United States Cabinet: Definition and Links by Encyclopedian.com

The Cabinet is that part of the Executive branch of the United States Government consisting of the heads of the executive departments[?]. The term Cabinet is nowhere found in the United States Constitution, and the only reference to it within the Constitution is in the Twenty-fifth Amendment which states that the Vice President and a majority of the principal officers of the departments can transmit a notice that the President is unfit for office. The Cabinet is also important in the Presidential line of succession, with the Cabinet officers in the line of succession after the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate. Because of this, it is common practice not to have the entire cabinet in one location, even for ceremonial occasions like the State of the Union Address, where at least one Cabinet member does not attend.

Unlike the Cabinets in parliamentary systems, where the Prime Minister is frequently first among equals, the officials in the United States Cabinet are strongly subordinate to the President. In addition, the United States Cabinet does not play a collective legislative role as do the Cabinets in parliamentary systems.

In recent years, the Cabinet has become less and less important as a policy making body. Starting with President Franklin Roosevelt, the trend has been for Presidents to act through the Executive Office of the President rather than through the Cabinet. This has created a situation in which non-Cabinet officials such as the White House Chief of Staff, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget[?], and the National Security Advisor have power as large or larger than Cabinet officials.

The members of the cabinet are appointed by the President and are approved by Congress.

It includes:

Former Cabinet positions:

From 1789 to 1947 the duties of the Secretary of Defense were split among the Secretary of War, Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of the Army[?], and Secretary of the Air Force[?].
Prior to 1913, the duties of the Secretaries of Commerce and Labor were held by a single Secretary of Commerce and Labor.
Between the years 1872 and 1971, the Post Office Department headed by the Postmaster General was a Cabinet-level executive agency.
Prior to 1980, the duties of the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Education were united in the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.