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MemoMemorandumTrump 45 · R

Presidential Memorandum

Providing an Order of Secession Within the Council on Environmental Quality

This memorandum establishes the order of succession for the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), specifying that the Chief of Staff, General Counsel, and Associate Directors (in appointment order) would assume acting duties if the Chairman becomes unable to serve. It revokes the Obama-era succession memorandum from January 13, 2017, and preserves presidential discretion to designate acting chairmen outside this order.

Federal Register Open PDF 84 FR 48227

Impact dates

  1. Publication in Federal Register directed

Key directives

  • Establish CEQ Chairman succession order: Chief of Staff, then General Counsel, then Associate Directors by appointment date
  • Revoke January 13, 2017 Presidential Memorandum on same topic
  • Exclude acting officials from succession eligibility
  • Require eligibility under Federal Vacancies Reform Act
  • Preserve presidential discretion to depart from this order
  • Direct publication in Federal Register

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

  • Succession order takes effect upon publication
  • Prior January 2017 memorandum revoked

Near term (90d)

—

Long term

  • Establishes enduring succession framework for CEQ leadership continuity

Risks & tensions

  • Revocation of Obama-era order may reflect routine administrative housekeeping rather than policy disagreement, though timing suggests Trump administration preference for its own framework
  • Succession depth is shallow (three tiers) for an agency with significant environmental coordination responsibilities
Presidential Memorandum: Providing an Order of Secession Within the Council on Environmental Quality · Executive Orders