page_title: Confirmations of Barack Obama's Cabinet
section_title: Chief of Staff
hierarchical_section_title: Confirmations of Barack Obama's Cabinet / Cabinet-level / Chief of Staff
caption_attribution_description: President Barack Obama meets alone with Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in the Oval Office on his first full day in office, Jan. 21, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
context_page_description: The President of the United States has the authority to nominate members of the cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under Article II, Section II, Clause II of the United States Constitution.
  This page documents the nomination and confirmation process for cabinet nominees of Barack Obama's administration. They are listed in order of creation of the cabinet position.
context_section_description: On November 6, 2008, Rahm Emanuel accepted the Cabinet-level position of White House Chief of Staff under Barack Obama. He resigned his congressional seat effective January 2, 2009. A special primary to fill his vacated congressional seat was held on March 3, 2009, and the special general election was held on April 7, 2009. Chicago newspapers reported that one candidate for that seat said at a forum that Emanuel had told him he may be interested in running for the seat again in the future.
  Some Republican leaders criticized Rahm Emanuel's appointment because they believed it went against Obama's promises to make politics less divisive, given Emanuel's reputation as a partisan Democrat. Republican Lindsey Graham disagreed, saying: "This is a wise choice by President-elect Obama. He's tough but fair – honest, direct and candid."
  Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, said that the choice indicates that Obama will not listen to the wrong people regarding the U.S.–Israel relationship. Some commentators opined that Emanuel would be good for the Israeli–Palestinian peace process because if Israeli leaders make excuses for not dismantling settlements, Emanuel will be tough and pressure the Israelis to comply.
  Some Palestinians and Arabs expressed dismay at Obama’s appointment of Emanuel. Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada said that Obama’s appointment of Emanuel sent the signal he would not be taking “more balanced, more objective, more realistic advice that could change the course from the disastrous Palestine-Israel policies of the Bush and Clinton administrations." Emanuel said that Obama did not need his influence to "orientate his policy toward Israel".
  Emanuel left office on October 1, 2010, to be replaced on an interim basis by Pete Rouse, and was elected Mayor of Chicago the following February. William M. Daley became White House Chief of Staff on January 13, 2011, when interim Chief Pete Rouse was made legal Counselor to the President. A year later, on January 9, 2012, Daley announced his intention to retire in favor of Jack Lew (Budget Director since November 2010). Lew took office on January 27, 2012, but he, too, left the job a year later (on January 25, 2013) when he was nominated to be Secretary of the Treasury (see above).
  From January 25, 2013, until January 20, 2017, the Chief of Staff was Denis McDonough, formerly the Deputy National Security Advisor.
caption: Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel in the Oval Office
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