How the US Cabinet Works: 15 Offices of the Cabinet

The US Cabinet is a series of departments within the Executive Branch of government that are meant to advise the President on issues related to their respective offices. Each department has a secretary who oversees all department activity and reports to the President. The US Cabinet Secretaries are selected by the President of the United States, with a Senate confirmation hearing required for approval of nominees. Cabinet appointees may be dismissed by the President at any time without Senate approval.

The departments of the US Cabinet include State, Treasury, Defense, Attorney General, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security.

The role of the US Cabinet is to counsel the President on various matters related to their respective offices. The secretaries of each department are expected to directly advise the President in any way that he or she may require. The departments contain no governing power of their own, but work closely to the President and are responsible for presenting particular directives speaking to the needs of the American people.

The President’s Cabinet is composed of several Cabinet members, including the Vice President, who is the highest-ranking member of the Cabinet. Below the Vice President are the rest of the department heads, who help oversee the various aspects of the federal government. Here are the various cabinet departments, presented in order of secretary rank:

1. 1. Department of State. Originally the Department of Foreign Affairs, this department handles matters related to international relations and national foreign policy. The State Department is led by the Secretary of State, who is the first Cabinet member in the Presidential line of succession (after the Vice President).
2. 2. Department of Treasury. Led by the Secretary of the Treasury, the Department of Treasury handles the production of currency in the United States. The Treasury Department also manages the public debt, finance and tax laws, and fiscal policy.
3. 3. Department of Defense. The Department of Defense—headed by the Secretary of Defense—is responsible for matters relating to national security and the United States Armed Forces.
4. 4. Attorney General. The Attorney General is the head of the Justice Department and serves as the chief lawyer to the U.S. Government, representing and supervising the country in all legal matters. The Attorney General oversees all the areas of the Department of Justice (DOJ), including the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Bureau of Prisons.
5. 5. Department of the Interior. The Secretary of the Interior runs the Department of the Interior, which is responsible for managing federal lands in regards to conservation and natural resources, such as dams, reservoirs, and wildlife. The Department of the Interior also deals with territorial affairs, as well as matters related to Native Americans, and covers a wide range of other responsibilities relating to national parks and lands.
6. 6. Department of Agriculture. The USDA is the Executive Department that deals with all matters relating to farming, food, and rural economic development. It was founded by Abraham Lincoln, and since then has become an important aid to farmers and food manufacturers for crop sales and distribution.
7. 7. Department of Commerce. The Secretary of Commerce heads this department, which is responsible for matters relating to economic growth, like setting industrial standards or gathering data for policy-making.
8. 8. Department of Labor. The Secretary of Labor is in charge of the Department of Labor, which handles unemployment benefits, workplace safety, and wage standards. The Labor Department helps administer and enforce federal regulations to help keep employees safe, as well as ensure their rights.
9. 9. Department of Health and Human Services. The Secretary of Health and Human Services leads this department, which oversees matters relating to public health and family services. Everything from physical fitness, to opioid prevention, to adoption and foster care falls under the purview of the Department of Health and Human Services.
10. 10. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This department manages programs like Housing and Community Planning and Development, passing legislation that affects development, and fair housing.
11. 11. Department of Transportation. The Department of Transportation—headed by the Secretary of Transportation—ensures the safety and modernity of American transportation services. Also known as the USDOT or DOT, the Department of Transportation coordinates policy and action for up-to-date transportation systems.
12. 12. Department of Energy. The Department of Energy deals with policies relating to energy production, waste disposal, and nuclear weapons. This department is responsible for managing the energy supply, tackling the climate crisis, performing transformative scientific research, and running the 17 National Laboratories of the United States.
13. 13. Department of Education. Headed by the Secretary of Education, the Department of Education handles a number of duties related to education, including financial loan and grant management, and collecting data about schools for future policy.
14. 14. Department of Veterans Affairs. The Department of Veterans Affairs provides healthcare and benefits to veterans of the United States. The VA works to address issues on veteran homelessness, and studies policies on how to support the people who have served their country.
15. 15. Department of Homeland Security. Formed by George W. Bush in response to the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center, the DHS is the third largest Cabinet office, handling public security issues like terrorism, disaster prevention, cybersecurity, border security, and immigration.

Other areas that are considered at the Cabinet-level include the White House Chief of Staff, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Office of Management and Budget, the United States Trade Representative, the United States Mission to the United Nations, the Council of Economic Advisers, and the Small Business Administration. While these sections are not technically their own departments, the head administrators receive Cabinet-rank status.

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