Reorganizing the machinery of government in Washington is not a job for presidents alone, however much they might like it to be. Most presidents have wanted to bend the executive branch closer to their wishes, but all have found it difficult to do so. While procedural requirements have varied from time to time, presidents invariably have had to work with Congress, either because a new arrangement required legislation or because executive reorganization authorities were subject to a legislative veto. Giving Congress a role opens Pandora's Box: myriad interests must be chan-neled through a Congress in which party discipline is usually weak; the rules of debate are generous; and public participation is encouraged. Such is inevitably the case when institutions, groups, and individuals share power, but it can lead to much anguish for a president committed to reorganization, as was Jimmy Carter. Like other presidents before him, he discovered that his plans had to accommodate many other actors. In this article, I will examine how the Department of Education emerged from the relationships among the president, his officials and his party, the Congress, and an important interest group, the National Education Association (NEA).