Cox proposal would change White House succession

Paul Clinton

A bill introduced by Rep. Chris Cox and others would add more clout

to the Department of Homeland Security by putting its director in

line for succession to the presidency.

Last week, Cox and seven other House members in a working group

introduced an amendment to the Presidential Succession Act of 1947,

which provides the ground rules for who would replace the president

in the event of his death or inability to serve.

The bill, which makes a number of other minor changes to the act,

came out of talks on how the government would function if Washington,

D.C. was hit in an attack similar to that of Sept. 11.

“The working group drafted this bill after a yearlong study,” Cox

said in a statement. “This clarification of presidential succession

is critical if we are to survive a successful terrorist attack on the

nation’s leadership.”

The legislation, known as H.R. 2319, would alter several

procedures so the government would function more smoothly in the

event of an attack, Cox has said.

Most notably, the bill would install Ridge as the eighth person in

line to succeed Bush.

Vice President Dick Cheney would be first in line to succeed Bush,

then Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Senate President Pro Tem Ted

Stevens (R-Alaska), Secretary of State Colin Powell, Treasury

Secretary John Snow, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Attorney

General John Ashcroft. As secretary of Homeland Security, Ridge would

follow Ashcroft.

In May 2002, Speaker Hastert and then-Minority Leader Richard

Gephardt (D-Mo.) appointed Cox, the chairman of the Homeland Security

committee, and the others to the working group.

The committee included Reps. Martin Frost (D-Texas), John Shedegg

(R-Ariz.), Brian Baird (D-Wash.) and Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas).

The bill would also close loopholes that could allow minority

party leaders to take over top posts.