White House Offices

Cabinet Affairs
The Office of Cabinet Affairs serves as the liaison between the White House and the President's Cabinet and agency heads. In this role, Cabinet Affairs provides several key functions: an advocate within the White House for the Cabinet Agencies; an early warning system of agency initiatives and late-breaking issues for the President and senior White House staff; the primary information source of White House and Administration policy and directives for the Cabinet; and an impartial mediator and policy broker, when needed, among departments and the White House.

Communications Director's Office
The Communications Director's Office oversees the activities of the Press Secretary, Communications, Speechwriting, Media Affairs, and Global Communications. This office also participates in the formulation of White House policy, and manages the daily operation of communicating the President's message.

Press Secretary
The Office of the Press Secretary handles all national press inquiries such as interview requests, requests for transcripts or releases, and travel and scheduling information. This office has responsibility for providing information to the national press. Examples of national press include: the country's major newspapers, major radio services, major news magazines, the wire services, and all of the major television networks.

Communications
The Communications Office is responsible for the production and planning of the President's media events, both domestically and internationally. This office coordinates with the Advance Office to organize and implement the President's public appearances and formal visits outside of the White House complex.

Speechwriting
The Office of Speechwriting is charged with crafting the President's message in a clear, concise, and compelling manner. Writers in this office take part in all aspects of the President's activities by composing everything from talking points to event remarks to the State of the Union Address.

Media Affairs
The Media Affairs Office serves the needs of outside the beltway media outlets including local television stations, regional daily newspapers, and national and local radio outlets. Media Affairs also serves the needs of Spanish language media, religious press, and special interest publications such as sports media and business news outlets. Media Affairs is also responsible for the design and content of the White House web site.

Global Communications
The White House Office of Global Communications provides strategic direction and themes to the United States government agencies that communicate about America to international audiences. The office coordinates and devises communications programs that promote America's interests, prevent misunderstanding and conflict, build support for and among United States coalition partners, and inform and persuade international audiences.

Office of Counsel to the President
The Office of Counsel to the President advises the President on all legal issues concerning the President and the White House. The Counsel's Office is responsible for advising on all legal aspects of policy questions, legal issues arising in connection with the President's decision to sign or veto legislation, ethical questions, financial disclosures, conflicts of interest during employment and post employment, and defines lines between official and political activities. The Counsel's Office also oversees executive appointments and judicial selection, handles Presidential pardons, reviews legislation and Presidential statements, and handles lawsuits against the President in his role as President, as well as serving as the White House contact for the Department of Justice.

Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
The White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) was established by President Bush by Executive Order on January 29, 2001, for the purpose of coordinating and implementing the President's agenda to empower community and faith-based organizations to better confront poverty and social decay. The OFBCI also maintains oversight of Centers for Faith-based and Community Initiatives operating in five Cabinet Departments, (HHS, HUD, DOJ, DOL, DOEd), whose mission is to remove barriers to access to federal funding for grass roots faith-based organizations. The OFBCI has two divisions, one focusing on law and policy, the other on community outreach and support.

Fellows Office
The White House Fellows Program Office is responsible for the selection process of each class of White House Fellows, as well as the day-to-day management of the program. The office plans, coordinates and hosts activities for the White House Fellows, including domestic and international policy study trips, an ongoing speaker series, and any social or educational events the Fellows are invited to attend.

First Lady's Correspondence
Processes all mail sent by the public to the First Lady and to the First Family, including all First Lady's scheduling requests and e-mail. The office also prepares messages of greeting from the First Lady for events throughout the country.

Mrs. Bush's Press Office
The Press Office manages Mrs. Bush's day-to-day media relations. In addition, the office promotes Mrs. Bush's initiatives and projects and publicizes various White House social activities to the national and international media. The office works closely with the First Lady's scheduling and advance teams to coordinate events and appearances.

Intergovernmental Affairs
This office serves as the liaison between the White House and state and local governments. In addition, this office represents the views of state and local elected officials in policy formulation within the Administration. A major focus is on helping state and local officials with their concerns involving the Federal Government. As part of this work, Intergovernmental Affairs works closely with organizations representing state and local elected officials such as the National Governors' Association and the United States Conference of Mayors.

Legislative Affairs
The Office of Legislative Affairs serves as the liaison between the White House and the Legislative Branch of the Federal Government and is primarily responsible for developing the strategy used to promote and defend the President's legislative agenda. Legislative Affairs also acts as a contact through which members of Congress can forward their concerns and priorities to the President and engage in dialogue with the White House.

White House Management
The White House Management Office is responsible for providing day to day administrative support to the White House staff.

White House Office of Personnel
White House Personnel is responsible for assisting in the placement process of all White House staff.

Photo Office
The White House Photo Office documents the official events of the President and Mrs. Bush and Vice President Cheney. The office also edits and orders these official photographs. Interns assist in placing and tracking the status of orders for photographs through each stage of the process. There are general duties such as telephone coverage and assisting staff with specific photo requests.

Office of Policy Development (OPD)
The Office of Policy Development is composed of two policy groups:

Domestic Policy Council and the National Economic Council
Both of these offices are accepting intern applications. These two groups are responsible for advising and assisting the President in the formulation, coordination, and implementation of economic and domestic policy.

The two policy groups are responsible for ensuring coordination in the development and implementation of executive branch policy. Both serve as a forum in which policy advice to the President can be considered and refined. The policy process is managed in a way that allows issues particular to each group to be included in policy deliberations being led elsewhere in the Executive Office of the President or in executive branch departments or agencies.

Political Affairs
The Office of Political Affairs is charged with ensuring that the executive branch and the President are aware of the concerns of the American citizen.

Presidential Advance
The Office of Presidential Advance is responsible for the organization and implementation of the President and First Lady's visits outside of the White House complex. The Office is responsible for the design and structure of activities at each location the President and First Lady visit. For most trips, advance staff serve as the primary coordinator between the White House Military Office, the United States Secret Service, and the local communities to be visited.

Office of Presidential Correspondence

• Agency Liaison
  Assists when possible members of the public who request help from the President or First Lady in resolving a problem, such as a complaint about failure to receive Veteran's Benefits. The office refers many requests to established contacts in Federal agencies or with private-sector organizations, depending on the nature of the casework, to assist these people.
• Comment Line and Greeting Line
  The Office of White House Comment Line and Greetings is responsible for filling requests from the public and congressional offices for greeting cards from the President acknowledging special occasions.

  The Comment Line takes calls from the general public who wish to convey their opinions and ideas to the President.

• Gift Office
  Values and records the disposition of all gifts received by the First Family and members of the White House Staff.
• Mail Analysis
  Analyzes, routes, and processes certain correspondence addressed to the President.
• Presidential Messages and Proclamations
  Drafts and reviews certain individual letters and all messages and proclamations signed by the President. Message requests are provided only for milestone occasions (e.g., anniversaries of cities, churches, civic groups, etc.) in five-year increments, for annual national observances, for prestigious awards and testimonials, and for special events of national organizations.
• Presidential Student Correspondence
  Responds to all letters and requests received from children and students through high school age. The office also produces publications for the use by teachers in classrooms. This office also develops special communication programs for youth consistent with the Administration's emphasis on education.

Presidential Personnel
The Presidential Personnel Office is responsible for recruiting, screening and recommending qualified candidates for Presidential appointments to Federal departments and agencies.

Presidential Scheduling
The Scheduling Office is responsible for the planning, organization, and implementation of the President's daily and long-range schedules. All requests for appointments, meetings, or time with the President must be directed through this office.

Public Liaison
The Office of Public Liaison is responsible for promoting Presidential priorities through outreach to concerned constituencies and public interest groups. This includes planning White House briefings, meetings, and large events with the President, Vice President and other White House staff and coordinating national, state and local activities on behalf of Presidential initiatives.

Strategic Initiatives
The Office of Strategic Initiatives is responsible for coordinating the planning and development of a long-range strategy for achieving Presidential priorities. The office conducts research, and assists in message development and other communications activities in conjunction with the Office of Public Liaison and the Office of Political Affairs.

Travel Office
The Travel Office provides airline and train tickets, rental cars and hotel accommodations for all officially approved travel. The Travel Office also provides logistical support for the White House Press Corps travel in conjunction with the President's travel.

USA Freedom Corps
The USA Freedom Corps initiative was born out of the response to the terrorist attacks of September 11 in communities around the country. The USA Freedom Corps is a coordinating council, similar to the National Economic Council or National Security Council, responsible for encouraging and assisting Americans to answer President Bush’s two-year Call to Service. The policies and programs coordinated by the council, include the following:

1. The Citizen Corps initiative, which offers volunteers the opportunity to protect their communities from crime, natural disasters and other emergencies through existing and new programs under the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice.
2. The AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America programs that are a part of the Corporation for National and Community Service and together offer hundreds of thousands of Americans of all ages opportunities to volunteer in communities across the country.
3. The Peace Corps, which supports more than 6,000 volunteers around the world who are sharing American compassion abroad.

Office of the Vice President
The Vice President's staff advises assists and supports the Vice President in carrying out executive and legislative duties. The Vice President's staff provides support on domestic policy, national security affairs, legislative affairs, communications, scheduling, advance, military support, protective matters, administration and legal matters, and supports the Vice President's spouse as provided by law.

Visitors Office
The primary responsibility of the Visitors Office is scheduling White House Tours, but duties extend beyond daily tours to include coordination of the White House Easter Egg Roll, Holiday Open Houses, Spring and Fall Garden Tours, State Arrival Ceremonies, Presidential Marine One Arrivals and Departures and other special events.