United States Presidential Line of Succession - Current Order

Current Order

This is a list of the current presidential line of succession, as specified by the United States Constitution and the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 as subsequently amended to include newly created cabinet offices.

Key Democrat = (D)
Republican = (R)
Independent = (I)
# Office Current officer
1 Vice President of the United States Joe Biden (D)
2 Speaker of the House John Boehner (R)
3 President pro tempore of the Senate Daniel Inouye (D)
4 Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (D)
5 Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner (I)
6 Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta (D)
7 Attorney General Eric Holder (D)
8 Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar (D)
9 Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (D)
-- Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank (D)
10 Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis (D)
11 Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius (D)
12 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan (D)
13 Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood (R)
14 Secretary of Energy Steven Chu (D)
15 Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (D)
16 Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki*
17 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano (D)

*Eric Shinseki, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, has no known party affiliation.

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