The Cabinet

Now that the first 100 days are over, it's time for a crash course in government. We've seen what our President can be capable of, now we have to figure out exactly what we want him to do.

First, it would seem that the one thing we all agree on, is that our primary focus these next 100 days has to do with our money. We can't do anything about the past. What's done is done. Fiscal year 2009 ends September 30th. We have to have a better budget to work with in 2010.

The federal budget is our nation's list of priorities and goals. The currently proposed budget lists our priorities and goals as follows:

Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
National Intelligence Program
Department of Education
Department of Energy
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of the Interior
Department of Justice
Department of Labor
Department of State and Other International Programs
Department of Transportation
Department of the Treasury
Department of Veterans Affairs
Corps of Engineers—Civil Works
Environmental Protection Agency
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Science Foundation
Small Business Administration
Social Security Administration
Corporation for National and Community Service.

When any President gets elected, they have an agenda, a list of campaign promises, things they want to accomplish while they're in office, all of which are going to cost money.

One of the first things a new President has to do is hire a team of people that are going to help him achieve his goals. This team will be known as his Cabinet. These are his advisors. These are the people that will put together the numbers that tell the President how much his goals are going to cost.

Barack Obama's team of advisors are:

Vice President of the United States
Joseph R. Biden

Department of State
Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton

Department of the Treasury
Secretary Timothy F. Geithner

Department of Defense
Secretary Robert M. Gates

Department of Justice
Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr.

Department of the Interior
Secretary Kenneth L. Salazar

Department of Agriculture
Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack

Department of Commerce
Secretary Gary F. Locke

Department of Labor
Secretary Hilda L. Solis

Department of Health and Human Services
Secretary-designate: Kathleen Sebelius

Department of Housing and Urban Development
Secretary Shaun L.S. Donovan

Department of Transportation
Secretary Raymond L. LaHood

Department of Energy
Secretary Steven Chu

Department of Education
Secretary Arne Duncan

Department of Veterans Affairs
Secretary Eric K. Shinseki

Department of Homeland Security
Secretary Janet A. Napolitano


The following positions have the status of Cabinet-rank:

Council of Economic Advisers
Chair Christina Romer

Environmental Protection Agency
Administrator Lisa P. Jackson

Office of Management & Budget
Director Peter R. Orszag

United States Trade Representative
Ambassador Ronald Kirk

United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Ambassador Susan Rice

White House Chief of Staff
Rahm I. Emanuel

Now, when talking about the budget, the guy to pay particular attention to is the Director of the Office of Management & Budget, Peter R. Orszag. Peter is not only the guy that disburses the money, he's also the guy every other department head must defend their budget to. When it comes to the budget, it's Peter's job to cover the President's derriere. Whatever makes it into our budget, has to make it past Peter first!

If you're interested in keeping up with your tax dollars, then make this one of your favorite places, http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/

Mr. Orszag may well be the person to send any correspondence regarding the federal budget. At the very least, he would be one person we might want to inform of what we don't want in there. It's just a thought.

Copyright © 2009 Annette Fortunato

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