AP Government Bureaucracy Practice Test 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

A key distinction is how authority and changes are applied. A presidential reorganization plan seeks to reshape the structure of the executive branch—moving, merging, or creating agencies—and it must be submitted to Congress for approval. If Congress approves or does not disapprove within a set time, the plan can take effect, effectively changing how the government is organized. An executive order, on the other hand, is a directive to federal agencies that governs how they carry out their duties under existing laws or the President’s constitutional power. It does not create new statutory authority, and it does not by itself restructure agencies; it simply directs actions within the current legal framework. So the rearrangement of agencies with legislative approval versus a directive that operates within existing authority captures the fundamental difference.