An Introduction to the Presidential Cabinet: Part 2
- MWEG
- Jul 24
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 8
Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, U.S. Attorney General
As our presidential Cabinet series continues, consider the fifth, sixth, and seventh successors to the president and their critical roles in the U.S. government.
Secretary of the Department of the Treasury
As the federal government’s chief financial officer, the secretary of the Treasury Department advises the president in shaping and implementing economic and fiscal policy. In addition to counseling the president on matters such as taxes, the economy, and financial regulation, the secretary plays a critical role in national security and international economic policy. The secretary is fifth in the presidential line of succession and leads one of the nation’s oldest and most influential executive departments.
Although a national treasurer was appointed as early as 1776 to help finance the Revolutionary War and secure foreign loans, the U.S. Department of the Treasury was officially established by Congress in 1789. It was one of the original four executive departments, alongside State, War, and Navy.
Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the Treasury, laid the foundation for America’s financial system. Historically, the secretary had broad oversight, including some responsibilities unrelated to finances. For example, the Treasury managed the Postal Service until 1829. Over time, non-financial functions were delegated to other departments, allowing the Treasury to focus solely on managing the nation’s finances, economic policy, and monetary matters.
Today, the secretary of the Treasury serves as the president’s chief advisor on key economic and fiscal policies, both domestic and international. The secretary develops and recommends tax policy, oversees public debt management, and guides strategies to promote a healthy economy and financial stability. This role includes representing the U.S. in global financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Domestically, the secretary oversees key components of the federal financial infrastructure. This includes the production of currency and coins at the U.S. Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, managing government accounts and the national debt, and directing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which is responsible for tax collection and enforcement. The secretary also plays a role in supervising national banks.
The secretary’s signature appears on all U.S. paper currency alongside that of the U.S. treasurer. For the first time in history, two women’s signatures, U.S. Treasurer Chief Lynn Malerba and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, appeared on the 2021 series $1 and $5 bills.
In all these responsibilities, the secretary of the Treasury ensures the department fulfills its mission: to promote a strong economy, protect national security through financial measures, maintain public trust in the financial system, and manage the federal government’s finances effectively.
Fun fact: The reverse side of the $10 bill features the Treasury building, a nod to the department’s historical and financial importance.
Secretary of Defense
The secretary of Defense is second in the military chain of command, right behind the U.S. president, and is responsible for overseeing national defense strategy and one of the largest military forces in the world. As the head of the Department of Defense (DOD) — one of the original four executive departments — the secretary is sixth in the presidential line of succession and holds a heavy responsibility for protecting American interests both at home and abroad.
Congress first established the War Department in 1789. After the complex military struggles of World War II, President Harry Truman pushed for a more unified defense structure. The National Security Act of 1947 created the National Military Establishment (NME), which was reorganized two years later into the DOD. These amendments gave the secretary of Defense “direction, authority, and control” over the entire DOD. While the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and National Guard remain distinct branches, they are “separately administered by their respective secretaries under the direction, authority, and control of the secretary of Defense.”
The secretary of Defense sets the strategic vision for national security and peace, implements defense policy, assists other agencies in the management of public lands, and manages one of the largest federal budgets. The DOD oversees operations at about 500 military bases in the U.S. and approximately 750 bases in about 80 countries. Defense spending represents about 16% of the federal budget, and almost every kind of company has contracts with the department, from food and healthcare to weapons manufacturing and technology. Defense spending also includes intelligence gathering and advanced military research, which have historically contributed to civilian innovations, including the development of the internet.
Although prior military experience provides valuable perspective, the secretary of Defense must be a civilian at the time of appointment. This requirement, grounded in the principle of civilian oversight of the military, helps ensure military power remains subject to democratic control. U.S. law mandates a seven-year gap between active-duty military service and eligibility for the role, though Congress has occasionally granted waivers in recognition of a nominee’s unique qualifications, including for recent secretaries like James Mattis and Lloyd Austin. It is interesting to note that there has never been a female secretary of Defense.
From the Pentagon, the secretary leads efforts not only in national defense but also in global stability. This includes overseeing combat operations, coordinating disaster relief and humanitarian aid, countering terrorism, and supporting peacekeeping missions. The role requires both strategic vision and ethical responsibility, as decisions made by the secretary directly impact the lives of service members, civilians, and communities around the world.
Fun fact: Until a 2011 renovation, the Pentagon’s only elevator was reserved exclusively for the secretary of Defense — a small detail that underscores the role’s singular authority and weight.
Department of Justice — attorney general
The attorney general is the chief legal officer of the U.S. and gives advice and opinions to the president (and other high-ranking officials) on legal matters. Seventh in the presidential line of succession, the attorney general currently leads the Department of Justice (DOJ) and plays a crucial role in maintaining the rule of law and protecting the rights of all Americans.
The Office of the Attorney General was formed under the Judiciary Act of 1789 to advise the president on law and to prosecute cases in the Supreme Court. Edmund Randolph, George Washington‘s first attorney general, began as a part-time lawyer and consultant. Over the years, the attorney general began adding assistants and hiring private lawyers to handle an increasing number of federal cases until 1870, when Congress established the DOJ. Today, the DOJ carries on that mission, led by a full-time attorney general heading the largest law office in the world.
Under the leadership of the U.S. attorney general, the DOJ in 2024 was composed of more than 115,000 employees working in 40 separate organizations, including key federal law enforcement agencies. A few of the most prominent are the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which prioritizes the protection of Americans from dangerous threats, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which enforces controlled substances laws and regulations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), which enforces laws related to firearms, explosives, and illegal trafficking of alcohol and tobacco. The attorney general also oversees the administration and operation of the federal prison system, with a commitment to ensuring safe, lawful, and humane treatment of federal inmates and supporting rehabilitation where possible.
Woven through all the Justice Department’s organizations is its mission to “uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights.” The attorney general holds a vital responsibility in ensuring the fair and impartial administration of justice, regardless of political party, position, or prejudice. Though the Justice Department is now part of the executive branch, the attorney general should strive to act independently from politics and bias, holding all people and institutions accountable to the same laws. This can place the attorney general in a precarious spot as the president can so easily fire cabinet members. In a rare move, President Donald Trump asked his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, to resign in 2017 because of political conflicts and differences.
By contrast, in 1961 President Kennedy appointed his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, aged 35, as attorney general. Robert Kennedy became one of the president’s most trusted advisors. He worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr., innovated programs to enforce civil rights, tackled organized crime, improved access to justice for the poor, and rethought strategies for addressing juvenile delinquency.
Kennedy honored his role and promoted the department’s mission in his first official speech as attorney general: "We know that law is the glue that holds civilization together. And we know that if one man's rights are denied, the rights of all others are endangered."
Fun fact: Janet Reno was the first woman U.S. attorney general and held the job the second longest.
This article was written by Natasha Rogers, researcher and writer for Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
