Do presidents control the bureaucracy

He acts by appointing Secretaries and establishing policies that attempt to improve the operation of governmental agencies. No amount of oversight would be sufficient to totally maintain efficiency, owing to the size and scope of Federal employment.

he also controls their budget spending, and can use the press to reward or punish their actions. The bureaucracies are on the other hand protected from civil service regulations, they're natural ability to form relations with interest groups, and their sheer size and complexity.