Kevin Foster, age 16, of Columbia, Tenn., for his question:
HOW MANY ARE IN THE PRESIDENT'S CABINET?
Cabinet is a name applied to the collective body of advisers to the executive head of a parliamentary government. the composition and functions of the Cabinet vary in different countries. In the United States, the President has a Cabinet of 13 members.
Administrative heads of the executive departments of the federal government make up the President's Cabinet. The Cabinet consists of the secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury, the secretary of defense, the attorney general, the secretary of the interior, the secretary of agriculture, the secretary of commerce, the secretary of labor, the secretary of health and human services, the secretary of housing and urban development, the secretary of transportation, the secretary of energy and the secretary of education.
Cabinet members are appointed by the President with the approval of the Senate and may be removed by the President either at will or as a result of censure or impeachment by Congress. Unless they resign or are removed, Cabinet members serve for the duration of the term or terms of the President who appoints them.
The Cabinet as a governmental institution is not provided for in the U.S. Constitution. It developed as an advisory body out of the President's need to consult the heads of executive departments on matters of federal policy and on problems of administration.
Aside from its role as a consultative and advisory body the Cabinet has no function and wields no executive authority. The President may or may not consult the Cabinet and is not bound by the advice of the members.
Furthermore, the President may seek advice outside the Cabinet. A group of such informal advisers is known in American history as a kitchen Cabinet.
The formal Cabinet meets at times set by the President, usually once a week.
The salaries of Cabinet officers are fixed by Congress.
According to the Constitutional provision barring persons holding federal office from being members of the legislative branch of the federal government, Cabinet officers may not be members of Congress.
Cabinet members in the U.S., unlike their counterparts in other countries, have no direct legislative function, but are consulted by or give testimony before congressional committees. A Cabinet officer may speak 1n Congress only by a special vote of the branch of the legislature desiring to hear the officer.
Ever since the administration of George Washington, the secretary of state, who administers foreign policy, has been regarded as the chief Cabinet officer.
The secretary of health, education and welfare (now known as health and human services) became a Cabinet officer in 1953 when the department was created, as did the secretary of housing and urban development in 1965, the secretary of transportation in 1966, the secretary of energy in 1977 and the secretary of education in 1980, when those departments ware created.