A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves and drawers for storing or displaying items. Cabinets can be made of wood (solid or with veneers) or synthetic materials such as Wilsonart or Formica. Cabinets can be free standing or built in to a wall and may also be part of a piece of furniture such as a dresser, chest of drawers or armoire.
In a government with a parliamentary system of democracy, the cabinet is a group from which the head of state or prime minister seeks advice on the exercise of executive power, such as declaring war or using nuclear weapons. The head of state can choose whether or not to follow this advice and can dissolve the cabinet if they disagree with it. In a presidential system, the president is empowered to appoint members of the cabinet and they can be dismissed or moved (“demoted”) to another portfolio in a cabinet reshuffle if the president doesn’t like them.
The United States Cabinet is composed of the vice president and heads of 15 executive departments, including the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, Interior, Transportation and the Treasury, plus the Attorney General. The heads of the legislative branch departments of Congress, including the speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate, are not Cabinet members. In practice, however, they are closely involved in the administration of federal programs and in implementing federal laws.
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