Executive
Branch
THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES - George W. Bush
Article
II, section 1, of the Constitution provides that ``[t]he
executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United
States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term
of four Years, . . . together with the Vice President, chosen
for the same Term . . . .'' In addition to the powers set
forth in the Constitution, the statutes have conferred upon
the President specific authority and responsibility covering
a wide range of matters (United States Code Index). The
President is the administrative head of the executive branch
of the Government, which includes numerous agencies, both
temporary and permanent, as well as the 15 executive departments.
The
Cabinet
The
Cabinet, a creation of custom and tradition dating back
to George Washington's administration, functions at the
pleasure of the President. Its purpose is to advise the
President upon any subject, relating to the duties of the
respective offices, on which he requests information (pursuant
to Article II, section 2, of the Constitution). The Cabinet
is composed of the Vice President and the heads of the 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.
Additionally,
in the Bush administration, Cabinet-level rank has been
accorded to the Chief of Staff to the President; the Administrator,
Environmental Protection Agency; the Director, Office of
Management and Budget; the Director, Office of National
Drug Control Policy; and the U.S. Trade Representative.
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