The power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of the United States, who also acts as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress and, to that end, appoints the heads of the federal agencies, including the Cabinet. The Vice President is also part of the Executive Branch, ready to assume the Presidency should the need arise.

The Cabinet and independent federal agencies are responsible for the day-to-day enforcement and administration of federal laws. These departments and agencies have missions and responsibilities as widely divergent as those of the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Social Security Administration and the Securities and Exchange Commission. See Government Executives for individual cabinet member bios.

Including members of the armed forces, the Executive Branch employs more than 4 million Americans.

View all posts on President Trump’s nominations in this slide show (on computers).

Select the tab that says “Cabinet Nominations” to view short summaries of each of the nominees and a link to their posts.

All permanent members of the Cabinet of the United States as heads of executive departments require the advice and consent of the United States Senate following appointment by the president before taking office. The vice presidency is exceptional in that the position requires an election to office pursuant to the United States Constitution. The president may also designate heads of other agencies and non-Senate-confirmed members of the Executive Office of the President as Cabinet-level members of the Cabinet. The Cabinet meets with the president in the Cabinet Room, a room adjacent to the Oval Office.

As the Republican Party will control the next Senate, it is expected that all of Trump’s designates will be confirmed with little contest. However, some nominees have been met with criticism by a few Senate Republicans.

On November 12, 2024, president-elect Trump announced that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would work together to lead the Department of Government Efficiency in his second term. Despite the name, it is unlikely to be a federal executive department, since official departments require congressional approval, and is more likely to be a component of the Executive Office of the President or a presidential commission working closely with the Office of Management and Budget.

Trump’s cabinet choices were described by news media as valuing personal loyalty over relevant experience, and for having a range of conflicting ideologies and “eclectic personalities”. It was also described as the wealthiest administration in modern history, with over 13 billionaires chosen to take government posts.[

Source: Wikipedia

The United States federal executive departments are the principal units of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States. They are analogous to ministries common in parliamentary or semi-presidential systems but (the United States being a presidential system) they are led by a head of government who is also the head of state.

The executive departments are the administrative arms of the president of the United States. There are currently 15 executive departments.

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View all posts on President Trump’s appointment in this slide show (on computers).

Select the tab that says “Appointments” to view short summaries of each of the nominees and a link to their posts.

The core White House staff appointments, and most Executive Office of the President officials generally, are not required to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, with a handful of exceptions (e.g., the director of the Office of Management and Budget, the chair and members of the Council of Economic Advisers, and the United States trade representative).

There are about 4,000 positions in the Executive Office of the President.

Legislative definitions of an agency of the federal government of the United States are varied, and even contradictory. The official United States Government Manual offers no definition. While the Administrative Procedure Act definition of “agency” applies to most executive branch agencies, Congress may define an agency however it chooses in enabling legislation, and through subsequent litigation often involving the Freedom of Information Act and the Government in the Sunshine Act. These further cloud attempts to enumerate a list of agencies.

The majority of the independent agencies of the United States government are also classified as executive agencies (they are independent in that they are not subordinated under a Cabinet position). There are a small number of independent agencies that are not considered part of the executive branch, such as the Congressional Research Service and the United States Sentencing Commission, which are legislative and judicial agencies, respectively.

To view feature image in large screen mode (especially to see what the initials stand for), select the post then click on image to enlarge.

Source: Wikipedia

Most of the top executives in the Biden administration are in his Cabinet. Other executives report to the Secretary of their cabinet’s agency. For example, the Surgeon General reports to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The Cabinet’s role is to advise the President on any subject he or she may require relating to the duties of each member’s respective office.

The cabinet members are displayed in this slider in order of succession to the Presidency. Additional important executives are listed afterwards.