Executive Cabinet
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Cabinet – group of advisors to the President that
includes all of the heads of the 15 top-level
executive departments
First Lady – The President’s Wife
Federal Bureaucracy – The agencies and
employees of the executive branch, all of the
agencies that work within the top level
departments
Bureaucrat- employees who work within the
government agencies
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Executive Agencies- Agencies that do not operate
within other government department, but have a
specialized area of their own
Government Corporations – ran like private
businesses, but are owned and operated by the
Federal Government
Regulatory Boards / Commissions – Agencies that
enforce the rules for certain industries
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Independent Agencies – federal boards or
commissions that are not part of any cabinet
department
Political Appointees – People who the President
chooses to fill a position, often only hold the
position while the President is in office
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Civil Service Workers – career federal employees,
hold their employment until retirement
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Civil Service System – the practice of using a series
of exams and merit to hire government workers
• Spoils System – giving jobs to people as a
reward for political support
• Merit System – jobs are given to people
based on Civil Service Exam Scores and
other standards set forth by the Office of
Personnel Management
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Advisors, clerks, and Secretaries who help the
President to do their job
5 Most Important Offices in the EOP:
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White House Office
Office of Management and Budget
National Security Council
Office of Administration
Council of Economic Advisers
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Group of about 500 people who work directly
for the president (includes political advisors,
personal secretaries, speech writers, ect..)
Person in charge of this department is known
as the Chief of Staff (Cyrus on Scandal)
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They help the President to prepare the budget
and monitor spending among government
agencies
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Helps to regulate Foreign Policy
Made up of the following people:
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Vice-President
Secretary of Defense
Secretary of State
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
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Individuals who are seeking information
under the Freedom of Information Act
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a
law that gives you the right to access
information from the federal government. It
is often described as the law that keeps
citizens in the know about their government.
http://www.foia.gov/
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Consists of 3 advisors that assist the
President on topics of employment, tax
policy, inflation, and foreign trade
◦ President names the members, but the Senate must
approve them
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The heads of all of the top level executive
departments
Head of the Justice Department is called the
Attorney General, all others are called
secretaries
Vice-Presidents and other high raking
officials are often asked to join the Cabinet
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The Department of Homeland Security
◦ Created in 2002 as a reaction to the attacks on
9/11
◦ Focuses on preventing terrorist attacks on American
soil
◦ First secretary named by George W. Bush was PA
Governor Tom Ridge
• ABSOLUTELY NOTHING !!!!
• The cabinet developed out of tradition and need
• Dates back to George Washington, who only had 4
cabinet members in his cabinet
• President sets the rules for meetings
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Turn new laws into action by setting rules
and procedures
Run day to day business of the federal
government
Regulate activities within the United States,
set standards
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President appoints directors of these
agencies with Congressional Approval
Operate separate from the President, Leaders
are Presidentially Appointed, but the
President cannot fire them
Types of Agencies:
◦ Executive Agencies
◦ Government Corporations
◦ Regulatory Commissions
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Agencies that do not operate within other
government department, but have a
specialized area of their own
Example: NASA (National Aeronautics and
Space Administration)
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United States Postal Service
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To protect the citizens from dangerous or
inappropriate actives in certain industries
Examples:
◦ Food and Drug Administration (FDA)- inspects food
and pharmaceutical industries in the US
◦ Federal Communications Commission (FCC)regulates television and radio broadcasts
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Political appointees are chosen by the
President and usually only hold their position
until the end of the President’s term
Civil Service Workers are hired based on merit
and exam scores, often hold their positions
for life
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Known as the Civil Service Reform Act of 1883
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Created after the assassination of James Garfield
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Limited the amount of positions a President could
give to their supporters
Created the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
which administers tests and sets standards for
hiring federal employees
Federal employees are hired based on test scores
and other criteria set forth by the OPM