Omar Bennett
The Cabinet of the United States is the principal official advisory body to the President. Although the term Cabinet does not appear in the Constitution, its basis is established in Article II, 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 section also mentions that the heads of these departments must be confirmed by the Senate. The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments, such as the Secretaries of State, Treasury, Defense, and more. The President may also designate additional positions to be members of the Cabinet.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Constitutional basis | Article 2, Section 2 |
| Role | To advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office |
| Members | 26 including the vice president, 15 department heads, and 10 Cabinet-level officials |
| Nomination and approval process | The President nominates and the Senate confirms |
| Confirmation | Requires a simple majority vote in the Senate |
| Rejection | Only 9 Cabinet nominees have ever been rejected by the Senate |
| Addition of departments | Most recent addition is Homeland Security, established in 2002 |
| Removal of departments | Post Office Department was removed in 1971 |
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What You'll Learn
The Cabinet's role is to advise the President
The role of the Cabinet is to advise the President. The Cabinet does not have any collective executive powers or functions of its own, and no votes need to be taken. The President chairs Cabinet meetings but is not formally a member of the Cabinet. The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments, including the Departments of State, Treasury, Defense, and Justice, as well as the Attorney General. The President may designate additional positions to be members of the Cabinet, which can vary under each President.
The Cabinet's role in advising the President is established in Article II, Section 2 of the 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 provision gives the President the authority to seek advice and opinions from the heads of the executive departments, who are part of the Cabinet.
The specific executive departments and their duties are not outlined in the Constitution, and they have evolved over time to meet the country's changing needs. The First Congress established four departments: State, War, Treasury, and Post Office. Since then, various departments have been added or removed, such as the Department of Homeland Security, established in 2002 after the September 11th terrorist attacks.
The Cabinet members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, except for the Vice President, who serves in the Cabinet by statute. The nomination and approval process for Cabinet members is covered by the Appointments Clause of the Constitution, which gives the President the power to nominate and appoint officers with the advice and consent of the Senate. However, the Senate cannot veto the President's choices for Cabinet members, and only nine Cabinet nominees have ever been rejected by the Senate.
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The President can request opinions from principal officers
The President of the United States can request opinions from principal officers, also known as the Cabinet. The Cabinet is the principal official advisory body to the president. The Constitution establishes the Cabinet in Article II, 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 means that the President can seek advice from the heads of the various executive departments, such as State, Treasury, Defense, and Justice. These principal officers are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and they serve at the pleasure of the President, who can dismiss them at any time.
The tradition of the Cabinet dates back to the beginnings of the Presidency itself, with George Washington, the first President of the United States, organizing his principal officers into a Cabinet. Washington's Cabinet consisted of five members: himself, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of War Henry Knox, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph. Vice President John Adams was notably absent from Washington's Cabinet, as the position was initially considered legislative rather than executive.
Over time, different executive departments have been added or removed to meet the country's changing needs. For example, the Department of Homeland Security was established in 2002 following the September 11th terrorist attacks. The President may also designate additional positions to be members of the Cabinet, which can vary from administration to administration. The Cabinet generally includes the Vice President, department heads, and other Cabinet-level officials, with the President chairing meetings but not formally being a member.
The process of nominating and approving Cabinet members is outlined in the Constitution's Appointments Clause, which gives the President the power to nominate and appoint officers with the advice and consent of the Senate. While the Senate typically defers to the President's choices, there have been a few notable rejections of Cabinet nominees by the Senate, including Benjamin Fishbourn, nominated by Washington for the post of naval officer for the Port of Savannah, and Roger Taney, nominated by President Andrew Jackson as Treasury Secretary.
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The President nominates Cabinet members
The Constitution does not specify the number of executive departments or their duties, but 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. For example, the Department of Homeland Security was established in 2002 following the September 11th terrorist attacks.
The President can also designate additional positions to be members of the Cabinet, which can vary under each President. These positions may include White House Chief of Staff, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, and United States Trade Representative Ambassador, among others.
The Cabinet's primary role is to advise the President on any subject relating to the duties of each member's respective office. The Vice President of the United States is also a member of the Cabinet by statute, but they do not have authority over the President's Cabinet. Cabinet members serve at the pleasure of the President and can be dismissed at any time.
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The Senate confirms Cabinet members
The United States Constitution establishes the Cabinet in Article II, 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 section of the Constitution also mentions that the heads of these executive departments are among those that must be confirmed by the Senate.
The role of the Cabinet is to advise the President on any subject relating to the duties of each member's respective office. The Cabinet includes the Vice President, the heads of 15 executive departments, and 10 other Cabinet-level officials. The President appoints the members of the Cabinet and can dismiss them at any time without Senate approval. While the Vice President is a part of the Cabinet, they do not have authority over it and all Cabinet officials report directly to the President.
The Appointments Clause of the Constitution allows the President to make nominations for appointed positions, but the Senate must confirm these nominations. This process is often a formality, with the Senate typically deferring to the President's choices. However, the Senate has the power to reject nominees, and in rare cases, it has done so. Overall, the success rate of cabinet nominees in the Senate has been very high, with only nine nominees ever being rejected by a full Senate vote.
The first high-profile cabinet rejection by the Senate occurred in 1834 when President Andrew Jackson attempted to appoint Attorney General Roger Taney as Treasury Secretary. The Senate rejected Taney's nomination by a vote of 18-28, but Jackson was able to appoint him as the Supreme Court's chief justice the following year. More recently, John Tower was rejected for the position of Defense Secretary in 1989, becoming the only former Senate member to be rejected for a cabinet position.
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The Cabinet has no collective executive powers
The Cabinet in the United States does not have any collective executive powers or functions of its own. 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. This role is inferred from the language of the Opinion Clause (Article II, Section 2, Clause 1) of the Constitution, which authorises the President 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".
The Constitution vests "the executive power" in the President alone, and does not specify what the executive departments will be, how many there will be, or what their duties will be. The President has the authority to organise the Cabinet, such as by instituting committees, and can dismiss members from office at any time without the approval of the Senate.
The Cabinet in the United States differs from those in parliamentary democracies such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada, which practice cabinet collective responsibility. In these systems, cabinet ministers are selected from the same political party as the prime minister and must publicly support all governmental decisions made in the cabinet, even if they do not privately agree.
In the United States, the President may give wide latitude to department heads, and it is legally possible for a Cabinet member to exercise certain powers over their own department against the President's wishes. However, this is highly unusual due to the threat of dismissal.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution establishes a cabinet in Article II, 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 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 appoints the cabinet, with the approval of the Senate.
