The US cabinet

What is the cabinet’s main role?

• Their central role is to provide advice to the President. They’re an advisory body who helps aid the President in achieving their agenda.

• They have no formal powers as they are not mentioned in the constitution

What can Presidents choose to create?

Government departments and cabinet positions - E.g: Obama had a council of Economic Advisors; Trump had a director of the CIA and the Department of Government Efficiency

How often does the cabinet meet?

Depends on the President

What are cabinet member appointments based on?

Due to their expertise - Biden appointed Merrick Garland as his Attorney General due to his extensive experience in the legal profession

Where the President picks their cabinet members from?

• Congress: May recruit from Congress but they have to give up their seats to join the cabinet. Presidents usually pick retiring or former Congressmembers - its not a step up to go to the President’s cabinet as you have less legislative, Marco Rubio left Congress to be Secretary of State in 2025.

• Serving/formal state governors, Big city mayors

• Academia: recruiting professionals such as Stephen Chu who was a from a top university became the Secretary of energy for Obama

• Corporate appointments - business experience can help the president - Rex Tillerson a major oil company CEO was appointed to be Trump’s first secretary of state. Key financial supporters - help keep supporters close - 40% of Trump’s cabinet were key financial supporters such as Betsey DeVos (education secretary)

Which republican did Obama famously appoint to his cabinet in 2013?

Chuck Hagel - This impacted the Guantánamo Bay closure as Hagel was defence secretary and as Obama wanted GB to be closed, Hagel was slow to move convicts from them

Who confirms the Cabinet?

The Senate -its a key check as it can inhibit the President’s agenda by denying key people to help them. Matt Gatez withdrew in 2025 as Attorney General as it seemed like the Senate would reject him

When was the last time the Senate rejected a cabinet member?

1989

Which Presidents chose to have diverse cabinets?

• Biden picked a very diverse cabinet - 2/3 were women, poc or both, the first Native American interior minister

• Obama’s cabinet had pocs in the majority

• Trump’s first cabinet have 6 heads of executive departments with no experience and weren’t very diverse

What is the general trend with cabinet meetings?

• The general trend is that the first term cabinet meetings were held more but this drops during the term. They also do it before events to establish an agenda.

• Bush held 6 meetings a year and Obama held 28 in his two terms

• Trump’s cabinet had a high turnover rate with 20 key govt members changes

What is EXOP?

The Executive Office of the President

What is EXOP?

• Set up in 1939

• They’re an integral part of the Presidency helping the President

• They’re not a department or the cabinet but they do work very closely with the President carrying out key responsibilities

What are the three main parts of EXOP: National Security Council

Designed to help the President coordinate foreign policy and the USA’s security. They’re impartial, avoiding politically influenced information. They coordinate with the difference department. The importance of the NCS and NSA changes depending on the president.

What are the three main parts of EXOP: White House Office

• Headed by the Chief of staff; this relationship is the closest and thus must be good. They have the highest level of clearance and controls who the President speaks to.

• They can be very experienced such as Rahm Emanuel (Obama administration)

What are the three main parts of EXOP: Office of Management and Budget

• They play a vital role in the budget and ensuring the President’s policy priorities are set

• This position requires Senate confirmation.

• When OMB wanted $5 bil for Trump wall led to the longest govt shutdown in 2018-19

• Extremely influential position because of their proximity is key to their influence as they surround the President ensuring that they have influence

What is the role of the VP?

• Traditionally, the role of the VP was not considered to be very important. Candidates would choose VPs in order to ‘balance the ticket’ and bring in extra votes in key states.

  • Once Carter allowed his VP, Mondale, to have his own office, attend any Presidential meetings and meet the President once a week, In the 1990s Gore and Cheney were heavily involved in the Clinton and Bush govt.

Give some examples of influential VPs

• Bush’s lack of experience in the federal govt the President gave Cheney responsibility for several key policy areas such as the War against terror due to his experience serving as defence secretary. (His influence did decline towards the end of Bush’s terms).

• Mike Pence took control of the coronavirus response. Obama allowed Biden to take change of the post-economic crash stimulus package and led congressional negotiations (Biden’s experience)

What influence does the VP have in the Senate?

• Whilst most VP power is reliant on the President being willing to allow the VP to take charge of an area of policy and be involved in constitutional power to cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate.

• Rare but Mike Pence broke 13 ties - Betsey DeVos nomination in 2017; Harris broke 33 votes; JD Vance used his tie-breaking to confirm Pete Hegseth