|
|
Article: Federal Agencies
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
FEDERAL AGENCIES
FEDERAL AGENCIES.
Federal agencies fall under the executive branch of the American government. Collectively, federal agencies are often referred to as "the administration" or "the bureaucracy." The latter term has developed a less favorable connotation than the former, but both terms identify the essence of federal agencies, which are part of an organizational scheme to divide government labor and expertise among a hierarchy of specialized offices. Legally, according to the Federal Administrative Procedure Act, which governs administrative law, an "agency" is any governmental authority besides Congress and the courts. This includes 98 percent of the government ...