The document discusses where US Cabinet members are typically recruited from and differences between the US Cabinet and UK Cabinet meetings. It notes that Cabinet members often come from positions as governors, big city mayors, academia, and Congress. It also notes that the US Constitution states the President may require Cabinet members' written opinions on matters relating to their departments, whereas UK Cabinet meetings are held more for institutional tradition than any constitutional requirement. The document then discusses how US Presidents aim to create a balanced Cabinet in terms of geography, race, gender, age, and ideology.

1. Where are Cabinet
members recruited from?
Are serving or retired
members more likely?
Obama picked
Tom Vilsack,
Iowa as
Secretary of
Agriculture
Governors or ex-governors
Big city mayors
Clinton appointed
Frederico Pena,
Dallas, as
Transport
Secretary
Academia
Obama appointed
Professor of
Physics Steven
Chu as Energy
Secretary
Congress
Hillary
Clinton

2. Cabinet
• Article II “the President may 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”.
PICK OUT FOUR KEY DIFFERENCES WITH YOUR
UNDERSTANDING OF UK CABINET MEETINGS

3. • ‘may’
• ‘opinions’
• ‘in writing’
• ‘upon any subject relating to the duties of their
respective offices’
Why have cabinet meetings at all then? Washington
thought it would be helpful to have meetings with the
Secretaries of War, Treasury and State. Every President
since then has had one. ‘It is institutionalised by usage
alone’ (Fenno 1959). In other words, it is used because
it is used.

4. Balanced Cabinet
• Geographically. Bush’s first Cabinet had representatives from
Rockies, the South, Upper Mid-West, East Coast & West Coast.
• Race. Every President since Nixon has picked an ethnically diverse
Cabinet. Bush’s most diverse ever (Norman Mineta Japanese-
American, Spencer Abraham Lebenese-American, and Elaine Chao,
Chinese American)
• Gender. Reagan faced criticism for appointing no women as head of
departments.
• Age. Generally reflects the age of the President, JFK had youngest
Cabinet ever (av. 47). Bush broke this rule with an average age of 58
(Rumsfeld etc).
• Ideology. Should represent all wings of the party. Bush’s Cabinet
seemed more ‘compassionate’ than ‘conservative (with the exception
of John Ashcroft – Attorney General). Mineta was a former
Democratic Congressman.