The
United States Cabinet (usually referred to as
the President's Cabinet or simplified as
the Cabinet) is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the
federal government of the United StatesThe federal government of the United States is the central government entity established by the United States Constitution, which shares sovereignty over the United States with the governments of the individual U.S. states. The federal government has three branches: the legislative, executive, and...
. Its existence dates back to the first American
PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
,
George WashingtonGeorge Washington was the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the first President of the United States of America...
, who appointed a Cabinet of four people (
Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence. The current Secretary of...
Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States , the principal author of the Declaration of Independence , and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States...
;
Secretary of the TreasuryThe United States Secretary of the Treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, concerned with finance and monetary matters, and, until 2003, some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United States is analogous to the...
Alexander HamiltonAlexander Hamilton was the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Father, economist, and political philosopher...
;
Secretary of WarThe Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
Henry KnoxHenry Knox was an American bookseller from Boston who became the chief artillery officer of the Continental Army and later the nation's first Secretary of War.-Early life and marriage:...
; and
Attorney GeneralThe United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The Attorney General is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
Edmund RandolphEdmund Jenings Randolph was an American attorney, Governor of Virginia, Secretary of State, and the first United States Attorney General.-Biography:...
) to advise and assist him in his duties. Cabinet officers are nominated by the President and then presented to the
United States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
for
confirmation or rejectionAdvice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts, describing a situation in which the executive branch of a government enacts something previously approved of by the legislative branch.-General:The expression is...
by a
simple majoritySimple majority may refer to:In American and Canadian usage:* Majority, a voting requirement of more than half of all ballots castUsage elsewhere:* Plurality, a voting requirement of more ballots cast for a proposition than for any other option...
. If approved, they are
sworn inAn oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before undertaking the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations...
and begin their duties. Aside from the Attorney General, and previously, the
Postmaster GeneralThe United States Postmaster General is the executive head of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
, they all receive the title
Secretary.
Members of the Cabinet serve at the pleasure of the President.
Confirmation requirement
Article TwoArticle Two of the United States Constitution creates the executive branch of the government, comprising the President and other executive officers.-Clause 1: Executive power:...
, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution says that the President
- "...shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments."
Other constitutional references
Article Two of the ConstitutionArticle Two of the United States Constitution creates the executive branch of the government, comprising the President and other executive officers.-Clause 1: Executive power:...
provides that the President can require "the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices." The Constitution did not then establish the names (or list or limit the number) of Cabinet departments; those details were left to the
CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
to determine.
Later, upon addition of the
25th AmendmentThe Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution deals with succession to the Presidency and establishes procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, as well as responding to Presidential disabilities...
to the Constitution, a provision was created allowing the
Vice PresidentThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term...
and "a majority of the principal officers" of the executive branch departments to transmit a notice (to the
Speaker of the HouseThe Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The current Speaker is Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat representing California's 8th congressional district....
and the
Senate President pro temporeThe President pro tempore is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate and the highest-ranking senator. The U.S...
) that the President is unfit for office. If the President contests this finding, the Congress is directed to settle the matter.
United States Cabinet nominees are chosen from a large pool of potential candidates. One of the few qualification restrictions is set out in the
Ineligibility ClauseThe Ineligibility Clause, often called the Emoluments Clause, and sometimes also referred to as the Incompatibility Clause or the Sinecure Clause, is located at Article 1, Section 6, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution...
of
Article One of the ConstitutionArticle One of the United States Constitution describes the powers of the legislative branch of the federal government - the Congress.The Article provides that Congress consists of a House of Representatives and the Senate, establishes the manner of election and qualifications of members of each...
: "no person holding any office under the United States, shall be a member of either house during his continuance in office." Accordingly, a sitting member of the
United States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
must resign his or her seat to accept a Cabinet appointment. This clause also bars any member of Congress from holding an executive office that was created by law during his or her current term in Congress.
This constitutional separation between the executive and the legislative branches is the opposite of the British parliamentary cabinet system, where members of the Cabinet are required by convention to be sitting members of the legislature.
The Cabinet in federal law
There is no explicit definition of the term "Cabinet" in either the
United States CodeThe United States Code is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal law of the United States. It contains 50 titles and is published every six years by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the US House of Representatives.- Codification process :The official text of...
or the
Code of Federal RegulationsThe Code of Federal Regulations is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government of the United States...
. However, there are occasional references to "cabinet-level officers" or "secretaries", which when viewed in context appear to refer to the heads of the "executive departments" as listed in .
Under federal officials are prohibited from appointing family members to certain governmental posts, including seats in the Cabinet. Passed in 1967, the law was a response to
John F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's appointment of
Robert F. KennedyRobert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician. He was a younger brother of President John F. Kennedy and acted as one of his advisers during his presidency. From 1961 to 1964, he was the U.S...
to the post of
Attorney GeneralThe United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The Attorney General is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
.
Recent decline in influence
Though the Cabinet is still an important organ of bureaucratic management, in recent years, the Cabinet has generally declined in relevance as a policy making body. Starting with President Franklin Roosevelt, the trend has been for Presidents to act through the
Executive Office of the PresidentThe Executive Office of the President consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the President. The EOP is headed by the White House Chief of Staff, currently Rahm Emanuel.-History:In 1939, during Franklin D...
or the
National Security CouncilThe White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the President of the...
(which generally does include some Cabinet secretaries) rather than through the Cabinet. This has created a situation in which non-Cabinet officials such as the
White House Chief of StaffThe White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President...
(who requires no Senate confirmation), the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the
National Security AdvisorThe Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor , serves as the chief adviser to the President of the United States on national security issues...
are now as powerful as or more powerful than some Cabinet officials.
Indicative of the Cabinet's relative unimportance in contemporary American government, President Obama did not meet with his assembled Cabinet until a full three months into his administration.
Traditionally, the
Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence. The current Secretary of...
, the
Secretary of the TreasuryThe United States Secretary of the Treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, concerned with finance and monetary matters, and, until 2003, some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United States is analogous to the...
, the
Secretary of DefenseThe United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the U.S. Department of Defense , concerned with the armed services and military matters. This position roughly corresponds to Minister of defense in other countries...
, and the Attorney General are the most important members of Cabinet, and form an inner circle. In recent years, the
Secretary of Homeland SecurityThe United States Secretary of Homeland Security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the body concerned with protecting the American homeland and the safety of American citizens. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet. The position was created by the...
has risen to a level of significance that is arguably closer to the "
big four" than to the other cabinet offices.
During a meeting of the President's Cabinet, members are seated according to the
order of precedenceThe United States order of precedence lists the ceremonial order for domestic and foreign government officials, military and civic leaders at diplomatic, ceremonial, and social events within the United States and abroad. Former Presidents, First Ladies, Secretaries of State and Supreme Court...
, with higher ranking officers sitting closer to the center of the table. Hence, the President and Vice President sit directly across from each other at the middle of the oval shaped table. Then, the Secretaries of State and Defense are seated directly to the right and left, respectively, of the President and the Secretary of Treasury and the Attorney General sit to right and left, respectively, of the Vice President. This alternation according to rank continues, with Cabinet-rank members (those not heading executive departments, the Vice President excluded) sitting at the very ends, farthest away from the president and vice president.
Line of succession
The Cabinet is also important in the
presidential line of successionThe United States presidential line of succession defines who may become or act as President of the United States upon the incapacity, death, resignation, or removal from office of a sitting president or a president-elect.- Current order :This is a list of the current presidential line of...
, which determines an order in which Cabinet officers succeed to the office of the president following the death or resignation of the president. At the top of the order of succession are the
Vice PresidentThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term...
,
Speaker of the HouseThe Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The current Speaker is Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat representing California's 8th congressional district....
and
President pro tempore of the SenateThe President pro tempore is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate and the highest-ranking senator. The U.S...
, and
Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence. The current Secretary of...
. Because of this, it is common practice not to have the entire Cabinet in one location, even for ceremonial occasions like the
State of the Union AddressThe State of the Union is an annual address presented before by the President of the United States to the United States Congress. The address not only reports on the condition of the nation but also allows the president to outline his legislative agenda and national priorities to Congress...
, where at least one Cabinet member does not attend. This person is the
designated survivorA designated survivor is a member of the United States Cabinet who stays at a physically distant, secure, and undisclosed location when the President and the country's other top leaders are gathered at a single location, such as during State of the Union Addresses and presidential inaugurations...
, and he or she is held at a secure, undisclosed location, ready to take over if the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, President pro tempore of the Senate, Secretary of State and the rest of the Cabinet are killed.
Cabinet and Cabinet-level officials
The men and women listed below were nominated by President
Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first president born in Hawaii...
to form his initial Cabinet and were confirmed by the United States Senate on the date noted. An elected Vice President does not require Senate confirmation, nor do White House staff positions like chief of staff or press secretary.
Secretary Gates was previously confirmed by the Senate (as President Bush's Secretary of Defense) and therefore did not need to be re-confirmed.
Cabinet
| Department | Office | Incumbent | Image | in Office since |
|---|
Department of StateThe United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, similar to foreign ministries, foreign offices, ministries of external relations, etc. in other countries...
|
Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence. The current Secretary of...
|
Hillary Rodham ClintonHillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving within the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she served as First Lady of...
|
 |
January 21, 2009 |
Department of the TreasuryThe Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
|
Secretary of the TreasuryThe United States Secretary of the Treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, concerned with finance and monetary matters, and, until 2003, some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United States is analogous to the...
|
Timothy Geithner |
 |
January 26, 2009 |
Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military...
|
Secretary of DefenseThe United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the U.S. Department of Defense , concerned with the armed services and military matters. This position roughly corresponds to Minister of defense in other countries...
|
Robert GatesRobert Michael Gates is currently serving as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense. He took office on December 18, 2006. Prior to this, Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under President George H. W. Bush as Director of...
|
 |
December 6, 2006 |
Department of JusticeThe United States Department of Justice is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans...
|
Attorney GeneralThe United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The Attorney General is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
|
Eric HolderEric Himpton Holder, Jr. is the 82 nd and current Attorney General of the United States and the first African American to hold the position...
|
|
February 2, 2009 |
Department of the InteriorThe United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, and to...
|
Secretary of the InteriorThe United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
|
Ken SalazarKenneth Lee "Ken" Salazar is an American politician and rancher from Colorado, currently serving as United States Secretary of the Interior in the Obama administration. Salazar, a Democrat, served as Attorney General of Colorado before winning a U.S. Senate seat in the 2004 election...
|
|
January 21, 2009 |
Department of AgricultureThe United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
|
Secretary of AgricultureThe United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 20 January 2009. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other...
|
Tom VilsackThomas James "Tom" Vilsack is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and presently the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He served as the 40th Governor of the state of Iowa. He was first elected in 1998 and re-elected to a second four-year term in 2002...
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January 21, 2009 |
Department of CommerceThe United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
|
Secretary of CommerceThe United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce." Until 1913 there was one Secretary of Commerce and...
|
Gary Locke Gary Locke may refer to:*Gary Locke , Chinese American politician; U.S. Secretary of Commerce and former Governor of Washington*Gary Locke *Gary Locke...
|
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March 24, 2009 |
Department of LaborThe United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
|
Secretary of LaborThe United States Secretary of Labor is the head of the Department of Labor who exercises control over the department and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace and all other issues involving any form of business-person controversies....
|
Hilda SolisHilda Lucia Solis is the 25th United States Secretary of Labor, serving in the Obama administration. She is a member of the Democratic Party and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include...
|
 |
February 24, 2009 |
Department of Health and Human ServicesThe United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...
|
Secretary of Health and Human ServicesThe United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, concerned with health matters. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet...
|
Kathleen SebeliusKathleen Sebelius is an American politician currently serving as the 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services...
|
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April 28, 2009 |
Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentThe United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known by as HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government...
|
Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentThe United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, concerned with urban housing matters. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet....
|
Shaun DonovanShaun L.S. Donovan serves as United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the cabinet of President Barack Obama. Prior to this he headed the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. On December 13, 2008, in his weekly national radio address, President Barack...
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January 26, 2009 |
Department of TransportationThe United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966 and began operation on April 1, 1967...
|
Secretary of TransportationThe United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet...
|
Ray LaHoodRaymond H. "Ray" LaHood is the current United States Secretary of Transportation and a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives....
|
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January 22, 2009 |
Department of EnergyThe United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
|
Secretary of EnergyThe United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the President's Cabinet, and fifteenth in the Presidential line of succession. The post was created with the formation of the Department of Energy on October 1, 1977, by President Jimmy Carter's...
|
Steven Chu Steven Chu , is a physicist and currently the 12th United States Secretary of Energy. As a scientist, Chu is known for his research in cooling and trapping of atoms with laser light, which won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997...
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January 21, 2009 |
Department of EducationThe United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
|
Secretary of EducationThe United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet, and 16th in line of United States presidential line of succession...
|
Arne DuncanArne Duncan is an American education administrator and currently United States Secretary of Education. Duncan had previously served as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools.-Early life:...
|
 |
January 21, 2009 |
Department of Veterans' Affairs |
Secretary of Veterans' AffairsThe United States Secretary of Veterans' Affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans' benefits and related matters...
|
Eric ShinsekiEric Ken Shinseki is a retired United States Army four-star general who is currently serving as the 7th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. His final U.S. Army post was as the 34th Chief of Staff of the Army . He is a veteran of combat in Vietnam, having been left with a maimed foot...
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January 21, 2009 |
Department of Homeland SecurityThe United States Department of Homeland Security is a Cabinet department of the United States federal government with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the U.S...
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Secretary of Homeland SecurityThe United States Secretary of Homeland Security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the body concerned with protecting the American homeland and the safety of American citizens. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet. The position was created by the...
|
Janet NapolitanoJanet Ann Napolitano is the third United States Secretary of Homeland Security. She assumed the job on January 21, 2009, and is the first woman to serve in that office...
|
 |
January 21, 2009 |
Cabinet-level officers
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
! Department !! Office !! Incumbent !! Image !! in Office since
|-
|
Office of the Vice PresidentThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term...
||
Vice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term...
||
Joe BidenJoseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. , is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States under the administration of President Barack Obama. He was a United States Senator from Delaware from January 3, 1973 until his resignation on January 15, 2009, following his election to the Vice...
||
||January 20, 2009
|-
|
Executive Office of the PresidentThe Executive Office of the President consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the President. The EOP is headed by the White House Chief of Staff, currently Rahm Emanuel.-History:In 1939, during Franklin D...
||
White House Chief of StaffThe White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President...
||
Rahm EmanuelRahm Israel Emanuel is an American politician currently serving as White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama...
||
||January 20, 2009
|-
|
Office of Management and Budget||Director of the Office of Management and Budget||Peter Orszag||
||January 20, 2009
|-
|
Office of the U.S. Trade RepresentativeThe Office of the United States Trade Representative is the United States government agency responsible for developing and recommending United States trade policy to the President of the United States, conducting trade negotiations at bilateral and multilateral levels, and coordinating trade...
||
United States Trade RepresentativeThe Office of the United States Trade Representative is the United States government agency responsible for developing and recommending United States trade policy to the President of the United States, conducting trade negotiations at bilateral and multilateral levels, and coordinating trade...
||
Ron KirkRonald "Ron" Kirk is the 16th United States Trade Representative, serving in the Obama administration. He served as mayor of Dallas, Texas from 1995 to 2002; he also ran for the United States Senate in 2002.-Early life and career:...
||||March 18, 2009
|-
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Environmental Protection AgencyThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged to regulate chemicals and protect human health by safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land...
||
Administrator of the Environmental Protection AgencyThe Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States federal government's Environmental Protection Agency, and is thus responsible for enforcing the nation's Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as well as numerous other environmental statutes...
||
Lisa P. JacksonLisa Perez Jackson is an American chemical engineer and politician currently serving as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; she is the first African-American to hold this post. Previously, she worked at New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for 6 years, first as...
||||January 22, 2009
|-
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United States Mission to the United NationsThe United States Ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations. The position is more formally known as the "Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and...
||
Ambassador to the United NationsThe United States Ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations. The position is more formally known as the "Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and...
||Susan Rice|| ||January 22, 2009
|-
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Council of Economic AdvisersThe Council of Economic Advisers is a group of three respected economists who advise the President of the United States on economic policy. It is a part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, and provides much of the economic policy of the White House...
||
Chair of the Council of Economic AdvisersThe Council of Economic Advisers is a group of three respected economists who advise the President of the United States on economic policy. It is a part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, and provides much of the economic policy of the White House...
||
Christina RomerChristina Romer is the Class of 1957 Garff B. Wilson Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley and Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration....
||||January 28, 2009
|-{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
|}
Salary
Cabinet officials receive an amount of pay determined by
Title 5 of the United States CodeTitle 5 of the United States Code outlines the role of government organization and employees in the United States Code.* Part I: The Agencies Generally* Part II: Civil Service Functions and Responsibilities* Part III: Employees** — Executive Schedule...
. Some cabinet-level officials, including the Vice President and the White House Chief of Staff have their salaries determined differently.
Former Cabinet departments
- Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Office, was the cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the US Army...
(1789–1947): subsumed into new Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military...
.
- Department of the Navy
The United States Department of the Navy was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide administrative and technical support, and civilian leadership to the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps...
(1798–1947): subsumed into new Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military...
.
- Post Office Department
The Post Office Department was the name of the United States Postal Service when it was a Cabinet department. It was headed by the United States Postmaster General....
(1829–1971), headed by the Postmaster GeneralThe United States Postmaster General is the executive head of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
: reorganized as the United States Postal ServiceThe United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States. It is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the United States Constitution. Within the United States, it is commonly...
, an independent executive agency.
Renamed Cabinet offices
- Secretary of Foreign Affairs
The United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs was a position that existed in the United States government from January 10, 1781 to September 15, 1789.-History:...
: created in July 1789 and renamed "Secretary of State" in September 1789.
- Secretary of Commerce and Labor: created in 1903 and renamed "Secretary of Commerce
The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce." Until 1913 there was one Secretary of Commerce and...
" in 1913 when its labor functions were transferred to the new Secretary of LaborThe United States Secretary of Labor is the head of the Department of Labor who exercises control over the department and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace and all other issues involving any form of business-person controversies....
.
- Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: created in 1953 and renamed "Secretary of Health and Human Services
The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, concerned with health matters. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet...
" in 1979 when its education functions were transferred to the new Secretary of EducationThe United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet, and 16th in line of United States presidential line of succession...
.
Executive officials no longer of Cabinet rank
- Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Order on April 1, 1979....
(1996–2003): created as an independent agency in 1979, raised to Cabinet rank in 1996, and subsumed into the newly created Department of Homeland Security in 2003.
- Director of Central Intelligence
The Office of United States Director of Central Intelligence was established by U.S. President Harry Truman on January 23 1946 with Admiral Sidney Souers occupying the position...
(1995–2001)
- Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy , a former cabinet level component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, was established in 1988 by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act...
(1993–2009)
- Administrator of the Small Business Administration
The Small Business Administration is a United States government agency that provides support to small businesses.The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and strengthen the nation's economy by enabling the establishment and viability of small businesses and by assisting in...
(1994-2001)
Proposed Cabinet departments
- U.S. Department of Commerce and Industry (proposed by business interests in the 1880s)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and Labor (proposed by members of U.S. Congress)
- U.S. Department of Public Welfare (proposed by President Warren Harding)
- U.S. Department of Natural Resources (proposed by former President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted government intervention under the rubric "economic...
, the Eisenhower administration, President Richard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States and is the only president to resign the office. He was also the 36th Vice President of the United States ....
and the GOP national platform in 1976)
- U.S. Department of Peace (proposed by Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 elections....
)
- U.S. Department of Social Welfare (proposed by President Franklin Roosevelt)
- U.S. Department of Public Works (proposed by President Franklin Roosevelt)
- U.S. Department of Conservation (proposed by Interior Secretary Harold L. Ickes
Harold LeClair Ickes was a United States administrator and politician. He served as Secretary of the Interior for 13 years, from 1933 to 1946, the longest tenure of anyone to hold the office. Ickes was responsible for implementing much of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" and is the...
)
- U.S. Department of Urban Affairs (proposed by President John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
)
- U.S. Department of Business and Labor (proposed by President Lyndon Johnson)
- U.S. Department of Community Development (proposed by President Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States and is the only president to resign the office. He was also the 36th Vice President of the United States ....
; to be chiefly concerned with infrastructure)
- U.S. Department of Human Resources (proposed by President Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States and is the only president to resign the office. He was also the 36th Vice President of the United States ....
; essentially a revised Department of Health, Education, and Welfare)
- U.S. Department of Economic Development (proposed by President Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States and is the only president to resign the office. He was also the 36th Vice President of the United States ....
; essentially a consolidation of the Departments of Commerce and Labor)
- U.S. Department of Environmental Protection (proposed by Senator Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter is the senior United States Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Democratic Party. Specter was a member of the Democratic Party until 1965, when he enlisted as a Republican in order to challenge the Democratic district attorney of Philadelphia. Elected to the Senate in 1980,...
)
- U.S. Department of International Trade (proposed by the Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C.The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, whose policies drew significantly from Heritage's policy study Mandate for Leadership. Heritage has since continued to...
)
- U.S. Department of Global Development (proposed by the Center for Global Development
The Center for Global Development is a not-for-profit think tank based in Washington, D.C. that focuses on international development. It was founded in November 2001 by former senior US official Edward W. Scott, director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, C. Fred Bergsten, and...
and others)
- U.S. Department of Culture (proposed by Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones, Jr. is an American music conductor, record producer, musical arranger, film composer and trumpeter. During five decades in the entertainment industry, Jones has earned a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend Award in 1991...
)
See also
- Kitchen Cabinet
The Kitchen Cabinet was a term used by political opponents of President of the United States Andrew Jackson to describe the collection of unofficial advisers he consulted in parallel to the United States Cabinet following his purge of the cabinet at the end of the Eaton Affair and his break with...
- Black Cabinet
The Black Cabinet was first known as the Federal Council of Negro Affairs, an informal group of African American public policy advisors to United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was supported by the first lady Eleanor Roosevelt...
- List of US Cabinet Secretaries who have held multiple cabinet-level positions
- List of first African Americans to hold U.S. Cabinet Secretaryships
- List of first women to hold U.S. Cabinet Secretaryships
- List of United States political appointments that crossed party lines
- Living former cabinet members
Further reading
- Rudalevige, Andrew. "The President and the Cabinet", in Michael Nelson, ed., The Presidency and the Political System, 8th ed. (Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2006).
- Grossman, Mark. Encyclopedia of the United States Cabinet (three volumes). Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2000. ISBN 0-87436-977-0. A history of the United States and Confederate States cabinets, their secretaries, and their departments.
- Bennett, Anthony. 'The American President's Cabinet' Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan, 1996. ISBN 0-333-60691-4. A study of the U S Cabinet from Kennedy to Clinton.
External links