Portal:Cabinet/Section 1

Confirmation process

File:Top Left Cabinet Image.png

Historical makeup of the Cabinet of the United States by year.

The heads of the executive departments and all other federal agency heads are nominated by the president and then presented to the Senate for confirmation or rejection by a simple majority (although before the use of the "nuclear option" during the 113th United States Congress, they could have been blocked by filibuster, requiring cloture to be invoked by ³⁄₅ supermajority to further consideration). If approved, they receive their commission scroll, are sworn in, and begin their duties. When the Senate is not in session, the president can appoint acting heads of the executive departments, and do so at the beginning of their term.

An elected vice president does not require Senate confirmation, nor does the White House Chief of Staff, which is an appointed staff position of the Executive Office of the President.

Office	Senate confirmation review committee
Secretary of State	Foreign Relations Committee
Secretary of the Treasury	Finance Committee
Secretary of Defense	Armed Services Committee
Attorney General	Judiciary Committee
Secretary of the Interior	Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Secretary of Agriculture	Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
Secretary of Commerce	Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Secretary of Labor	Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
Secretary of Health and Human Services	Finance Committee (official) Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (consult)
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development	Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
Secretary of Transportation	Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Secretary of Energy	Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Secretary of Education	Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
Secretary of Veterans Affairs	Veterans Affairs Committee
Secretary of Homeland Security	Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Trade Representative	Finance Committee
Director of National Intelligence	Select Committee on Intelligence
Director of the Office of Management and Budget	Budget CommitteeHomeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy	Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency	Environment and Public Works Committee
Administrator of the Small Business Administration	Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee

Salary

Main article: Executive Schedule

The heads of the executive departments and most other senior federal officers at cabinet or sub-cabinet level receive their salary under a fixed five-level pay plan known as the Executive Schedule, which is codified in Title 5 of the United States Code. Twenty-one positions, including the heads of the executive departments and others, receiving Level I pay are listed in 5 U.S.C. § 5312, and those forty-six positions on Level II pay (including the number two positions of the executive departments) are listed in 5 U.S.C. § 5313. As of January 2023, the Level I annual pay was set at $235,600.

The annual salary of the vice president is $235,300. The salary level was set by the Government Salary Reform Act of 1989, which provides an automatic cost of living adjustment for federal employees. The vice president receives the same pension as other members of Congress as the president of the Senate.