The Domestic Policy Council (DPC) is the principal forum used by the

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

for the consideration of domestic policy matters and senior policymaking, Cabinet, and

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

officials. The Council is part of the Office of Policy Development, which itself is within the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Since the establishment of the Council in 1993, under the administration of President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

, its purpose is to coordinate the domestic policy-making process; to coordinate domestic policy advice to the President; to ensure that domestic policy decisions and programs are consistent with the President’s stated goals, and to ensure that those goals are being effectively pursued; and to monitor implementation of the President’s domestic policy agenda. The Domestic Policy Council differs from the National Economic Council, which is used to consider economic policy for the President. The Domestic Policy Council focuses on issues of domestic policy, which exclude economic policy matters. The Council is also the principal arm of the president when coordinating domestic policy measures throughout the executive branch. The Domestic Policy Council is headed by the assistant to the president for domestic policy and director of the Domestic Policy Council. Since January 20, 2021, that position has been held by Susan Rice.

History and mission

The Domestic Policy Council was established on August 16, 1993 by

Executive Order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of t ...

12859, under President Clinton. The first director of the Domestic Policy Council was

Carol Rasco Carol Rasco (née Hampton; born January 13, 1948) is an American political aide and advocate for disability rights, literacy, and children who served as Director of the Domestic Policy Council under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1996. She ha ...

, who was appointed by Clinton in 1993. The Council oversees development and implementation of the President’s domestic policy agenda and ensures coordination and communication among the heads of relevant Federal offices and agencies. Prior to the creation of the National Economic Council, economic policy staff had existed since the 1960's. President Lyndon Johnson assigned a senior aide to develop and organize domestic policy, of which economic policy was included. In 1970, President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

issued an executive order which created the Office of Policy Development. President Clinton split the responsibilities of the Domestic Policy Council with the National Economic Council. The Council is composed of various Cabinet officials, who advise the president on domestic policy issues and matters.

Assistants to the President for Domestic Policy

References

External links

White House: Domestic Policy Council
{{Authority control Economy of the United States Domestic Policy Council United States domestic policy United States national commissions 1985 establishments in the United States