Scenario – The Bureaucracy

The goal of this activity is to put it “all together” regarding the bureaucracy..

SITUATION: Recently there has been a mysterious illness appearing overseas in England. It is
reportedly characterized by the following: People lose the ability to communicate coherently,
tend to be aggressive towards others by biting them, and tend to get red eyes and their skin
starts to rot. Doctors are puzzled and are racing to figure out the cause and a possible antidote.
In the meantime, this is causing great alarm amongst the whole world. There is even talk this
could be a “zombie apocalypse.” The US people look towards the President and the
Bureaucracy to respond. What regulations might each of the following departments try and
implement?
First – go to this link to learn more about laws that the President and Bureaucracy could
implement in the case of a pandemic: tinyurl.com/3e6y3awn
1. What specific action could the President take to enable the bureaucracy to efficiently
respond to this precarious situation? (make sure to read the info in the link above)

2. The Department of Health and Human Services has various discretionary and rule-
making authorities when Pandemics occur based upon the laws shown in the link above.
What is an action they could take based upon the powers provided to them during a
pandemic (see link above)?

3. The Department of Transportation can regulate various safety requirements on

air/train/ and public transportation. What is a regulation or “rule” they could create in
response to this situation to try and keep travelers safe?

4. The Department of Veteran’s Affairs oversees Veterans Health Clinics and Hospitals.
Though this caters mainly to Veterans, there is a law that requires them to assist with
civilian healthcare in crisis situations. Should they implement this policy in this
situation?
Scenario – The Bureaucracy

5. The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for overseeing the US borders and
ports of entry – this includes airports (think TSA) and maritime ports. What is a
regulation they could create in response to the situation in London? Would this require
any coordination with the Dept. of Health and Human Services?

6. Congress has received a lot of pressure from citizens unhappy with the restrictive
policies that the various bureaucratic agencies have taken to the pending zombie
apocalypse (Hey.. this is turning into a pretty good movie!). What is one action Congress
could take to try and check or limit one of the regulations and actions implemented
above? Give one example of what they could do:

7. Likewise, how could the Court system check one of the actions above by a bureaucratic
department?

8. And finally, the President is also feeling the pressure from unhappy citizens. The
President is in a re-election year and public perception is the priority. What is an action
the President could take to check the rules/regulations being created by their
bureaucracy in response to the potential zombie apocalypse?