United States Secretary of State
| United States Secretary of State | |
|---|---|
Seal of the secretary of state | |
Flag of the secretary of state | |
since January 21, 2025 | |
| United States Department of State | |
| Style | Mr. Secretary (informal) The Honorable[1] (formal) His Excellency[2] (diplomatic) |
| Abbreviation | SecState |
| Member of | Cabinet of the United States United States National Security Council |
| Reports to | President of the United States |
| Seat | Harry S Truman Building Washington, D.C. |
| Appointer | The president with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Constituting instrument | 22 U.S.C. § 2651 |
| Precursor | Secretary of Foreign Affairs |
| Formation | July 27, 1789 |
| First holder | Thomas Jefferson |
| Succession | Fourth[3] |
| Deputy | United States Deputy Secretary of State |
| Salary | Executive Schedule, Level I[4] |
| Website | state.gov/secretary |
The United States secretary of state (SecState)[5] is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State.
The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all foreign affairs matters. The secretary carries out the president's foreign policies through the U.S Department of State, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service, and U.S. Agency for International Development. The office holder is the second-highest-ranking member of the president's cabinet, after the vice president, and ranks fourth in the presidential line of succession; first amongst cabinet secretaries.
Created in 1789 with Thomas Jefferson as its first office holder, the secretary of state represents the United States to foreign countries, and is therefore considered analogous to a secretary or minister of foreign affairs in other countries.[6][7] The secretary of state is nominated by the president of the United States and, following a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, is confirmed by the Senate. The secretary of state, along with the secretary of the treasury, secretary of defense, and attorney general, are generally regarded as the four most crucial Cabinet members because of the importance of their respective departments.[8]
The secretary of state is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule and thus earns the salary prescribed for that level, $250,600 as of January 2025.[9][4]
- ^ "Protocol Reference". United States Department of State. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ "United Nations Heads of State, Protocol and Liaison Service" (PDF). United Nations. January 29, 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 14, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ "3 U.S. Code § 19 – Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act". Cornell Law School. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ a b 5 U.S.C. § 5312.
- ^ "Abbreviations and Terms" (PDF). 2001-2009.state.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
- ^ "Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs", Protocol and Liaison Service, United Nations. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
- ^ NATO Member Countries Archived October 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, NATO. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
- ^ "Cabinets and Counselors: The President and the Executive Branch" (1997). Congressional Quarterly. p. 87.
- ^ "Rates of Basic Pay for the Executive Schedule" (PDF). Office of Personnel Management. January 1, 2025. Retrieved January 5, 2025.