The cabinet positions are established by the US Congress.
The Senate must approve the president's cabinet.
The senate approves the head of the cabinet department.
The President chooses the cabinet members and his selection must be confirmed by the US Senate before they take effect.
The constitution does not mention a cabinet nor give any details about how the executive department should be organized. Congress has the power to create or abolish cabinet positions.
The senate
The Cabinet:Comprised of the 14 Secretaries of the Cabinets and the Attorney General. Five other Advisory positions are not Cabinet members but are an important part of the Presidents top team. There are just over 20 adviser positions under the President.
When George Washington was President, there were four cabinet positions. As of 2002 there are fifteen:Secretary of StateSecretary of the TreasurySecretary of DefenseAttorney GeneralSecretary of the InteriorSecretary of AgricultureSecretary of CommerceSecretary of LaborSecretary of Health and Human ServicesSecretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentSecretary of TransportationSecretary of EnergySecretary of EducationSecretary of Veterans AffairsSecretary of Homeland Security
The President's appointments to his cabinet much be approved by the Senate in order to take effect.
There are actually 22 cabinet rank positions. 15 of the positions are cabinet departments. The other 7 are cabinet rank officials like the White Chief of Staff and United States Trade Representative.
In the US, the Legislative Branch.
You become a cabinet member when the President appoints you and the the Congress approves the nomination.