Informal sources of presidential power: The cabinet

Question 1

What is the cabinet?

Answer 1

The advisory group selected by the president to assist in making decisions and coordinating the work of the federal government

Question 2

What is cabinet membership determined by?

Answer 2

Tradition and presidential discression

Question 3

How many executive departments are there?

Answer 3

15

Question 4

Who attends cabinet meetings?

Answer 4

The president, vice president, the 15 heads of the executive departments and other officials, such as the White House chief of staff and the director of the OMB

Question 5

Why is the cabinet not mentioned in the constitution?

Answer 5

Because the founding fathers created a singular executive - meaning no councils or cabinets

Question 6

How can article II of the constitution be seen as making some reference to the cabinet?

Answer 6

Because it says that the president may require the opinion of the heads of executive departments on legislation that impacts the duties of their respective departments

Question 7

How did cabinet meetings come to be?

Answer 7

Washington thought it would be useful to have meetings with the heads of the executive departments and the attorney general, and then the press started to call them cabinet meetings

Question 8

What does presidential scholar Fenno say about the legitimacy of the cabinet?

Answer 8

It is ‘institutionalised by usage alone’

Question 9

Using Obama as a case study, explain why it is important to differentiate between the cabinet as a group and the cabinet as individuals?

Answer 9

Some cabinet members, like first term secretary of state Clinton and treasury secretary Geithner, were key figures who exercised great responsibility in their respective areas. However, cabinet meetings were hardly ever held, so as a group the cabinet were unimportant

Question 10

What does the president generally look for when appointing people to the cabinet?

Answer 10

Policy specialism

Question 11

Explain how Biden looked for policy specialism when appointing his cabinet

Answer 11

He appointed a retired army general as a secretary for defence, a former chair of the federal reserve as a secretary for the treasury and a united states circuit judge to head up the department of justice

Question 12

How are cabinet appointments confirmed?

Answer 12

By a simple majority in the senate, it is very rare for a president’s nominees to be rejected by the Senate

Question 13

How was making cabinet appointments difficult for Trump?

Answer 13

Pence had to make a tie breaking vote to confirm DeVos’ appointment as education secretary. A week later, Puzder, Trump’s nominee to be secretary of labour withdrew after it became clear that he lacked the necessary votes

Question 14

When was the last time the Senate rejected a presidential appointment to the cabinet?

Answer 14

In 1989, when H.W Bush’s nomination of Tower for secretary of defence was rejected

Question 15

How have presidents picked their cabinet since Clinton?

Answer 15

In a way that makes sure it is balances in terms of gender, race, religion, age, experience and political ideology

Question 16

How did Trump’s cabinet differ compared to his predecessors?

Answer 16

It was older, whiter and richer - as well as lacking governmental experience

Question 17

How does Biden’s cabinet differ from Trump’s

Answer 17

It is much more diverse in terms of gender, age and ethnic mix

Question 18

How frequently are cabinet meetings held?

Answer 18

It varies from one president to the other, Reagan had 36 in his first year, whilst Clinton had just six

Question 19

What is the general trend for the frequency at which cabinet meetings are held?

Answer 19

Presidents tend to hold less as they become more experienced - Trump held 18 meetings in his first two years but just 7 in his last two. W. Bush broke this trend by being relatively consistent

Question 20

How did W. Bush and Obama schedule their cabinet meetings?

Answer 20

Just before or immediately after big political events, like the midterms or state of the union address, in order to use them as a team talk on big ticket issues

Question 21

Why was Trump’s cabinet much more unstable than previous ones?

Answer 21

Because he made 20 changes, whereas Obama made just three and W. Bush made just one within their respective first terms

Question 22

What was the consequence of Trump having a much more unstable cabinet than his predecessors?

Answer 22

There was a lack of administrative and legislative continuity

Question 23

How many different heads of the Department for Homeland Security had there been over the course of Trump’s presidency?

Answer 23

9

Question 24

What two groups can those who left the Trump cabinet be split into?

Answer 24

Those who fell out with Trump and those who became embroiled in scandal

Question 25

What did Brzezinsky, who served in the Carter cabinet, say about cabinet meetings?

Answer 25

They were useless and had no coherent theme, which lead to them becoming held less and less frequently over time

Question 26

What is the most probable explanation for why cabinet meetings are not very productive?

Answer 26

So many people sitting round the table are policy specialists in just one area - this means they have little to offer in discussions involving other policy areas

Question 27

List the 7 functions of cabinet meetings for the president

Answer 27

• Creating team spirit
• Creating media coverage
• Exchanging information
• Presenting big ticket ideas
• Monitoring Congress
• Encouraging prompt action
• Enabling personal contact

Question 28

Explain the cabinet function of creating team spirit

Answer 28

Especially important early on in an administration since a president will not have a shadow cabinet in waiting. Many cabinet officers will be complete strangers to the president. Meetings will therefore make them part of the team and get them onboard with the president’s agenda. Once this has been achieved, usually within the first year, this function ceases. This might explain why the number of cabinet meetings decrease as an administration ages

Question 29

Explain the cabinet function of creating media attention

Answer 29

It is important for the president to appear consultive and photo opportunities help cultivate this image. Essentially becomes a PR exercise and a chance for the president to make some comments that will receive coverage.

Question 30

How did the way Trump made use of cabinet meetings differ to his predecessors?

Answer 30

He opened entire cabinet meetings to the press and even took questions from the press. This is because Trump was much more concerned with appearing dominant than consultive

Question 31

Explain the cabinet function of exchanging information

Answer 31

Provide opportunity for info giving and gathering. Presidents can make statements knowing every department head has head them and can go round the table asking cabinet officers what is going on in their departments

Question 32

Explain the cabinet function of presenting big picture items

Answer 32

These are items that will affect all cabinet officers, like the budget, up-coming elections, a major legislative programme or a foreign Trump?

Question 33

Give an example of Trump calling a cabinet meeting to discuss a big ticket item

Answer 33

When he called one on the 19th May 2020 to discuss the federal governments response to COVID

Question 34

Explain the cabinet function of monitoring Congress

Answer 34

Can be used to check up on legislation going through Congress

Question 35

Give an example of Obama calling a cabinet meeting to monitor Congress

Answer 35

He called one in Feb 2015 to set out his legislative agenda for Congress that year

Question 36

Explain the cabinet function of encouraging prompt action

Answer 36

Can be used to goad cabinet members into action.

Question 37

Give an example of Obama used a cabinet meeting to encourage prompt action

Answer 37

In July 2014, he thought secretary of defence Hagel was dragging his feet over the release of prisoners from Guantanamo Bay. Obama sat on the chair next to him and told him ‘I don’t think we’re moving fast enough’. He then instructed the White House chief of staff to get together with Hagel and fix this

Question 38

Explain the cabinet function of enabling personal contact

Answer 38

Provide an opportunity for the president to see cabinet members they wouldn’t otherwise. It is not unusual for cabinet members to praise the president.

Question 39

What did Shrum say about the cabinet?

Answer 39

‘No one in the cabinet outshines the president’

Question 40

What are the 4 structural reasons why the cabinet can never be of prime importance?

Answer 40

• The Constitution grants all executive power to the president - meaning cabinet officers have no power vested in them directly
• There is no doctrine of collective responsibility - meaning the president is not first among equals, but simply first
• Cabinet members are not political rivals to the president and being a part of the cabinet is rarely a stepping stone to the presidency
• The EXOP is a rival to the cabinet with a number of key advantages, too

Question 41

What did professor King say about the relation between the president and the cabinet?

Answer 41

‘The president does not sum up the meeting, he is the meeting’

Question 42

Who was the last person to step from the cabinet directly into the presidency?

Answer 42

Herbert Hoover in 1929

Question 43

How did the creation of EXOP in 1939 limit the caninet’s importance?

Answer 43

In EXOP, the cabinet has something of a rival, and a rival of a number of key advantages