The United States federal executive departments are among the oldest primary units of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States—the Departments of State, War, and the Treasury all being established within a few weeks of each other in 1789. The heads of the Federal executive departments are the members of the traditional Cabinet; since 1792, they have, by statutory specification, constituted a line of succession, after the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate, to the presidency in the event of a vacancy in both that office and the vice presidency. The Constitution refers to these officials when it authorizes the President, in Article II, section 2, to "require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices." In brief, they and their organizations are the administrative arms of the President.
List of executive departments
All departments are listed by their present-day name and only departments with past or present cabinet-level status are listed. Order of succession applies only to within the cabinet; the Vice President has always been first in the line of succession, and the Speaker of the House and the President pro tem of the Senate have at times been included.
| Department | Creation | Order of succession |
Modifications since creation | 2007 Budget | Employees (2007) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | 1789 | 1 | Initially named "Department of Foreign Affairs" | $9.96 Billion | 30,266 |
| Treasury | 1789 | 2 | $11.10 Billion | 115,897 | |
| Defense | 1947 | 3 | Initially named "National Military Establishment" | $375.20 Billion | 3,000,000 |
| Justice | 1870 | 4 | Position of Attorney General created in 1789, but had no department until 1870 | $23.40 Billion | 112,557 |
| Interior | 1849 | 5 | $10.70 Billion | 71,436 | |
| Agriculture | 1889 | 6 | $77.60 Billion | 109,832 | |
| Commerce | 1903 | 7 | Originally named Commerce and Labor; Labor later separated | $6.20 Billion | 36,000 |
| Labor | 1913 | 8 | $59.70 Billion | 17,347 | |
| Health and Human Services | 1953 | 9 | Originally named Health, Education, and Welfare; Education later separated | $543.20 Billion | 67,000 |
| Housing and Urban Development | 1965 | 10 | $46.20 Billion | 10,600 | |
| Transportation | 1966 | 11 | $58.00 Billion | 58,622 | |
| Energy | 1977 | 12 | $21.50 Billion | 116,100 | |
| Education | 1979 | 13 | $62.80 Billion | 4,487 | |
| Veterans Affairs | 1989 | 14 | $73.20 Billion | 235,000 | |
| Homeland Security | 2003 | 15 | $44.6 Billion | 208,000 | |
| Total budget (Fiscal Year 2007): | $1,459.32 Billion | 4,193,144 | |||
Table of past departments
| Department | Dates of Operation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| War | 1789-1947 | Subsumed by Department of Defense, renamed Department of the Army |
| Post Office | 1789-1971 | Reorganized as quasi-independent agency, United States Postal Service |
| Navy | 1798-1947 | Subsumed by Department of Defense It has been proposed that the Secretary of Homeland Security assume the position in the order of succession once held by the Secretary of the Navy. |
| Commerce and Labor | 1903-1913 | Divided between Department of Commerce and Department of Labor |
| Health, Education, and Welfare | 1953-1979 | Divided between Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education |
Sources
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| Past departments: Commerce and Labor • Health, Education, and Welfare • Navy • Post Office • War |
