The checks and balances built into the federal government through the Constitution almost guarantee inefficiency in how the government operates. In order for a measure to be established as the law of the land, all three divisions of the federal government, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches must play a role. Both chambers of the federal legislature, the Senate and the House must pass the same versions of the bill which then must be approved and signed by the president. Subsequently, the court system must hold the bill as Constitutional if it is challenged by a person or group with standing. Often, laws that go into effect may not be contested until years have elapsed. The journey through the courts after a challenge may also require years, with rulings from lower courts followed by a series of appeals and judgements by higher courts, until the Supreme Court has the final say.
The president and the departments and agencies under his control which are part of the executive branch manage the government on the basis of laws enacted by Congress. While the president submits a budget to the legislative branch each year, the funds for the departments to operate and purchase goods and services are authorized in appropriation bills passed by Congress. While agencies and departments may request additional sums from Congress, they cannot raise or spend money on their own. Congress may purposely withhold funds from a department or agency if the Senate or House is controlled by a different political party than the president, and the senators or representatives are unhappy with the actions or operations of a particular department or agency.
Occasionally, Congress may also bestow more funds on a department or agency than has been requested, as they try and direct or micro-manage a part of the executive branch to perform a certain way. Emergency appropriations to supplement the annual budget may also be granted to departments if true emergencies arise, such as damage from an earthquake or hurricane, a terrorist action that requires a response, a military action or a war. One can imagine the inefficiencies built into appropriations controlled by a different branch of the government than the operational unit. But it also provides safeguards that prevent a department or agency from running amuck and overspending, or spending on operations not approved.
Oversight of departments and agencies is an internal process with inspector generals and their staffs monitoring operations to make certain there are no illegal, unethical, or wasteful activities. These analyses can assist executives in running their departments efficiently and may uncover problems that would have otherwise gone undiscovered and uncorrected. However, Congress also has the power of oversight and investigation. Congressional committees and their members may use these powers to examine activities of personnel or operations in the executive branch of which they disapprove. This may also be done to garner publicity for particular senators or members of Congress who want to show off their expertise or interrogation skills. These investigations may interfere with the functioning of the departments and agencies that are under scrutiny, making them cautious in how they perform and less efficient.
The bureaucracy of the federal government with all its departments and agencies is enormous. As of the end of 2012, 6.9 percent of the American population or almost 22 million people worked for government at all levels, federal, state, and local. Civilian employment of the federal government alone in 2013 was 2,745,000 according to the census bureau. Given the total quantity of workers, it is impossible for the president or the secretaries of the different departments to carefully monitor personnel to be certain they are performing their jobs correctly. This includes working quickly, being innovative with new ways of doing things, and generating customer satisfaction where there is an interface with citizens. The president and department heads establish policy and goals for each section of the government and it is up to the senior executives in the departments to make certain the directives are followed, workers perform, and objectives reached or exceeded.
Michele Flournoy, the former undersecretary of defense for policy under President Obama, critiqued the federal government after leaving, declaring that it had to become more efficient. She noted that while government workers are dedicated for the most part, and essential functions and services are provided to citizens, critical methods of many agencies were conceived fifty or sixty years ago. Flournoy believes that most sectors of the government are behind private businesses in terms of efficiency and performance. While the most successful U.S. companies constantly transform their strategies and the way they do business, many federal agencies are encumbered by unnecessary overhead, out-of-date practices, outmoded infrastructure, and shoddy organization. Detractors of Flournoy agree that there is great waste in government agencies, but claim this is also true of most private companies. But the issue should not be excusing waste and inefficiency in government because it exists in private industry, but making both more efficient and less wasteful.
The Heritage Foundation has defined six areas of unnecessary and wasteful spending by the federal government. While they have a conservative view of government and would like to see it much smaller, their suggestions may have validity in particular areas.
Some programs can be transferred to state and local governments.
Some programs could be handled better by private industry
Recipients not entitled to government benefits must be disqualified.
Outdated and unnecessary programs should be eliminated.
Duplicative programs should be sought out and eliminated.
Inefficiency, mismanagement, and fraud must be targeted.
Perhaps the biggest factor causing inefficiencies in running the government and its bureaucracies is the lack of the newest and best computer systems across the board. There are thousands of different systems in use in all agencies and departments that are outmoded and do not communicate with each other. Until Congress is willing to spend the money to change this, inefficiency will be built in everywhere.
Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com
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Political junkie, Vietnam vet, neurologist- three books on aging and dementia. Book on health care reform in 2009- Shock Therapy for the American Health Care System. Book on the need for a centrist third party- Resurrecting Democracy- A Citizen’s Call for a Centrist Third Party published in 2011. Aging Wisely, published in August 2014 by Rowman and Littlefield. Latest book- The Uninformed Voter published May 2020