How the Cabinet Works

The creation of the American Cabinet began during the Revolutionary period [Source: Hinsdale]. The first "constitution" of the United States was the Articles of Confederation, ratified in 1881. This document bound the 13 colonies together as a loosely held confederation with no real centralized authority. In that same year, the Continental Congress approved the creation of four departments essential to the function of the new government in wartime: the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Finance, the Department of War and the Department of Marine. Under the Articles of Confederation, the heads of each department were chosen by (and answered to) Congress, not the executive [Source: Hinsdale].

It wasn't until the Constitution was ratified in 1789 and George Washington took office that the Cabinet took on its current form and function. As one of his first acts in office, Washington convinced Congress to create the Department of State, Department of Treasury and the Department of War. For his first Cabinet members and department heads, Washington chose his most loyal and competent advisers: Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury, and Henry Knox -- Washington's Major-General during the war -- as Secretary of War [source: Senate.gov]. Washington met frequently with his closest advisers and established the precedent for a presidential Cabinet that continues today.

Although the Senate plays a critical role in approving nominees to the Cabinet, it has traditionally respected the president's choice of his own advisers. Very few nominees have been rejected by the Senate, and almost none during periods when both the presidency and Congress were in the hands of the same party. In the 20th century, only two Cabinet nominees were rejected by the Senate (Lewis Strauss in 1959 and John Tower in 1989), both during periods of divided government [source: Senate.gov].

Next we'll look at one of the most important functions of the Cabinet: Cabinet meetings.

The members of the president's Cabinet represent his closest and most trusted advisors on critical foreign and domestic policy matters. While each member is in charge of the day-to-day business of his or her executive department, the president meets regularly with the Cabinet to discuss ongoing strategies to resolve everything from foreign wars to financial crises. President Obama convened a full Cabinet meeting at least every two months, but emergency Cabinet meetings are also held, such as the Cabinet meeting called by President George W. Bush on Sept. 12, 2001 [sources: WhiteHouse.gov; WhiteHouseMuseum.gov].

The agenda for each Cabinet meeting is developed by the Cabinet Secretary and his or her staff. The Cabinet Secretary is the primary liaison between the White House and the 15 executive departments [source: WhiteHouse.gov]. In preparation for each meeting, the Cabinet Secretary meets with the heads of each executive department and their staffs to identify the issues that merit the attention of the full Cabinet.

Cabinet meetings are held in the Cabinet Room, a small rectangular conference room on the first floor of the White House overlooking the Rose Garden [source: WhiteHouseMuseum.gov]. The Cabinet Room has been in its current location since 1934, when it moved from a second floor space now called the Treaty Room. Before 1869, the current location of the Cabinet Room was home to the White House stables [source: WhiteHouseMuseum.gov]. Insert manure joke here.

The president, vice president and Cabinet members sit around an oval mahogany conference table in leather-bound chairs, each bearing a bronze plate with the name of the department and the date the official took office. The order of the chairs correspond to the date in which each Cabinet position was created, with the Secretary of State seated to the president's right and the secretary of defense to his left [source: WhiteHouse.gov]. Tradition dictates that when a member of the Cabinet leaves his or her post, staff members buy the chair from the government as a parting gift.

Cabinet meetings are private, closed-door sessions. They are also the only time in which the president, vice president and every other executive officer in the line of presidential succession are found in the same room. Even during the State of the Union address, one member of the Cabinet is asked to watch from a second location to protect against a catastrophic accident or attack [source: WhiteHouse.gov]. After the Cabinet meeting is concluded, members of the press are invited in to take photos and to record the president's remarks on the work that was accomplished that day.

For lots more information about the U.S. government and executive authority, explore the related links on the next page.

It must be a heady experience, sitting around a conference table with the president and all of his most influential political advisers. Outside of Nixon's surreptitious tape recordings, we don't have transcripts of what goes on during Cabinet meetings. Do they go around in a circle, politely taking turns to share their opinions? Or is it a free-for-all? Do tempers flare up, voices rise and insults fly? We'll probably never know. A funny detail from this video on WhiteHouse.gov -- the Cabinet members must surrender their Blackberrys during the meeting. They write their names on Post-it notes, stick the notes to the back of their phones and drop them in a wicker basket before the enter the Cabinet Room. Easily the most entertaining image from the video is that basket and the Post-it on the top of the pile reading "HOLDER" with two underlines. I guess the Attorney General wants his phone back.

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