Tom Vilsack. You may know him as the Secretary of Agriculture. Or you may have never heard of him. But what if I told you that he was 9th in line to become President of the United States if 8 very important people croak or resign. As we know, if the President dies or resigns, the Vice-President takes over (as stated in the 25th Amendment). But if the Veep bites it too, we have to start looking down the roster for the next Pres. The Presidential batting order, as dictated by the Presidential Succession Act, is as follows:
- Vice President
- Speaker of the House of Representatives
- President pro tempore of the Senate
- Secretary of State
- Sec. of Treasury
- Sec. of Defense
- Attorney General
- Sec. of Interior
- Sec. of Agriculture (That’s you, Tom Vilsack!!!)
- Sec. of Commerce
- Sec. of Labor
- Sec. of Health and Human Services
- Sec. of Housing and Urban Development
- Sec. of Transportation
- Sec. of Energy
- Sec. of Education
- Sec. of Veterans Affairs
- Sec. of Homeland Security
If you’re wondering why the Secretary of Transportation is more qualified than the Secretary of Energy, it’s because the order is determined by when the department was established (oldest to newest).
I hope Tom Vilsack knows how much he potentially means to the world outside of agriculture.
