Executive Office of the President and the Cabinet

Section 1Chapter 8

Focus Questions

How is the Executive Office of the President organized?

What is the role of the vice president

How does the cabinet help carry out the work of the executive branch?

Executive Office of the President

The Executive Office of the President is made up of the White House staff, the National Security Council, the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of economic Advisers, and the National Economic Council

The vice president has also taken a key role in helping the executive carry out work

Executive Office of the President

White House Staff

Not until the Civil War did Congress appropriate funds for the president to hire White House personal staff

This staff now is the presidents personal staff and close advisers

The White House chief of staff manages all White House staff and controls access to the president

Executive Office of the President

White House Staff

The people under the chief of staff are separated into area– national security issues, domestic policy, speechwriting, relations with Congress, press secretary

President Harding hired the first speech writer and that signaled the end of presidents writing their own speeches

Executive Office of the President

White House Staff

The scheduling and Advance Office plans presidential trips, which includes exact timings of arrivals, setting up motor cades, and even television cameras at the engagements

Executive Office of the President

National Security Council

The National Security Council was set up in 1947 (help coordinate departments that deal with national security)

The CIA and departments of defense had not worked much together and this would help

The National Security Advisor (appointed by the President) heads the NSC

The NSC is now part of the president’s staff

Executive Office of the President

Office of Management and Budget

The Office of Management and Budget is key tool for influencing agencies (budget requests come through this agency)

The OMB can withhold money from a program the president feels in ineffective

Executive Office of the President

Council of Economic Advisors

Council of Economic Advisors is set up to give expert economic advice to the president

They work with several other White House staff in advising the president

Executive Office of the President

National Economic Council

Bill Clinton formed this council in 1993

Their main goal is to coordinate economic policy in the same way the National Security Council advises on foreign policy

The Council monitors and advises the president on trade and industrial technology

Executive Office of the President

The Vice President

The Constitution states that the vice president presides over senate and is first in line for succession to the president

In the past vice presidents did not have many other duties

Recently presidents have given their vice presidents an active role in and responsibility for specific policy

The Cabinet

In addition to the Executive Office of the President, there are 15 cabinet departments

The heads of these departments are called secretaries

The Attorney General is an exception to that rule as he is the head of the Department of Justice

Cabinet departments are divided into units that perform the actual work of the government

Before the growth of the Executive Office of the President– the Cabinet was the president’s main advisory body

The Cabinet

Cabinet’s role is much less significant now

The attorney general and the secretaries of defense, state, and treasury are still frequently consulted

The Cabinet

Why do presidents rely so little on cabinet’s advise today? President’s rely more on

White House staff advice Cabinet meetings are

impractical and time consuming

Cabinet departments tend to be territorial (cabinet secretaries may offer advise that is beneficial to their specific areas of concern)

Focus Questions

How is the Executive Office of the President organized?

What is the role of the vice president

How does the cabinet help carry out the work of the executive branch?