United States presidential line of succession
The United States presidential line of succession is the order in which government officials replace the president of the United States if the president leaves office before an elected successor is inaugurated. If the president dies, resigns or is removed from office, the vice president becomes president for the rest of the term. If the vice president is unable to serve, the Speaker of the House acts as president.
Previous lines
The United States Constitution says that the vice president of the United States is the person who will replace the president if the president is not able to continue.[1] In 1868, during the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson, Benjamin Wade was the leader of the Senate, who nearly became president, as Johnson was found not guilty by one vote. Johnson had previously served as vice president for Abraham Lincoln, and became president after Lincoln’s assassination. As a result, there was no vice president during Johnson’s presidency.
In 1886, after the death of Vice President Thomas A. Hendricks, Congress passed a law that took out the leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives from the line of succession.[2] The new person behind the vice president in line was Secretary of State, followed by other Cabinet members. The leaders of the Senate and House were restored to the line of succession by the Presidential Succession Act of 1947.[2]
Present line of succession
Below is the current line of succession for the president of the United States:
| Number | Office[3] | name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vice President | Kamala Harris | Democrat | ||
| 2 | Speaker of the House of Representatives | Mike Johnson | Republican | ||
| 3 | President pro tempore of the Senate | Patty Murray | Democrat | ||
| 4 | Secretary of State | Antony Blinken | Democrat | ||
| 5 | Secretary of the Treasury | Janet Yellen | Democrat | ||
| 6 | Secretary of Defense | Lloyd Austin | Democrat | ||
| 7 | Attorney General | Merrick Garland | Democrat | ||
| 8 | Secretary of the Interior | Deb Haaland | Democrat | ||
| 9 | Secretary of Agriculture | Tom Vilsack | Democrat | ||
| 10 | Secretary of Commerce | Gina Raimondo | Democrat | ||
| 11 | Secretary of Labor | Julie Su (Acting) | Democrat | ||
| 12 | Secretary of Health and Human Services | Xavier Becerra | Democrat | ||
| 13 | Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | Marcia Fudge | Democrat | ||
| 14 | Secretary of Transportation | Pete Buttigieg | Democrat | ||
| 15 | Secretary of Energy | Jennifer Granholm[A] | Democrat | ||
| 16 | Secretary of Education | Miguel Cardona | Democrat | ||
| 17 | Secretary of Veterans Affairs | Denis McDonough | Democrat | ||
| 18 | Secretary of Homeland Security | Alejandro Mayorkas[B] | Democrat | ||
