Cabinet of the United States

The Cabinet of the United States is the main group that gives advice to the president. The Cabinet meets with the president in the Cabinet Room next to the Oval Office in the West Wing of the White House. The president leads these meetings but is not officially part of the Cabinet. The vice president of the United States is a member of the Cabinet by law. The leaders of different departments, chosen by the president and approved by the Senate, are also part of the Cabinet. These leaders run their departments and report directly to the president.

The Cabinet does not have its own powers or vote; it simply advises the president. The Constitution of the United States does not create the Cabinet directly, but its role comes from the president's need for advice from department leaders. The secretary of state is the highest-ranking Cabinet member after the vice president.

History

The idea of the Cabinet began when people met in 1787 to make rules for the country. They talked about if the president would decide things alone or with helpers called a cabinet of ministers or a privy council. The rules give all power to the president, but the president can ask for advice from leaders of each department.

George Washington, the first president, made the first Cabinet. It had five important leaders: the Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of War Henry Knox, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph. The vice president was not in the Cabinet at first.

Presidents have used their Cabinets in different ways over time. Some wanted the group to work together, while others did not. Today, Cabinets often include important staff from the White House and leaders from different agencies.

Federal law

Federal law helps the president share work with the Cabinet. It lets leaders of government departments make choices for the president in their areas without asking every time.

The law also stops leaders from hiring close family members for important jobs, like Cabinet jobs. If a leader needs to leave for a short time, the law says who can take over in that department.

Confirmation process

The president chooses leaders for government departments and agencies, and the Senate must approve them. Once approved, they start their jobs. If the Senate is not in session, the president can temporarily choose leaders.

An elected vice president does not need Senate approval, and neither does the White House chief of staff.

Salary

Main article: Executive Schedule

Leaders of government departments and many other important federal workers are paid under a plan called the Executive Schedule. As of January 2025^[update], the top leaders earn an annual salary of $250,600. The vice president earns $284,600. This salary level was set by a law in 1989 and includes updates for the cost of living.

Current Cabinet and Cabinet-rank officials

See also: Second cabinet of Donald Trump

The people here were chosen by President Donald Trump to be part of his team. They were approved by the United States Senate, or they are acting as leaders until new leaders are confirmed.

Vice president and the heads of the executive departments

See also: United States federal executive departments

The Cabinet includes the vice president and the leaders of 15 main departments. They are listed here based on their order of succession to the presidency. The speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate come after the vice president but are not members of the Cabinet.

Cabinet-level officials

The president can add more positions to the Cabinet. These can change with each president. They are not in the line of succession and are not always officers of the United States.

Former executive and Cabinet-level departments

Some important departments that used to be part of the U.S. Cabinet have changed over time. The Department of War was renamed and is now part of the Department of Defense. The Department of the Navy is also part of the Department of Defense. The Post Office Department was reorganized into the United States Postal Service, which now works separately. The National Military Establishment was later named the Department of Defense. During this time, the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force were also part of the Department of Defense.

Renamed heads of the executive departments

Some important jobs in the U.S. government have changed names over time.

The job of Secretary of Foreign Affairs started in 1781 and was later called Secretary of State in 1789. The Secretary of War began in 1789 and became the Secretary of the Army in 1947.

The Secretary of Commerce and Labor started in 1903 and became just the Secretary of Commerce in 1913. Finally, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare began in 1953 and was renamed Secretary of Health and Human Services in 1979 when education tasks went to a new Secretary of Education.

Positions intermittently elevated to Cabinet-rank

Some important jobs sometimes join the Cabinet. These include the Vice President, the Ambassador to the United Nations, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the White House Chief of Staff, among others. These positions have been part of the Cabinet at different times in history.

Other roles like the Counselor to the President, White House Counsel, United States Trade Representative, and many more have also been in the Cabinet during some years. Each helps advise the president in different ways.

Proposed Cabinet departments

Many people have suggested new departments to join the Cabinet of the United States. Some ideas include a Department of Industry and Commerce. Others include a Department of Natural Resources. There have also been proposals for a Department of Peace, a Department of Social Welfare, and a Department of Public Works.

Recent suggestions include a Department of Business, a Department of Education and the Workforce, and a Department of Technology. These ideas aim to group related jobs together to make government work better.