7.4 Presidential Advisers and Executive Agencies

1. 7.4 Presidential Advisers and Executive Agencies

2. The Executive Office • The core of the Executive Office of the President is the White House Office, which is comprised of 500 people who work directly for the president White House Staff work in the West Wing of the White House or the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door

3. The Executive Office • 10-12 people serve as the president’s closest political advisers; the most powerful is the Chief of Staff

4. The Executive Office • Other top advisers are the deputy chief of staff and the Press Secretary who provides the public with news about and statements from the president

5. Management and Budget • The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) prepares the federal budget and monitors spending in hundreds of government agencies

6. National Security Council (NSC) • The National Security Council (NSC) helps the president direct US military and foreign policy • It handles matters affecting the security of the country; it includes the VP, the secretaries of state and defense

7. National Security Council (NSC) • It also includes the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which includes the top commander from each of the armed services

8. National Security Council (NSC) • The NSC also supervises the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which gathers information about the governments of other countries

9. Other Offices • The Office of Administration provides administrative services to the executive offices of the president

10. Other Offices • The Office also responds to individuals who are seeking records under the Freedom of Information Act

11. Other Offices • The Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) helps the president carry out the role of economic leader; their primary duty is to give the president advice about complex economic matters such as employment, inflation, and foreign trade

12. The Cabinetis a group of presidential advisers that includes the heads of the 15 top-level executive departments The Cabinet

13. The head of the Department of Justice is called the Attorney General; all the other department heads are called secretaries The Cabinet

14. Department of Homeland Security • On November 25, 2002 President George W. Bush signed the Homeland Security Act of 2002 which created the Department of Homeland Security • This department worked to improve the nation’s defenses against terrorism and coordinate counterterrorism intelligence

15. Cabinet Responsibilities • As cabinet members, the secretaries advise the President on issues related to their departments

16. Cabinet Responsibilities • No mention of the cabinet appears in the Constitution; it developed when George Washington began to meet with the heads of the first four executive departments Washington’s First Cabinet: Alexander Hamilton (Treasury), Thomas Jefferson (State), Henry Knox (War), and Edmund Randolph (Attorney General)

17. Cabinet Responsibilities • The cabinet meets whenever the president determines it is necessary; department heads of the cabinet must be approved by the Senate Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at her Senate Confirmation Hearings

18. VP and First Lady • Most presidents have delegated little authority to their Vice President’s recently some have tried to give their vice presidents more responsibility • Vice President Al Gore served as a close adviser to Bill Clinton on environmental issues, and VP Dick Cheney advised President George W. Bush on foreign policy

19. VP and First Lady • The Constitution does not mention the spouse of a president but First Ladies have served the country in many ways:

20. VP and First Lady • Eleanor Roosevelt worked for the young and disadvantaged

21. VP and First Lady • Nancy Reagan spoke out for drug abuse prevention

22. VP and First Lady • Hillary Clinton worked to improve health care for all Americans

23. VP and First Lady • Laura Bush promoted education and reading

24. VP and First Lady • Today First Ladies have an office in the White House