Questions: 12.5 Explain how Congress and the president oversee the executive branch. Which of the following would be an example of bureaucratic drift? The president replaces the head of a bureaucratic office with one more aligned to his political interests. The EPA designs protections for an endangered species that are in addition to those strictly required by law, based on the desires of its own specialists. A regulatory office in charge of enforcing the Clean Air Act is stripped of its discretion in applying the law through directives from Congress. Congress pressures a financial regulatory office to enforce new finance laws less harshly than the law calls for.

The answer is: The EPA designs protections for an endangered species that are in addition to those strictly required by law, based on the desires of its own specialists.

This option describes a change in leadership to align with political interests, but it does not necessarily indicate that the bureaucracy is deviating from its original mandate or mission. It is more about political alignment rather than bureaucratic drift.

This option is a clear example of bureaucratic drift. Bureaucratic drift occurs when bureaucratic agencies implement policies that deviate from the original intentions of the legislation that created them. In this case, the EPA is going beyond the legal requirements based on the preferences of its specialists, which indicates a shift from the original legislative intent.

This option describes a situation where Congress is limiting the discretion of a regulatory office, which is more about congressional oversight and control rather than bureaucratic drift. It does not indicate that the bureaucracy is independently deviating from its mandate.

This option describes congressional influence on how laws are enforced, which is a form of oversight rather than bureaucratic drift. It shows Congress exerting control over the bureaucracy rather than the bureaucracy independently deviating from its intended course.