Official Cabinet Posts
The US cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of the government representing the executive branch.1 The first Cabinet dates back to the first American President, George Washington, who appointed Secretary of state, Thomas Jefferson; Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton; Secretary of War, Henry Knox; and Attorney General, Edmund Randolph.1 United States Cabinet posts are nominated by the President and are presented to the US Senate for confirmation or rejection by majority.
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The current US cabinet nominated by President Barack Obama includes:
*1 Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton
*1 Secretary of the Treasury, Timothy Geithner
*11 Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates
*1 Attorney General, Eric Holder
*1 Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne
*1 Secretary of Agriculture, Edward Schafer
*1 Secretary of Commerce, Carlos Gutierrez
*1 Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao
*1 Secretary of health and Humane Services, Michael Leavitt
*1 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Steve Preston
*1 Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters
*1 Secretary of Energy, Samuel Bodman
*1 Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings
*1 Secretary of Veterans' Affairs, James Peake
*1 Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano
The Current Cabinet-level office members elected by Barack Obama are:
*1 Vice President, Joe Biden
*1 Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel
*1 Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Steven Johnson
*1 Director of the National Drug Control Policy, John Walters
*1 United States Trade Representative, Susan Schwab
There cabinet posts were confirmed by the Senate of the United States on January 20, 2009, Inauguration Day.1 The post for Secretary of Defense had previously been confirmed by the senate and did not need to be re-confirmed.1 The office of Vice President was solely elected by President Barack Obama, and did not need to be confirmed by the Senate either.
President Bush's Cabinet consisted of:
*1 Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice
*1 Secretary of Treasury, Henry Paulson
*1 Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates
*1 Attorney General, Michael Mukasey
*1 Secretary of the Interior, Drik Kempthorne
*1 Secretary of Agriculture, Edward Schafer
*1 Secretary of Commerce, Carlos Gutierrez
*1 Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao
*1 Secretary of Health and Human Services, Michael Leavitt
*1 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Steve Preston
*1 Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters
*1 Secretary of Energy, Samuel Bodman
*11 Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings
*1 Secretary of Veterans Affairs, James Peake
*1 Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael ChertoffPresident George Bush's Cabinet-level administration offices were held by:
*1 Vice President, Richard Cheney
*1 Chief of Staff, Joshua Bolten
*1 Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Stephen Johnson
*1 Director of the Office Management and Budget, Jim Nussle
*1 Director of the National Drug Control Policy, John Walkers
*1 United States Trade Representative