The Cabinet of the United States is the principal official advisory body to the president of the United States. The Cabinet generally meets with the president in a room adjacent to the Oval Office in the West Wing of the White House. The president chairs the meetings but is not formally a member of the Cabinet. The vice president of the United States serves in the Cabinet by statute. The heads of departments, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, are members of the Cabinet, and acting department heads also participate in Cabinet meetings whether or not they have been officially nominated for Senate confirmation. Members of the Cabinet are political appointees and administratively function their departments. As appointed officers heading federal agencies, these Cabinet Secretaries are bureaucrats with full administrative control over their respective departments. The president may designate heads of other agencies and non-Senate-confirmed members of the Executive Office of the President as members of the Cabinet.
Roberta Achtenberg is an American attorney and civil rights advocate who served as a commissioner on the United States Commission on Civil Rights. She was previously assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, becoming the first openly lesbian or gay public official in the United States whose appointment to a federal position was confirmed by the United States Senate. This confirmation hearing garnered a lot of publicity, opposition, and support.
The Commission on Appointments is a constitutional body which confirms or rejects certain political appointments made by the President of the Philippines. The current commission was created by the 1987 Constitution.
Andrew Fois is an attorney who served as the chair of the Administrative Conference of the United States from 2022 to 2025. He served as the deputy attorney general for public safety in the Office of the Attorney General in Washington, D.C. from April 9, 2012, to March 2015. He was awarded the Edmund Randolph Award, the Justice Department's highest honor for distinguished service.
The Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health is a sub-cabinet position in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Formerly known as the Chief Medical Director of Veterans Health, the Undersecretary is the highest official directly responsible to the Secretary for the Veterans Health Administration, which is the largest agency within the department. Although the position is no longer required to be held by a licensed physician, senior medical professionals such as hospital administrators are typically the preferred selectee for nomination, based on both demonstrated ability in the medical profession or health care administration, and with substantial experience in Veterans healthcare or similar programs.
The Under Secretary for Benefits (USB), in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, directs the Veterans Benefits Administration through regional offices in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. The Under Secretary is responsible for the administration of benefits provided by the Department to veterans and dependents, including compensation, pension, education, home loan guaranty, vocational rehabilitation, and life insurance.
Robert Michael "Mike" Walker is the former United States Under Secretary of the Army (1997–1998).
Jaime A. Areizaga-Soto is an American attorney and politician who most recently served as the chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs from September 2022 through January 2025.
Heidi Shyu is a Taiwanese-born American engineer who has served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering in the Biden administration since July 25, 2021. She previously served as the United States Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology ASA(ALT) from 2012 to January 30, 2016.
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) is an administrative tribunal within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), located in Washington, D.C. Established by Executive Order on July 28, 1933, the Board reviews and makes decisions on appeals concerning veterans' benefits. Its mission is to conduct hearings and issue decisions promptly, ensuring all relevant evidence and applicable laws and regulations are considered to provide fair outcomes for veterans, their dependents, and survivors. The Board operates on behalf of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Margaret Bartley is an American lawyer and judge from Maryland. She is an active judge on the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
Charles Langmaid Cragin III is an American attorney and politician from Maine. He was the Republican nominee for governor of Maine in 1982, losing in a landslide to Democratic incumbent Gov. Joseph E. Brennan. Afterwards, Cragin was a Republican National Committee member from Maine from 1983 to 1990, and acting U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in 2000.
Michael Patrick Allen is an American lawyer and academic who serves as the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Prior becoming a judge, he was a professor of law and director of the Veterans Law Institute at Stetson University College of Law.
Joe Biden assumed office as the 46th president of the United States on January 20, 2021, and his term ended on January 20, 2025. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.
Donald Michael Remy is an American attorney, former military officer, and athletic administrator who served in the Biden administration as the 9th United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs between July 2021 and April 2023.
Amitabha Bose is an American attorney and transportation policy advisor who served as the administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration from 2022 to 2025. Bose has served as deputy administrator since January 2021 and was confirmed by the Senate on January 12, 2022. He is the first person of South Asian descent to lead the FRA.
Carlos Del Toro is a Cuban-American entrepreneur and retired United States Navy officer who served as the 78th United States Secretary of the Navy from 2021 to 2025. He is the second Hispanic American to serve as the Secretary of the Navy, after Edward Hidalgo.
