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A Guide to the National Security Council

A Guide to the National Security CouncilWhat is the National Security Council?

The National Security Council is a Federal agency that operates within the United States of America that is responsible for considering national security and foreign policy matters. The National Security Council in the United States is foundational part of the White House and is run by senior national security advisors, cabinet officials and the president of the United States.

Since the inception of the National Security Council, the primary function of the department has been to advise and assist the President of the United States on matters of national security as well as general foreign policy issues. Furthermore, the National Security Council also serves as the President’s principal arm for coordinating such policies among various government agencies.

National Security Council Quick Facts:

The following details outline the administration of the National Security Council:

The National Security Council was created in 1947 through the passing of the National Security Act

The headquarters of the National Security Council are located in Washington D.C.; the Executive Office of the President of the United States is the parent agency to the National Security Council.

The head of the National Security Council is currently United States President Barack Obama; in addition to the President, agency executives also include: the Vice President of the United States, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense and the National Security Advisor.

History of the National Security Council:

The National Security Council, as stated above, was created in 1947 by the National Security Act. The National Security Act was established because policymakers believed that the diplomacy of the State Department was no longer powerful enough to contain the emerging USSR. The intent of this department was to ensure adequate coordination and concurrence between the branches of the United States military and other instruments of national security policy, such as the Central Intelligence Agency, which was also created in the National Security Act.

On May 26, 2009, President Barack Obama merged the White House Staff supporting the Homeland Security Council and the National Security Council into one all-encompassing agency known as the National Security Staff Department. That being said, the Homeland Security Council and the National Security Council continue to exist through statute as bodies supporting the President.

Membership of the National Security Council:

The National Security Council is head by the President of the United States of America. Regular attendees of the council, both in a statutory and non-statutory fashion include: the Vice president of the United States, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of the State, the Secretary of Defense, as well as the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff holds the statutory military position of advisory to the Council, while the Director of National Intelligence is the statutory intelligence advisor. Additionally, the Director of National Drug Control Policy is the statutory drug control policy advisor of the National Security Council.

Government Agency of the Executive Branch

Government agencies are defined as organizations, councils, and offices operating under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government of the United States of America; each federal agency retains specific administrative jurisdiction over specific facets latent within the operations of the United States Government.

The National Security Council functions as a government agency under the Executive Branch of the United States government, which is comprised of 3 total branches; in addition to the Executive branch – which is responsible for the regulation and enforcement of operational legislation existing within the United States of America – there also exists the Legislative and Judicial Branches.

A Guide to the Office of Management and Budget

A Guide to the Office of Management and BudgetWhat is the Office of Management and Budget?

The Office of Management and Budget is a Federal agency that operates within the United States of America that is responsible for assisting the President of the United States in overseeing the preparation of the federal budget and to supervise the administration in Executive Branch agencies. The Office of Management and Budget is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States.

Office of Management and Budget Quick Facts:

The following details outline the administration of the Office of Management and Budget:

The Office of Management and Budget was founded in 1970

The headquarters of the Office of Management and Budget are located in the Old Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C.

The head of the Office of Management and Budget is Jacob Lew

History of the Office of Management and Budget:

The Office of Management and Budget was established as a part of the Department of the Treasury through the passing of Budget and Accounting Act of 1921. This legislation was signed into law by President Warren G. Harding; at this time, the Office of Management and Budget was simply known as the Bureau of the Budget. The predecessor of the Office of Management and Budget was moved to the EOP in 1939 and later reorganized to form the newly-founded Office of Management and Budget in 1970 during the Nixon Administration.

The first director of the Office of Management and Budget was Roy Ash; during this time Paul O’Neill acted as the assistant director, Fred Malek was the deputy director and Frank Zard was the associate director.

In the 1990s the Office of Management and Budget was reorganized to remove the distinction between the budgetary staff and the management staff, by combing those dual roles into separate programs within the Resource Management Offices. 

Function of the Office of Management and Budget:

The Office of Management and Budget primary mission is to assist the President of the United States in overseeing the preparation of the federal budget and to supervise the administration of the Executive Branch. By helping the President formulate spending plans, the Office of Management and Budget evaluates the effectiveness of agency policies, procedures and programs to assess competing funding demands among agencies.

As a result of this evaluation process, the Office of Management and Budget also establishes and sets funding priorities. Furthermore, the Office of Management and Budget ensures that agency reports, testimonies, rules and proposed legislation meet the President’s budgetary goals.

The Office of Management and Budget also coordinates and oversees the Administration’s procurement, information, regulation and financial management efforts. By fulfilling each of these responsibilities, the Office of Management and Budget aims to improve administrative management to better develop performance measures and to reduce any unnecessary burdens on the public.

Government Agency of the Executive Branch:

Government agencies are defined as organizations, councils, and offices operating under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government of the United States of America; each federal agency retains specific administrative jurisdiction over specific facets latent within the operations of the United States Government.

The Office of Management and Budget functions as a government agency under the Executive Branch of the United States government, which is comprised of 3 total branches; in addition to the Executive branch – which is responsible for the regulation and enforcement of operational legislation existing within the United States of America – there also exists the Legislative and Judicial Branches.

A Guide to the Council of Economic Advisors

A Guide to the Council of Economic AdvisorsWhat is the Council of Economic Advisors?

The Council of Economic Advisors is a Federal agency, comprised of a three economists who advise the President of the United States on economic policy. The Council of Economic Advisors is a part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and provides much of the general economic policy for the White House and more specifically, the President of the United States. Although the Economic Advisors board is responsible for satisfying numerous roles and responsibilities, the President relies on these individuals, most notably, in regards to the preparation and delivery of the country’s annual Economic Report of the President.

Council of Economic Advisors Quick Facts

The following details outline the administration of the Council of Economic Advisors:

The Council of Economic Advisors are nominated by the President of the United States and subsequently approved by the United States Senate. The staff of the council consists of roughly 20 academic economists, plus an additional three permanent economic statisticians.

The current Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors is Austan Goolsbee, who was formally appointed by President Barack Obama on September 10, 2010. The two other current members of the Council of Economic Advisors are Carl Shapiro (confirmed on April 14, 2011) and Katharine Abraham. Mr. Shapiro assumed office from previous chai, Christina Romer, who resigned from her post in September 2010.

The headquarters of the Council of Economic Advisors are located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C.

History of the Council of Economic Advisors:

The Council of Economic Advisors was established by the Employment Act of 1946 to provide presidents with objective economic analysis and advice concerning the development and implementation of a number of domestic and international policy issues.

During the board’s first seven years of existence, the Council of Economic Advisors made five technical advances in policy making, including the replacement of the cyclical model for the growth model, the establishment of quantitative targets for the economy, the use of newly-constructed theories of fiscal drag and full-employment budget, as well as the recognition for greater flexibility in regards to a taxation model.

In 1978, the Council of Economic Advisors adopted the Humphrey-Hawkins Act, which required each administration of the Federal Government to move towards full employment and reasonable price stability within a specified time period. This legislation has had the effect of making the Council of Economic Advisor’s annual economic report highly political in nature, as well as highly unreliable an inaccurate regarding the standard two or five year projection period.

Government Agency of the Executive Branch:

Government agencies are defined as organizations, councils, and offices operating under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government of the United States of America; each federal agency retains specific administrative jurisdiction over specific facets latent within the operations of the United States Government.

The Council of Economic Advisors functions as a government agency under the Executive Branch of the United States government, which is comprised of 3 total branches; in addition to the Executive branch – which is responsible for the regulation and enforcement of operational legislation existing within the United States of America – there also exists the Legislative and Judicial Branches.