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Executive Office of the President of the United States

Seal of the Executive Office
Flag of the Executive Office
Agency overview
Formed	July 1, 1939; 85 years ago (1939-07-01)
Jurisdiction	U.S. Federal Government
Headquarters	White House, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Employees	1,800 (approximately)
Annual budget	$714 million
Agency executive	Jeff Zients, White House Chief of Staff
Website	whitehouse.gov

The Executive Office of 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 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, 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 was appointed by President Joe Biden.

History

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

Organization

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 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 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 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.

White House offices

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.

• Office of the Chief of Staff
• Office of the National Security Advisor
• Domestic Policy Council
• National Economic Council
• Office of Cabinet Affairs
• Office of Digital Strategy
• White House Office of Communications
• Office of the First Lady
• Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
• Office of Legislative Affairs
• Office of Management and Administration
• Office of Political Affairs
• Office of Public Engagement
• Office of Presidential Personnel
• Office of Scheduling and Advance
• Office of the Staff Secretary
• Office of White House Counsel
• Oval Office Operations
• White House Fellows
• White House Military Office
• White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention

Congress

Congress as well as 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 a congressional committee.

The Executive Office often helps with legislation by filling in specific points understood and written by experts, as Congressional legislation sometimes starts in broad terms.

Budget history

This table specifies the budget of the Executive Office for the years 2008–2017, and the actual outlays for the years 1993–2007.

See also

• Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations
• Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations
• White House Records Office

Notes

1. shares staff with the National Security Council
2. reports to the National Security Advisor

References

1. ^ "FY 2017 Omnibus Summary – Financial Services and General Government Appropriations" (PDF). House Appropriations Committee. May 1, 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
2. Harold C. Relyea (November 26, 2008). The Executive Office of the President: A Historical Overview (PDF) (Report). Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
3. The USAGov program. "Executive Office of the President". USAGov. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
4. The White House. "Executive Office of the President". The White House. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
5. ^ Mckeever, Robert J. (2014). A Brief Introduction to US Politics. doi:10.4324/9781315837260. ISBN 978-1315837260.
6. "The Executive Branch". whitehouse.gov. April 1, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
7. Hartnett, Cass. "Library Guides: United States Federal Government Resources: The Executive Office of the President". guides.lib.uw.edu. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
8. Trump, Donald J. (December 14, 2018). "I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction. Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration..." @realDonaldTrump. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
9. Swanson, Ian (December 14, 2018). "Trump names Mulvaney acting chief of staff". The Hill. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
10. O'Toole, Molly (December 30, 2018). "John F. Kelly says his tenure as Trump's chief of staff is best measured by what the president did not do". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
11. Roosevelt, Franklin D. (April 25, 1939). "Message to Congress on the Reorganization Act". John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters. The American Presidency Project. Santa Barbara: University of California. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
12. Mosher, Frederick C. (1975). American Public Administration: Past, Present, Future (2nd ed.). Birmingham: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 0817348298.
13. Roosevelt, Franklin D. (May 9, 1939). "Message to Congress on Plan II to Implement the Reorganization Act". John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters. The American Presidency Project. Santa Barbara: University of California. Retrieved May 6, 2011. The plan provides for the abolition of the National Emergency Council and the transfer to the Executive Office of the President of all its functions except for the film and radio activities which go to the Office of Education.
14. Relyea, Harold C. (March 17, 2008). "The Executive Office of the President: An Historical Overview" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
15. Burke, John P. (1992). The institutional presidency. Interpreting American politics. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-8018-4316-7.
16. Calhoun, Charles W. (2017). The presidency of Ulysses S. Grant. American presidency series. Lawrence (Kan.): University Press of Kansas. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-7006-2484-3.
17. Sander, Alfred D. (1989). A staff for the president: the executive office, 1921-1952. Contributions in political science (1. publ ed.). New York: Greenwood Pr. pp. 52–53. ISBN 978-0-313-26526-6.
18. Patterson, Bradley H. (1994). "Teams and Staff: Dwight Eisenhower's Innovations in the Structure and Operations of the Modern White House". Presidential Studies Quarterly. 24 (2): 277–298. JSTOR 27551241.
19. Burke, John P. "Administration of the White House". Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. Archived from the original on November 17, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
20. ^ Ashbee, Edward (2019). US politics today. ISBN 978-1526124517. OCLC 1108740337.
21. Kumar, Martha Joynt. "Assistants to the President at 18 Months: White House Turnover Among the Highest Ranking Staff and Positions" (PDF). whitehousetransitionproject.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
22. "The Executive Branch – The White House". trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
23. "Chirag Parikh Tapped for National Space Council ExecSec". August 2, 2021.
24. "EXECUTIVE BRANCH" (PDF). U.S. Government Publishing Office. February 12, 2016.
25. "Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2016 Financial Services Bill". House Appropriations Committee. May 24, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
26. "Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2015 Financial Services Bill". House Appropriations Committee. July 16, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
27. "Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2014 Financial Services Bill". House Appropriations Committee. July 17, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
28. "Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2013 Financial Services Bill". House Appropriations Committee. June 5, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
29. "Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2012 Financial Services Bill". House Appropriations Committee. June 15, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
30. "Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2011 Appropriations". Congressional Research Service. July 11, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
31. "Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2010 Appropriations" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. February 4, 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
32. "Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2009 Appropriations" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. May 12, 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 7, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
33. "Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2008 Appropriations". Congressional Research Service. December 20, 2007. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
34. ^ "Historical Tables, Table 4.1 – Outlays by Agency: 1962–2022". Office of Management and Budget. January 20, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2019.

External links

• Executive Office of the President Archived January 20, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
• The Debate Over Selected Presidential Assistants and Advisors: Appointment, Accountability, and Congressional Oversight Congressional Research Service
• Proposed and finalized federal regulations from the Executive Office of the President of the United States
• Works by Executive Office of the President of the United States at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Executive Office of the President of the United States at the Internet Archive

v t e Executive Office of the United States President
Executive Office	Advisory Boards (Council for Community Solutions, Corporation for National and Community Service, Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, President's Intelligence Advisory Board, President's Management Advisory Board) Council of Economic Advisers Council on Environmental Quality Digital Service Executive Residence (Committee for the Preservation of the White House, Office of the Curator, Office of the Chief Usher, Office of the Chief Floral Designer, Office of the Executive Chef, Graphics and Calligraphy Office) National Space Council National Security Council (Deputies Committee) Homeland Security Council Office of Administration (Office of Mail and Messenger Operations, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer) Office of Management and Budget (Office of the Chief Performance Officer, Office of E-Government and Information Technology, Office of Federal Financial Management, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs) Office of National Drug Control Policy Office of Science and Technology Policy (Office of the Chief Technology Officer, National Science and Technology Council) Office of the Trade Representative Office of the Vice President (Office of the Chief of Staff)
White House Office	Office of Cabinet Affairs Office of the Chief of Staff (Office of Senior Advisors) Office of Communications (Office of Media Affairs, Office of Research, Office of the Press Secretary, Office of Speechwriting) Counsel Counselor to the President Office of Digital Strategy Domestic Policy Council (Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Office of National AIDS Policy, Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, Rural Council) Fellows First Lady (Office of the Social Secretary) Office of the National Security Advisor (Homeland Security Advisor) Gun Violence Prevention Intergovernmental Affairs Legislative Affairs Management and Administration (White House Operations, White House Personnel, Visitors Office) National Economic Council National Trade Council Oval Office Operations (Personal Secretary) Office of Political Affairs Presidential Innovation Fellows Presidential Personnel Public Engagement (Council on Women and Girls, Jewish Liaison, Urban Affairs) Scheduling and Advance Staff Secretary (Executive Clerk, Presidential Correspondence, Office of Records Management) Military Office (Communications Agency, Medical Unit, Presidential Food Service, Transportation Agency)

v t e White House
Official residence of the President of the United States (1800–1814; 1817–1948; 1952–present) Camp David (1938–present) Samuel Osgood House (1789–1790) Alexander Macomb House (1790) President's House (1790–1800) Germantown White House (1793–1794) The Octagon House (1814–1815) Seven Buildings (1815–1817) Blair House (1948–1952)
Executive Residence	Basement Chief Floral Designer Ground floor China Room collection Office of the Curator Diplomatic Reception Room Library Map Room Vermeil Room State floor Blue Room Cross Hall East Room Entrance Hall Family Dining Room Grand Staircase Green Room Red Room State Dining Room Chief Usher Second floor Center Hall East Sitting Hall Lincoln Bedroom Lincoln Sitting Room President's Bedroom President's Dining Room Queens' Bedroom Queens' Sitting Room Treaty Room Truman Balcony West Sitting Hall Yellow Oval Room Roof Flagpole Solar panels
West Wing	Cabinet Room Executive Office Oval Office desk call button clock Oval Office Study Press Briefing Room Roosevelt Room Situation Room
East Wing	Office of the First Lady Graphics and Calligraphy Office Presidential Emergency Operations Center White House Family Theater Social Secretary Visitors Office White House Military Office
Grounds	The Ellipse Jacqueline Kennedy Garden Lafayette Square Andrew Jackson statue Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben statue Comte de Rochambeau statue Tadeusz Kościuszko statue Marquis de Lafayette statue Navy Yard Urns St. John's Church North Lawn President's Park Rose Garden South Lawn Horseshoe pit Putting green Swimming pool Tennis and basketball court White House to Treasury Building tunnel White House vegetable garden
Annex	Eisenhower Executive Office Building New Executive Office Building White House Conference Center Blair House Peter Parker House Trowbridge House Presidential Townhouse
Nearby streets	Constitution Avenue East Executive Avenue H Street NW Jackson Place Madison Place Pennsylvania Avenue West Executive Avenue
Related	Artwork Christmas Tree Reconstruction Replicas Security breaches Solar power at the White House White House Historical Association Decatur House whitehouse.gov President's House, Ninth Street, Philadelphia New York City Government House

• Executive Office of the President of the United States
• Presidency of the United States
• White House
• 1939 establishments in the United States