Executive+Leadership

The leader of the Executive Branch is the President of the United States. The President holds all the power for this branch of the government and the other members report to the President.

Other parts of the Executive branch include the Vice President, the Executive Office of the President, and the Cabinet.

The Constitution gives practically no direction on the organization of the executive branch. It does mention "executive departments," which became the basis for the cabinet. While relying primarily on the White House staff for advice, a president turns to members of the cabinet for advice in their areas of expertise. Cabinet secretaries are responsible for running the departments they head. Fifteen cabinet members are appointed by the president after he is elected to run the government's executive departments; the Senate must approve all appointments.

The Cabinet includes: justice, interior, housing and urban development, department of homeland security, health and human services, department of energy, department of education, department of defense, department of commerce, department of agriculture.

To view the line of succession [|here].