Title: A Brief History of Administrative Government | Center for Effective Government
Headings: 
A Brief History of Administrative Government
Elsewhere in the background section...

Content: The Environmental Protection Agency was created by an executive reorganization plan in 1970 that pulled together 15 components from five departments and agencies. With the creation of these regulatory agencies came an acceleration of regulatory activity. However, by the late 1970's this trend slowed. " Excessive" regulation began being blamed for everything from raising interest rates to forcing small business into bankruptcy and making U.S. businesses uncompetitive in world markets. The regulatory process itself came under sharp attack. Complaints became commonplace about "interference in the marketplace," "red tape," "big government," and "faceless, nameless bureaucrats." The sheer volume of federal rules and regulations with their complexity, costs, and delays were leading to public and business-sector frustration and impatience with the federal government. C. Influence of Congress and the White House
It was becoming increasingly clear that power in federal decision-making was shifting away from elected officials and toward government agencies. Subsequently, policy makers began to push back against what they perceived to be a swelling tide of regulatory bureaucracy. Congress passed a number of laws with the intention of exerting control over federal agencies.