Isabella Carter
The Cabinet is a group of people who head the various departments of the Executive Branch and advise the President on any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices. The Cabinet is only mentioned briefly in the US Constitution, in Article 2, Section 2, which states that the President may 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 does not specify the number of executive departments or their duties, and the Cabinet's role is inferred from the language of the Opinion Clause. The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments, although the President may designate additional positions. Cabinet members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and they serve at the pleasure of the President.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of members | 15 executive department heads plus the vice president |
| Members | The vice president, the secretaries of agriculture, commerce, defense, education, energy, health and human services, homeland security, housing and urban development, interior, labor, state, transportation, treasury, and veterans affairs, as well as the attorney general |
| Meetings | No legal requirement to meet; meetings can be at any interval |
| Purpose | To advise the president on any subject relating to the duties of each member's respective office |
| Requirements | Cannot be a member of Congress, must pass an FBI background check, and must be confirmed by the Senate |
| Salary | Level I pay is $250,600 annually; the vice president's salary is $235,300 |
| Powers | Cabinet members can exercise certain powers over their departments against the president's wishes, but this is highly unusual due to the threat of dismissal |
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What You'll Learn
The Cabinet's role is to advise the President
The Cabinet is a place of support for the President and his policies, and the press plays it up as a big source for consensus and discussion in any government. The President meets with those Cabinet officers whose departments have authority over the crisis of the day, and the whole Cabinet is a useful way to refer to all the people that make it up. The Cabinet is mentioned briefly in the Constitution, in Article 2, Section 2, which states that the President may 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. This is known as the Opinion Clause.
The Cabinet is made up of several people, primarily the principal officer in each of the executive departments, whom we call Secretaries. In other countries, they are typically called Ministers. Cabinet members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, but there are no legal or constitutional requirements for the job other than confirmation. They serve at the whim of the President and can be impeached as any federal officer may be. Cabinet members are subject to an extensive FBI background check and must not be members of Congress, as no one is allowed to serve in the executive and legislative branches simultaneously.
The President has the authority to organize the Cabinet, such as by instituting committees. The President may designate additional positions to be members of the Cabinet, which can vary under each President. These positions are not in the line of succession and are not necessarily officers of the United States. The Cabinet is not a legal institution, and meetings are not required to take place. In fact, some modern Presidents have made little use of the Cabinet.
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The Cabinet includes the Vice President
The Cabinet of the United States is the principal official advisory body to the President. The Cabinet's role, which is established in Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office. The Constitution does not specify what the executive departments will be, how many there will be, or what their duties will be. The First Congress established four departments: State, War, Treasury, and Post Office (which would later lose its Cabinet status).
The Vice President of the United States is elected, not appointed, and serves in the Cabinet by statute. An elected vice president does not require Senate confirmation. The Vice President receives the same pension as other members of Congress as the President of the Senate. The Vice President is not formally a member of the Cabinet.
The heads of the executive departments and most other senior federal officers at the Cabinet or sub-cabinet level receive their salary under a fixed five-level pay plan known as the Executive Schedule, which is codified in Title 5 of the United States Code. Twenty-one positions, including the heads of the executive departments and others, receive Level I pay, which was set at $250,600 as of January 2025. The annual salary of the Vice President is $235,300. The salary level was set by the Government Salary Reform Act of 1989, which provides an automatic cost of living adjustment for federal employees.
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The President can organise the Cabinet
The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments, including the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General. The President may also designate additional positions to be members of the Cabinet, which can vary under each President.
The Cabinet concept, embodied by the Privy Council, originated in England, where it evolved into today's Cabinet, a legal institution that advises the Prime Minister. In the U.S., the Cabinet has no legal definition and is not a legal institution. It is just a group of secretaries of the departments and a few other key players. The first Cabinet, that of George Washington, consisted of only four department heads: State, Treasury, War, and the Attorney General.
The President has the authority to organise the Cabinet as they see fit, such as by instituting committees. For example, President Ronald Reagan formed seven sub-cabinet councils to review policy issues, and subsequent Presidents have followed this practice. The President can also give wide latitude to department heads, and it is legally possible for a Cabinet member to exercise certain powers over their department against the President's wishes. However, this is highly unusual due to the threat of dismissal.
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Cabinet members are appointed by the President
The Cabinet's role is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office. The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments, including the Secretaries of State, Treasury, Defense, and more. While the Cabinet is only mentioned briefly in the US Constitution, in Article 2, Section 2, the President is authorized to 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." This establishes the Cabinet's role as advisors to the President.
The Cabinet concept, embodied by the Privy Council, originated in England, where it evolved into today's Cabinet, a legal institution that advises the Prime Minister. In the US, the Cabinet has no legal definition and is not explicitly established by the Constitution. However, the President has the authority to appoint Cabinet members and organize the Cabinet, such as by instituting committees. Cabinet members are typically the principal officers in each of the executive departments, and they are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. There are no legal or constitutional requirements for the job beyond Senate confirmation, and members serve at the pleasure of the President. They can be impeached, like all federal officials, by the House of Representatives.
The First Congress established four departments: State, War, Treasury, and Post Office. Over the years, different executive departments have been added or removed to meet the country's evolving needs. The Cabinet has played and continues to play a significant role in American politics, despite some modern presidents making little use of it. The Cabinet provides support for the President and their policies, and the press often portrays it as a significant source of consensus and discussion in the government.
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The Cabinet is mentioned briefly in the Constitution
The Cabinet is a group of people who head the various departments of the Executive Branch and advise the President. The Cabinet is mentioned briefly in Article 2, Section 2 of the US Constitution, which states that the President "may 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". This is known as the Opinion Clause.
The Cabinet's role is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office. The Constitution does not specify what the executive departments will be, how many there will be, or what their duties will be. The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments, including the Secretaries of State, Treasury, War, and the Attorney General. The President may also designate additional positions as members of the Cabinet, which can vary under each President.
The Cabinet concept, embodied by the Privy Council, originated in England, where it evolved into today's Cabinet, a legal institution that advises the Prime Minister. In the US, the Cabinet has no legal definition, and it is not a legal requirement for there to be a Cabinet. The first US Cabinet, that of George Washington, consisted of only four department heads: Thomas Jefferson (State), Alexander Hamilton (Treasury), Henry Knox (War), and Edmund Randolph (Attorney General).
Cabinet members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. They serve at the pleasure of the President and can be impeached by the House of Representatives. Cabinet members are typically the department heads, but the President has the authority to organize the Cabinet and institute committees.
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Frequently asked questions
The Cabinet's role is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office. The President may give wide latitude to department heads and they can exercise certain powers over their own department, although this is unusual. The President can also organise the Cabinet, such as by creating committees.
There are very few requirements to be a Cabinet member. One cannot be a member of Congress, and there are no age or birthplace requirements. Cabinet members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and they serve at the President's will.
The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments: the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General. The President may also designate additional positions.
