1. The Office of the President
White House staff has grown enormously
Rule of Propinquity: power is wielded by people who are in the room when a decision is made

2. The White House Office President’s closest assistants
Three kinds of structures
Pyramid structure
Circular structure
Ad hoc structure
Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel

3. The Executive Office of the President
Agencies that report directly to the president
Provides staff assistance for the executive, coordinates executive bureaucracy
Includes:
National Security Council (NSC)
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Director of National Intelligence (DRI)
Council of Economic Advisors (CEA)
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Office of the United States Trade Representative

4. The Cabinet
Consists of the 15 secretaries of the executive branch departments
The six cabinet-level administrative offices, including the VP and the Chief of Staff, can attend Cabinet meetings
The president “may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices…” (Constitution, Article II, Section 2)

5. The Cabinet Washington had the first cabinet
Secretary of State – Thomas Jefferson
Secretary of Treasury – Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of War – Henry Knox
Attorney General – Edmund Randolph
These positions still considered “the Big Four,” the most important (though Secretary of Homeland Security rising in importance)

6. The Vice President
Traditionally chosen to balance or strengthen a ticket
Responsibilities
President of the Senate
Support the president’s activities
First in line of succession
Vice President Joe Biden