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The United States Cabinet (usually simplified as "the Cabinet") is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, and its existence dates back to the first American President (George Washington), who appointed a Cabinet of four people (Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson; Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton; Secretary of War, Henry Knox; and Attorney General, Edmund Randolph) to advise and assist him in his duties. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Politics of the United States takes place in the framework of a presidential, Federal republic where the President of the United States (the Head of The federal government of the United States is the central United States Governmental body established by the United States Constitution. The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. Taxation in the United States is a complex system which may involve payment to at least four different levels of government and many methods of taxation The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer&mdashor speaker &mdashof the United States House of Representatives. Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives are elected by their respective parties in a closed-door (private Caucus. This is a complete list of congressional districts for representation in the United States House of Representatives. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives The President pro tempore of the Senate is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate and the highest-ranking senator The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders (also called Senate Floor Leaders) are two United States Senators who are elected by the party conferences The 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 United States by The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death This is an incomplete list of United States federal agencies. The United States federal courts are the system of Courts organized under the Constitution and laws of the Federal government of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. The United States courts of appeals (or circuit courts) are the intermediate appellate courts The United States district courts are the general Trial courts of the United States federal court system. The United States has a federal government, with elected officials at federal (national state and local level Elections for President and Vice President of the United States are This article presents the main political parties in United States politics. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. See also Third party (United States presidential candidates 2008 The term third party is used in the United States for a political party other than one State governments in the United States (sometimes referred to as "The State" is generally structured in accordance with the laws of the various individual states The following is a list of incumbent United States Governors. In the United States of America, a state legislature is a generic term referring to the legislative body of any of the country's 50 states. Each State in the United States has a Legislative branch as part of its form of civil government In the United States, a state court has Jurisdiction over disputes with some connection to a U Local government in the United States is generally structured in accordance with the laws of the various individual states. Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. The federal government of the United States is the central United States Governmental body established by the United States Constitution. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The 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 United States by George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the The United States Secretary of State (commonly abbreviated as SecState) is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with Foreign affairs Thomas Jefferson (April 13 1743 – July 4 1826 was the third President of the United States (1801–1809 the principal author of the Declaration of Independence The 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 The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington 's administration Henry Knox ( July 25, 1750 &ndash October 25, 1806) was an American Bookseller from Boston who became the chief The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice (see) concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement Edmund Jenings Randolph ( August 10, 1753 September 12, 1813) was an American attorney, Governor of Virginia Cabinet officers are nominated by the President and then presented to the United States Senate for confirmation or rejection by a simple majority. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts describing a situation in If approved, they are sworn in and begin their duties. An 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 Aside from the Attorney General, and previously, the Postmaster General, they all receive the title Secretary. The United States Postmaster General is the executive head of the United States Postal Service.
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Constitutional and legal basis
Constitutional references
Article Two of the Constitution 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. Article Two' of the United States Constitution creates the Executive branch of the government, comprising the President and other executive " The Constitution did not then establish the names (or list or limit the number) of Cabinet departments; those details were left to the Congress to determine. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses
Later, upon addition of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, a provision was created allowing that the Vice President and "a majority of the principal officers" of the executive branch departments may transmit a notice (to the Speaker of the House and the Senate President Pro tempore) that the President is unfit for office. The Twenty-fifth Amendment ( Amendment XXV) to the United States Constitution partially replaced the ambiguous wording of Article II Section 1 Clause The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer&mdashor speaker &mdashof the United States House of Representatives. The President pro tempore of the Senate is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate and the highest-ranking senator 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 Article One of the Constitution: "no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in office. Article One of the United States Constitution describes the powers of the legislative branch of the United States government, known as Congress " Accordingly, a sitting member of the United States Congress must resign his seat before accepting a Cabinet appointment. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses Likewise, a governor appointed to a cabinet position must also resign his or her seat. This constitutional separation between the executive and the legislative branches is distinct from the British parliamentary cabinet system, where, in most cases, members of the Cabinet are required 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 Code or the Code of Federal Regulations. The United States Code ( USC) is a compilation and Codification of the general and permanent federal Law of the United States. The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations (sometimes called administrative law) published in the 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 . Title 5 of the United States Code outlines the role of government organization and employees in the United States Code.
Under federal officials are prohibited from appointing family members to certain governmental posts, including seats on the Cabinet. Title 5 of the United States Code outlines the role of government organization and employees in the United States Code. Passed in 1967, the law is apparently a response to John F. Kennedy's appointment of Robert F. Kennedy to the post of Attorney General of the United States. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy (November 20 1925 – June 6 1968 also called RFK, was the United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964 and a
Significance
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 President or the National Security Council rather than through the Cabinet. The Executive Office of the President ( EOP) consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting The White House National Security Council ( NSC) in the United States is the principal forum used by the President for considering National This has created a situation in which non-Cabinet officials such as the White House Chief of Staff, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Security Advisor are now as powerful as or more powerful than some Cabinet officials. The 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 The Office of Management and Budget (OMB is a Cabinet -level office and is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Adviser (abbreviated NSA, or sometimes ANSA
Traditionally, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General are the most important members of Cabinet, and form an inner circle. The United States Secretary of State (commonly abbreviated as SecState) is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with Foreign affairs The 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 The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice (see) concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement In recent years, the Secretary of Homeland Security has risen to a level of significance that is arguably closer to the "big four" than to the other cabinet offices. The 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
During a meeting of the President's Cabinet, members are seated according to the order of precedence, with higher ranking officers sitting closer to the center of the table. The United States Order of precedence is a nominal and symbolic hierarchy of important positions within the government of the United States. 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 succession, which determines an order in which Cabinet officers succeed to the office of the president following the death or resignation of the Vice President, Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate. The 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 (by Impeachment The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer&mdashor speaker &mdashof the United States House of Representatives. The President pro tempore of the Senate is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate and the highest-ranking senator 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 Address, where at least one Cabinet member does not attend. This person is the designated survivor, and they are held at a secure, undisclosed location, ready to take over if the President, Vice President, and the rest of the Cabinet are killed. A 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
Current Cabinet
Pending Nominations
SBA Administrator Steve Preston has been nominated to succeed Alphonso Jackson as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, who resigned effective April 18, 2008. The United States Secretary of State (commonly abbreviated as SecState) is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with Foreign affairs Condoleezza Rice (born November 14 1954 is the 66th United States The 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 Henry Merritt "Hank" Paulson Jr (born March 28 1946 is the United States Treasury Secretary and member of the International Monetary Fund Board of Governors The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U Robert Michael Gates (born September 25 1943) is currently serving as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense. The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice (see) concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement Michael Bernard Mukasey (mjuːˈkeɪzi(born July 28, 1941)is an American lawyer currently the 81st Attorney General of the United States, and The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. Dirk Arthur Kempthorne (born October 29, 1951 in San Diego, California) is the current U The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. Edward Thomas "Ed" Schafer (born August 8 1946) is the 29th United States Secretary of Agriculture. 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 Carlos Miguel Gutierrez (originally Gutiérrez) (born November 4, 1953) is the 35th U "Secretary of Labor" redirects here See also Secretary of Labor (Mexico. Elaine Lan Chao ( born March 26, 1953) currently serves as the 24th United States Secretary of Labor in the Cabinet of President 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 Michael Okerlund Leavitt (born February 11, 1951 in Cedar City Utah) is an American Politician, and is currently the Secretary The 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 Steven C Preston (born August 4 1960 is the 14th Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. Mary E Peters (born December 4 1948) is the United States Secretary of Transportation. The 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 Samuel Wright Bodman III (born November 26 1938 is the United States Secretary of Energy and was previously Deputy Secretary of the U The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. Margaret Spellings (born Margaret Dudar on November 30, 1957) is the current Secretary of Education under the administration of U The United States Secretary of Veterans' Affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans' benefits and Lieutenant General (ret James Benjamin Peake (born June 18, 1944) is the current United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA The 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 Michael B Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is the current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act Steven C Preston (born August 4 1960 is the 14th Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD Alphonso Roy Jackson (born September 9 1945 in Marshall Texas) is the former 13th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Deputy Secretary Roy Bernardi will serve as Acting Secretary pending Preston's confirmation. Roy Albert Bernardi ( October 14, 1942 Bernardi served as Acting Secretary of HUD after the resignation of Alphonso Jackson, until Steve
Cabinet-level administration offices
Six positions have cabinet-level rank, which allows these individuals to attend Cabinet meetings without being secretaries of executive departments:
Level I of the Executive Schedule
Level I of the Executive Schedule is the pay grade for cabinet officials. The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30 1941 is the forty-sixth and current Vice President of the United States. The 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 Joshua Brewster Bolten (born August 16, 1954) is the current White House Chief of Staff serving U The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States federal government's Environmental Protection Agency, and is thus responsible Stephen L Johnson (born March 21, 1951 in Washington D C) is the current Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA The Office of Management and Budget (OMB is a Cabinet -level office and is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP James Allen "Jim" Nussle (born June 27, 1960, Des Moines Iowa) is an American politician and the current director of the Office The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP, a Cabinet level component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, was established in 1988 John P Walters was sworn in as the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP on December 7 2001. The Office of the United States Trade Representative, or USTR, is the United States government agency responsible for developing and recommending United States Susan C Schwab (born March 23, 1955) is currently United States Trade Representative. In addition to the fifteen cabinet secretaries, six positions are listed in the Level I, of which only three (Director of the OMB, Director of the National Drug Control Policy, and the U. S. Trade Representative) have cabinet-level positions. The remaining three are as follows:
Former Cabinet positions
- The Secretary of State was briefly known as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs (from 27 July 1789 to 15 September 1794), but the position was renamed Secretary of State prior to being filled for the first time in March 1790. The Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is the head of the central banking system of the United States and one of the most Ben Shalom Bernanke (born December 13, 1953) is the incumbent Chairman of the Board of Governors of the United States Federal Reserve. The United States Social Security Administration ( SSA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers Michael J Astrue is the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, nominated by President George W The Director of National Intelligence ( DNI) is the United States government official subject to the authority direction and control of the President Hon John Michael "Mike" McConnell (born July 26, 1943) has served as the United States Director of National Intelligence since The United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs was a position that existed in the United States government from January 10, 1781 to September Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1789 ( MDCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 668 - Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II is assassinated in his bath at Syracuse Italy. Year 1794 ( MDCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a
- From 1789 to 1947, the duties of the Secretary of Defense were instead handled by Cabinet-level positions of the Secretary of War (1789–1947) and the Secretary of the Navy (1798–1947). The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington 's administration The United States Secretary of the Navy ( SECNAV) is the Civilian head of the Department of the Navy.
- From 1829 to 1971, the Post Office Department was a Cabinet-level executive agency and thus the Postmaster General was a Cabinet officer. The Post Office Department is the former name of the United States Postal Service when it was a Cabinet department The United States Postmaster General is the executive head of the United States Postal Service.
- From 1903 to 1913, the duties of the current Secretaries of Commerce and Labor were held by a single Secretary of Commerce and Labor. The United States Secretary of Commerce and Labor was the head of the short-lived United States Department of Commerce and Labor, which was concerned with Business
- From 1953 to 1979, the duties of the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Health and Human Services were united as the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. The United States Secretary of Health Education and Welfare was the head of the United States Department of Health Education and Welfare.
- Under some administrations, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations was allowed to sit in for cabinet meetings. The United States Ambassador to the United Nations (full title Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status
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. Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2 1865 August 2 1923 was the twenty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death from a heart attack aged S. Department of Natural Resources (proposed by former President Herbert Hoover, the Eisenhower administration, President Richard Nixon and the GOP national platform in 1976)
- U. Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10 1874 &ndash October 20 1964 was the thirty-first President of the United States (1929–1933 Election 1952 See also United States presidential election 1952 Dwight D S. Department of Peace (proposed by President Franklin Roosevelt and Congressman Dennis Kucinich)
- U. The Department of Peace and Non-violence is a proposed cabinet -level department of the Executive branch of the U Dennis John Kucinich (kuˈsɪnɪtʃ (born October 8[[ 946]] is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and was a candidate for 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)
- U. Harold LeClair Ickes ( March 15, 1874 &ndash February 3, 1952) was a United States administrator and Politician S. Department of Urban Affairs (proposed by President John F. Kennedy)
- U. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of S. Department of Business and Labor (proposed by President Lyndon Johnson)
- U. S. Department of Human Resources (proposed by President Richard Nixon)
- U. S. Department of Community Development (proposed by President Richard Nixon)
- U. S. Department of Economic Development (proposed by President Richard Nixon)
- U. S. Department of Environmental Protection (proposed by Republican Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter)
- U. Arlen Specter (born February 12 1930) is the senior United States Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Republican Party S. Department of International Trade (proposed by the Heritage Foundation)
Lists of Cabinets
See: List of United States Cabinets
See also
- Kitchen Cabinet
- Black Cabinet
- List of US Cabinet Secretaries who have held multiple cabinet-level positions
- List of first women to hold U.S. Cabinet Secretaryships
- George W. Bush administration
References
Articles
- Rudalevige, Andrew. The Heritage Foundation is an American conservative Think tank. The following is a list of United States Cabinets by the President of the United States under which they operated Kitchen cabinets are the built-in Furniture installed in many kitchens for storage of Food, Cooking equipment, and often Silverware and 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 Unlike in many European parliamentary Cabinets in the United States Cabinet it is generally less common for a cabinet secretary to hold multiple cabinet-level positions over This is a list of the first women to hold US Cabinet Secretaryships in chronological order The Presidency of George W Bush began on his inauguration on January 20, 2001 as the 43rd and current President of the United States of America "The President and the Cabinet", in Michael Nelson, ed. , The Presidency and the Political System, 8th ed. (Washington, D. C. : CQ Press, 2006).
Books
- 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.
External links
- Official site of the President's Cabinet
- U.S. Senate's list of cabinet members who did not attend the State of the Union Address (since 1984)
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