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.
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.
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 information in the following table is current as of January 20, 2025. Only principal executives are listed; for subordinate officers, see individual office pages.
Members of the Executive Office of the President of the United StatesThe Executive Office often helps with legislation by filling in specific points understood and written by experts, as Congressional legislation sometimes starts in broad terms.
This table specifies the budget of the Executive Office for the years 2008–2017, and the actual outlays for the years 1993–2007.
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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. 978-0-7006-2484-3
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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. /wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)
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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. http://www.whitehousetransitionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Kumar_Assistants_to_the_President_Turnover_10-02-2018.pdf
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shares staff with the National Security Council
reports to the National Security Advisor
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"A Letter to Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy". The White House. March 26, 2025. Retrieved April 1, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/03/a-letter-to-michael-kratsios-director-of-the-white-house-office-of-science-and-technology-policy/
"EXECUTIVE BRANCH" (PDF). U.S. Government Publishing Office. February 12, 2016. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDIR-2016-02-12/pdf/CDIR-2016-02-12-STATISTICALINFORMATION-10.pdf
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"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. https://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/05.01.17_fy_2017_omnibus_-_financial_services_-_summary.pdf
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"Historical Tables, Table 4.1 – Outlays by Agency: 1962–2022". Office of Management and Budget. January 20, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2019.[clarification needed] https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/budget/Historicals
"Historical Tables, Table 4.1 – Outlays by Agency: 1962–2022". Office of Management and Budget. January 20, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2019.[clarification needed] https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/budget/Historicals
"Historical Tables, Table 4.1 – Outlays by Agency: 1962–2022". Office of Management and Budget. January 20, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2019.[clarification needed] https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/budget/Historicals
"Historical Tables, Table 4.1 – Outlays by Agency: 1962–2022". Office of Management and Budget. January 20, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2019.[clarification needed] https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/budget/Historicals
"Historical Tables, Table 4.1 – Outlays by Agency: 1962–2022". Office of Management and Budget. January 20, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2019.[clarification needed] https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/budget/Historicals
"Historical Tables, Table 4.1 – Outlays by Agency: 1962–2022". Office of Management and Budget. January 20, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2019.[clarification needed] https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/budget/Historicals
"Historical Tables, Table 4.1 – Outlays by Agency: 1962–2022". Office of Management and Budget. January 20, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2019.[clarification needed] https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/budget/Historicals
"Historical Tables, Table 4.1 – Outlays by Agency: 1962–2022". Office of Management and Budget. January 20, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2019.[clarification needed] https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/budget/Historicals
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