Today, GovExec reported several more instances of the White House acknowledging Cheney’s executive branch status:
On April 9, 2003: Cheney lauded a recent court ruling, stating, “I think it restored some of the legitimate authority of the executive branch, the president and the vice president, to be able to conduct their business.
On April 14, 2004: speaking in China, Cheney explained that President Dwight Eisenhower first gave the vice president an office “in the executive branch,” adding “since then the responsibilities have gradually increased.”
In 2001, Bush stated: “[w]e know the difference between the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch, but I do believe the President and the Vice President can play a part, a strong part, in helping advance an American agenda.”
<--The White House website notes: “To learn more about the executive branch please visit the president’s Cabinet page on the White House web site.” A click on the “Cabinet page” reveals Cheney to be a member of the Cabinet.
President Bush's Cabinet
The tradition of the Cabinet dates back to the beginnings of the Presidency itself. One of the principal purposes of the Cabinet (drawn from Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution) is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of their respective offices.
The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments-the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, and the Attorney General. Under President George W. Bush, Cabinet-level rank also has been accorded to the Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; Director, Office of Management and Budget; the Director, National Drug Control Policy; and the U.S. Trade Representative.
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