United States Cabinet

Cabinet meeting on May 16, 2001. Members are
seated according to order of precedence.

The Cabinet is that part of the Executive branch of the United States Government consisting of the heads of the Federal Executive Departmentss. The term Cabinet is nowhere found in the United States Constitution, where reference is made only to the heads of departments.

Article II 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 Constitution 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.

The Cabinet is also important in the Presidential line of succession, with the Cabinet officers in the line of succession after the Speaker of the House and the 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.

Unlike the Cabinets in parliamentary systems, where the Prime Minister is frequently first among equals, the officials in the United States Cabinet are strongly subordinate to the President. In addition, the United States Cabinet does not play a collective legislative role as do the Cabinets in parliamentary systems. Every member of the Cabinet is appointed by the President, subject to confirmation by the Senate, and serves at the pleasure of the President.

In recent years, the Cabinet has become less and less important 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 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 Cabinet officials.

The members of the cabinet are appointed by the President and are approved by Congress.

The current cabinet consists of:

The following positions are not part of the cabinet, but have cabinet-level rank, meaning that these individuals are permitted to attend cabinet meetings:

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Director of the National Drug Control Policy
U.S. Trade Representative
Vice President of the United States
White House Chief of Staff

Former Cabinet positions:

Secretary of Foreign Affairs was renamed Secretary of State and given additional responsibilities in March 1790.
From 1789 to 1947, the duties of the Secretary of Defense were instead handled by Cabinet-level positions of the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy.
Prior to 1913, the duties of the current Secretaries of Commerce and Labor were held by a single Secretary of Commerce and Labor.
Between the years 1872 and 1971, the Post Office Department was headed by the Postmaster General which was a Cabinet-level executive agency.
Prior to 1980, the duties of the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Education were united in the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.

External link

The President's Cabinet