【美国精神】第35期

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Explanation:

  Being the president of the United States is a big job and our Founding Fathers (or the people who created the U.S. government) knew that one person couldn’t do everything alone. That’s why the president has the U.S. Cabinet, usually just called the Cabinet. The Cabinet is a group of people who advise (or give advice, information, and ideas) to the president on many important issues. The president can use their advice to make decisions while leading the country. Because of this, Cabinet members have very important and powerful roles (or jobs) in U.S. government since they can influence the president’s decisions.

  Under our first president, George Washington, the Cabinet was very small and it had only four members. Since then, the Cabinet has grown a lot. Today the Cabinet has 15 people, who are referred to as secretaries, such as the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of Agriculture. The most recent addition to the Cabinet in 2006 is the Secretary of Homeland Security, whose job it is to keep Americans safe. The Constitution (or the country’s most important legal document) does not say how large the Cabinet should be, so Congress can add or remove members as the country’s needs change.

  Cabinet members are appointed to their positions. This means that they are first nominated by the president (or the president gives the members’ name to Congress) and then they must be confirmed (or approved) or rejected by the Senate. Almost anyone can become a Cabinet member. The only restriction¹ or limitation is that Cabinet members are not allowed to be Senators, Representatives, or governors simultaneously² (or at the same time) while they are serving (or working) in the Cabinet.

  The Cabinet members are in the line of succession (or the plan for who will become president if something happens to him or her). After the president come the vice-president, the speaker of the House, and the president of the Senate, and then the secretary of state and other members of the Cabinet, in the order of their ranking (or importance).

 

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