the various departments and agencies in the executive branch. Finally, the bureaucracy also functions as a provider of information to both the president and the Congress. Its constant involvement in the day-to-day administration of federal programs, its abundance of trained experts in all policy areas, and its formidable capacity for data collection, all provide the bureaucracy with an unequaled capacity to inform decision makers.
