An Introduction to the Presidential Cabinet: Part 3

Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce

As our presidential Cabinet series continues, consider the eighth, ninth, and tenth successors to the president and their critical roles in the United States government.

Secretary of the Department of the Interior — the “department of everything else”

The Interior secretary is eighth in the presidential line of succession and advises the president on protecting and managing the nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage. It is the secretary’s duty to provide scientific and other information about those resources and honor the country’s special commitments to Native American peoples.

In 1849, on the last day of the thirtieth Congress, the Department of the Interior (DOI) was established with a vote of 31 to 25. The close vote reflected Congress’s concerns over the federal government encroaching on states’ rights. Ultimately, the growing responsibilities of the federal government and the need to absorb the offices and bureaus overwhelming the already exhausted Cabinet departments tipped the vote in favor of creating a new department.

The department formed after the Mexican War and during the California gold rush, when U.S. territorial expansion was accelerating. Most of the department’s early activities included occupying these lands and converting them into stable revenue sources. This land accumulation involved the forced removal of Native peoples from their ancestral homes, allowing the federal government to give millions of acres of land to white settlers.

Today, the U.S. government is the largest land manager in the nation — the DOI manages more than 500 million acres of public lands and 700 million acres of subsurface minerals. In large part because of the accumulation of Western land in the 19th century, the DOI is the steward of 20% of the nation’s lands, including national parks, national wildlife refuges, and public lands. The secretary also oversees resources that supply 30% of our domestically produced energy and manages water in 17 Western states. Additionally, the secretary manages programs related to wildlife conservation, historic preservation, biological science, and more — it is clear why this department is known as the “department of everything else.”

The secretary oversees the department’s vast responsibilities spread across 11 different and sometimes opposing bureaus. For example, each administration appoints a secretary whose priorities may shift between expanding energy production — like oil, gas, wind, and solar — and protecting federal lands for conservation and recreation. With recreation contributing an estimated $454 billion to the nation’s economy in 2021, both priorities involve powerful and often competing stakeholder interests. These competing goals often bring internal conflict and frequent lawsuits against the department and the secretary. 

The Interior secretary also upholds the federal government’s trust responsibilities to 574 federally recognized tribes. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, established in 1824 under the War Department, did little to protect cultural heritage or honor commitments, even after the Department of the Interior absorbed it. Well into the 20th century, the Interior tragically tried to assimilate Native Americans into U.S. society by forcibly removing children from their families and placing them in boarding schools where their language and culture were stripped from them. In 2009, the department settled a $3.4 billion class-action lawsuit, acknowledging that for decades the federal government had mismanaged tribal resources and failed to pay revenues to Indian landowners for resources produced from their lands.

Although the department’s past relationship with Native communities is deeply fraught, a significant milestone came in 2021 when Deb Haaland, the first Native American appointed as Interior secretary, launched an initiative to collect, archive, and tell the untold and hidden stories of America — because, “Native American history is American history.” Haaland spent her tenure using her experiences to elevate voices long silenced or ignored by federal institutions through establishing the Missing and Murdered Unit and the Road to Healing tour, and reinstituting the White House Tribal Nations summits. She is just one of the women who have shaped the future in the Department of the Interior.

Secretary of the Department of Agriculture — the “people’s department” 

Ninth in the presidential line of succession, the secretary of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) advises the president on agricultural issues, coordinates with other Cabinet members, and leads efforts to support farmers and ranchers, promote trade, ensure food safety, and protect our natural resources. The role of the Agriculture secretary shapes agricultural policy in ways that impact the majority of Americans.

As a thank you to the farmers who supplied food to 600,000 Union soldiers during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, a farmboy himself, signed legislation to create the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1862, calling the USDA “the people’s department,” a name that reflected its mission to serve everyday Americans. The USDA at that time helped test farm equipment and produced the best seeds for planting. While about half of all Americans lived on farms in the 1860s, today only about 2% do, but the department still plays a significant role in continuing Lincoln’s vision of reaching the lives of individual Americans through agricultural support. 

Today, the Agriculture secretary oversees 29 agencies, from research agencies like the Agricultural Research Service to resource management agencies like the Forest Service. With nearly 100,000 employees at more than 4,500 locations across the country and abroad, all these agencies strive to help the secretary fulfill the department’s mission to “provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy, the best available science, and effective management.” Because of significant overlap with other departments, the Agriculture secretary is required to coordinate with other Cabinet secretaries, specifically the Health and Human Services Secretary, on things like nutrition research.

Because of food surplus and widespread unemployment in the 1930s, Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace started the first food stamp program in 1939 that permitted qualified people to purchase surplus food at reduced prices. Though this program ended in 1943, Agriculture secretaries continued pushing legislation, and after multiple food acts were passed, by 1981, more than 22 million people benefited from government food assistance. Most recently, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), established in 2008, provides food benefits to about 41 million qualified Americans, allowing them the opportunity to afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being. This program continues to serve as a vital support system for families facing food insecurity across the nation.

As the first female to hold the office, Ann Veneman is known for expanding international trade for the agricultural sector, increasing funding for child nutrition and food programs, and creating programs such as Leaders of Tomorrow that sought to support young people in agriculture. She also responded decisively to the mad cow disease crisis of the 1990s, helping to safeguard the U.S. food supply.

Decades earlier, Ezra Taft Benson — who later became the prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — served as Agriculture secretary during President Eisenhower’s two presidential terms, receiving a letter of gratitude upon his resignation for his work on the Rural Development program and Food for Peace program. 

Secretary of the Department of Commerce — the voice of business in government

The secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce serves as the voice of American business within the federal government. As 10th in the presidential line of succession, the secretary advises the president on economic policy and oversees the department’s mission to “create the conditions for economic growth and opportunity for all communities.”

While concern for economic development has existed since the nation’s founding, it wasn’t until 1903 that the federal government created the Department of Commerce and Labor. A decade later, President William Taft reorganized it into the modern Department of Commerce. Originally tasked with promoting domestic and foreign commerce, manufacturing, mining, and fisheries, the department has since grown to include 13 bureaus that support innovation, industry, and job growth across the country.

The secretary of Commerce plays a central role in fostering job creation, ensuring economic and national security, and promoting American innovation and invention in science and technology. For example, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) — part of the department — drives advances in cybersecurity, manufacturing, and defense. NIST has employed several Nobel laureates who contribute groundbreaking research in physics and chemistry.

Another key bureau under the secretary’s leadership is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which monitors environmental changes that impact public safety and resource management. From ocean mapping and weather forecasting to hurricane tracking and fisheries oversight, NOAA’s work supports both scientific progress and community resilience.

One of the Commerce Department’s most far-reaching responsibilities is overseeing the U.S. Census Bureau, which conducts the constitutionally mandated decennial census. First led by Thomas Jefferson in 1790, the census counts every resident across the U.S. every 10 years, including those in homes, shelters, prisons, and remote areas like oil rigs, tents, and boats. These data determine congressional representation and the distribution of billions of federal dollars, making the census a high-stakes operation with deep implications for political and economic equity.

Over the years, Commerce secretaries have brought diverse expertise to the role. In 1977, economist Dr. Juanita Kreps became the first woman to lead the department. Her research on women’s changing roles in the workforce shaped public understanding of gender and economic policy. In 2001, businessman Donald Evans emphasized the importance of market-driven prosperity, saying, “Governments don’t create wealth and prosperity: People do. It is government's role to create the right conditions in which America's workers and businesses will flourish.”

From supporting scientific discovery to ensuring a fair and accurate census, the secretary of Commerce helps shape the economic infrastructure that affects every American life. It is a position where data, policy, and people converge — and one that continues to evolve with the challenges and opportunities of the modern era.

This article was written by Natasha Rogers, researcher and writer for Mormon Women for Ethical Government.