7.2c- The Cabinet (NROC)
The Origin of the Cabinet
The Cabinet is a team that was developed to counsel the president on various issues and to
operate the various executive departments within the national government. The Cabinet
consists of the heads of the executive departments who serve as Cabinet members
according to tradition. There is no Constitutional or congressional mandate that requires
Cabinet members to serve. However, Article Two, Section Two of the U.S. Constitution does
give the president the power to seek the opinion of executive department officers.
The first executive departments established by Congress in 1789 were the Department of
State, Department of Treasury, and Department of War. The attorney general handled
the functions of what was later to become the Justice Department. The State Department
deals with matters of international concern, and the Treasury Department is concerned
with the nation's financial resources. The War Department was established to coordinate
national defense, and the attorney general focuses on domestic legal issues.
The first Cabinet members serving under George Washington were Henry Knox, who
headed the War Department, Attorney General William Randolph (Justice Department),
Alexander Hamilton, who served as chief of the Treasury Department, and Thomas
Jefferson, who led the State Department.
As the nation and its needs grew, Congress, often at the request of the president,
established new departments to handle these needs. The first new department that did not
replace or incorporate some function of the four original departments was the Department
of Interior, which was established in 1849.
While the Cabinet's importance has varied depending on the administration, every U.S.
president has had a Cabinet. Cabinets were very important in the administrations of
Presidents George Bush (1989-1993) and Bill Clinton (1993-2001) but had less of a role in
John F. Kennedy's administration. In fact, Kennedy was quoted as describing Cabinet
meetings as a "waste of time."
The Modern Cabinet
There are currently 15 departments in the Cabinet. The newest of these is the Department
of Homeland Security, which was created after the September 11, 2001, attack on the
United States. President George W. Bush signed the bill creating the department on
November 25, 2002, after the Senate approved the bill with a 90-9 vote.
The Department of Homeland Security represents the largest reorganization of the federal
government since World War II. It combines intelligence analysis, infrastructure
protection, border security, and immigration, along with a response and recovery division.
The department has authority over many agencies such as the Immigration and
Naturalization Service, the Coast Guard, the Border Patrol, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, the Secret Service, and the Transportation Security Administration.
Along with Homeland Security and the Departments of State, Treasury, and Justice, the
other agencies that comprise the Cabinet are the Departments of Interior, Agriculture,
Commerce, Labor, Defense (replaced the Department of War), Housing and Urban
Development, Transportation, Energy, Health and Human Services, Education, and
Veteran's Affairs. These agencies cover a broad area of concerns that affect many aspects of
Americans' lives.
The Department of Interior, established in 1849, manages the nation's natural resources
including its wildlife and public lands. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), which is part of
the Interior Department, manages lands held in trust by the U.S. government for Native
American tribes and Alaska natives. The BIA also provides education services to native
students.
President Lincoln founded the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1862. Lincoln
referred to the agency as the "people's department," because at that time 48 percent of
Americans were farmers. Today, farmers comprise less than two percent of the U.S.
population. In addition to aiding farmers and managing farm programs, the USDA
administers national food programs, such as the school lunch, school breakfast, and food
stamp programs. The USDA is also responsible for ensuring the safety of the nation's meat,
poultry, and eggs.
The Commerce Department was established as the Department of Commerce and Labor
in 1903. The agency is concerned with the regulation, development, and promotion of
domestic and international trade. It is also home to the Bureau of the Census, which
conducts a comprehensive survey of the nation's population every ten years.
The Labor Department was founded in 1913. Following a lengthy campaign by organized
labor to get a "voice in the Cabinet," its function was separated from the Commerce
Department. The Labor Department manages labor programs, assists collective bargaining
efforts, and administers labor laws.
On July 26, 1947, President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act, establishing the
Department of Defense. It combined the War Department, the Navy Department, and the
Department of the Air Force. The goal of the new department was to reduce rivalry among
the service branches, which was believed to have reduced military effectiveness during
World War II. Today the Defense Department is headquartered at the Pentagon and
includes the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard (during wartime only). It also
includes such organizations as the National Security Agency and the Defense Intelligence
Agency.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which directs housing and
urban programs, was developed in 1966. HUD coordinates and administers programs that
assist the development of housing and communities. It accomplishes this by making loans,
insuring mortgages, and providing housing subsidies. It also promotes and enforces laws
requiring equal opportunity in housing.
The Transportation Department was created in 1966 and administers the nation's
transportation programs. It includes agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Transportation Security
Administration and the Coast Guard were once part of the Transportation Department, but
both agencies were transferred to the new Department of Homeland Security in 2003.
The Energy Department is responsible for the nation's energy policy and nuclear safety. It
oversees America's nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production for the U.S.
Navy, radioactive waste disposal, domestic energy production, energy conservation and
research. President Jimmy Carter proposed the department in 1977 in response to the
1973 energy crisis.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was originally established as
Health, Education, and Welfare. HHS was created when President Jimmy Carter signed
the Department of Education Organization Act into law in 1979. The legislation split the
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare into the Department of Health and Human
Services and the Department of Education. Health and Human Services oversees the
country's health and social service programs. The Education Department directs the
nation's education programs.
President Ronald Reagan created the Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA) in 1988 when
he signed legislation elevating the Veteran's Administration to Cabinet level rank. The VA
directs veteran's aid programs, which include health and medical services and educational
programs.
The heads of each of the 15 departments form the Cabinet and members of the Cabinet
meet as a group and individually with the president. They serve as his advisors on their
respective department's area of concern. For example, the Defense and State Departments
play a major role in advising the president on international policy. The Commerce
Department may also be consulted on international issues, particularly when trade issues
are involved.
In addition to the 15 regular Cabinet members, the president may include other top
officials in the Cabinet sessions. Some presidents have invited the director of the Office of
Management and Budget, the United Nations ambassador, or the White House Chief of Staff
to Cabinet meetings. The vice president is often included in the Cabinet sessions as well.
The Cabinet in Practice
While the Cabinet departments were developed to address specific needs, not everyone in
government believes that all of the departments are necessary. In recent years, movements
have developed to disband the Departments of Education, Energy, and Commerce.
Each department is structured to suit its individual function. Usually there is a secretary
that heads the agency and an under-secretary or deputy secretary and assistant secretaries
that manage the various aspects of each department. The departments consist of various
sub-units or agencies, which may be further divided into smaller working groups. Many
agencies are set up geographically, with most of the work being done through regional or
district offices or bureaus.
Department secretaries are appointed by the president and must be confirmed by the
Senate. Senate rejection of appointees is rare, but it has occurred. The Senate rejected the
appointment of John Tower, President George Bush's nominee for defense secretary, after
allegations of Tower's drinking and womanizing resulted in a bitter debate. President
Clinton's nominee for attorney general, Zoe Baird, was forced to withdraw from
consideration after it was discovered that she had hired an illegal alien as her babysitter
and failed to pay her employee's social security taxes.
The president appoints the secretaries with the notion that they will represent him within
the bureaucracy and operate the departments according to his wishes. He also relies on the
secretaries for information and advice on policy matters from the department's area of
interest.
In addition to advising the president, the department secretary is concerned with
promoting and protecting his department and budget with the White House, Congress,
other departments, the media, and the public. That focus can lead to a conflict of interest
when the secretary becomes more loyal to his department than he is to the president. This
conflict is called "going native," which means the secretary is putting his department's
goals ahead of the president's goals for the country.
When a secretary "goes native," the president must turn to White House staff for political
advice. A rivalry often develops between White House staff and department secretaries,
with the staff supporting the president's proposals and the secretaries delaying and
developing counter-proposals. The staff can hinder the secretaries' efforts by restricting
access to the president. While some tension is anticipated, if a secretary expresses too
much opposition to the White House goals, he may become an embarrassment to the
president. In such cases, the president can call for the secretary's resignation.
Copyright © 2004 The Regents Of The University Of California