Executive Order 13484: Amending Executive Order 13241, the Order of Succession Within the Department of Agriculture
President: George W. Bush
Replaced Agriculture’s acting-secretary list and added eligibility protections.
Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13484 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13484 remains in effect. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 13484 do?
The list began with General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer, added more offices and specified that each person must independently qualify under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. The signed 2009 amendment supplies the list; this review does not infer who actually acted as Secretary under it.
Before and after
Before the order
EO 13241 set a USDA succession order, later altered as department offices changed.
After the order
The list began with General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer, added more offices and specified that each person must independently qualify under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.
The signed 2009 amendment supplies the list; this review does not infer who actually acted as Secretary under it.
What did the signed order change?
EO 13241 set a USDA succession order, later altered as department offices changed. The list began with General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer, added more offices and specified that each person must independently qualify under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.
What happened later?
Signed EO 13484 — amended USDA list: The signed 2009 amendment supplies the list; this review does not infer who actually acted as Secretary under it.
What does that evidence establish?
Vacancies Reform Act eligibility applies independently; listing a position is not an appointment to a vacancy. The order does not establish service by an individual. The signed order states the original requirements.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Agriculture General Counsel | Serve in the amended acting-Secretary succession list only if otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. | Position 1 in the amended list; when succession provisions apply. |
| Department of Agriculture Chief Financial Officer | Serve in the amended acting-Secretary succession list only if otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. | Position 2 in the amended list; when succession provisions apply. |
| Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Administration | Serve in the amended acting-Secretary succession list only if otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. | Position 3 in the amended list; when succession provisions apply. |
| Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services | Serve in the amended acting-Secretary succession list only if otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. | Position 4 in the amended list; when succession provisions apply. |
| Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment | Serve in the amended acting-Secretary succession list only if otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. | Position 5 in the amended list; when succession provisions apply. |
| Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs | Serve in the amended acting-Secretary succession list only if otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. | Position 6 in the amended list; when succession provisions apply. |
| Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development | Serve in the amended acting-Secretary succession list only if otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. | Position 7 in the amended list; when succession provisions apply. |
| Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services | Serve in the amended acting-Secretary succession list only if otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. | Position 8 in the amended list; when succession provisions apply. |
| Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Food Safety | Serve in the amended acting-Secretary succession list only if otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. | Position 9 in the amended list; when succession provisions apply. |
| Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics | Serve in the amended acting-Secretary succession list only if otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. | Position 10 in the amended list; when succession provisions apply. |
| Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations | Serve in the amended acting-Secretary succession list only if otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. | Position 11 in the amended list; when succession provisions apply. |
| Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights | Serve in the amended acting-Secretary succession list only if otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. | Position 12 in the amended list; when succession provisions apply. |
| Department of Agriculture Director, Kansas City Commodity Office, Farm Service Agency | Serve in the amended acting-Secretary succession list only if otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. Must satisfy the service-time and pay requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3345(a)(3). | Position 13 in the amended list; when succession provisions apply. |
| Farm Service Agency State Executive Director for Missouri | Serve in the final group of the amended acting-Secretary succession list, ranked by unbroken service as State Executive Director; must otherwise qualify under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, including its service-time and pay requirements. | After the Kansas City Commodity Office director; seniority determines priority within the four-state group. |
| Farm Service Agency State Executive Director for Kansas | Serve in the final group of the amended acting-Secretary succession list, ranked by unbroken service as State Executive Director; must otherwise qualify under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, including its service-time and pay requirements. | After the Kansas City Commodity Office director; seniority determines priority within the four-state group. |
| Farm Service Agency State Executive Director for Iowa | Serve in the final group of the amended acting-Secretary succession list, ranked by unbroken service as State Executive Director; must otherwise qualify under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, including its service-time and pay requirements. | After the Kansas City Commodity Office director; seniority determines priority within the four-state group. |
| Farm Service Agency State Executive Director for Nebraska | Serve in the final group of the amended acting-Secretary succession list, ranked by unbroken service as State Executive Director; must otherwise qualify under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, including its service-time and pay requirements. | After the Kansas City Commodity Office director; seniority determines priority within the four-state group. |
What happened next
EO 13484 signed.
The signed 2009 amendment supplies the list; this review does not infer who actually acted as Secretary under it.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
Vacancies Reform Act eligibility applies independently; listing a position is not an appointment to a vacancy.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- GovInfo — official executive-order record (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 26, 2026. How we research →