Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of the Interior

The order directs that seven named Interior Department officers, in ranked order, may assume the functions and duties of the Secretary of the Interior whenever both the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary have died, resigned, or are otherwise unable to serve. The ranked chain runs from the Solicitor, through the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget, then through five other Assistant Secretaries covering Land and Minerals Management, Water and Science, Fish and Wildlife, Indian Affairs, and Insular and International Affairs. It revokes Executive Order 13244 of December 18, 2001, which previously set Interior's succession order.

The order includes two exceptions: an officer already serving in one of the listed positions in an acting capacity cannot use this order to assume the Secretary role, and the President retains discretion under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act to depart from this order when designating an acting Secretary.

Senior officials within the Department of the Interior — specifically the Solicitor and six Assistant Secretaries — whose acting-Secretary responsibilities are now formally ranked. Federal employees and stakeholders who interact with Interior during a leadership vacancy are also affected.

Interior's leadership succession chain is now clearly defined and up to date, replacing a 19-year-old order. During any future vacancy at the top two levels, there is no ambiguity about who holds authority to act as Secretary and manage the department's vast land, resource, and tribal responsibilities.