The Cabinet and Executive Office of the President

What a president looks for when appointing cabinet members

Experience in a Particular Policy Area

• 1719 George Washington appointed all federalists, few years later Thomas Jefferson only appointed Democratic Republicans

Administrative and Supervisory Experience

Support for the President’s Goals and Plans

Support from Various Groups that Hold Political Power

• “secretary of agriculture must be liked by farmers”

Demographic Diversity

cabinet members advising president

• known as president’s “brain trust”

• depending on president, may be less involved/ be asked to give less advice

• Lincoln did not listen to his advisers

• Kennedy did

cabinet members have loyalty to

long-time officials in their own department

congress members

special interest groups

limiting factors in cabinet influence

secretaries can be loyal to other groups

secretaries can disagree with one another

president might not trust/know them

EOP

• Executive Office of the President

• advises the president

• started by FDR with Reorganization Act of 1939

• contains

  • OMB

  • NSC

  • Council of Economic Advisers

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

• LARGEST EOP AGENCY

• prepares national budget for the president to present to congress

all executive departments and agencies submit budgets to OMB, which can then make cuts

National Security Council (NSC)

• made of president’s senior national security advisors and cabinet officials

• advise president and coordinate US military and foreign policy, responding to terrorism and disasters

• directed by the National Security Advisor

FBI

CIA

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)

Counsel of Economic Advisors

• assesses US economy’s health, predicts economic future, supports other economic agencies

• prepares report for the president to give to congress on the state of the economy

• president has been Chief Economic Planner since Great Depression

• 3 members, all confirmed by Senate

• supported by a team of economists, statisticians, research assistants

White house office

• part of EOP

• set of advisers for pres, close friends

• gather info, advise and talk to and for pres, run white house day-to-day operations

White House chief of staff

• president’s most trusted advisor

• runs white house and its PRESS

other roles in the white house office

• White house counsel

  • lead lawyer

• office of communications

  • speech writers, press people, press secretary

• chief assistant for legislative affairs

  • advises pres on potential congress reactions to a policy

• white house aides

  • decide who gets to see the president and for what

executive privilege

president can refuse to give documents/records to legislative/judicial branches

comes from separation of powers

article 2, section 2

establishes the executive departments and that their secretaries advise the president