EXOP stands for the Executive Office of the President, it may occasionally be abbreviated to EOP as well. The Executive Office was formed in its present incarnation in 1939, after it was decreed that the “President needs held’. This arose from the results of the Brownlow Committee.

The Executive Office is designed to be flexible, and very few positions require Senate confirmed. It is meant to be fluid so that it can adapt to the President’s style. As a result, it is often quite difficult to pin down exactly how many people currently work in the Executive Office. The Office itself is headed by the White House Chief of Staff.

Whilst there are many departments that often second people to the Executive Office, there are three principal agencies that you should know about.

National Security Council

The NSC was formed under Harry Truman, and is the main body used by the President for the formation of policies relating to national security and foreign policy. It is formed by the President, Vice President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defence, and the National Security Advisor. In addition to this military advisors, and intelligence advisors will participate on a regular basis.

White House Office

The White House Office, as a department in the Executive Office is headed by the White House Chief of Staff. The Office is ultimately made up on assistants of the President, who oversee policy, political matters and above all work to protect the interests of the President. None of the roles in the White House Office require Senate confirmation.

Office of Management and Budget

The OMB is the largest department within the Executive Office. Its main responsibility is to produce the Budget. It will oversee all the financial aspects of the implementation of the Presidents’ agenda. Finally it will also assess the effectiveness of government programmes. It is one of the only departments within the Executive Office that must have the director confirmed by a Senate Vote.