Chapter 8.1 The President’s Cabinet
• In addition to the
Executive Office of the
President,
– There are 14 cabinet
departments that assist
the President in carrying
out the work of the
executive branch.
The Cabinet
• http://www.hulu.com/watch/205030/insidethe-white-house-the-cabinet
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.
• Alexander Hamilton (Sec. of Treasury)
• Henry Knox (Sec. of War)
– Later became Sec. of Defense
• Up until Civil War
– Cabinets were POTUS main advisory group.
• Now, it’s the Presidential Staff.
The Cabinet
SUCCESSION
From oldest department to youngest...
•
Department of State
Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton
•
Department of the Treasury
Secretary Timothy F. Geithner
•
•
•
•
•
•
Department of Defense
Secretary Robert M. Gates
Department of Justice
Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr
Department of the Interior
Secretary Kenneth L. Salazar
•
Department of Health and Human
Services
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
•
Department of Housing and Urban
Development
Secretary Shaun L.S. Donovan
•
Department of Transportation
Secretary Raymond L. LaHood
•
Department of Energy
Secretary Steven Chu
•
Department of Education
Secretary Arne Duncan
•
Department of Veterans Affairs
Secretary Eric K. Shinseki
•
Department of Homeland Security
Secretary Janet A. Napolitano
Department of Agriculture
Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack
Department of Commerce
Secretary Gary F. Locke
Department of Labor
Secretary Hilda L. Solis
Oldest Cabinet
• State Department (1789)
• Treasury Department (1789)
• Defense Department (1789)
– First called War Department
• Justice Department (1789)
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.
• Sometimes called:
– Bureaus
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
– part of Department of State
– Administrations
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
– part of Department of Agriculture
– Agencies
• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
– Part of Department of Defense