Quote:
Originally Posted by mapuc
Why isn't this person chosen as the President if POTUS and the VP don't exist anymore ?
'cause what I have learned from reading all these post is that Speaker of the House becomes the President or was it VP if the President stop existing
Confused...then wait until my next post
Markus
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What was going through the minds of Congress when the law governing the line of succession was developed is a mystery to me. But it is what it is seems sound to me and should remain as is until they decide to change it. Keep in mind the President of the U.S. is not a king or the almighty ruler of our country. He is just the chief executive officer of one branch of government and also represents our country to others, presidents are a dime a dozen. His power is granted to him by the constitution and our representatives. So long as Congress and the Senate remain intact the big squeaky government wheel keeps turning with or without a president.
The original Constitution provides that if neither the President nor Vice President can serve, the Congress shall provide law stating who is next in line. Currently that law exists as 3 USC 19, a section of the U.S. Code. This law was established as part of the Presidential Succession Act of 1947. There, the following line of succession is provided:
Speaker of the House of Representatives
President Pro Tempore of the Senate
Secretary of State
Secretary of the Treasury
Secretary of Defense
Attorney General
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Secretary of Transportation
Secretary of Energy
Secretary of Education
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Secretary of Homeland Security
The only exception to the line provided in the law states that to ascend to the Presidency, the next person in line must be constitutionally eligible. Any person holding an office in the line of succession who, for example, is not a naturally-born citizen cannot become President. In this case, that person would be skipped and the next eligible person in the line would become President.