Executive Departments

Cabinet Departments 15 Departments First cabinet had three department secretaries, State, Treasury, and War – Also the Attorney General Each department specializes in a certain aspect of the federal government Each department has a secretary that heads or runs it The only exception is the Attorney General who heads the Department of Justice

Subunits Each department has specialized subunits that answer to the head of that department Example: Department of Justice Terrorism and Violent Crime Section Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Section Most departments have offices in areas other than Washington DC Example: Veterans Health Administration 173 medical centers and over 300 outpatient clinics

The President’s Cabinet Advisory body Not mentioned in the Constitution It has evolved through custom and tradition Vice President usually is a part of the cabinet meetings Original Cabinet was: Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson Secretary of Treasury: Alexander Hamilton Secretary of War: Henry Knox Attorney General: Edmund Randolph

How are Cabinet Member Chosen? The President nominates a candidate The Senate holds hearings and questions the candidate They can reject or approve the candidate With Senate approval the candidate is sworn in and becomes the Secretary or Attorney General

What does the President look for? Same political party Party loyalty Professional qualifications and practical experience Chooses from different regions to balance out the cabinet Gender and race – increasingly appoint a varied cabinet Management ability and experience

Women and Minorities in the Cabinet FDR appointed the first women – Frances Perkins as Secretary of Labor Lyndon Johnson appointed the first African American – Robert Weaver –HUD Gerald Ford – first combination of women, Carla Hills (HUD) and African American, William Coleman (Sec. of Transportation) Jimmy Carter – first African American woman – Patricia Harris – HUD and later Health and Human Services

Ronald Reagan: First Hispanic Lauro Cavazos – Sec. of Education William Clinton: over 8 years in office: Five women, six African Americans, four Hispanics, and the first Asian American – Norman Mineta – Sec. of Commerce George W. Bush: over 7 years in office Four African Americans, six women including the first Chinese American, Elaine Chao (Sec. of Labor), two Hispanics, and retained a Democrat Norman Mineta as Sec. Transportation

What does the Cabinet do? Administers their departments Advises the President Some Presidents have relied on their cabinets: George H. W. Bush William Jefferson Clinton Some Presidents have barely used their cabinets: JFK said meeting with his cabinet was a waste of time Andrew Jackson had his group of informal advisors called the “Kitchen Cabinet” FDR’s Brain Trust was a group apart from his cabinet