The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, 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 Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

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 of the United States Constitution, the officeholder is nominated by the president of the United States, and, following a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Finance, is confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...

. The secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury, the secretary of defense, and the 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 United States Emergency Economic Stabilization fund. Most of the department's law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Customs Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Secret Service were reassigned to other departments in 2003 in conjunction with the creation of the

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-te ...

Salary

The secretary of the treasury is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule and thus earns the salary prescribed for that level ( 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

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or ...

Treasury, Secretary of the Secretary 1789 establishments in the United States