Cabinet of the United States

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search


Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

The Cabinet of the United States is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the government serving under the President. Among those are the Vice President and the heads of the federal executive departments, all of whom are by federal law (3 U.S.C. § 19) in the line of succession to the presidency and have duties under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution. Aside from the Attorney General (and the Postmaster General back when it headed an executive department), the heads of the executive departments all receive the title of Secretary.

In addition, the President can by custom unilaterally designate senior White House staffers, heads of other federal agencies and the Ambassador to the United Nations as members of the Cabinet, although this is a symbolic status marker and does not, apart from attending cabinet meetings, confer any additional powers such as mentioned above.

All members of the Cabinet (except for the Vice President, who is elected under the same procedures as the President) serve at the pleasure of the President, who can dismiss them at will for no cause.

Background

There is no explicit definition of the term "Cabinet" in the United States Constitution, the United States Code, or the Code of Federal Regulations. The name comes from a 17th-century usage for a private room where advisers would meet, which developed into the modern sense of a council of advisers.[1]

The notion of a Cabinet dates back to the first President, George Washington, who appointed a Cabinet of four men to advise him and to assist him in carrying out his duties (his cabinet also included Vice President John Adams):

In the Constitution and federal law

The term "principal Officer in each of the executive Departments" is mentioned in Article II, Section 2, Clause 1, and the term "Heads of Departments" is mentioned in Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the Constitution. The term "principal officers of the executive departments" is also mentioned in the Twenty-fifth Amendment, Section 4. The executive departments are listed in 5 U.S.C. § 101. Although there are occasional references to "Cabinet-level officers," which when viewed in their context do refer to these "principal officers" and "heads of departments," the terms "principal officers" and "heads of departments" are not necessarily synonymous with "Cabinet" members.

In 3 U.S.C. § 302 with regard to delegation of authority by the President, it is provided that "nothing herein shall be deemed to require express authorization in any case in which such an official would be presumed in law to have acted by authority or direction of the President." This pertains directly to the heads of the executive departments as each of their offices is created and specified by statutory law (hence the presumption) and thus gives them the authority to act for the President within their areas of responsibility without any specific delegation.

Under 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.[2]

Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, an incoming administration may appoint acting heads of department from employees of the relevant department. These may be existing high-level career employees, from political appointees of the outgoing administration, or sometimes lower-level appointees of the incoming administration.[3]

Confirmation process

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 (although, before use of the "nuclear option" during the 113th US Congress, they could have been blocked by filibuster, requiring cloture to be invoked by ​35 supermajority to further consideration). If approved, they receive their commission scroll, are sworn in and then begin their duties.

An elected Vice President does not require Senate confirmation, nor does the White House Chief of Staff, which is an appointed staff position of the Executive Office of the President.

Office Senate Confirmation Review Committee
Secretary of State Foreign Relations Committee
Secretary of the Treasury Finance Committee
Secretary of Defense Armed Services Committee
Attorney General Judiciary Committee
Secretary of the Interior Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Secretary of Agriculture Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
Secretary of Commerce Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Secretary of Labor Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
Secretary of Health and Human Services Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee consult & Finance Committee ofl
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
Secretary of Transportation Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Secretary of Energy Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Secretary of Education Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Veterans Affairs Committee
Secretary of Homeland Security Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Trade Representative Finance Committee
Director of National Intelligence Select Committee on Intelligence
Ambassador to the United Nations Foreign Relations Committee
Office of Management and Budget Budget Committee & Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Select Committee on Intelligence
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Environment and Public Works Committee
Administrator of the Small Business Administration Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee

Salary

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

The heads of the executive departments and most other senior federal officers at 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. 21 positions, including the heads of the executive departments and others, receiving Level I pay are listed in 5 U.S.C. § 5312, and those 46 positions on Level II pay (including the number two positions of the executive departments) are listed in 5 U.S.C. § 5313. As of 2015, Level I annual pay, was set at $203,700.[4]

The annual salary of the Vice President is $235,300.[4] The salary level was set by the Government Salary Reform Act of 1989, which also provides an automatic cost of living adjustment for federal employees. The Vice President does not automatically receive a pension based on that office, but instead receives the same pension as other members of Congress based on his ex officio position as President of the Senate.[5]

Current Cabinet and Cabinet-rank officials

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

The individuals listed below were nominated by President Donald Trump to form his Cabinet and were confirmed by the United States Senate on the date noted, or are serving as acting department heads by his request pending the confirmation of his nominees. For a full list of people nominated for Cabinet positions, see Formation of Donald Trump's Cabinet.

Vice President and the heads of the executive departments

The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments, listed here according to their order of succession to the Presidency. These 16 positions are the core "cabinet member" seats, as distinct from other Cabinet-level seats for other various top level White House staffers and heads of other government agencies, none of whom are in the presidential line of succession.[6] Note that the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate follow the Vice President and precede the Secretary of State in the order of succession, but both are in the legislative branch and are not part of the Cabinet.

Cabinet
Office
(statutory basis)
Incumbent Term began
Seal of the Vice President of the United States.svg
Vice President
(Constitution, Art. II, Sec. I)
100px
January 20, 2017
75px
Secretary of State
(22 U.S.C. § 2651a)
100px
February 1, 2017
US-DeptOfTheTreasury-Seal.svg
Secretary of the Treasury
(31 U.S.C. § 301)
100px
February 13, 2017
United States Department of Defense Seal.svg
Secretary of Defense
(10 U.S.C. § 113)
100px
January 20, 2017
Seal of the United States Department of Justice.svg
Attorney General
(28 U.S.C. § 503)
Jeff Sessions, official portrait.jpg
February 9, 2017
Seal of the United States Department of the Interior.svg
Secretary of the Interior
(43 U.S.C. § 1451)
100px
March 1, 2017
US-DeptOfAgriculture-Seal2.svg
Secretary of Agriculture
(7 U.S.C. § 2202)
100px
April 25, 2017
US-DeptOfCommerce-Seal.svg
Secretary of Commerce
(15 U.S.C. § 1501)
100px
February 28, 2017
75px
Secretary of Labor
(29 U.S.C. § 551)
100px
April 28, 2017
US-DeptOfHHS-Seal.svg
Secretary of Health and Human Services
(Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1953, 67 Stat. 631 and 42 U.S.C. § 3501)
Tom Price official Transition portrait.jpg
February 10, 2017
US-DeptOfHUD-Seal.svg
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
(42 U.S.C. § 3532)
100px
March 2, 2017
US-DeptOfTransportation-Seal.svg
Secretary of Transportation
(49 U.S.C. § 102)
100px
January 31, 2017
Seal of the United States Department of Energy.svg
Secretary of Energy
(42 U.S.C. § 7131)
100px
March 2, 2017
US-DeptOfEducation-Seal.svg
Secretary of Education
(20 U.S.C. § 3411)
Betsy DeVos official Department of Education portrait.jpg
February 7, 2017
Seal of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.svg
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
(38 U.S.C. § 303)
100px
February 14, 2017
Seal of the United States Department of Homeland Security.svg
Secretary of Homeland Security
(6 U.S.C. § 112)
John Kelly official DHS portrait.jpg
January 20, 2017

Cabinet-level officials

The following officials hold positions that are considered to be Cabinet-level positions. Cabinet-level officials attend Cabinet meetings, but are not official Cabinet Members:

Cabinet-level Officials
Office Incumbent Term began
Seal of the Executive Office of the President of the United States 2014.svg
White House Chief of Staff
(Pub.L. 76–19, 53 Stat. 561, enacted April 3, 1939, Executive Order 8248, Executive Order 10452, Executive Order 12608)
100px
January 20, 2017
US-TradeRepresentative-Seal.svg
Trade Representative
(19 U.S.C. § 2171)
No image.png
March 2, 2017
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence.svg
Director of National Intelligence[7][8]
(50 U.S.C. § 3023)
100px
March 16, 2017
75px
Ambassador to the United Nations
(22 U.S.C. § 287, Executive Order 9844, Executive Order 10108)
Nikki Haley official Transition portrait.jpg
January 27, 2017
US-OfficeOfManagementAndBudget-Seal.svg
Director of the Office of Management and Budget
(31 U.S.C. § 502, Executive Order 11541, Executive Order 11609, Executive Order 11717)
100px
February 16, 2017
Seal of the Central Intelligence Agency.svg
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency[7]
(50 U.S.C. § 3036)
Mike Pompeo official Transition portrait.jpg
January 23, 2017
Environmental Protection Agency logo.svg
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
(5 U.S.C. § 906, Executive Order 11735)
100px
February 17, 2017
US-SmallBusinessAdmin-Seal.svg
Administrator of the Small Business Administration
(15 U.S.C. § 633)
100px February 14, 2017

Former executive and Cabinet-level departments

Renamed heads of the executive departments

Other positions no longer of Cabinet rank

Proposed Cabinet departments

  • "Department of Commerce" or "Department of Industry and Commerce", proposed by Secretary of the Treasury William Windom in a speech given at a Chamber of Commerce dinner in May 1881.[19]
  • "Department of Natural Resources", proposed by the Eisenhower administration,[20] President Richard Nixon,[21] the 1976 GOP national platform,[22] and by Bill Daley (as a consolidation of the Departments of the Interior and Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency).[23]
  • "Department of Peace", proposed by Senator Matthew Neely in the 1930s, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, and other members of the U.S. Congress.[24][25]
  • "Department of Social Welfare", proposed by President Franklin Roosevelt in January 1937.[26]
  • "Department of Public Works", proposed by President Franklin Roosevelt in January 1937.[26]
  • "Department of Conservation" (renamed Department of Interior) proposed by President Franklin Roosevelt in January 1937.[26]
  • "Department of Urban Affairs and Housing", proposed by President John F. Kennedy.[27]
  • "Department of Business and Labor", proposed by President Lyndon Johnson.[28]
  • "Department of Community Development", proposed by President Richard Nixon; to be chiefly concerned with rural infrastructure development.[21][29]
  • "Department of Human Resources" proposed by President Richard Nixon; essentially a revised Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.[21]
  • "Department of Economic Affairs" proposed by President Richard Nixon; essentially a consolidation of the Departments of Commerce, Labor and Agriculture.[30]
  • "Department of Environmental Protection", proposed by Senator Arlen Specter and others.[31]
  • "Department of Intelligence", proposed by former Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell.[32]
  • "Department of Global Development", proposed by the Center for Global Development.[33]
  • "Department of Arts", proposed by Quincy Jones.[34]
  • "Department of Business", proposed by President Barack Obama as a consolidation of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s core business and trade functions, the Small Business Administration, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.[35][36]

Gallery

See also

For navigational boxes containing the names of members of each President's Cabinet, see:

References

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. The office of Secretary of Foreign Affairs existed under the Articles of Confederation from October 20, 1781 to March 3, 1789, the day before the Constitution came into force.
  10. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (Archived March 3, 2010, by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5ny13zsIv)
  12. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. 26.0 26.1 26.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Further reading

  • Bennett, Anthony. The American President's Cabinet. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan, 1996. ISBN 0-333-60691-4. A study of the U.S. Cabinet from Kennedy to Clinton.
  • Grossman, Mark. Encyclopedia of the United States Cabinet (Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO; three volumes, 2000; reprint, New York: Greyhouse Publishing; two volumes, 2010). A history of the United States and Confederate States Cabinets, their secretaries, and their departments.
  • Rudalevige, Andrew. "The President and the Cabinet", in Michael Nelson, ed., The Presidency and the Political System, 8th ed. (Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2006).

External links