1. PowerPoint #2 The Presidential Cabinet
American Government Unit 4

2. Essential Questions:
What is the purpose of the Cabinet in the Executive Branch?
What do you feel are the three most important cabinet positions? Why

3. History of the Cabinet
The Cabinet dates back to the first President, George Washington
Washington appointed a Cabinet of four men to advise him and to assist him in carrying out his duties
They were:
Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson
Secretary of War: Henry Knox
Attorney General: Edmund Randolph
Secretary of the Treasury: Alexander Hamilton

4. What is the Cabinet? It is not mentioned in the Constitution but…
The Job of president is so big that it must be divided out into 15 different departments
The heads of 15 departments make up the president's Cabinet.
Each of the department heads are called Secretaries, example: Secretary of State.
The only exception is the head of the Department of Justice, who is called the Attorney General
The Cabinet is an informal advisory board that the president uses to help make critical decisions.

5. Choosing the Members of the Cabinet
The secretaries are appointed by the president
They must be approved by a simple majority vote (51) of the Senate.
This is part of the “Checks and Balances”
Generally the members of the cabinet serve as long as the president who appointed them remains in office.
Cabinet members only answer to the president and only the president can fire them.
All Cabinet members are considered federal employees and paid $192,600 a year

6. Appointments to the Cabinet

7. The Cabinet

8. 1. Secretary of State
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
The Secretary of State advises the President on foreign policy and security of the United States.
The State Department is responsible for analyzing facts relating to American overseas interests and negotiates treaties and agreements with foreign nations

9. 2. Secretary of Treasury
The Secretary Treasury is the principal economic advisor of the President and plays a major role in formulating economic policy.
The Department of the Treasury performs four basic functions:
Formulating and recommending economic / tax policies
Serving as financial agent for the U.S. Government
Enforcing the law (Counterfeiting)
Manufacturing coins and currency
Interesting fact is that the Secret Service who protect the President and his family work for Department of Treasury

10. Secretary of Defense “Mad Dog” James Mattis
The Secretary of Defense is the chief executive officer of the Department of Defense.
His power over the U.S. military is second only to that of the President
The Department of Defense is in charge supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military.
It works primarily out of the Pentagon building
It includes the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, as well as non-combat agencies
The annual budget was roughly $582 billion in 2016
Secretary of Defense “Mad Dog” James Mattis

11. Attorney General Jeff Sessions
The Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer and chief lawyer of the United States government.
Department of Justice is headed by the attorney general, which administers the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), prosecutes violations of federal law, and is responsible for enforcing all civil rights legislation
Attorney General Jeff Sessions

12. 5. Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Interior oversees such agencies as the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Geological Survey, and the National Park Service
Department of the Interior is responsible for the management and conservation of 75% of federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native American, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and territorial affairs.
Interior Secretary
Ryan Zinke

13. 6. Secretary of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, agriculture, forestry, and food.
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue

14. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker
The Department of Commerce is dedicated to promoting economic growth.
The department works to create jobs through sustainable development, economic growth, favorable international trade terms and the accessibility of high technology.
Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker

15. 8. Secretary of Labor
The Department of Labor is a U.S government cabinet body responsible for standards in occupational safety, wages and number of hours worked, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services and a portion of the country's economic statistics.
No current Secretary of Labor. Trump has nominated Alexander Acosta (his first Hispanic nominee) but he has not yet been confirmed by Congress

16. 9. Secretary of Health and Human Services
The Department of Health and Human Services oversees 11 agencies including the Food and Drug Administration, Center for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, Administration for Children and Families and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Secretary of
Health and Human Services
Tom Price

17. 10. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is the principal federal agency responsible for programs concerned with housing needs, fair housing opportunities, and improving and developing U.S. communities.
Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development
Ben Carson

18. 11. Secretary of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
Secretary of Transportation
Elaine L. Chao

19. 12. Secretary of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material.
Secretary of Energy
Rick Perry

20. 13. Secretary of Education
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for providing federal aid to educational institutions and financial aid to students, keeping national educational records, and conducting some educational research.
Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos

21. 14. Secretary of Veteran Affairs
Department of Veterans Affairs is the second-largest cabinet department, the VA coordinates the distribution of benefits for veterans of the American armed forces and their dependents. The benefits include compensation for disabilities, the management of veterans' hospitals, and various insurance programs.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Dr. David-Shulkin

22. 15. Secretary of Homeland Security
Homeland security is officially defined by the National Strategy for Homeland Security as "a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur".
Secretary of Homeland Security
John Kelly
Department of Homeland Security was founded in 2002 as a result of the 9/11 attack

23. Essential Questions:
What is the purpose of the Cabinet in the Executive Branch?
What do you feel are the three most important cabinet positions? Why