32-780: The Staff Secretary (" Staff Sec ") is a position in the White House Office responsible for managing paper flow to the President and circulating documents among senior staff for comment. It has been referred to as "the nerve center of the White House." Specifically, the Office of the Staff Secretary decides which decision memos, briefing materials, lists of potential nominees, briefing books, intelligence reports, schedules, correspondence, and speech drafts end up on
64-554: Is also referred to as a "permanent government", since many policy programs, and the people who are charged with implementing them, continue between presidential administrations. The civil servants who work in the Executive Office of the President are regarded as nonpartisan and politically neutral, so they are capable of providing objective and impartial advice. With the increase in technological and global advancement,
96-478: Is also the head of the Executive Office of the President. The staff work for and report directly to the president, including West Wing staff and the president's senior advisers. Almost all of the White House Office staff are political appointees of the president, do not require Senate confirmation and can be dismissed at the discretion of the president. The staff of the various offices are based in
128-503: Is directed by staff chosen by the president. A staff authorization was initially established in 1978 (92 Stat. 2445). Some presidential boards, committees, and commissions function organizationally as subunits of the White House Office. Although still a subunit of the EOP, the White House Office remains the center of the presidential staff system. In many ways it is closest to the president both in physical proximity, its top aides occupy most of
160-680: The Carter Administration into the newly created Office of Administration . During the Reagan Administration the Offices of the Staff Secretary and the Executive Clerk were reunited with Presidential Correspondence in a configuration that has remained fairly consistent through the subsequent presidencies. President Trump's second White House Chief of Staff , John F. Kelly , reiterated the importance of
192-533: The Eisenhower presidency , the staff was expanded and reorganized. Eisenhower, a former U.S. Army general, had been Supreme Allied Commander during the war and reorganized the Executive Office to suit his leadership style. As of 2009, the staff is much bigger. Estimates indicate some 3,000 to 4,000 persons serve in office staff positions with policy-making responsibilities, with a budget of $ 300 to $ 400 million (George W. Bush's budget request for Fiscal Year 2005
224-664: The Reorganization Act of 1939 . The Act led to Reorganization Plan No. 1, which created the office, which reported directly to the president. The office encompassed two subunits at its outset, the White House Office (WHO) and the Bureau of the Budget, the predecessor to today's Office of Management and Budget , which was created in 1921 and originally located in the Treasury Department . It absorbed most of
256-517: The United States Trade Representative ). The information in the following table is current as of January 20, 2021. Only principal executives are listed; for subordinate officers, see individual office pages. The White House Office (including its various offices listed below ) is a sub-unit of the Executive Office of the President (office). The various agencies of the office are listed above. Congress as well as
288-699: The West Wing and East Wing of the White House , the Eisenhower Executive Office Building , and the New Executive Office Building . Senior staff, with high level, close contact with the President, have the title Assistant to the President. Second-level staff have the title Deputy Assistant to the President, and third-level staff have the title Special Assistant to the President. These aides oversee
320-420: The 19th century, presidents had few staff resources. Thomas Jefferson had one messenger and one secretary at his disposal, both of whose salaries were paid by the president personally. It was not until 1857 that Congress appropriated money ($ 2,500) for the hiring of one clerk. By Ulysses S. Grant 's presidency (1869–1877), the staff had grown to three. By 1900, the White House staff included one "secretary to
352-529: The Executive Clerk , the Office of Records Management, and the Office of Presidential Correspondence —is the largest of the White House Offices. The current Staff Secretary is Stefanie Feldman. Due to the high volume of important memos, meetings and decisions generated for the President's attention, the Staff Secretary is tasked with deciding which papers should go to the President's desk—and when
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#1732793622604384-608: The Organization of the Executive Branch) . Under Eisenhower, the first staff secretaries focused particularly on screening national security communications; in this role, Colonel Andrew J. Goodpaster was thought to overshadow the President's special assistant for national security . With the appointment of businessman Jon Huntsman, Sr. , as Staff Secretary in the Richard Nixon White House ,
416-792: The President of the United States ( EOP ) comprises the offices and agencies that support the work of the president at the center of the executive branch of the United States federal government . The office consists of several offices and agencies, such as the White House Office (the staff working closest with the president, including West Wing staff), the National Security Council , Homeland Security Council , Office of Management and Budget , Council of Economic Advisers , and others. The Eisenhower Executive Office Building houses most staff. The office
448-537: The functions of the National Emergency Council. Initially, the new staff system appeared more ambitious on paper than in practice; the increase in the size of the staff was quite modest at the start. However, it laid the groundwork for the large and organizationally complex White House staff that emerged during the presidencies of Roosevelt's successors. Roosevelt's efforts are also notable in contrast to those of his predecessors in office. During
480-401: The incoming papers and determine which issues must reach the President. Secondary to this, Staff Sec determines who else in the administration should comment on the issue to give the President a full picture of the situation. Staff Sec then compiles the documents with the relevant commentary for the President's consumption. Traditionally, the Staff Secretary is a position of great trust due to
512-484: The influence it can wield over which information is allowed to reach the President, and who is given the opportunity to comment on those issues. The Staff Secretary or a designated Assistant Staff Secretary always accompanies the President on any work-related travel. The position was established under President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953, one of the recommendations of the Hoover Commission (Commission on
544-472: The offices in the West Wing, and in its impact on the day-to-day operations, deliberations, policy agendas, and public communications of a presidency. During the transition to office and continuing throughout an administration, the president enjoys a great deal of discretion in terms of how the White House Office is organized. The issues that confront the United States at any one time cannot be dealt with by
576-468: The paper should be sent to him. These documents range from presidential decision memos and bills passed by Congress to drafts of speeches and samples of correspondence. The Staff Secretary relies on close coordination with Oval Office Operations and the Scheduling Office to decide when and how the President would like to receive documents. The Staff Secretary's principal role is to review
608-519: The pieces together; they are the tone-setters and disciplinarians making for good organizational order, and often act as the gatekeeper for the president, overseeing every person, document and communication that goes to the president. The White House Office under the administration of Joseph Biden as of November 2024 is as follows. Executive Office of the President of the United States The Executive Office of
640-403: The political and policy interests of the president. The White House Office was established in the Executive Office of the President by Reorganization Plan 1 of 1939 and Executive Order 8248 to provide assistance to the president in the performance of activities incident to his immediate office. The White House Office is organized in accordance with the wishes of each incumbent president and
672-405: The president alone, and therefore the president draws on the expertise of others in the administration and even within an administration as one chief of staff may differ from a predecessor or successor. While chiefs of staff may differ in the degree of policy advice they provide a president, they are the managers of the White House staff system. At least in theory, they are the coordinators bringing
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#1732793622604704-534: The president has some control over the Executive Office of the President. Some of this authority stems from its appropriation powers given by the Constitution, such as the "power of the purse", which affects the Office of Management and Budget and the funding of the rest of federal departments and agencies. Congress also has the right to investigate the operation of the Executive Office, normally holding hearings bringing forward individual personnel to testify before
736-468: The president" (then the title of the president's chief aide), two assistant secretaries, two executive clerks, a stenographer , and seven other office personnel. Under Warren G. Harding , there were thirty-one staff, although most were in clerical positions. During Herbert Hoover's presidency , two additional secretaries to the president were added by Congress, one of whom Hoover designated as his press secretary . From 1933 to 1939, as he greatly expanded
768-454: The president’s desk, as well as how and when the president will receive them. The Staff Secretary also works with senior White House staff to edit all of these materials and ensure they are ready for the president's consumption. The Office of the Staff Secretary is generally composed of a Staff Secretary, a Deputy Staff Secretary, and several Associate Staff Secretaries. The Office of the Staff Secretary, along with its sub-offices—the Office of
800-476: The role of the Staff Secretary in managing the flow of information around the White House. His decision to allow a Staff Secretary with only an interim security clearance has been criticized. White House Office The White House Office is an entity within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The White House Office is headed by the White House chief of staff , who
832-495: The role was vastly expanded to absorb the functions of the Office of Management and Administration. These new roles included personnel management, finance and operations, services (such as access to the White House Mess and limousine fleet), facilities and furniture, and oversight of the Executive Clerk and Visitors Office . Almost all of these responsibilities—as well as Presidential Correspondence—were spun off during
864-466: The scope of the federal government's policies and powers in response to the Great Depression , Roosevelt relied on his "brain trust" of top advisers, who were often appointed to vacant positions in agencies and departments, from which they drew their salaries since the White House lacked statutory or budgetary authority to create new staff positions. After World War II , in particular, during
896-431: The size of the White House staff has increased to include an array of policy experts responsible with managing various federal governmental functions and policy areas. As of 2015, it included approximately 1,800 positions, most of which did not require confirmation from the U.S. Senate . The office is overseen by the White House chief of staff . Since February 8, 2023, that position has been held by Jeff Zients , who
928-481: The title Deputy Assistant to the President , and third-level staff have the title Special Assistant to the President . The core White House staff appointments, and most Executive Office officials generally, are not required to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate , although there are a handful of exceptions (e.g., the director of the Office of Management and Budget , the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers , and
960-508: Was appointed by President Joe Biden . In 1937, the Brownlow Committee , which was a presidentially commissioned panel of political science and public administration experts, recommended sweeping changes to the executive branch of the U.S. federal government , including the creation of the Executive Office of the President. Based on these recommendations, President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 lobbied Congress to approve
992-444: Was for $ 341 million in support of 1,850 personnel). Some observers have noted a problem of control for the president due to the increase in staff and departments, making coordination and cooperation between the various departments of the Executive Office more difficult. The president had the power to reorganize the Executive Office due to the 1949 Reorganization Act which gave the president considerable discretion, until 1983 when it
White House Office of the Staff Secretary - Misplaced Pages Continue
1024-420: Was renewed due to President Reagan's administration allegedly encountering "disloyalty and obstruction". The chief of staff is the head of the Executive Office and can therefore ultimately decide what the president needs to deal with personally and what can be dealt with by other staff. Senior staff within the Executive Office of the President have the title Assistant to the President , second-level staff have
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