An Introduction to the Presidential Cabinet: Part 4

Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Photo courtesy WEBN-TV, licensed as CC BY-ND 2.0

Secretary of Labor — a voice for the American worker

The secretary of Labor plays a vital role in safeguarding the rights, dignity, and well-being of American workers. As head of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the secretary administers and enforces federal laws that affect everything from workplace safety to retirement protections — issues that touch the lives of nearly every American household. The secretary is 11th in the presidential line of succession and serves as the president’s top advisor on labor policy. 

The Department of Labor was created in 1913 after a 50-year campaign by labor advocates. More than 100 bills and resolutions had been introduced before President William Howard Taft — in his final hours in office — signed the Sulzer Bill into law. The new department gave organized labor a long-awaited “voice in the Cabinet.” Its founding purpose was “to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of working people, to improve their working conditions, and to enhance their opportunities for profitable employment.”

Since its founding, the department’s responsibilities have grown significantly. Originally focused on wage earners, which now amounts to about 145 million workers, it now also supports job seekers, retirees, and employers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, created in 1884, continues to provide vital data on employment, inflation, and workplace trends, helping inform policies that adapt to an ever-changing economy.

The secretary of Labor is responsible for enforcing more than 180 federal labor laws that protect workers’ rights and promote economic stability. These laws govern fair wages, safe workplaces, equal employment opportunities, and more. For example, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for qualifying family and health reasons. The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act ensures wage protections and safe working conditions for some of the nation’s most vulnerable laborers. Through these efforts, the secretary serves as labor’s advocate at the highest levels of government.

One of the most influential secretaries of Labor — and the first woman to serve in any U.S. Cabinet position — was Frances Perkins, who was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Before her term, Perkins protected immigrant women from sex traffickers, visited cardboard box homes during the Depression, and witnessed the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which killed 146 workers trapped in unsafe conditions. As a civilian, she worked tirelessly to implement labor reforms, including the modern fire requirements in public places we have today: fire extinguishers, fire exits, fire drills, and water sprinklers. As secretary, she helped establish the 40-hour work week, child labor protections, and workplace safety laws. She played a key role in shaping the New Deal and championed the Social Security Act of 1935, calling it “a turning point in our national life.”

Beyond policy, she was known for her moral courage, risking her life to help Jewish refugees during the Holocaust and confronting injustice wherever she saw it. Perkins believed labor policy was not just economic policy — it was about human dignity.

Secretary of Health and Human Services

From pandemics to childcare, aging, addiction, and food safety, the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) plays a vital role in nearly every stage of American life. This secretary is 12th in the presidential line of succession and is the nation’s top health official, with a responsibility to advise the president in protecting and supporting families in times of crisis and in everyday life. 

The Department of Health and Human Services was officially established in 1980, when the former Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split in two, creating a new, separate Department of Education. However, the roots of HHS go back much further. In 1798, Congress passed an act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen, laying the foundation for what would become the U.S. Public Health Service.

The mission of HHS is to “enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.” This mission sustains the HHS secretary in advising the president on how best to generate and implement health policy for the safety and well-being of specifically vulnerable and underserved populations in the U.S. 

The secretary of HHS is responsible for the leadership of 13 divisions that provide essential human services. Some of these divisions serve citizens by paying for medical bills through Medicaid and Medicare, researching and preventing disease outbreaks through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and educating and supporting at-risk families through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Another division of the HHS is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for producing, studying, and regulating medications, vaccinations, and food, ensuring these products are safe and helpful for human bodies. These divisions, overseen by the HHS secretary, provide needed information, products, and funding for the health and well-being of individuals and families.

Over the decades, HHS secretaries have shaped some of the most important public health efforts in modern American history. Patricia Roberts Harris, the first Black woman to serve in a U.S. Cabinet, oversaw the transition that created HHS and championed equity in health policy. Donna Shalala, who served under President Bill Clinton, was one of the longest-serving secretaries and played a major role in expanding children’s health insurance. Under President Obama, Kathleen Sebelius led the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

By overseeing these programs and shaping national health priorities, the HHS secretary plays a crucial role in promoting health, safety, and well-being and bringing the concerns of the nation’s most vulnerable directly to the president’s attention.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

The secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) manages HUD’s extensive programs and agencies while also advising the president on housing and community development policy. The HUD secretary is 13th in the presidential line of succession and plays a central role in shaping how and where Americans live.

Just one year after the Watts riots shook the nation, President Lyndon B. Johnson established the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 1965 as part of his “war on poverty” initiative. The new department absorbed the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which had been created during the Great Depression to make homeownership more accessible, and became the Cabinet’s voice for housing and community building.

HUD was tasked with developing affordable housing, combating housing discrimination, and supporting equitable community development. Its first secretary, Robert C. Weaver, became the first African American cabinet member and laid the foundation for HUD’s dual mission: shaping national housing policy and guiding the development of the nation’s cities and communities.

One of HUD’s most significant accomplishments came with the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, officially known as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act. This landmark law prohibited housing discrimination based on race, religion, and national origin, and was later expanded to include sex, disability, and family status. HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity enforces these provisions, though enforcement has historically been inconsistent. In 2016, the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule — intended to hold local governments accountable for addressing segregation — was finally published, only to be terminated twice, most recently in 2025.

The HUD secretary also oversees major housing assistance programs like the Housing Choice Voucher program — commonly known as Section 8 — which enables more than two million low-income households to afford rental homes. Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), created in 1974, provide local governments with funding for housing, infrastructure, and economic development.

HUD’s mission is to create strong, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. Through agencies like the Office of Public and Indian Housing and the Office of Community Planning and Development, the department secretary supports housing stability, neighborhood revitalization, and pathways to homeownership. HUD’s mortgage assistance programs help many moderate-income families achieve the dream of owning a home.

Throughout its history, HUD secretaries have interpreted the department’s mission in different ways, working with, and at times challenging, presidents and Congress in advancing the causes of decent housing and rising quality of life. Secretaries have ranged from civil rights leaders to big-city mayors to an NFL quarterback. Figures like Carla Anderson Hills, the first woman to head HUD, and Patricia Roberts Harris, the first Black woman in the Cabinet, have expanded the department’s legacy of representation.

Ultimately, the secretary’s role is not only managerial but moral, ensuring that the basic human right to housing is protected and extended to every American.

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