1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Cabinet Member:
Prior to the next cabinet meeting you must submit a report on your highest priority program. The purpose of this report is to inform me of the program within your program that ranks as the

highest priority for the coming fiscal year. During this time of fiscal constraint, we must set our priorities on all programs under our administration. Please give me details on why your highest

ranking program needs to maintain or increase its current budget. In your report, include necessary documentation including any supporting graphics and testimonials that you believe

necessary to make your case for continued support for this program.
I look forward to seeing your report and I await your recommendations on how the federal government can continue its most critical programs in these times of economic restraint.
Sincerely yours,

The President of the United States

ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW
Washington, D.C. is an extremely competitive, political town and you must work hard to keep your agency an important part of government. It’s the beginning of the legislative calendar and you

must compete with other agencies and departments for a part of the budget and a high profile emphasis from the president.
Choose which department of the President??s cabinet you would like to represent. Identify a current or new program that you will present to the president as a priority for your department. Be

sure the program fits within the mission of your department. Report to the president about the problem and the program that will alleviate the problem. You may prepare charts, tables and

graphs to explain your plans to the President.

DETAILS
1. Submit a written report addressed to the president. A quality report will probably be between 750-1000 words. However, the president cares more about clarity and detail than length ?C

charts and other visual aids may be more valuable than word count.
2. Include at least 5 quality sources to defend and clarify your report. The sources should be appropriately cited within the report using MLA or APA style. A complete bibliography should be

attached to the report.
3. The report should be written in formal college level writing. The president wants to focus on your ideas, not your errors. Be sure to check for clarity and appropriate word usage; complete

sentences; correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.
4. As the head of your department you should demonstrate substantial understanding about your department and your priority program.
5. In order to get a favorable response from the president, be sure to follow all guidelines as outlined in the attached rubric.
6. In the report be sure to describe the top priority program for your department:
• How does this program fit into the official mission of your department?
• Why is your department best suited to run this program?
• Is this a new program or an existing program?
• What problem does the program solve? How significant is the problem? Give evidence, not anecdote.
• What is the estimated fiscal impact of the program and how does it fit into your department??s budget?
• Why should the program be important to the president?

RESOURCES
The President’s Cabinet Departments can be individually accessed via the Internet through the following homepages:
The President’s Cabinet: https://www.whitehouse.gov/government/cabinet.html
Department of Agriculture: https://www.usda.gov/
Department of Commerce: https://www.doc.gov/
Department of Defense: https://www.defenselink.mil/
Department of Education: https://www.ed.gov/
Department of Energy: https://www.energy.gov/
Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.hhs.gov/
Department of Housing and Urban Development: https://www.hud.gov/
Department of the Interior: https://www.doi.gov/
Department of Justice: https://www.usdoj.gov
Department of State: https://www.state.gov/
Department of Transportation: https://www.dot.gov/
Department of the Treasury: https://www.ustreas.gov/
Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.va.gov/
Department of Homeland Security: https://www.dhs.gov/

This assignment was based on a Cabinet Meeting Simulation written by Bob O??Conner and available on the SCORE website.