The President’s Cabinet
• In addition to the Executive Office of the President, – There are 15 cabinet departments that assist the President in carrying out the work of the executive branch. Heads of Cabinet Departments
• Called Secretaries – Examples: • Secretary of State • Secretary of Defense • Secretary of Agriculture
• Only exception is Attorney General – Head of the department of Justice. 1789 1st Cabinet • President Washington – Picked his most loyal allies. • Thomas Jefferson (Secretary of State) • Henry Knox (Sec. of War) – Later became Secretary of Defense • Alexander Hamilton (Secretary of Treasury) • Edmund Randolph (Attorney General) • Up until Civil War – Cabinets were POTUS main advisory group. • Now, it’s the Presidential Staff. George Washington’s Cabinet (1789) SUCCESSION From oldest department to youngest... • Department of State • Department of Health and Human Secretary John Kerry Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius • Department of the Treasury Secretary Jack Lew • Department of Housing and Urban Development • Department of Defense Secretary Shaun L.S. Donovan Secretary Chuck Hagel • Department of Transportation • Department of Justice Secretary Anthony Fox Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr • Department of Energy • Department of the Interior Secretary Ernest Moniz Secretary Sally Jewell • Department of Education • Department of Agriculture Secretary Arne Duncan Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack • Department of Veterans Affairs • Department of Commerce Secretary Eric K. Shinseki Secretary Penny Pritzker • Department of Homeland Security • Department of Labor Secretary Jeh Johnson Secretary Thomas E. Perez President Barack Obama’s Cabinet Newest Cabinet
• Department of Homeland Security – Started in 2001 by Pres. Bush • After 9/11
– Focuses on counter-terrorism • Idea of finding terrorists before they find us! The Cabinet • Divided into departments that perform the actual work of the government (The Bureaucracy) • Sometimes called: – Bureaus • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – part of Department of Justice – Administrations • Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – part of Department of Agriculture – Agencies • Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – Part of Department of Defense