Who’s Who In Government?

President's Cabinet

The tradition of the Cabinet dates back to the beginnings of the Presidency itself. One of the principal purposes of the Cabinet (drawn from Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution) is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of their respective offices.

The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments-the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, and the Attorney General. Under President George W. Bush, Cabinet-level rank also has been accorded to the Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; Director, Office of Management and Budget; the Director, National Drug Control Policy; and the U.S. Trade Representative.

Office / Current Administration / Relevant Previous Experience
Secretary of State
Secretary of the Treasury
Secretary of Defense
Attorney General
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Secretary of Transportation
Secretary of Energy
Secretary of Education
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Secretary of Homeland Security

Cabinet-level administration offices

Six positions have cabinet-level rank, which allows these individuals to attend Cabinet meetings without being secretaries of executive departments:

Office / Current Administration / Relevant Previous Experience
Vice President of the United States
White House Chief of Staff
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Director of the National Drug Control Policy
United States Trade Representative

Presidential Line of Succession

As specified by the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 and subsequent amendments to include newly created cabinet officers.

# / Office / Current Administration
1 / President of the United States
2 / Vice President and President of the Senate
3 / Speaker of the House of Representatives
4 / President pro tempore of the Senate
5 / Secretary of State
6 / Secretary of the Treasury
7 / Secretary of Defense
8 / Attorney General
9 / Secretary of the Interior
10 / Secretary of Agriculture
11 / Secretary of Commerce
12 / Secretary of Labor
13 / Secretary of Health and Human Services
14 / Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
15 / Secretary of Transportation
16 / Secretary of Energy
17 / Secretary of Education
18 / Secretary of Veterans Affairs
19 / Secretary of Homeland Security

Local Representation

You should be familiar with your local representatives...

Office / Representative
Mayor of Modesto
Modesto Chief of Police
Governor of the State of California
California Legislature – Senator 12th District
California Legislature – Senator 14th District
California Legislature – Assemblyman 25th District
California Legislature – Assemblyman 26th District
U.S. Senator - California
U.S. Senator - California
U.S. House of Representatives – 10th District