The Executive Office of the President (EOP) was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the year 1939 to assist in supervising the executive branch of the government. The enactment of the Reorganization Act in 1939 gave the President the power to appoint an additional confidential team to restructure the executive branch.
The staff of the EOP includes the President’s immediate staff supported by a multi level reporting team. The Executive Office of the President is the direct reporting agency to the President. Initially, the White House Office and the Office of Management and Budget (formerly known as Bureau of the Budget) were included as subunits of the EOP. Some other major units are:
- Council of Economic Advisors (created in 1946)
- National Security Council (created in 1947)
- Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (created in 1963)
- Council on Environmental Quality (created in 1970)
- Office of Science and Technology Policy (created in 1976)
- Office of Administration (created in 1977)
- Office of National Drug Control Policy (created in 1989)
- Office of Homeland Security (created in 2001)
- Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives (created in 2001)
The White House Chief of Staff is the head of the Executive Office of the President. He is considered the “Second-Most Powerful Man in Washington.” There are three divisions of Executive Staff in the Office of the President. The Assistant to the President is the head of senior staff, the Deputy Assistant to the President heads the second-level staff and the Special Assistant to the President heads third level staff. The appointment of White House Staff does not require any approval from the Senate.
