ADMINISTRATIVE
Agencies with competing or overlapping jurisdictions may affect one another’s operations. In drug-law enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Customs Service, and other agencies have engaged in turf battles and competed for recognition and credit in making drug busts, sometimes appearing to lose sight of their main task. Water agencies such as the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation have also been rivals for the right to control and construct water projects. Occasionally, an agency may aspire to take over a program of another agency, and may succeed. Thus, the Department of Labor acquired the Job Corps program, which was initially run by the Office of Economic Opportunity. Agency imperialism, however, is not as rampant as some commentators imply. Agencies sometimes do not want to take on new programs, especially if they are likely to be difficult to administer.