Presidential Succession

Libertyville HS

• Constitution – Article II, Section 1, paragraph 6 (as amended)

• 20th Amendment – If president dies before taking office, VP takes over as president

• 25th Amendment – VP to become pres if… • Pres dead, resignation • Pres incapable of serving

• Federal Laws – Presidential Succession Act of 1792 (Pres Pro Temp, then Speaker, then Cabinet member) – Presidential Succession Act of 1947 (Flip flopped Speaker & Pres pro temp) – Never an acting officer; only appointed & confirmed by US senate (& qualified to be president) – Serve as pres until disability removed or new Pres elected

• Vice President Joe Biden • Speaker Nancy Pelosi • President Pro Tempore Robert Byrd • Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner • Secretary of Defense Robert Gates • Attorney General Eric Holder

• Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar • Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack • Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke • Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis • Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius • Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan

• Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood • Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu • Secretary of Education Arne Duncan • Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki • Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano

• President and all successors are never in the same place at the same time • One eligible successor, one house member from each party, and one senator from each party are randomly selected and are held separate and apart from all others • Purpose: to assure succession of government in event of death of everyone

• Partisan difference between Executive, Legislative branch leadership • President pro temp is OLD! • One DC nuke away from killing all successors • Swine flu / viral / biological attack could cause mass vacancies in DC