The Executive Branch is established in Article II of the Constitution. The president, presently Barack H. Obama, is the head of the Executive Branch, but he is not the sole member of this branch of government. The qualifications to run for president are to be at least 35 years old, a natural born citizen, and a U.S. resident for at least 14 years. His responsibilities include being Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the U.S., granting reprieves and pardons for offenses, making treaties, appointing judges of the Supreme Court, giving State of the Union addresses, and making sure laws are faithfully executed and the government remains constitutional. In the charts below are the members of the president’s Cabinet and who currently holds that position. Cabinet members assist and advise the president in their areas of expertise. These duties include border security, economic duties, military management, law enforcement, nutrition management, human services and basic needs, maintaining transportation safety, and educational funding, among various other things.
| US Departments | Official Positions | Department Head |
|---|---|---|
| Vice President of the United States | Vice President | Joseph R. Biden |
| Department of State | Secretary of State | Secretary John Kerry |
| Department of the Treasury | Secretary of the Treasury | Jacob Joseph “Jack” Lew |
| Department of Defense | Secretary of Defense | Ashton Baldwin “Ash” Carter |
| Department of Justice | Attorney General | Loretta Elizabeth Lynch |
| Department of the Interior | Secretary of the Interior | Sarah Margaret Roffey Jewell |
| Department of Agriculture | Secretary of Agriculture | Thomas James “Tom” Vilsack |
| Department of Commerce | Secretary of Commerce | Penny Sue Pritzker |
| Department of Labor | Secretary of Labor | Thomas Edward Perez |
| Department of Health and Human Services | Secretary of Health and Human Services | Sylvia Mathews Burwell |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | Julian Castro |
| Department of Transportation | Secretary of Transportation | Anthony R. Foxx |
| Department of Energy | Secretary of Energy | Ernest Moniz |
| Department of Education | Secretary of Education | Secretary Arne Duncan |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | Secretary of Veterans Affairs | Robert McDonald |
| Department of Homeland Security | Secretary of Homeland Security | Jeh Johnson |
| Positions with Status of Cabinet-Rank: | ||
| Executive Office of the President | White House Chief of Staff | Denis McDonough |
| Environmental Protection Agency | Administrator of Environmental Protection Agency | Gina McCarthy |
| Office of Management & Budget | Deputy Director of Management & Budget | Shaun L. S. Donovan |
| United States Trade Representative | Ambassador of United States Trade Representative | Michael B. Froman |
| United States Ambassador to the United Nations | Ambassador of United States to the UN | Samantha Power |
| Council of Economic Advisers | Chairman of Council of Economic Advisers | Jason Furman |
| Small Business Administration | Administrator Small Business Administration | Maria Contreras-Sweet |
Three Branches 