Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Agriculture

May 18, 2010

Summary

Creates a list of officials who will take over as the head of the Department of Agriculture if the Secretary and Deputy Secretary cannot do their jobs.

What problem does this solve?

Without a clear plan, there could be confusion about who is in charge of the Department of Agriculture if its top leaders are suddenly unavailable. This order establishes a specific list of officials to take over, ensuring leadership continues without interruption.

What does this order do?

Establishes the order of succession

Lists 16 officials, starting with the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Administration, who will act as Secretary if the Secretary and Deputy Secretary are unavailable.

Excludes acting officials from succession

Prevents anyone serving in an 'acting' role in one of the listed positions from becoming the acting Secretary through this order.

Creates a tie-breaker rule

Specifies that if multiple State Executive Directors or Regional Administrators started on the same day, the one from the state that comes first alphabetically gets priority.

Revokes a previous executive order

Cancels and replaces Executive Order 13241 from 2001, which previously handled the order of succession for the department.

Preserves presidential discretion

States that the President can still choose a different person to be the acting Secretary, as long as it is permitted by law.

Who does this affect?

Department of Agriculture officials
Federal government employees

What is the real world impact?

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Ensures continuity of government

Provides a clear chain of command for the Department of Agriculture. This makes sure that the department can keep working even if its top leaders are unable to perform their duties, preventing confusion during a crisis.

When does this start?

This order became effective on May 13, 2010, the date it was signed.