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The Cabinet is a part of the executive branch of the U.S. federal government consisting of the heads of federal executive departments. Despite having evolved as one of the most powerful organs of the contemporary U.S. government, the term "Cabinet" does not appear in the U.S. Constitution, where reference is made only to the heads of departments.

1 Constitutional basis

2 Establishment

The first president of the United States, George Washington, quickly realized the importance of having a cabinet. Amongst his first acts he persuaded Congress to recognize the departments of Foreign Affairs (renamed State and given additional powers a few months after its creation), Treasury, and War. Unlike contemporary European advisors who were given the title "minister", the heads of these executive departments would be given the title of "secretary" followed by the name of their department. Although Washington's cabinet also contained the position of Attorney General, the Attorney General did not become the head of the Justice Department until 1870. George Washington's first cabinet consisted of Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Knox as Secretary of War, Edmund Randolph as Attorney General and Samuel Osgood as Postmaster General.

3 Secretary selection process

The 15 Cabinet Secretaries are chosen by the President, and approved by the United States Senate by simple majority vote. Cabinet Secretaries are often selected from past and current American governorA governor is an official who heads the government of a colony, state or other sub-national state unit. Most countries in the world have some sort of official known as a governor, though in some countries, the heads of the states, provinces and regions mas, senatorNote Please do not edit this page to reflect the November, 2004 elections until the new Congress convenes in January. The Senate with the current members is still in session and these members are still serving Senators. Each state elects two senators to ts, representativesNote Please do not edit this page to reflect the November, 2004 elections until the new Congress convenes in January. The House of Representatives with the current members is still in session and these members are still serving Representatives. The United, and other political office holders. Because of the strong system of separation of powers, however, no cabinet member can simultaneously hold an office in the legislative or judicial branches of government while serving in cabinet, nor can they hold office in stateThis article discusses states as sovereign political entities. For other meanings, see state (disambiguation). In international law and international relations, a state is a political entity possessing sovereignty, i. not being subject to any higher polit government. Private citizens such as businessmen or former military officials are also common cabinet choices. Unlike the parliamentary system of government, cabinet members are rarely "shuffled" and it is rare for a Secretary to be moved from one department to another. Some exceptions apply. For example, current Transportation Secretary Norman MinetaNorman Yoshio Mineta (born November 12, 1931) is an American politician and member of the Democratic party. Mineta is currently serving as the United States Secretary of Transportation. Mineta was born in San Jose, California. During World War II he was d has previously served as Secretary of Commerce. A slightly more common occurance is for popular cabinet secretaries to be "brought back" to serve a second term under a new president. For example current Secretary of Defense Donald RumsfeldDonald Henry Rumsfeld (born July 9, 1932) is the current Secretary of Defense of the United States, since 2001, under President George W. His current term of office is as the 21st Secretary of Defense, and he is the oldest person to have held that positio held his position once before, under President Gerald Ford from 1975-1977.

Unlike many Cabinets in parliamentary systems, where the Prime Minister is said to be "first among equals", the officials in the United States Cabinet are strongly subordinate to the President. In addition, the United States Cabinet does not play a collective legislative role as do the Cabinets in parliamentary systems. The main interaction that cabinet members have with the legislative branch are regular testimonials before Congressional committees to justify their actions, and co-ordinate executive and legislative policy in their respective fields of jurisdiction.

Cabinet members can be fired by the President, or impeached by the Congress. Customarily, a few Cabinet members may resign before the beginning of a second Presidential term. Usually all Cabinet members resign shortly after the inauguration of a new President. Rarely, a popular or especially dedicated Cabinet member may be asked to stay, sometimes even serving under a new President of another party.