THE UNITED STATES CABINET

The United States Cabinet

The heads of the Executive Branch Departments Senior Advisors to the President

Originally there were four…now there are fifteen

They are nominated by the president and approved and confirmed by the U.S. Senate (Advise and Consent Clause)

The Original Dream Team

The Big Four

Secretary of State: concerned with foreign affairs and is the nation’s top diplomat

Secretary of the Treasury: handles the nation’s economic policy

Secretary of Defense: senior military policy advisor (Originally called the Secretary of War!)

Attorney General: chief law enforcement officer and senior lawyer of the United States

Traditions of the Cabinet

After the Vice-President, the Speaker of the House, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the order of precedence and presidential succession goes to the Cabinet in order of seniority… 1. Secretary of State 2. Secretary of Treasury 3. Secretary of Defense 4. Attorney General 5. And so on…

Traditions of the Cabinet

The Secretaries of State and Defense sit at the right and left of the President.

The Vice-President sits directly across from the President

The Secretary of the Treasury and Attorney General sit to the right and left of the Vice-President

The remaining cabinet members sit further away based on their rank

The Designated Survivor

Because all members of the Cabinet are eligible to serve as president… It is extremely rare for the entire cabinet

to meet in one place at the same time.

One member of the cabinet is ALWAYS absent.

In the event the government is destroyed the absent member automatically becomes president: they are THE DESIGNATED SURVIVOR

Thought on Life

Please respond to the following prompt in your civics notebook: Who would you allow to serve in your

presidential cabinet and why?