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United states cabinet
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The '''Cabinet''' is a part of the
Executive (government) executive branch of the
Federal Government of the United States U.S. federal government consisting of the heads of
United States Federal Executive Departments federal executive departments. Despite having evolved as one of the most powerful organs of the contemporary U.S. government, the term "Cabinet" does not appear in the
United States Constitution U.S. Constitution, where reference is made only to the heads of departments.
Constitutional and legal basis
Article Two of the United States Constitution 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." The
Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution 25th Amendment provides that the Vice President and a majority of the principal officers of the departments can transmit a notice that the President is unfit for office.
There is no explicit definition of the term "Cabinet" in either the
United States Code or the
Code of Federal Regulations. 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 5 U.S.C. ยง 101.
Establishment
The first president of the United States,
George Washington, quickly realized the importance of having a cabinet. Among his first acts he persuaded Congress to recognize the Departments of Foreign Affairs (renamed State and given additional powers a few months after its creation), Treasury, and War. The heads of these executive departments would be given the title of "secretary" followed by the name of their department. Although Washington's Cabinet also contained the position of Attorney General, the Attorney General did not become the head of the Justice Department until 1870. George Washington's first Cabinet consisted of
Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State,
Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury,
Henry Knox as Secretary of War, and
Edmund Randolph as Attorney General
Significance
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 D. Roosevelt, the trend has been for Presidents to act through the
Executive Office of the President of the United States Executive Office of the President or the
United States National Security Council National Security Council rather than through the Cabinet. 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 have power as large or larger than some Cabinet officials.
Traditionally the most powerful and relevant Cabinet members are the Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, and Attorney General. 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.
Line of succession
The Cabinet is also important in the
United States presidential line of succession 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 United States House of Representatives Speaker of the House and the
President pro tempore of the United States Senate President pro tempore of the Senate. 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.
Current Cabinet
As of 2005 As of 2005 Michael Chertoff's oath of office on
February 16,
2005, the Cabinet is composed as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
! Office !! Incumbent !! State
|-
|
United States Secretary of State Secretary of State||
Condoleezza Rice||
Alabama
|-
|
United States Secretary of the Treasury Secretary of the Treasury||
John William Snow John Snow||
Virginia
|-
|
United States Secretary of Defense Secretary of Defense||
Donald Rumsfeld||
Illinois
|-
|
United States Attorney General Attorney General||
Alberto Gonzales||
Texas
|-
|
United States Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior||
Gale Norton||
Colorado
|-
|
United States Secretary of Agriculture Secretary of Agriculture||
Mike Johanns||
Nebraska
|-
|
United States Secretary of Commerce Secretary of Commerce||
Carlos Gutierrez||
Michigan
|-
|
United States Secretary of Labor Secretary of Labor||
Elaine Chao||
Kentucky
|-
|
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary of Health and Human Services||
Michael O. Leavitt Mike Leavitt||
Utah
|-
|
United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary of Housing and Urban Development||
Alphonso Jackson Alphonso Jackson||
Texas
|-
|
United States Secretary of Transportation Secretary of Transportation||
Norman Mineta||
California
|-
|
United States Secretary of Energy Secretary of Energy||
Samuel W. Bodman||
Massachusetts
|-
|
United States Secretary of Education Secretary of Education||
Margaret Spellings||
Texas
|-
|
United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Secretary of Veterans Affairs||
Jim Nicholson (U.S. politician) James Nicholson||
Iowa
|-
|
United States Secretary of Homeland Security Secretary of Homeland Security||
Michael Chertoff||
New Jersey
|}
NOTE: Gale Norton has announced her resignation as Interior Secretary, effective March 31, 2006
Cabinet-level administration offices
Some positions are not part of the Cabinet, but have cabinet-level rank, meaning that their occupants are permitted to attend Cabinet meetings. These offices are populated as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
! Office !! Incumbent !! State
|-
|
Vice President of the United States.html">Dick Cheney
Richard B. Cheney||
Wyoming
|-
|
White House Chief of Staff.html">Andrew Card
Andrew H. Card Jr.||
Massachusetts
|-
|
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Deputy Chief of Staff||
Karl Rove||
Utah
|-
|
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.html">Stephen L. Johnson
|Maryland
|-
|Director of the
Office of Management and Budget.html">Joshua B. Bolten
|Washington, D.C.
|-
|
Director of the National Drug Control Policy.html">John P. Walters
|Michigan
|-
|
U.S. Trade Representative.html">Rob Portman
|Ohio
|-
|
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Director of the CIA||
Porter J. Goss||
Florida
|-
|
United States Ambassadors to the United Nations United States Ambassador to the United Nations||
John R. Bolton||
Maryland
|-
|
White House Counsel.html">Harriet Miers
|Texas
|-
|
Small Business Administration.html">Hector Barreto
|California
|-
|
United States National Security Advisor National Security Advisor||
Stephen Hadley||
Washington, D.C.
|-
|
Director of National Intelligence.html">John Negroponte
|New York
|}
Note: Andrew Card has announced his resignation as White House Chief of Staff; Joshua B. Bolten was chosen to replace him.
Former Cabinet positions
*The Secretary of State was briefly known as the
United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs Secretary of Foreign Affairs (from
27 July 1789 to
15 September 1789), but the position was renamed Secretary of State prior to being filled for the first time in March 1790.
*From 1789 to 1947, the duties of the Secretary of Defense were instead handled by Cabinet-level positions of the
United States Secretary of War Secretary of War (1789-1947) and the
United States Secretary of the Navy Secretary of the Navy (1798-1947).
*From 1829 to 1971, the
United States Post Office Department Post Office Department was a Cabinet-level executive agency and thus the
United States Postmaster General Postmaster General was a Cabinet officer.
*From 1903 to 1913, the duties of the current Secretaries of Commerce and Labor were held by a single
United States Secretary of Commerce and Labor Secretary of Commerce and Labor.
*From 1953 to 1979, the duties of the Secretaries of Education and Health and Human Services were united as the
United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.
References
Books
* Mark Grossman's three-volume history, ''Encyclopedia of the United States Cabinet'' (ABC-Clio, 2000).
See also
*
Kitchen Cabinet
*
Black Cabinet
*
List of US Cabinet Secretaries who have held multiple cabinet positions
External links
-
Official site of the President's Cabinet
-
US Senate's list of cabinet members who did not attend the State of the Union Address (since 1984)
{{cabinet}}
Category:Executive Branch of the United States Government Cabinet
Category:United States Executive Cabinet
Category:National cabinets United States
de:Kabinett (Vereinigte Staaten)
see
United States Cabinet
see
United States Cabinet
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