6.2 The EOP and the executive departments

Use your textbook, (pgs. 242-250), to help you fill in the blanks as you read the summary for lesson 6.2. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the word bank! The Executive Office of the President (EOP) is a complex organization of agencies staffed by most of the President’s closest advisors and assistants.The White House Office is the “nerve center” of the EOP. It includes the President’s chief of staff, who directs White House operations, and other key members of the President’s inner circle, the President's closest, most trusted advisors.As part of the EOP, the National Security Council advises the President in all matters that relate to the nation’s safety. The President chairs the council.The EOP’s largest unit is the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which prepares thefederal budget. This budget gives a detailed estimate of the money to be received and spent by the Federal Government during the comingfiscal year. A fiscal year is the twelve-month period used by a government or business for financial management. The Federal Government’s fiscal year begins on October 1.The EOP also includes other agencies such as the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which oversees federal efforts to fight drugs. Three of the nation’s leading economists make up the Council of Economic Advisers. Still other units of the EOP deal directly withdomestic affairs, or matters confined within the States.Much of the Federal Government’s work is carried out by the fifteenexecutive departments, the traditional units of federal administration that are often called the Cabinet departments. The Cabinet is an informal advisory board convened by the President to serve his or her needs; it is made up of the heads of each executive department and other top officials. The Cabinet departments employ nearly two-thirds of the federalcivilian, or nonmilitary, workforce.Each department head is called a secretary, except for the head of the Department of Justice, who is the attorney general. These heads act as the primary links between the President and the subunits within their departments. The President chooses each department head, but these appointments must be confirmed by the Senate.Today, the executive departments vary in terms of visibility, importance, and size. The Department of State is the oldest and most prestigious department, but it is also the smallest. The Department of Defense is the largest. The Department of Health and Human Services has the largest budget, and the Department of Homeland Security is the newest. The other departments are those of the Treasury, Justice, the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education, and Veterans Affairs.Cabinet members are appointed by the President and subject to confirmation by the Senate. While professional qualifications and practical experience influence choices, so do gender, race, ethnicity and geography. Once a central cog in presidential government, the importance of the Cabinet has declined in recent years.