The Executive Branch

The Cabinet

The Cabinet is an advisory body made up of the heads of the 15 executive departments. Appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, the members of the Cabinet are often the President's closest confidants. The following make up the Cabinet:

Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Department of Commerce (DOC)
Department of Defense (DOD)
Department of Education (ED)
Department of Energy (DOE)
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Department of Justice (DOJ)
Department of Labor (DOL)
Department of State (DOS)
Department of the Interior (DOI)
Department of the Treasury
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Executive Office of the President

The Executive Office of the President (EOP) was created in 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The EOP has responsibility for providing the support the President needs to govern effectively. The Office is overseen by the White House Chief of Staff. Some advisory positions within the office require Senate confirmation (e.g., Director of the Office of Management and Budget); most are purely Presidential appointments.

The White House Communications Office and Press Secretary's Office is part of the EOP, as is the the National Security Council, the White House Military Office (responsible for services ranging from Air Force One to the dining facilities), and the Office of Presidential Advance (prepares sites remote from the White House for the President's arrival).

Federal Inspectors General

The executive branch also polices itself: 73 Inspectors General, each responsible for a different agency, regularly audit and report on the agencies to which they are attached. The office was established by the Inspector General Act of 1978.

Source:  http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/116251.