2.The Organization of Executive Branch

White House

The President is assisted by a number of organizations grouped under the general title，the Executive Office of the President.It comprises four agencies that advise the President in key policy areas：the White House Office，the National Security Council，the Council of Economic Advisors，and the Office of Management and Budget.The White House Office consists of the President’s most intimate friends and personal aids，generally called brain trusters.The most important position in this group is the chief of staff，who is responsible for seeing that the President’s legislative goals are carried out by working with Congress on the legislative agenda.

Oval Office

The National Security Council（NSC）was formed in 1947and deals with domestic，foreign，and military policies affecting security issues.By law，the NSC is composed of the President，Vice President，Secretary of Defense，and Secretary of State.The director of the Central Intelligence Agency（CIA）and the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are also members.The President’s national security advisor supervises the council’s activities.

The Council of Economic Advisors（CEA）was created in 1946to provide the President with information on economic policy.It is best known for predicting national economic trends.

The Office of Management and Budget（OMB），originally established in the Treasury Department as the Bureau of the Budget，has had its powers expanded considerably since 1970.It is involved in drafting the President’s legislative program and evaluating how effectively federal agencies use their appropriations.

It is hard to find a more unusual institution than the US cabinet.It is not mentioned by name in the Constitution.Yet since George Washington，every president has had his cabinet.Today the selection of cabinet members is just about the first major job for the president-elect.The cabinet consists of President，Vice President，heads of various departments，the US ambassador to the UN，the OMB director and other officials.Its functions are purely advisory and consultative.The President may use it as much or as little as he pleases.