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August 12, 2020
United Nations Issues: Cabinet Rank of the
U.S. Permanent Representative
The U.S. Permanent Representative is the chief
more recent decades, the Vice President. Beginning with
representative of the United States to the United Nations.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, each President also has accorded
The President appoints the Permanent Representative with
Cabinet rank to select senior executive branch leaders,
the advice and consent of the Senate. Of the 30 individuals
including the U.S. Permanent Representative. The positions
who have served since 1946, approximately two-thirds have
and individuals granted this distinction vary by presidency
been accorded Cabinet rank by Presidents. Some Members
and, sometimes, within a presidency. Some positions,
of Congress have demonstrated an ongoing interest in the
including the Administrator of the Environmental
Cabinet rank of the Permanent Representative in the context
Protection Agency, the United States Trade Representative,
of the Senate confirmation process and broader U.S. policy
the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and
toward the United Nations.
the White House Chief of Staff, have all consistently been
accorded this status over the past three decades.
Role of the Permanent Representative
The position of Permanent Representative is authorized in
In general, providing an agency head with Cabinet rank can
the U.N. Participation Act of 1945 (UNPA; 22 U.S.C.
be a way for a President to publicly convey his or her view
§287(a)). As this law requires the President to appoint the
that the agency is one of the most important in the
Representative at the rank of Ambassador, all such
executive branch. It also can potentially provide an official
appointments are subject to Senate advice and consent. The
with parity in communications with, and access to,
UNPA provides that the Representative shall represent the
Secretaries and other Cabinet members.
United States in the U.N. Security Council and may also
serve ex officio as U.S. representative to any U.N. organ,
Cabinet Status by Administration
commission, or other body (with the exception of U.N.
President Eisenhower appears to have been the first
specialized agencies, which have separate U.S.
President to accord Cabinet rank to his Permanent
ambassadors). The Permanent Representative shall also
Representative, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., in 1953. It is
perform other functions as directed by the President. As
unclear whether Lodge’s successor, James Wadsworth, held
head of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations (USUN) in
the same status. Nearly all subsequent Permanent
New York City, the Representative works with the
Representatives appear to have been granted Cabinet rank
Secretary of State and relevant State Department bureaus
until the presidency of George H.W. Bush in 1989. In the
and offices, including the Bureau of International
following years, Presidents Clinton and Obama provided
Organization Affairs (IO), which is led by an assistant
the position with Cabinet rank, while George W. Bush did
secretary and charged with developing, coordinating, and
not. During the Trump Administration, Ambassador Nikki
implementing U.S. multilateral policy.
Haley was accorded Cabinet rank; to date, Ambassador
Kelly Craft does not appear to have this status. Over the
The President’s Cabinet
years, Presidents appear to have usually communicated
The President’s Cabinet is an institution based in custom,
their intent to accord Cabinet rank to the Permanent
rather than statute, and its beginnings date to the presidency
Representative through public remarks or communications
of George Washington. Some have traced its origins to
with the Senate during the appointment and nomination
Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, which provides that
process. Table 1 identifies each of the Permanent
the President may require “the Opinion, in writing, of the
Representatives since 1946 and their status with regard to
principal Officer in each of the executive Departments.”
Cabinet rank.
This provision suggests that the framers intended that the
President would seek advice from department heads,
Overall, it appears that many Presidents who have granted
although it does not require that he or she do so by meeting
Cabinet status did so to prioritize sustained engagement and
with them.
coordination with the United Nations as an element of U.S.
foreign policy. Historians have also suggested that Cabinet
Successive Presidents have used the Cabinet for varied
rank in some cases was meant to compensate for the fact
purposes and to a greater or lesser extent—in some cases
that the past status and achievements of appointees
very little. Some Presidents have used it as a deliberative or
otherwise exceeded the position (in particular, Henry Cabot
decisionmaking body. Others appear to have used it chiefly
Lodge Jr. under President Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson
as a means of maintaining communication and the flow of
II under President Kennedy). In other instances, Cabinet
information among key Administration officials.
rank might have been negotiated as a condition of accepting
the appointment (as was reported in the case of Ambassador
By tradition, permanent Cabinet membership comprises the
Haley under President Trump). Conversely,
President, the heads of the executive departments and, in
Administrations that did not accord Cabinet rank may have
https://crsreports.congress.gov
United Nations Issues: Cabinet Rank of the U.S. Permanent Representative
sought to limit the size of the Cabinet or determined, based
government foreign and national security establishment
on their perception of the United Nations, or other reasons,
(particularly the State Department), can play a significantly
that the Permanent Representative did not merit a Cabinet
larger role in his or her success.
seat (for example, Presidents George H.W. and George W.
Bush).
Table 1. Cabinet Rank of U.S. Permanent
Representatives: 1946-2019
Policy Issues and Congressional
Considerations
Name
President
Years
Cabinet?
Although the decision to accord Cabinet rank to the
Kelly Craft
Trump
2019-
No
Permanent Representative lies with the President, over the
Nikki Haley
Trump
2017-19
Yes
years some Members of Congress have expressed an
Samantha Power
Obama
2013-17
Yes
interest in the issue. Members may view the Permanent
Representative’s Cabinet rank (or lack thereof) as reflecting
Susan Rice
Obama
2009-13
Yes
both his or her relationship with the Secretary of State and,
Zalmay Khalilzad
W. Bush
2007-09
No
more broadly, the relationship between the United States
John Bolton
W. Bush
2005-06
No
and the United Nations.
John Danforth
W. Bush
2004-05
No
Many policymakers and observers have debated the
John Negroponte
W. Bush
2001-04
No
benefits and drawbacks of Cabinet rank. On the one hand,
some argue it reflects the President’s view o
Richard Holbrooke
Clinton
1999-01
Yes
n the
importance of the United Nations. They also suggest that it
Wil iam Richardson
Clinton
1997-98
Yes
provides Permanent Representatives with significant
Madeleine Albright
Clinton
1993-97
Yes
influence and standing in U.N. fora. For example, some
Edward Perkins
H.W. Bush
1992-93
No
maintain the Permanent Representative might have more
credibility during U.N. negotiations because other
Thomas Pickering
H.W. Bush
1989-92
No
governments may perceive that he or she participates in
Vernon Walters
Reagan
1985-89
Yes
high-level U.S. policy discussions with the President and
Jeane Kirkpatrick
Reagan
1981-85
Yes
other Cabinet members. Many may also view the
Permanent Representative as having the flexibility and
Donald McHenry
Carter
1979-81
Yes
autonomy to react more quickly to changing circumstances
Andrew Young
Carter
1977-79
Yes
during negotiations because there may be a minimal chain
of command to which he or she reports. In U.N. fora, where
Wil iam Scranton
Ford
1976-77
Yes
diplomatic rank and protocol are widely respected, Cabinet
Daniel Moynihan
Ford
1975-76
Yes
status may also provide Permanent Representatives with the
John Scali
Nixon
1973-75
Yes
ability to negotiate not only with their counterparts but also
with foreign affairs ministers who report directly to their
George H.W. Bush
Nixon
1971-73
Yes
heads of government.
Charles Yost
Nixon
1969-71
Yes
James Wiggins
Johnson
1968-69
Yes
On the other hand, some contend that holding Cabinet rank,
which often includes attending frequent meetings in
George Ball
Johnson
1968
Yes
Washington, DC, can distract Permanent Representatives
Arthur Goldberg
Johnson
1965-68
Yes
from responsibilities in New York that often require his or
Adlai Stevenson II
Kennedy
1961-65
Yes
her physical presence (such as formal and informal Security
Council negotiations). On the working level, some
James Wadsworth
Eisenhower
1960-61
UnclearErro
observers suggest that having two Cabinet members from
r!
the State Department (the Permanent Representative and
Reference
the Secretary of State) might be inefficient. For example, it
source not
might create confusion regarding chain of command within
found.
the State Department and potentially lead to limited
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Eisenhower
1953-60
Yes
coordination among USUN and the IO Bureau staff,
Warren Austin
Truman
1947-53
No
particularly in areas where the IO Bureau holds expertise.
Some have also highlighted the need for consistent
Edward Stettinius Jr.
Truman
1946
No
budgeting procedures for additional staff or resources often
Source: Adapted by CRS from congressional documents,
required by a Cabinet-ranked Permanent Representative.
presidential documents, and other relevant articles and transcripts.
a. Determination of each Permanent Representative’s status is
More broadly, some observers have suggested that the
made on the basis of the preponderance of evidence from
overall authority and effectiveness of the Permanent
publicly available sources. Based on examination of these
Representative does not depend on Cabinet rank, and that
sources, CRS was not able to determine whether Ambassador
such rank does not necessarily confer the additional
James Wadsworth, who was confirmed and held the position for
authority or access that may be attributed to it, given the
less than five months at the end of the Eisenhower
fluid role of the Cabinet. They contend that the personality,
Administration, held Cabinet rank.
knowledge, and diplomatic skills of the Permanent
Representative, both within U.N. fora and the U.S.
Luisa Blanchfield, Specialist in International Relations
https://crsreports.congress.gov
United Nations Issues: Cabinet Rank of the U.S. Permanent Representative
Henry B. Hogue, Specialist in American National
Government
Susan G. Chesser, Senior Research Librarian
https://crsreports.congress.gov
United Nations Issues: Cabinet Rank of the U.S. Permanent Representative
IF11618
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