United Nations Issues: Cabinet Rank of the U.S. Permanent Representative

United Nations Issues: Cabinet Rank of the U.S. Permanent Representative

link to page 2

Updated March 23, 2021
United Nations Issues: Cabinet Rank of the
U.S. Permanent Representative
The U.S. Permanent Representative is the chief
decisionmaking body. Others appear to have used it chiefly
representative of the United States to the United Nations.
as a means of maintaining communication and the flow of
The President appoints the Permanent Representative with
information among key Administration officials.
the advice and consent of the Senate. Of the 31 individuals
By tradition, permanent Cabinet membership comprises the
who have served since 1946, about two-thirds have been
President, the heads of the executive departments and, in
accorded Cabinet rank by Presidents. Some Members of
more recent decades, the Vice President. Beginning with
Congress have demonstrated an ongoing interest in the
Dwight D. Eisenhower, each President also has accorded
Cabinet rank of the Permanent Representative in the context
Cabinet rank to select senior executive branch leaders,
of the Senate confirmation process and broader U.S. policy
including the U.S. Permanent Representative. The positions
toward the United Nations. On November 24, 2020,
and individuals granted this distinction vary by presidency
President-elect Biden announced his intent to nominate
and, sometimes, within a presidency. Some positions,
Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be Permanent Representative,
including the Administrator of the Environmental
with Cabinet rank. Biden stated that he will accord Cabinet
Protection Agency, the United States Trade Representative,
status to Greenfield “because I want to hear her voice on all
the major foreign policy discussions we have.”
the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and
Thomas-
the White House Chief of Staff, have all consistently been
Greenfield was confirmed by the Senate on February 23,
accorded this status over the past three decades.
2021.
Role of the Permanent Representative
In general, providing an agency head with Cabinet rank can
be a way for a President to publicly convey his or her view
The position of Permanent Representative is authorized in
that the agency is one of the most important in the
the U.N. Participation Act of 1945 (UNPA; 22 U.S.C.
executive branch. It also can potentially provide an official
§287(a)). As this law requires the President to appoint the
with parity in communications with, and access to,
Representative at the rank of Ambassador, all such
Secretaries and other Cabinet members.
appointments are subject to Senate advice and consent. The
UNPA provides that the Representative shall represent the
Cabinet Status by Administration
United States in the U.N. Security Council and may also
President Eisenhower appears to have been the first
serve ex officio as U.S. representative to any U.N. organ,
President to accord Cabinet rank to his Permanent
commission, or other body (with the exception of U.N.
Representative, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., in 1953. It is
specialized agencies, which have separate U.S.
unclear whether Lodge’s successor, James Wadsworth, held
ambassadors). The Permanent Representative shall also
the same status. Nearly all subsequent Permanent
perform other functions as directed by the President. As
Representatives appear to have been granted Cabinet rank
head of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations (USUN) in
until the presidency of George H.W. Bush in 1989. In the
New York City, the Representative works with the
following years, Presidents Clinton and Obama provided
Secretary of State and relevant State Department bureaus
the position with Cabinet rank, while George W. Bush did
and offices, including the Bureau of International
not. During the Trump Administration, Ambassador Nikki
Organization Affairs (IO), which is led by an assistant
Haley was accorded Cabinet rank, while Ambassador Kelly
secretary and charged with developing, coordinating, and
Craft was not. Over the years, Presidents appear to have
implementing U.S. multilateral policy.
usually communicated their intent to accord Cabinet rank to
The President’s Cabinet
the Permanent Representative through public remarks or
communications with the Senate during the appointment
The President’s Cabinet is an institution based in custom,
and nomination process. Table 1 identifies each Permanent
rather than statute, and its beginnings date to the presidency
Representatives since 1946 and their Cabinet rank.
of George Washington. Some have traced its origins to
Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, which provides that
Overall, it appears that many Presidents who have granted
the President may require “the Opinion, in writing, of the
Cabinet status did so to prioritize sustained engagement and
principal Officer in each of the executive Departments.”
coordination with the United Nations as an element of U.S.
This provision suggests that the framers intended that the
foreign policy. Historians have also suggested that Cabinet
President would seek advice from department heads,
rank in some cases was meant to compensate for the fact
although it does not require that he or she do so by meeting
that the past status and achievements of appointees
with them.
otherwise exceeded the position (in particular, Henry Cabot
Lodge Jr. under President Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson
Successive Presidents have used the Cabinet for varied
II under President Kennedy). In other instances, Cabinet
purposes and to a greater or lesser extent—in some cases
rank might have been negotiated as a condition of accepting
very little. Some Presidents have used it as a deliberative or
https://crsreports.congress.gov

United Nations Issues: Cabinet Rank of the U.S. Permanent Representative
the appointment (as was reported in the case of Ambassador
government foreign and national security establishment
Haley under President Trump). Conversely,
(particularly the State Department), can play a significantly
Administrations that did not accord Cabinet rank may have
larger role in his or her success.
sought to limit the size of the Cabinet or determined, based
Table 1. Cabinet Rank of U.S. Permanent
on their perception of the United Nations, or other reasons,
Representatives: 1946-Present
that the Permanent Representative did not merit a Cabinet
seat (e.g., Presidents George H.W. and George W. Bush).
Name
President
Years
Cabinet?
Policy Issues and Congressional
Linda Thomas-Greenfield Biden
2021-
Yes
Considerations
Kelly Craft
Trump
2019-21
No
Although the decision to accord Cabinet rank to the
Nikki Haley
Trump
2017-19
Yes
Permanent Representative lies with the President, over the
years some Members of Congress have expressed an
Samantha Power
Obama
2013-17
Yes
interest in the issue. Members may view the Permanent
Susan Rice
Obama
2009-13
Yes
Representative’s Cabinet rank (or lack thereof) as reflecting
Zalmay Khalilzad
W. Bush
2007-09
No
both his or her relationship with the Secretary of State and,
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,
Richard Holbrooke
Clinton
1999-01
Yes
some argue it reflects the President’s view on the
importance of the United Nations. They also suggest that it
William 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
William Scranton
Ford
1976-77
Yes
of command to which he or she reports. In U.N. fora, where
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
On the other hand, some contend that holding Cabinet rank,
James Wiggins
Johnson
1968-69
Yes
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
her physical presence (such as formal and informal Security
Adlai Stevenson II
Kennedy
1961-65
Yes
Council negotiations). On the working level, some
James Wadsworth
Eisenhower 1960-61
Uncleara
observers suggest that having two Cabinet members from
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Eisenhower 1953-60
Yes
the State Department (the Permanent Representative and
the Secretary of State) might be inefficient. For example, it
Warren Austin
Truman
1947-53
No
might create confusion regarding chain of command within
Edward Stettinius Jr.
Truman
1946
No
the State Department and potentially lead to limited
coordination among USUN and the IO Bureau staff,
Source: Adapted by CRS from congressional documents,
particularly in areas where the IO Bureau holds expertise.
presidential documents, and other relevant articles and transcripts.
Some have also highlighted the need for consistent
a. Determination of each Permanent Representative’s status is
budgeting procedures for additional staff or resources often
made on the basis of the preponderance of evidence from
required by a Cabinet-ranked Permanent Representative.
publicly available sources. Based on examination of these
sources, CRS was not able to determine whether Ambassador
More broadly, some observers have suggested that the
James Wadsworth, who was confirmed and held the position for
overall authority and effectiveness of the Permanent
less than five months at the end of the Eisenhower
Representative does not depend on Cabinet rank, and that
Administration, held Cabinet rank.
such rank does not necessarily confer the additional
authority or access that may be attributed to it, given the
Luisa Blanchfield, Specialist in International Relations
fluid role of the Cabinet. They contend that the personality,
Henry B. Hogue, Specialist in American National
knowledge, and diplomatic skills of the Permanent
Government
Representative, both within U.N. fora and the U.S.
Susan G. Chesser, Senior Research Librarian
https://crsreports.congress.gov

United Nations Issues: Cabinet Rank of the U.S. Permanent Representative

IF11618

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11618 · VERSION 4 · UPDATED