Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of the Treasury

This executive order establishes the line of succession for the Secretary of the Treasury when both the Secretary and Deputy Secretary are unable to serve. It replaces a 2001 executive order and 2002 memorandum with an updated succession list running from Under Secretaries through various Treasury and IRS officials.

Federal Register Open PDF 81 FR 54709

Impact dates

Mar 19, 2002
Revoke Executive Order 13246 and March 19, 2002 Presidential Memorandum
Mar 19, 2002
EO 13246 and March 19, 2002 Presidential Memorandum revoked

Key directives

Establish order of succession for Secretary of Treasury when Secretary and Deputy Secretary both unavailable
List specific officers in priority order: Under Secretaries, General Counsel, Deputy Under Secretaries and Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretaries, then seven named officers including IRS and Fiscal Service commissioners
Exclude acting officials from succession by virtue of acting service
Preserve presidential discretion to depart from this order under Federal Vacancies Reform Act
Require eligibility under Federal Vacancies Reform Act for any acting Secretary
Revoke Executive Order 13246 and March 19, 2002 Presidential Memorandum

Timeline

Immediate

EO 13246 and March 19, 2002 Presidential Memorandum revoked
New succession order takes effect upon signing

Near term (90d)

—

Long term

Succession plan remains in place indefinitely until superseded

Risks & tensions

Low tension: routine administrative update of succession planning
Uncertainty: exact oath-of-office ordering for tied officials in sections 2(a) and 2(c) could create ambiguity in real crisis
Presidential discretion in section 3(b) preserves flexibility but could undermine predictability of succession