U.S. government executive agency
Executive Office of the President of the United States
Seal of the Executive Office
|
Flag of the Executive Office
|
|
Formed
| July 1, 1939
; 84 years ago
(
1939-07-01
)
|
---|
Jurisdiction
| U.S. Federal Government
|
---|
Headquarters
| White House
,
Washington, D.C.
, U.S.
|
---|
Employees
| 1,800 (approximately)
|
---|
Annual budget
| $714 million
[1]
|
---|
Agency executive
| |
---|
Website
| whitehouse.gov
|
---|
The
Executive Office of the President of the United States
(
EOP
) comprises the offices and
agencies
[2]
that support the work of the
president
at the
center
of the
executive branch
of the
United States federal government
.
[3]
The office consists of several offices and agencies, such as the
White House Office
(the staff working closest with the president, including
West Wing
staff), the
National Security Council
,
Homeland Security Council
,
Office of Management and Budget
,
council of Economic Advisers
, and others.
[4]
The
Eisenhower Executive Office Building
houses most staff.
The office is also referred to as a "permanent government", since many policy programs, and the people who are charged with implementing them, continue between presidential administrations.
[5]
The civil servants who work in the Executive Office of the President are regarded as nonpartisan and politically neutral, so they are capable of providing objective and impartial advice.
[5]
With the increase in technological and global advancement, the size of the
White House
staff has increased to include an array of policy experts responsible with managing various federal governmental functions and policy areas. As of 2015, it included approximately 1,800 positions,
[6]
most of which did not require
confirmation
from the
U.S. Senate
.
The office is overseen by the
White House chief of staff
. Since February 8, 2023, that position has been held by
Jeff Zients
, who was appointed by President
Joe Biden
.
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
History
[
edit
]
In 1937, the
Brownlow Committee
, which was a presidentially commissioned panel of
political science
and
public administration
experts, recommended sweeping changes to the executive branch of the
U.S. federal government
, including the creation of the Executive Office of the President. Based on these recommendations, President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
in 1939 lobbied Congress to approve the
Reorganization Act of 1939
. The Act led to Reorganization Plan No. 1,
[11]
which created the office,
[12]
which reported directly to the president.
The office encompassed two subunits at its outset, the
White House Office
(WHO) and the Bureau of the Budget, the predecessor to today's
Office of Management and Budget
, which was created in 1921 and originally located in the
Treasury Department
. It absorbed most of the functions of the National Emergency Council.
[13]
Initially, the new staff system appeared more ambitious on paper than in practice; the increase in the size of the staff was quite modest at the start. However, it laid the groundwork for the large and organizationally complex White House staff that emerged during the presidencies of Roosevelt's successors.
[14]
Roosevelt's efforts are also notable in contrast to those of his predecessors in office. During the 19th century, presidents had few staff resources.
Thomas Jefferson
had one messenger and one secretary at his disposal, both of whose salaries were paid by the president personally. It was not until 1857 that Congress appropriated money ($2,500) for the hiring of one clerk.
[15]
By
Ulysses S. Grant
's presidency (1869?1877), the staff had grown to three.
[16]
By 1900, the White House staff included one "secretary to the president" (then the title of the president's chief aide), two assistant secretaries, two executive clerks, a
stenographer
, and seven other office personnel. Under
Warren G. Harding
, there were thirty-one staff, although most were clerical positions.
During
Herbert Hoover's presidency
, two additional secretaries to the president were added by Congress, one of whom Hoover designated as his
press secretary
.
[17]
From 1933 to 1939, as he greatly expanded the scope of the federal government's policies and powers in response to the
Great Depression
, Roosevelt relied on his "brain trust" of top advisers, who were often appointed to vacant positions in agencies and departments, from which they drew their salaries, since the White House lacked statutory or budgetary authority to create new staff positions.
After
World War II
, in particular during the
Eisenhower presidency
, the staff was expanded and reorganized. Eisenhower, a former U.S. Army general, had been
Supreme Allied Commander
during the war, and reorganized the Executive Office to suit his leadership style.
[18]
Today, the staff is much bigger. Estimates indicate some 3,000 to 4,000 persons serve in office staff positions with policy-making responsibilities, with a budget of $300 to $400 million (George W. Bush's budget request for Fiscal Year 2005 was for $341 million in support of 1,850 personnel).
[19]
Some observers have noted a problem of control for the president due to the increase in staff and departments, making coordination and cooperation between the various departments of the Executive Office more difficult.
[20]
Organization
[
edit
]
The president had the power to reorganize the Executive Office due to the 1949 Reorganization Act which gave the president considerable discretion, until 1983 when it was renewed due to President Reagan's administration allegedly encountering "disloyalty and obstruction".
[20]
The chief of staff is the head of the Executive Office and can therefore ultimately decide what the president needs to deal with personally and what can be dealt with by other staff.
Senior staff within the Executive Office of the President have the title
Assistant to the President
, second-level staff have the title
Deputy Assistant to the President
, and third-level staff have the title
Special Assistant to the President
.
[21]
The core White House staff appointments, and most Executive Office officials generally, are not required to be
confirmed
by the
U.S. Senate
, although there are a handful of exceptions (e.g., the director of the
Office of Management and Budget
, the chair of the
Council of Economic Advisers
, and the
United States Trade Representative
).
[22]
The information in the following table is current as of January 20, 2021. Only principal executives are listed; for subordinate officers, see individual office pages.
White House offices
[
edit
]
The
White House Office
(including its various offices listed below
[24]
) is a sub-unit of the Executive Office of the President (office). The various agencies of the office are listed above.
|
---|
Office
| Name
| Term
| Office
| Name
| Term
| White House Chief of Staff
| Jeff Zients
| 2023?pres.
| National Security Advisor
| Jake Sullivan
| 2021?pres.
| White House Deputy Chief of Staff
| Jen O'Malley Dillon
| 2021?pres.
| Deputy National Security Advisor
| Jonathan Finer
| 2021?pres.
| White House Deputy Chief of Staff
| Bruce Reed
| 2021?pres.
| Homeland Security Advisor
| Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall
| 2021?pres.
| Counselor to the President
| Steve Ricchetti
| 2021?pres.
| White House Communications Director
| Ben LaBolt
| 2023?pres.
| Deputy White House Communications Director
| Pili Tobar
| 2021?pres.
| Senior Advisor to the President
| Mike Donilon
| 2021?pres.
| | Kate Berner
| 2021?pres.
| | Anita Dunn
| 2021, 2022-pres.
| White House Press Secretary
| Karine Jean-Pierre
| 2022?pres.
| | | | Director,
Public Engagement
| Stephen K. Benjamin
| 2022?pres.
| Deputy Press Secretary
| Vacant
| 2022?pres.
| | | | Director,
Intergovernmental Affairs
| Tom Perez
| 2023?pres.
| Director, Speechwriting
| Vinay Reddy
| 2021?pres.
| Chair,
Council of Economic Advisers
| Jared Bernstein
| 2023?pres.
| Director,
Digital Strategy
| Rob Flaherty
| 2021?pres.
| Director,
Domestic Policy Council
| Neera Tanden
| 2023?pres.
| Director, Legislative Affairs
| Shuwanza Goff
| 2023?pres.
| White House Cabinet Secretary
| Evan Ryan
| 2021?pres.
| Director,
Presidential Personnel
| Gautam Raghavan
| 2022?pres.
| Director, Oval Office Operations
| Annie Tomasini
| 2021?pres.
| White House Staff Secretary
| Stefanie Feldman
| 2023-pres.
| Personal Aide to the President
| Stephen Goepfert
| 2021?pres.
| Director, Management and Administration
| Dave Noble
| 2022?pres.
| Chief of Staff to the First Lady
| Vacant
| 2022?pres.
| Director, Scheduling and Advance
| Ryan Montoya
| 2021?pres.
| Director,
Office of Science and Technology Policy
| Arati Prabhakar
| 2022?pres.
| White House Social Secretary
| Carlos Elizondo
| 2021?pres.
| Director,
Office of Management and Budget
| Shalanda Young
| 2021?pres.
| Chief of Staff to the Vice President
| Lorraine Voles
| 2022?pres.
| United States Trade Representative
| Katherine Tai
| 2021?pres.
| White House Chief Usher
| Robert B. Downing
| 2021?pres.
| Director,
Office of National Drug Control Policy
| Rahul Gupta
| 2021?pres.
| Director,
White House Military Office
| Vacant
| 2022?pres.
| Chair,
Council on Environmental Quality
| Brenda Mallory
| 2021?pres.
|
|
(s) Indicates nominee requiring Senate confirmation.
|
Congress
[
edit
]
Congress
as well as the president has some control over the Executive Office of the President. Some of this authority stems from its appropriation powers given by the Constitution, such as the "power of the purse", which affects the Office of Management and Budget and the funding of the rest of federal departments and agencies. Congress also has the right to investigate the operation of the Executive Office, normally holding hearings bringing forward individual personnel to testify before a congressional committee.
[5]
The Executive Office often helps with legislation by filling in specific points understood and written by experts, as Congressional legislation sometimes starts in broad terms.
[5]
Budget history
[
edit
]
This table specifies the budget of the Executive Office for the years 2008?2017, and the actual outlays for the years 1993?2007.
Year
|
Budget
|
2017
|
$714 million
[1]
|
2016
|
$692 million
[25]
|
2015
|
$676 million
[26]
|
2014
|
$624 million
[27]
|
2013
|
$650 million
[28]
|
2012
|
$640 million
[29]
|
2011
|
$708 million
[30]
|
2010
|
$772 million
[31]
|
2009
|
$728 million
[32]
|
2008
|
$682 million
[33]
|
2007
|
$2956 million
[34]
|
2006
|
$5379 million
[34]
|
2005
|
$7686 million
[34]
|
2004
|
$3349 million
[34]
|
2003
|
$386 million
[34]
|
2002
|
$451 million
[34]
|
2001
|
$246 million
[34]
|
2000
|
$283 million
[34]
|
1999
|
$417 million
[34]
|
1998
|
$237 million
[34]
|
1997
|
$221 million
[34]
|
1996
|
$202 million
[34]
|
1995
|
$215 million
[34]
|
1994
|
$231 million
[34]
|
1993
|
$194 million
[34]
|
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
shares staff with the National Security Council
- ^
reports to the National Security Advisor
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"FY 2017 Omnibus Summary ? Financial Services and General Government Appropriations"
(PDF)
. House Appropriations Committee. May 1, 2017.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on May 1, 2017
. Retrieved
May 1,
2017
.
- ^
Harold C. Relyea (November 26, 2008).
The Executive Office of the President: A Historical Overview
(PDF)
(Report). Washington, D.C.:
Congressional Research Service
. Retrieved
April 17,
2018
.
- ^
The USAGov program.
"Executive Office of the President"
.
USAGov
. Retrieved
February 10,
2024
.
- ^
The White House.
"Executive Office of the President"
.
The White House
. Retrieved
February 10,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Mckeever, Robert J. (2014).
A Brief Introduction to US Politics
.
doi
:
10.4324/9781315837260
.
ISBN
978-1315837260
.
- ^
"The Executive Branch"
.
whitehouse.gov
. April 1, 2015
. Retrieved
March 5,
2021
.
- ^
Hartnett, Cass.
"Library Guides: United States Federal Government Resources: The Executive Office of the President"
.
guides.lib.uw.edu
. Retrieved
January 5,
2019
.
- ^
Trump, Donald J. (December 14, 2018).
"I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction. Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration..."
@realDonaldTrump
. Retrieved
January 5,
2019
.
- ^
Swanson, Ian (December 14, 2018).
"Trump names Mulvaney acting chief of staff"
.
The Hill
. Retrieved
January 5,
2019
.
- ^
O'Toole, Molly (December 30, 2018).
"John F. Kelly says his tenure as Trump's chief of staff is best measured by what the president did not do"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
January 5,
2019
.
- ^
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (April 25, 1939).
"Message to Congress on the Reorganization Act"
. John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters.
The American Presidency Project
. Santa Barbara: University of California
. Retrieved
May 6,
2011
.
- ^
Mosher, Frederick C. (1975).
American Public Administration: Past, Present, Future
(2nd ed.). Birmingham: University of Alabama Press.
ISBN
0817348298
.
- ^
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (May 9, 1939).
"Message to Congress on Plan II to Implement the Reorganization Act"
. John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters.
The American Presidency Project
. Santa Barbara: University of California
. Retrieved
May 6,
2011
.
The plan provides for the abolition of the National Emergency Council and the transfer to the Executive Office of the President of all its functions with the exception of the film and radio activities which go to the Office of Education.
- ^
Relyea, Harold C. (March 17, 2008).
"The Executive Office of the President: An Historical Overview"
(PDF)
. Congressional Research Service
. Retrieved
April 14,
2008
.
- ^
Burke, John P. (1992).
The institutional presidency
. Interpreting American politics. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press. p. 4.
ISBN
978-0-8018-4316-7
.
- ^
Calhoun, Charles W. (2017).
The presidency of Ulysses S. Grant
. American presidency series. Lawrence (Kan.): University Press of Kansas. p. 77.
ISBN
978-0-7006-2484-3
.
- ^
Sander, Alfred D. (1989).
A staff for the president: the executive office, 1921-1952
. Contributions in political science (1. publ ed.). New York: Greenwood Pr. pp. 52?53.
ISBN
978-0-313-26526-6
.
- ^
Patterson, Bradley H. (1994). "Teams and Staff: Dwight Eisenhower's Innovations in the Structure and Operations of the Modern White House".
Presidential Studies Quarterly
.
24
(2): 277?298.
JSTOR
27551241
.
- ^
Burke, John P.
"Administration of the White House"
. Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. Archived from
the original
on November 17, 2010
. Retrieved
June 6,
2009
.
- ^
a
b
Ashbee, Edward (2019).
US politics today
.
ISBN
978-1526124517
.
OCLC
1108740337
.
- ^
Kumar, Martha Joynt.
"Assistants to the President at 18 Months: White House Turnover Among the Highest Ranking Staff and Positions"
(PDF)
.
whitehousetransitionproject.org
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on November 13, 2018
. Retrieved
November 24,
2020
.
- ^
"The Executive Branch ? The White House"
.
trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov
. Retrieved
August 29,
2023
.
- ^
"Chirag Parikh Tapped for National Space Council ExecSec"
. August 2, 2021.
- ^
"EXECUTIVE BRANCH"
(PDF)
.
U.S. Government Publishing Office
. February 12, 2016.
- ^
"Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2016 Financial Services Bill"
. House Appropriations Committee. May 24, 2016
. Retrieved
May 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2015 Financial Services Bill"
. House Appropriations Committee. July 16, 2014
. Retrieved
May 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2014 Financial Services Bill"
. House Appropriations Committee. July 17, 2013
. Retrieved
May 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2013 Financial Services Bill"
. House Appropriations Committee. June 5, 2012
. Retrieved
May 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2012 Financial Services Bill"
. House Appropriations Committee. June 15, 2011
. Retrieved
May 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2011 Appropriations"
. Congressional Research Service. July 11, 2011
. Retrieved
May 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2010 Appropriations"
(PDF)
. Congressional Research Service. February 4, 2010.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on September 19, 2015
. Retrieved
May 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2009 Appropriations"
(PDF)
. Congressional Research Service. May 12, 2009.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on September 7, 2016
. Retrieved
May 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2008 Appropriations"
. Congressional Research Service. December 20, 2007
. Retrieved
May 1,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
"Historical Tables, Table 4.1 ? Outlays by Agency: 1962?2022"
.
Office of Management and Budget
. January 20, 2017
. Retrieved
June 30,
2019
.
[
clarification needed
]
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Executive Office
|
- Advisory Boards
(
Council for Community Solutions
,
Corporation for National and Community Service
,
Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
,
President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
,
President's Intelligence Advisory Board
,
President's Management Advisory Board
)
- Council of Economic Advisers
- Council on Environmental Quality
- Digital Service
- Executive Residence
(
Committee for the Preservation of the White House
,
Office of the Curator
,
Office of the Chief Usher
,
Office of the Chief Floral Designer
,
Office of the Executive Chef
,
Graphics and Calligraphy Office
)
- National Space Council
- National Security Council
(
Deputies Committee
)
- Homeland Security Council
- Office of Administration
(
Office of Mail and Messenger Operations
, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer)
- Office of Management and Budget
(
Office of the Chief Performance Officer
,
Office of E-Government and Information Technology
,
Office of Federal Financial Management
,
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
)
- Office of National Drug Control Policy
- Office of Science and Technology Policy
(
Office of the Chief Technology Officer
,
National Science and Technology Council
)
- Office of the Trade Representative
- Office of the Vice President
(
Office of the Chief of Staff
)
| |
---|
White House Office
|
- Office of Cabinet Affairs
- Office of the Chief of Staff
(
Office of Senior Advisors
)
- Office of Communications
(Office of Media Affairs, Office of Research,
Office of the Press Secretary
,
Office of Speechwriting
)
- Counsel
- Counselor to the President
- Office of Digital Strategy
- Domestic Policy Council
(
Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
,
Office of National AIDS Policy
,
Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation
,
Rural Council
)
- Fellows
- First Lady
(
Office of the Social Secretary
)
- Office of the National Security Advisor
(
Homeland Security Advisor
)
- Gun Violence Prevention
- Intergovernmental Affairs
- Legislative Affairs
- Management and Administration
(White House Operations, White House Personnel,
Visitors Office
)
- National Economic Council
- National Trade Council
- Oval Office Operations
(
Personal Secretary
)
- Office of Political Affairs
- Presidential Innovation Fellows
- Presidential Personnel
- Public Engagement
(
Council on Women and Girls
,
Jewish Liaison
,
Urban Affairs
)
- Scheduling and Advance
- Staff Secretary
(
Executive Clerk
,
Presidential Correspondence
, Office of Records Management)
- Military Office
(
Communications Agency
,
Medical Unit
,
Presidential Food Service
,
Transportation Agency
)
|
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|
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International
| |
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National
| |
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Artists
| |
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Other
| |
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