White House: Executive Order changes USDA succession plan
By Stewart Doan
© Copyright Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.
For many years, the number three slot was held by
the Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services (FFAS),
currently held by Jim Miller. During the Bush Administration, the Assistant
Secretary for Administration position was next to last in the USDA succession
directive.
In what some describe as another sign that
traditional farm programs are losing clout at USDA, the Obama administration
has bumped FFAS behind the under secretaries for marketing and regulatory
programs; food, nutrition, and consumer services; food safety; and natural
resources and environment. However, other sources describe the change as a
growing recognition of the clout now held by Reed, and his recently reorganized
role overseeing Departmental Management.
A USDA spokesman said the change in rank for FFAS
was not a major move, given that the succession plan had already been changed
at USDA on Jan. 9, 2009. At that time, the order of succession behind the
Secretary and Deputy was changed to:
a. General Counsel;
b. Chief Financial Officer;
c. Assistant Secretary for Administration;
d. Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural
Services;
e. Under Secretary for Natural Resources and
Environment;
f. Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory
Programs;
g. Under Secretary for Rural Development;
h. Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer
Services;
i. Under Secretary for Food Safety;
j. Under Secretary for Research, Education and
Economics;
k. Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations;
l. Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
m. Director, Kansas City Commodity office, Farm Service
Agency
n. State Executive Directors , Farm Service Agency
According to the May 13 executive order, the new
pecking order at USDA, after the Secretary and Deputy Secretary, is as follows:
a.
Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Administration; b. Under Secretary of Agriculture
for Marketing and Regulatory Programs; c.
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer
Services; d. Under Secretary of Agriculture
for Food Safety; e.
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment; f.
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural
Services; g. Under Secretary of Agriculture
for Rural Development; h. Under Secretary of Agriculture
for Research, Education, and Economics; i.
General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture; j.
Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary; k.
Director, l.
State Executive Directors of the Farm Service Agency for the States of
California, m. Regional Administrators of the
Food and Nutrition Service for the Mountain Plains Regional Office (Denver,
Colorado), Midwest Regional Office (Chicago, Illinois), and Western Regional
Office (San Francisco, California), in order of seniority fixed by length of
unbroken service as Regional Administrator of that Regional Office; n. Chief Financial Officer of the
Department of Agriculture; o. Assistant Secretary of
Agriculture for Civil Rights; and p. Assistant Secretary of
Agriculture for Congressional Relations.
Why the change? A White House source said the
previous Administration signed an Executive Order (EO13472) which directed
agencies to submit revised orders of succession and that this EO is a result of
that process. That order, which President Bush signed on Sept. 11, 2008, asked
each agency to submit succession plans within 30 days of enactment. Only USDA
and Department of Defense have submitted plans.
To see the full executive order
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=61522
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