1. The Cabinet American Government

2. White House Staff  The White House Staff is managed by the Chief of Staff and includes 600 people who work at the White House  The key staff departments include:  The Office of Communications, Legislative Affairs, Political Affairs, and Intergovernmental Affairs  The White House Staff also includes support services of Scheduling, Personnel, Secret Service and policy offices of the National Security Affairs, Domestic Policy Affairs, and cabinet secretaries

3. Basics  Cabinet  The Cabinet is made up of the president's 15 major executive departments, the vice president, and several other top officials.  The Original Cabinet  Originally there were only for Cabinet positions  Department of State (Thomas Jefferson)  Department of War (Henry Knox)  Department of Treasury (Alexander Hamilton)  Attorney General (Edmund Randolph)

4. Choosing Members  Presidents have to act carefully when choosing cabinet members  They must balance political, social, and management considerations  They also have to balance such factors as experience, geographic representation, race, and gender representation

5. The Cabinets Background and Benefits  Here are the general characteristics of a Cabinet member. They are generally:  College graduates, have advanced degrees, and they are leaders in fields such as business, industry, law, science or education.  Secretaries earn $161,200 a year.

6. Confirmation  Once candidates have been successfully chosen they are then taken to confirmation hearings  These hearings are used to look at the background of the candidate  These are normally routine and go quite smoothly  Over 500 individuals have been secretaries  Only a handful have not been allowed to hold office after being nominated.

7. Cabinets Role  The role of each presidential cabinet has been very different  Those who have the most influence are called the inner cabinet  These are the Secretaries of State, Defense, Treasury, and the Attorney General

8. Limiting Roles  Cabinets are limited in their influence for a number of reasons  They have 3 allegiances  To their field, to Congress, and to special interest groups.  It is also hard to keep sensitive matters secret with 15 cabinet members  Because of the political landscape, presidents often appoint cabinet members they have never met and therefore can’t trust.