Jonah Patel
The United States Cabinet is the principal advisory body to the President of the United States. It is made up of the heads of 15 executive departments, including the Vice President, and five additional Cabinet-level officials. The Cabinet's role is to advise the President on any subject relating to the duties of each member's respective office. The current Cabinet includes Vice President Kamala Harris, the White House Chief of Staff, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, and the Director of National Intelligence, among others.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of members | 26 |
| Members include | Vice President, 15 department heads, and 10 Cabinet-level officials |
| Appointment | Federal officials are prohibited from appointing their immediate family members to Cabinet positions |
| Meetings | Members sit in the order in which their department was created, with the earliest being closest to the President |
| Role | Advisory body to the President |
| Powers | No collective executive powers or functions |
| Decision-making | No votes are taken |
| Control | Cabinet members report directly to the President, who can dismiss them at any time without Senate approval |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
The US Cabinet's role
The US Cabinet is the principal official advisory body to the President of the United States. It was established in Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution and consists of the Vice President, the heads of 15 executive departments, and 10 other Cabinet-level officials. The 15 executive departments are:
- Agriculture
- Commerce
- Defense
- Education
- Energy
- Health and Human Services
- Homeland Security
- Housing and Urban Development
- Interior
- Labor
- State
- Transportation
- Treasury
- Veterans Affairs
- Attorney General
The Cabinet's primary role is to advise the President on any subject relating to the duties of each member's respective office. The President chairs Cabinet meetings, which typically take place in a room adjacent to the Oval Office in the West Wing of the White House, but is not formally a member of the Cabinet. The vice president, on the other hand, is a statutory member of the Cabinet.
The heads of departments are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and they are political appointees who administer their departments. The President can appoint acting heads of departments from existing high-level employees, political appointees of the outgoing administration, or lower-level appointees of the new administration. The President can also designate the heads of other agencies and non-Senate-confirmed members of the Executive Office as Cabinet members. These Cabinet secretaries have full administrative control over their respective departments.
It is important to note that the Cabinet does not have any collective executive powers or functions, and no votes are required during meetings. The members of the Cabinet serve at the pleasure of the President, who can dismiss them or downgrade their membership status at any time without Senate approval.
The Purpose of Cabinet Departments: Steering Government Policy
You may want to see also
How members are chosen
The United States Cabinet is the principal official advisory body to the President of the United States. 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 chairs the meetings but is not formally a member of the Cabinet. The vice president of the United States serves in the Cabinet by statute.
The members of the US Cabinet are chosen by the President and confirmed by the Senate. 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 the heads of other agencies and non-Senate-confirmed members of the Executive Office of the President as members of the Cabinet.
Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, an administration may appoint acting heads of departments from employees of the relevant department. These may be existing high-level career employees, political appointees of the outgoing administration, or lower-level appointees of the administration. The President can dismiss members of the Cabinet from office at any time without the approval of the Senate or downgrade their Cabinet membership status.
It is important to note that federal officials are prohibited from appointing their immediate family members to Cabinet positions under the 1967 Federal Anti-Nepotism statute.
Who Can Vote? Citizenship and the Constitution
You may want to see also
The Cabinet's power
The US Cabinet is the principal official advisory body to the President of the United States. The President chairs Cabinet meetings but is not a formal member. The vice president, on the other hand, is a member of the Cabinet by statute. The Cabinet's role is to advise the President on any subject he or she may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office. The President can dismiss them from office at any time without the approval of the Senate.
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 heads of these departments are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Acting department heads may also participate in Cabinet meetings, even if they have not been officially nominated for Senate confirmation.
In addition to the 15 department heads, there are also 10 Cabinet-level officials, bringing the total number of Cabinet members to 26. These officials are also appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, with the exception of three positions. The specific positions that make up the Cabinet can vary from administration to administration. For example, under President Joe Biden, the Cabinet also includes the White House Chief of Staff, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, the Director of National Intelligence, and the US Trade Representative.
The Cabinet does not have any collective executive powers or functions of its own, and no votes are taken during Cabinet meetings. Cabinet members administratively operate their departments and have full administrative control over their respective departments. They are the executives who help carry out the administration's policies.
Executive Branch: Term Limits and Service Length Explained
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Historical context
The US Cabinet is the principal official advisory body to the president of the United States. 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 tradition of the Cabinet dates back to the beginnings of the Presidency itself. The Constitution of the United States does not explicitly establish a Cabinet. The Cabinet's role is inferred from the language of the Opinion Clause (Article II, Section 2, Clause 1) of the Constitution for principal officers of departments to provide advice to the president. The president chairs the meetings but is not formally a member of the Cabinet. The vice president of the United States serves in the Cabinet by statute. The heads of departments, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, are members of the Cabinet, and acting department heads also participate in Cabinet meetings whether or not they have been officially nominated for Senate confirmation. Members of the Cabinet are political appointees and administratively operate their departments. As appointed officers heading federal agencies, these Cabinet secretaries are executives with full administrative control over their respective departments.
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 designate heads of other agencies and non-Senate-confirmed members of the Executive Office of the President as members of the Cabinet. The Cabinet does not have any collective executive powers or functions of its own, and no votes need to be taken. There are 26 members: the vice president, 15 department heads, and 10 Cabinet-level officials, all except three of whom require Senate confirmation. During Cabinet meetings, the members sit in the order in which their respective department was created, with the earliest being closest to the president and the newest farthest away. However, the vice president does not have any authority over the president's cabinet and all cabinet officials directly report to the president. The members of the Cabinet whom the president appoints serve at the pleasure of the president. The president can dismiss them from office at any time without the approval of the Senate or downgrade their Cabinet membership status.
Under 5 U.S.C. § 3110 (also known as the 1967 Federal Anti-Nepotism statute), federal officials are prohibited from appointing their immediate family members to certain governmental positions, including those in the Cabinet. Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, an administration may appoint acting heads of the department from employees of the relevant department. These may be existing high-level career employees, from political appointees of the outgoing administration (for new administrations), or sometimes lower-level appointees of the administration. The heads of the executive departments and all other federal agency heads are nominated by the president and then presented to the Senate for confirmation or rejection by a simple majority.
Historically, 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 not included in Washington's Cabinet because the position was initially regarded as a legislative officer (president of the Senate). It was not until the 20th century that vice presidents were regularly included as members of the Cabinet and came to be regarded primarily as a member of the executive branch.
Majority Rule: The Constitution's Guiding Principle Explained
You may want to see also
Current members
The US Cabinet is the principal official advisory body to the President of the United States. It is made up of the heads of 15 executive departments, including the Vice President, and 10 other Cabinet-level officials. The Cabinet advises the President and helps to carry out the administration's policies. The President chairs Cabinet meetings but is not a formal member. The Vice President serves in the Cabinet by statute and has no authority over the President's Cabinet. The President can dismiss members of the Cabinet at any time without the approval of the Senate.
The 15 executive departments are: Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs. The Cabinet also includes the Attorney General.
In addition to the above, President Joe Biden's Cabinet includes the White House Chief of Staff, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, the Director of National Intelligence, and the US Trade Representative. It also includes the heads of the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Management and Budget, Council of Economic Advisers, Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Small Business Administration.
Some notable current members of the US Cabinet include:
- Kamala Harris: Vice President of the United States
- Chris: Secretary of Energy. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and a graduate degree in Electrical Engineering from UC Berkeley and MIT. He founded Pinnacle Technologies and served as its CEO from 1992 to 2006.
- Doug Burgum: Secretary of State. He worked as a chimney sweep to pay for his degree at North Dakota State University and later earned an MBA from Stanford University. He co-founded Great Plains, a software startup, and led it through a successful IPO.
- Scott: Holds a degree in Speech Communications from the University of Illinois and an honorary doctorate from Dallas Baptist University.
Whiskey Rebellion: Constitution's Test of Federal Power
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The US Cabinet is the principal official advisory body to the US President. It advises the President on any subject relating to the duties of each member's respective office.
As of 2024, President Joe Biden's Cabinet includes Vice President Kamala Harris and the heads of 15 executive departments: Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, and the Attorney General.
The heads of departments are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The President can dismiss them from office at any time without the approval of the Senate.
The US Cabinet also includes the White House Chief of Staff, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, the Director of National Intelligence, the US Trade Representative, and the heads of the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Management and Budget, Council of Economic Advisers, Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Small Business Administration.
