Cabinet (also called the Council of Ministers in some countries) is an institution in a country with a parliamentary system. It is an advisory body of ministers that assists the decision-making process of the head of state or government. In its most familiar form, a cabinet is a committee of senior ministers who jointly carry out the executive functions of government. Cabinets are a feature of every parliamentary democracy in the world.
The cabinet began its rise in Europe during the 19th century with the growth of constitutional monarchy and the development of elected parliaments. It became a key part of parliamentary systems of government where legislative and budgetary power were vested in an elected legislature rather than in the monarch. In the United States, the Constitution authorizes the President to require the opinions of the heads of executive departments upon any subject relating to the duties of their offices. George Washington began the practice of meeting regularly with department heads as a group, and by the time of James Madison in 1793, the term cabinet was used to describe this body of officials.
In the United States, the Cabinet consists of the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments—Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Science, Transportation, and Treasury. The President consults with the Cabinet weekly or more often and they work together in a room known as the Cabinet Room which is adjacent to his Oval Office in the West Wing of the White House. The Cabinet also meets frequently with the President’s senior staff to discuss issues.