Cabinet of the United States
The Cabinet of the United States is the senior advisory body to the president, composed primarily of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and other officials whom the president may designate as cabinet-level. Cabinet secretaries are nominated by the president and confirmed by the United States Senate.
Legal basis and function
- Not created by the Constitution, the cabinet developed by custom; department heads are established by statute and serve at the pleasure of the president.
- Cabinet members lead their departments, advise the president, and implement administration policy.
Executive departments
The cabinet customarily includes the secretaries of: State, Treasury, Defense, Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security.
Cabinet-level officials
Presidents may invite additional officials to cabinet meetings (cabinet-level), often including the White House Chief of Staff, United States Trade Representative, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, and others.
Appointment and removal
- Secretaries are nominated by the president and confirmed by a Senate majority.
- They may be removed by the president at any time; acting officials may serve subject to the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.