Question

In regard to the federal bureaucracy the president of the united states is at the top of the executive branch hierarchy because?

1. he or she is an elected representative of the American people
2. it is most efficient to have one person who can make final decisions and solve conflicts
3. Congress mandated that structure when it created the Executive office of the president
4. the constitution makes the president the chief administrator of the federal government

Answer 1

1 & 4

He or she is an elected representative of the American people.

The constitution makes the president the chief administrator of the federal government.

The President (along with Vice-President) is elected by voting by all citizens, whereas other office holders in the federal government were elected on a district by district or state by state basis.

The Constitution asserts (in Article II, Section 1): "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." The role of chief executive means that he or she holds the primary administrative role in the federal government. We often refer to the staff of the White House as the current "administration," such as the Trump administration (in reference to the current president).

Answer 2

The answer 1. is applicable to almost every elected candidate, it's too general to be applied only to the President; 2. it may be true, but this reasoning can be applied to other political system, such as totalitarianism, too; answer 4 is the most precise one, since 3 talks about the EOP doesn't technically include the President himself.