2. Developed over the years as an informal group of advisors from each executive department
Article II, Section 2, Clause 1… “he 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…”
George Washington created the 1st Cabinet with: Secretaries of State, Treasury, War and an Attorney General

3. Washington’s top two advisors, Jefferson and Hamilton, disagreed so bitterly that political parties formed around these two men.
Andrew Jackson preferred a group of informal advisors known as the “Kitchen Cabinet.”
Abraham Lincoln once took a vote in which his entire cabinet unanimously opposed him. He said, “Seven nays, one aye, the ayes have it.”
John F. Kennedy paid more attention to the advice of his brother, Robert, who served as Attorney General, than his formal Cabinet.

4. There are now 15 Cabinet Departments
Each of these Departments have many subunits.
The smallest is the State, with 25,000 employees
The largest is the DOD with over 2 million employees.

5. State
Treasury
Defense
Justice
Interior
Agriculture
Commerce
Labor
Health and Human Services
Housing and Urban Development
Transportation
Energy
Education
Veterans Affairs
Homeland Security

7. Handles America’s foreign policy
Negotiates treaties & staffs embassies
Speaks for the US at the United Nations
Picture: The Harry S. Truman Building in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C is the headquarters of the United States Department of State.
$47B k

8. Serves as the financial division of the government
Collects taxes & manages debt
Mints coins and currency
$14B k

9. Named the War Department until 1949 Ensures America’s security
Oversees the armed forces through the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
$534B m

10. Oversees the nation’s legal affairs, police, and prison system
Administers explosive and firearm laws
Regulates the production and distribution of alcohol and tobacco
$31B k

11. Protects the public lands and natural resources throughout the U.S.
Oversees relationships with Native Americans
$20B k

12. Helps farmers improve incomes and production for home and abroad
Develops conservation programs
Safeguards the nation’s food supply
$151B k

13. Seeks to “promote job creation and improved living standards for all Americans”
Carries out the census
The Herbert C. Hoover Building is the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the United States Department of Commerce.
$9B k

14. Ensures safe working conditions
Oversees minimum wages and protects pensions
Collects and analyzes data on employment
$12B k

15. Motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well- being of America“
Manages federal Medicare and Medicaid programs
Note: Yes, that is a T for $1 trillion:
$1T k

16. Works to assist communities in the nation
Founded in 1965, as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” program
Works to assist communities in the nation
Ensures equal housing opportunities
$32B k

17. Regulates America’s transportation needs, policies, & planning
Works to ensure safe, efficient, and convenient highway, rail, & air transportation
Includes the FAA
$75b k

18. Oversees America’s nuclear program Sets energy policy
Researches and develops energy technology
Directs research in genomics & the Human Genome Project
$28B k

19. Coordinates federal assistance programs for public and private schools
Provides grants and student loans in addition to assisting students and schools with special needs
$68B k

20. Oversees medical care for military veterans and families
Manages educational programs for veterans
$180B k

21. Newest department created in 2002 after 9/11 attacks
Charged with anti-terrorism, border security, immigration and customs, cyber security, & disaster prevention and management
Newest department created in after 9/11 attacks
$40B k

22. A large, complex administrative structure that handles the everyday business of the government.
To some, bureaucracy has become synonymous with waste, red tape, delay, inefficiency…
Some argue that privatization would be better (Ex mail, health care, social security, schools)
Others advise against turning important agencies that help people over to for-profit corporations