Joe.My.God. LGBT News
Just in from the Government Accountability Office:
The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 (Vacancies Reform Act) provides for temporarily filling vacant executive agency positions that require presidential appointment with Senate confirmation. 5 U.S.C. § 3345.
GAO’s role under the Vacancies Reform Act is to collect information agencies are required to report to GAO, and GAO uses this information to report to Congress any violations of the time limitations on acting service imposed by the Vacancies Reform Act. 5 U.S.C. § 3349.
As part of this role, we issue decisions on agency compliance with the Vacancies Reform Act when requested by Congress.
The Vacancies Reform Act is generally the exclusive means for filling a vacancy in a presidentially appointed, Senate confirmed position unless another statute provides an exception. 5 U.S.C. § 3347.
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 provides an order of succession outside of the Vacancies Reform Act when a vacancy arises in the position of Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 6 U.S.C. § 113(g).
Upon Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s resignation on April 10, 2019, the official who assumed the title of Acting Secretary had not been designated in the order of succession to serve upon the Secretary’s resignation.
Because the incorrect official assumed the title of Acting Secretary at that time, subsequent amendments to the order of succession made by that official were invalid and officials who assumed their positions under such amendments, including Chad Wolf and Kenneth Cuccinelli, were named by reference to an invalid order of succession.
We have not reviewed the legality of other actions taken by these officials; we are referring the matter to the Inspector General of DHS for review.
The GAO was established in 1921 as a federal agency.
This is massive. The administration is likely to ignore the GAO’s decision, but this is a potentially HUGE blow to the legality of every single thing that done at DHS since Kevin McAleenan took control in April 2019, and everything that both Wolf and Cuccinelli have done as well. https://t.co/FlAxhRdY9W
— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@ReichlinMelnick) August 14, 2020