Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Agriculture
This Executive Order (EO) provides a clear line of succession within the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to be used when both the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary are unavailable. It lists 17 USDA officials in a specific order who would act as Secretary and perform the office’s duties during such a period. The order includes a mix of under secretaries, key executive officers, and senior agency leaders, with a special note that if two “State Executive Directors” (for Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa) have the same start date, precedence is determined by the alphabetical state name. The order is subject to the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and other applicable law, restricts who may serve as acting Secretary, revokes a prior order (EO 13612), and emphasizes that the order does not create new rights or change budgetary or budget proposal processes. In short, the EO is about ensuring government functions at USDA continue smoothly in a vacancy crisis by specifying who steps in, under what conditions, and with what legal guardrails.
Key Points
- 1Order of succession listed in Section 1(a) for 17 USDA positions, in the following sequence:
- 2- (i) Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation;
- 3- (ii) Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services;
- 4- (iii) Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment;
- 5- (iv) Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics;
- 6- (v) Under Secretary for Rural Development;
- 7- (vi) Under Secretary for Food Safety;
- 8- (vii) Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs;
- 9- (viii) Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs;
- 10- (ix) General Counsel;
- 11- (x) Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations and Intergovernmental Affairs;
- 12- (xi) Chief Financial Officer;
- 13- (xii) Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights;
- 14- (xiii) Assistant Secretary for Administration;
- 15- (xiv) Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary;
- 16- (xv) State Executive Directors of the Farm Service Agency for KS, MO, IA (in order by fixed seniority);
- 17- (xvi) Director, Office of Budget and Program Analysis;
- 18- (xvii) Chief, United States Forest Service.
- 19Section 1(b) provides a tie-breaker: if two people designated as (xv) (State Executive Directors for KS, MO, IA) started on the same day, precedence is determined by the alphabetical order of their State.
- 20Section 2 sets restrictions on acting capacity:
- 21- (a) Individuals serving in any of the listed offices in an acting capacity cannot act as Secretary under this order;
- 22- (b) They must be eligible to serve under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and related law to act as Secretary;
- 23- (c) The President retains discretion to depart from this order when designating an acting Secretary.
- 24Section 3 revokes a prior order: EO 13612 (May 21, 2012) Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Agriculture.
- 25Section 4 provides general provisions: the order does not impair existing legal authority or budget/ODA functions, must be implemented consistent with law and appropriations, and does not create any enforceable rights.
- 26The document shows the White House signature and date (January 3, 2025), aligning with the executive branch’s formal action.