the United States federal bureaucracy has grown in size—some would argue that it has acquired significant power, increasing authority, and independence for its many agencies with little oversight or accountability—the U.S. federal bureaucracy has conseque

the United States federal bureaucracy has grown in size—some would argue that it has acquired significant power, increasing authority, and independence for its many agencies with little oversight or accountability—the U.S. federal bureaucracy has consequently been referred to as the "fourth branch of American federal government." Your Forum assignment will focus on the significant power, increasing authority, and independence of the U.S. federal bureaucracy (i.e., employees of the federal government)—specifically, answering the question of why the U.S. federal bureaucracy might be considered the "fourth branch" of U.S. federal government. Using three timely news articles (all must be from 2016) that demonstrate the power, independence, and authority of **specific individual agencies** (i.e., each article must address a specific agency or department of the federal bureaucracy)–analyze and evaluate the U.S. federal bureaucracy as a co-equal branch of the U.S. federal government. Support your conclusion by using evidence from your research to explain why or why not.