Government operations and workforce · Agency succession orders

Executive Order 13472: Executive Branch Responsibilities With Respect to Orders of Succession

President: George W. Bush

Required agencies to maintain succession orders and send proposed changes for White House review.

Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13472 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13472 remains in effect. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13472 do?

Agencies needing presidential action had 30 days to submit a draft if none existed; those able to act themselves had to maintain lists and send revisions and copies to specified White House and OMB officials. Subsequent department-specific orders, including EO 13484 and EO 13485 in January 2009, illustrate presidential succession updates after this directive.

SignedSeptember 11, 2008
Earlier frameworkAgencies used statutes and individual presidential orders to arrange acting leadership and continuity.
Responsible bodyAgency heads, Counsel to President and OMB
Follow-up evidenceJanuary 9, 2009: Subsequent department-specific orders, including EO 13484 and EO 13485 in January 2009, illustrate presidential succession updates after this directive.

Before and after

Before the order

Agencies used statutes and individual presidential orders to arrange acting leadership and continuity.

After the order

Agencies needing presidential action had 30 days to submit a draft if none existed; those able to act themselves had to maintain lists and send revisions and copies to specified White House and OMB officials.

Subsequent department-specific orders, including EO 13484 and EO 13485 in January 2009, illustrate presidential succession updates after this directive.

What did the signed order change?

Agencies used statutes and individual presidential orders to arrange acting leadership and continuity. Agencies needing presidential action had 30 days to submit a draft if none existed; those able to act themselves had to maintain lists and send revisions and copies to specified White House and OMB officials.

What happened later?

EO 13485 — later Transportation succession order: Subsequent department-specific orders, including EO 13484 and EO 13485 in January 2009, illustrate presidential succession updates after this directive.

What does that evidence establish?

A succession order remains subject to statutory vacancy and eligibility rules; this directive is not an appointment. The existence of later orders does not prove every agency met the 30-day deadline. The signed order states the original requirements.

Who had to do what

Source: Signed Federal Register text.
Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Executive agencies, including the United States Postal Service and Postal Regulatory CommissionEstablish, maintain, and revise succession arrangements or propose the necessary presidential action so essential functions continue; GAO is excluded from the definition.Ongoing; the 30-day and 7-day requirements apply as described below.
Agencies requiring presidential action for successionIf no order exists, draft one and send it to White House Counsel; send proposed updates or revisions for Counsel review, then submit the proposal to OMB under EO 11030.Initial missing-order draft within 30 days of September 11, 2008; OMB submission after Counsel review.
Agencies authorized to establish their own succession ordersMaintain lawful succession orders, follow applicable presidential or Homeland Security guidance, send proposed revisions to Counsel before implementation, and supply copies to Counsel, the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Assistant, and OMB Director.Initial copy within 30 days of September 11, 2008; revised copy within 7 days after issuance; Counsel review before revisions take effect.
Counsel to the PresidentReview and comment on submitted succession proposals and proposed revisions.Before submission for presidential action or implementation of an agency revision; no separate fixed review deadline.

What happened next

EO 13472 signed.

Subsequent department-specific orders, including EO 13484 and EO 13485 in January 2009, illustrate presidential succession updates after this directive.