Presidential Cabinet

What is the Cabinet The Job of president is so big that it must be divided out into 15 different departments The combined heads of all 15 departments make up the president's Cabinet. The heads of each of the 15 Dept’s. Are called Secretaries, except the head of the Dept of Justice, who is called the Attorney General The Cabinet is an informal advisory board that the president uses to help make critical decisions.

Choosing Secretaries The secretaries are appointed by the president Must be approved by a simple majority vote (51) of the Senate. –Checks and Balances. Generally Sec’s. serve as long as the president who appointed them remains in office. Executive department secretaries answer only to the president and only the president can fire them. All Cabinet secretaries are considered federal employees and paid $188,100

Secretary Of State The Sec of State. advises the President on foreign policy and security of the United States. The Department is responsible 4 analyzing facts relating to American overseas interests and negotiates treaties and agreements with foreign nations. Hilary Clinton

Secretary of Treasury The Department of the Treasury performs four basic functions: 1 formulating and recommending economic / tax policies; 2 serving as financial agent for the U.S. Government; 3 enforcing the law (Counterfeiting); 4 manufacturing coins and currency. The Presidents Body Guards “Secret Service” work for Dept of Treasury

Secretary of Defense The United States Department of Defense is in charge supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military. The DOD works primarily out of The Pentagon building The Department includes the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, as well as non-combat agencies The DOD's annual budget was roughly $425 billion in 2006

Presidential Secession Congress has wrestled with the issue of presidential succession throughout our history. Why? Well, from , five vice presidents have taken over due to four presidential deaths and one resignation. In fact, from , more than 1/3 of all U.S. presidents have either died in office, quit, or become disabled.

Presidential Succession The 25th Amendments establish procedures for the VP to assume the powers of the president if the president is permanently, or temporarily disabled. Beyond president and vice President The Presidential Succession Law of 1947 addressed the simultaneous disability of both the president and vice president. Remember, to assume the presidency, a person must also meet all the legal requirements to serve as president.

Presidential Succession 1. Vice President 2. Speaker of the House 3. President pro Tempore of the Senate 4. Secretary of State 5. Secretary of the Treasury 6. Secretary of Defense 7. Attorney General 8. Secretary of the Interior 9. Secretary of Agriculture 10. Secretary of Commerce 11. Secretary of Labor 12. Secretary of Health & Human Services 13. Secretary of Housing & Urban Development 14. Secretary of Transportation 15. Secretary of Energy 16. Secretary of Education 17. Secretary of Veterans Affairs 18. Secretary of Homeland Security