The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...

, and is the chief financial officer of the

federal government of the United States The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal advisor to the

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

on all matters pertaining to economic and fiscal policy. The secretary is a statutory member of the

Cabinet of the United States The Cabinet of the United States is a body consisting of the vice president of the United States and the heads of the executive branch's departments in the federal government of the United States. It is the principal official advisory body to t ...

, and is fifth in the presidential line of succession. Under the

Appointments Clause The Appointments Clause of Article II, Section 2, Clause 2, of the United States Constitution empowers the President of the United States to nominate and, with the advice and consent (confirmation) of the United States Senate, appoint public offi ...

of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

, the officeholder is nominated by the president of the United States, and, following a

confirmation hearing A United States congressional hearing is the principal formal method by which United States congressional committees collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking. Whether confirmation hearings (a procedure unique ...

before the

Senate Committee on Finance The United States Senate Committee on Finance (or, less formally, Senate Finance Committee) is a standing committee of the United States Senate. The Committee concerns itself with matters relating to taxation and other revenue measures generall ...

, is confirmed by the United States Senate. The United States Secretary of State, secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury, the United States Secretary of Defense, secretary of defense, and the United States Attorney General, attorney general are generally regarded as the four most important Cabinet officials, due to the size and importance of their respective departments. The current secretary of the treasury is Janet Yellen, who is the first woman to hold the post.

Powers and functions

The secretary along with the treasurer of the United States must sign Federal Reserve notes before they can become legal tender. The secretary also manages the Troubled Asset Relief Program, United States Emergency Economic Stabilization fund. Most of the department's law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies such as the United States Customs Service, U.S. Customs Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the United States Secret Service, U.S. Secret Service were reassigned to other departments in 2003 in conjunction with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.

Salary

The secretary of the treasury is a Executive Schedule#Level I, Level I position in the Executive Schedule and thus earns the salary prescribed for that level (US Dollar, US$221,400, as of January 2021).

List of secretaries of the treasury

; Parties (1) (4) (4) (29) (5) (34) Status Flag of the United States Secretary of the Treasury (1887-1915)

If both the secretary and the deputy secretary of the treasury are unable to carry out the duties of the office of secretary of the treasury, then whichever treasury official of under secretary rank sworn in earliest assumes the role of acting secretary. Positions listed on the Department of the Treasury website include the under secretary for domestic finance, the under secretary for international affairs, and the under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

Notes

References

External links

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:United States Secretary Of The Treasury Cabinet of the United States, Treasury Lists of members of the Cabinet of the United States, Treasury, Secretary of the United States Department of the Treasury, Secretary United States Secretaries of the Treasury, 1789 establishments in the United States