President Nixon created a Domestic Council in 1970 to give domestic policy the kind of central White House coordination the National Security Council gave foreign policy. Later administrations reshaped it under different names, and President Clinton established the current Domestic Policy Council by executive order in August 1993, alongside the new National Economic Council.
The council is formally made up of the President, the Vice President, and the heads of cabinet departments and agencies with domestic responsibilities, but its real work is done by a White House staff led by a director who is an Assistant to the President and does not need Senate confirmation. The staff develops presidential initiatives, runs interagency meetings to settle disputes between departments, and helps make sure that agency actions follow the President's agenda.
Its portfolio covers most of what is not economic or national security policy: health care, education, housing, immigration, criminal justice, civil rights, and social programs, and it often drafts the domestic executive orders a President signs. Its influence depends on the director's relationship with the President and on how much policymaking an administration chooses to centralize in the White House rather than leave to departments.
| Status | Active |
| Abbreviation | DPC |
| Part of | The Executive Office of the President |
| Led by | Director |
| Legal basis | Executive Order 12859 (1993) |
| Official site | whitehouse.gov |
| Established | August 16, 1993, Executive Order 12859 |
| Forerunner | Nixon's Domestic Council, 1970 |
| Head | Director, Assistant to the President, no Senate confirmation |
| Portfolio | Health, education, immigration, criminal justice, social programs |
| Current director | Vince Haley (as of 2026-06-30) |
| Date | Established by executive order August 16, 1993 |
| Location | Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C. |