United States Cabinet
The
Cabinet is a part of the
executive branch of the
U.S. federal government consisting of the heads of
federal executive departments. Despite having evolved as one of the most powerful organs of the contemporary U.S. government, the term "Cabinet" does not appear in the
U.S. Constitution, where reference is made only to the heads of departments.
Article Two of the Constitution provides that the President can 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
25th Amendment provides that the Vice President and a majority of the principal officers of the departments may transmit a notice that the President is unfit for office.There is no explicit definition of the term "Cabinet" in either the
United States Code or the
Code of Federal Regulations. However, there are occasional references to "cabinet-level officers" or "secretaries," which when viewed in context appear to refer to the heads of the "executive departments" as listed in .
Among his first acts, first president of the United States,
George Washington, persuaded Congress to recognize the Departments of Foreign Affairs (renamed
State and given additional powers a few months after its creation),
Treasury, and
War. The heads of these executive departments would be given the title of "secretary" followed by the name of their department. Although Washington's Cabinet also contained the position of Attorney General, the Attorney General did not become the head of the Justice Department until 1870. George Washington's first Cabinet consisted of
Thomas Jefferson as
Secretary of State,
Alexander Hamilton as
Secretary of the Treasury,
Henry Knox as
Secretary of War, and
Edmund Randolph as
Attorney General.
Though the Cabinet is still an important organ of bureaucratic management, in recent years, the Cabinet has generally declined in relevance as a policy making body. Starting with President
Franklin Roosevelt, the trend has been for Presidents to act through the
Executive Office of the President or the
National Security Council rather than through the Cabinet. This has created a situation in which non-Cabinet officials such as the
White House Chief of Staff, the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the
National Security Advisor have power as large or larger than some Cabinet officials.
Traditionally the most powerful and relevant Cabinet members are the Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, and Attorney General. In recent years, the Secretary of Homeland Security has risen to a level of significance that is arguably closer to the "
big four" than to the other cabinet offices.
During a meeting of the Presidents Cabinet the Secretaries of State and Defense are seated directly to the left and right of the President.
Line of succession
The Cabinet is also important in the
presidential line of succession, which determines an order in which Cabinet officers succeed to the office of the president following the death or resignation of the Vice President,
Speaker of the House and the
President pro tempore of the Senate. Because of this, it is common practice not to have the entire Cabinet in one location, even for ceremonial occasions like the
State of the Union Address, where at least one Cabinet member does not attend. This person is the
designated survivor, and they are held at a secure, undisclosed location, ready to take over if the President, Vice President and the rest of the Cabinet are killed.
As of
Norman Mineta's resignation in July 2006, the Cabinet is composed as follows:
Cabinet-level administration offices
Six positions have cabinet-level rank, but are not Secretaries of Executive Departments, meaning those people are permitted to attend Cabinet meetings. They are:
*The Secretary of State was briefly known as the
Secretary of Foreign Affairs (from
27 July 1789 to
15 September 1789), but the position was renamed Secretary of State prior to being filled for the first time in March 1790.
*From 1789 to 1947, the duties of the Secretary of Defense were instead handled by Cabinet-level positions of the
Secretary of War (1789-1947) and the
Secretary of the Navy (1798-1947).
*From 1829 to 1971, the
Post Office Department was a Cabinet-level executive agency and thus the
Postmaster General was a Cabinet officer.
*From 1903 to 1913, the duties of the current Secretaries of Commerce and Labor were held by a single
Secretary of Commerce and Labor.
*From 1953 to 1979, the duties of the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Health and Human Services were united as the
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.
Books
* Mark Grossman's three-volume history,
Encyclopedia of the United States Cabinet (ABC-Clio, 2000).
*
Kitchen Cabinet*
Black Cabinet*
List of US Cabinet Secretaries who have held multiple cabinet positions*
George W. Bush administration*
Official site of the President's Cabinet*
U.S. Senate's list of cabinet members who did not attend the State of the Union Address (since 1984)
