FEDERALpresidential document

Presidential Order on Succession for the Office of Science and Technology Policy

Original title: Designation of Officials of the Office of Science and Technology Policy To Act as Director

January 3, 2025

executive branch succession planning science and technology policy federal administration

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The Frame

What this does

This document ensures continuity of leadership for the federal agency responsible for advising the President on science and technology issues.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Office of Science and Technology Policy officials

These officials are assigned specific roles and responsibilities regarding the order of succession for the Director position.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 3, 2025.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

President Biden issued a memorandum establishing a formal for the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). This order defines which officials assume the Director's duties if the position becomes vacant and revokes a previous 2017 memorandum on the same subject.

Key Facts

The order establishes a specific hierarchy for acting Directors: Associate Directors, Chief of Staff, Deputy Directors, and General Counsel.
Individuals serving in an acting capacity in their current roles are ineligible to act as Director under this order.
The President retains the authority to designate an acting Director outside of this established order.
This memorandum revokes the previous succession order issued on January 13, 2017.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who takes over if the Director of the OSTP is unable to perform their duties?

The duties pass to specific officials in a set order: Associate Directors, the Chief of Staff, Deputy Directors, and finally the General Counsel.

Does this order change the President's ability to choose an acting Director?

No, the President retains the discretion to depart from this order and designate an acting Director as permitted by law.

Why It Matters

This document ensures continuity of leadership for the federal agency responsible for advising the President on science and technology issues.

News Coverage

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Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Succession Protocol Update

The memorandum explicitly revokes the 2017 succession order, indicating a shift in the administrative hierarchy for the OSTP.

Office of Science and Technology Policy

Connected Entities

organizationOffice of Science and Technology Policy Map →

personJoseph R. Biden Jr.Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.federalregister.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance35
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy5
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz10
Current news / social attention level

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