The power of the executive branch is vested in the President, who also serves as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. The President appoints the Cabinet and oversees the various agencies and departments of the federal government. The tradition of the Cabinet dates back to the beginnings of the Presidency itself. One of the principal purposes of the Cabinet (drawn from Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution) is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of their respective offices.

The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments-the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs.
In addition to the Cabinet, there are the Executive Office of the President and the White House Office. Below are the offices included in the Executive Office of the President:

• Council of Economic Advisers
• Council on Environmental Quality
• National Security Council
• Office of Administration
• Office of Management and Budget
• Office of National Drug Control Policy
• Office of Science & Technology Policy
• President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
• United States Trade Representative
• White House Office

Below are the offices included in the White House Office.

• Domestic Policy Council
• Homeland Security Council
• National Economic Council
• Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
• Office of the First Lady
• Office of National AIDS Policy
• Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
• USA Freedom Corps
• White House Fellows Office
• White House Military Office