United States Federal Executive Departments

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The United States Federal Executive Departments are among the oldest primary units of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States—the Departments of State, War, and the Treasury all being established within a few weeks of each other in 1789.

The heads of the federal executive departments are the members of the traditional Cabinet; since 1792, they have, by statutory specification, constituted a line of succession, after the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate, to the presidency in the event of a vacancy in both that office and the vice presidency. The Constitution is referring to these officials when it authorizes the President, in Article II, section 2, to "require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices." In brief, they and their organizations are the administrative arms of the President.

[edit] Table of Executive Departments, modifications to them since creation and their 2004 budget

All departments are listed by their present-day name and only departments with past or present cabinet-level status are listed. Order of succession applies only to within the cabinet; the Vice President has always been first in the line of succession, and the Speaker of the House and the President pro tem of the Senate have at times been included

Department	Creation	Order of succession	Modifications since creation	2004 Budget
State	1789	1		$9.96 Billion
Treasury	1789	2		$11.10 Billion
Defense	1947	3	Initially named "National Military Establishment"	$375.20 Billion
Justice	1870	4	Position of Attorney General created in 1789, but had no department until 1870	$23.40 Billion
Interior	1849	5		$10.70 Billion
Agriculture	1889	6		$77.60 Billion
Commerce	1903	7	Originally named Commerce and Labor; Labor later separated	$6.20 Billion
Labor	1913	8		$59.70 Billion
Health and Human Services	1953	9	Originally named Health, Education, and Welfare; Education later separated	$543.20 Billion
Housing and Urban Development	1965	10		$46.20 Billion
Transportation	1966	11		$58.00 Billion
Energy	1977	12		$21.50 Billion
Education	1979	13		$62.80 Billion
Veterans Affairs	1988	14		$60.30 Billion
Homeland Security	2002	none		$36.50 Billion
Total budget (Fiscal Year 2004):			$1,402.36 Billion

[edit] Table of past departments

War	1789-1947	Subsumed by Department of Defense
Navy	1798-1947	Subsumed by Department of Defense It has been proposed that the Secretary of Homeland Security assume the position in the order of succession once held by the Secretary of the Navy.
Post Office	1872-1971	Reorganized as quasi-independent agency, United States Postal Service
Commerce and Labor	1903-1913	Divided between Department of Commerce and Department of Labor
Health, Education, and Welfare	1953-1979	Divided between Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education