The President’s Cabinet has changed over the years. President Washington’s Cabinet consisted of only four members: Secretary of State (Thomas Jefferson), Secretary of the Treasury (Alexander Hamilton), Secretary of War (Henry Knox), and Attorney General (Edmund Randolph). The Constitution does not name what cabinet positions there should be, that duty is left to the Congress.

Additional cabinet positions were added over the years, including Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of Homeland Security.

There are other government agencies, that are not cabinet positions, but are managed by cabinet positions. For example, The US Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. This agency is in charge of making sure that certain drugs and foods (such as alli, celebrex and vioxx) are safe for human consumption. The US Environmental Protection Agency is not a cabinet position, but is often given cabinet rank.

There are so many different agencies in the Federal Government today, I am curious if George Washington would approve.