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Executive Office of the President of the United States
U.S. government executive agency

The Executive Office of the President (EOP) supports the president at the center of the U.S. federal government's executive branch. It includes key components like the White House Office, National Security Council, and Office of Management and Budget. Most staff work in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Known as a “permanent government,” EOP civil servants provide nonpartisan, impartial advice. The White House staff, numbering around 1,800 in 2015, manages various policy areas without requiring Senate confirmation. The office is overseen by the White House chief of staff, a role held since 2025 by Susie Wiles, the first woman appointed by President Donald Trump.

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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. 1,11 which created the office,12 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.13 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.14

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.15

By Ulysses S. Grant's presidency (1869–1877), the staff had grown to three.16 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.17 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.18

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).19

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.20

Organization

"Special Assistant to the President" redirects here. For the Philippine position title, see Special Assistant to the President (Philippines).

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".21

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.22

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).23

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 States
AgencyPrincipal executiveIncumbent
White House OfficeAssistant to the President and Chief of StaffSusie Wiles
National Security CouncilAssistant to the President for National Security AffairsMarco Rubio
Homeland Security Council24Assistant to the President for Homeland Security25Stephen Miller
Council of Economic AdvisersChairman of the White House Council of Economic AdvisersStephen Miran
Council on Environmental QualityChairman of the Council on Environmental QualityVacant, TBD
Executive Residence Staff and OperationsWhite House Chief UsherRobert B. Downing
National Space CouncilExecutive Secretary of the National Space CouncilChirag Parikh26
President's Intelligence Advisory BoardChairman of the President's Intelligence Advisory BoardDevin Nunes
Office of AdministrationDirector of the Office of AdministrationDave Noble27
Office of Management and BudgetDirector of the Office of Management and BudgetRussell Vought
Office of National Drug Control PolicyDirector of National Drug Control PolicyVacant, TBD
Office of the National Cyber DirectorNational Cyber DirectorVacant
Office of Science and Technology PolicyDirector of the Office of Science and Technology PolicyMichael Kratsios28
Office of the United States Trade RepresentativeUnited States Trade RepresentativeJamieson Greer
Office of the Vice President of the United StatesAssistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the Vice PresidentJacob Reses

White House offices

The White House Office (including its various offices listed below29) is a sub-unit of the Executive Office of the President (office). The various agencies of the office are listed above.

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.30

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.31

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.

YearBudget
2017$714 million32
2016$692 million33
2015$676 million34
2014$624 million35
2013$650 million36
2012$640 million37
2011$708 million38
2010$772 million39
2009$728 million40
2008$682 million41
2007$2956 million42
2006$5379 million43
2005$7686 million44
2004$3349 million45
2003$386 million46
2002$451 million47
2001$246 million48
2000$283 million49
1999$417 million50
1998$237 million51
1997$221 million52
1996$202 million53
1995$215 million54
1994$231 million55
1993$194 million56

See also

Notes

References

  1. 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. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/98-606.pdf ↩

  2. The USAGov program. "Executive Office of the President". USAGov. Retrieved February 10, 2024. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/eop ↩

  3. The White House. "Executive Office of the President". The White House. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20210120170458/https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/executive-office-of-the-president/ ↩

  4. Mckeever, Robert J. (2014). A Brief Introduction to US Politics. doi:10.4324/9781315837260. ISBN 978-1315837260. 978-1315837260 ↩

  5. Mckeever, Robert J. (2014). A Brief Introduction to US Politics. doi:10.4324/9781315837260. ISBN 978-1315837260. 978-1315837260 ↩

  6. "The Executive Branch". White House. April 1, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2021. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/1600/executive-branch ↩

  7. Hartnett, Cass. "Library Guides: United States Federal Government Resources: The Executive Office of the President". guides.lib.uw.edu. Retrieved January 5, 2019. http://guides.lib.uw.edu/c.php?g=341673&p=2304078 ↩

  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. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1073703744766922754 ↩

  9. Swanson, Ian (December 14, 2018). "Trump names Mulvaney acting chief of staff". The Hill. Retrieved January 5, 2019. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/421481-trump-names-mulvaney-acting-chief-of-staff ↩

  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. https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-john-kelly-exit-interview-20181230-story.html ↩

  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. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=15748 ↩

  12. Mosher, Frederick C. (1975). American Public Administration: Past, Present, Future (2nd ed.). Birmingham: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 0817348298. 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. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=15760 ↩

  14. Relyea, Harold C. (March 17, 2008). "The Executive Office of the President: An Historical Overview" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved April 14, 2008. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/98-606.pdf ↩

  15. Burke, John P. (1992). The institutional presidency. Interpreting American politics. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-8018-4316-7. 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. 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. 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. /wiki/JSTOR_(identifier) ↩

  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. https://web.archive.org/web/20101117160520/http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/policy/whitehouse ↩

  20. Ashbee, Edward (2019). US politics today. ISBN 978-1526124517. OCLC 1108740337. 978-1526124517 ↩

  21. Ashbee, Edward (2019). US politics today. ISBN 978-1526124517. OCLC 1108740337. 978-1526124517 ↩

  22. 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 ↩

  23. "The Executive Branch – The White House". trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved August 29, 2023. https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/about-the-white-house/the-executive-branch/ ↩

  24. shares staff with the National Security Council ↩

  25. reports to the National Security Advisor ↩

  26. "Chirag Parikh Tapped for National Space Council ExecSec". August 2, 2021. https://breakingdefense.com/2021/08/chirag-parikh-tapped-for-national-space-council-execsec/ ↩

  27. "Biden names new director of White House management and administration". Reuters. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2025. http://web.archive.org/web/20220929091530/https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-names-new-director-white-house-management-administration-2022-08-19/ ↩

  28. "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/ ↩

  29. "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 ↩

  30. Mckeever, Robert J. (2014). A Brief Introduction to US Politics. doi:10.4324/9781315837260. ISBN 978-1315837260. 978-1315837260 ↩

  31. Mckeever, Robert J. (2014). A Brief Introduction to US Politics. doi:10.4324/9781315837260. ISBN 978-1315837260. 978-1315837260 ↩

  32. "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 ↩

  33. "Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2016 Financial Services Bill". House Appropriations Committee. May 24, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2017. http://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=394563 ↩

  34. "Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2015 Financial Services Bill". House Appropriations Committee. July 16, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2017. http://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=388210 ↩

  35. "Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2014 Financial Services Bill". House Appropriations Committee. July 17, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2017. http://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=341739 ↩

  36. "Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2013 Financial Services Bill". House Appropriations Committee. June 5, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2017. http://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=298250 ↩

  37. "Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2012 Financial Services Bill". House Appropriations Committee. June 15, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2017. http://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=246626 ↩

  38. "Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2011 Appropriations". Congressional Research Service. July 11, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2017. https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R41340.html#_Toc298253683 ↩

  39. "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. http://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/crs/R40801.pdf ↩

  40. "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. https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/20090512_RL34523_8a43f69d67c88de1fc4ad123094378cf5d92d26b.pdf ↩

  41. "Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2008 Appropriations". Congressional Research Service. December 20, 2007. Retrieved May 1, 2017. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc822724/m1/24/zoom/?q=Executive%20office%20of%20the%20president&resolution=2&lat=2911.5&lon=750 ↩

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