the President, (2) to take appropriate lawful steps to 
avoid or minimize disruptions that might be occa-
sioned by the transfer of the executive power, and 
(3) otherwise to promote orderly transitions in the 
office of President’’ under the Presidential Transi-
tion Act of 1963 (3 U.S.C. 102 note; Public Law 
88–277); 
(14) the National Commission on Terrorist At-
tacks Upon the United States established under title 
VI of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2003 (6 U.S.C. 101 note; Public Law 107– 
306) expressly recognized the need to ‘‘Improve the 
Transitions between Administrations’’ in its final re-
port; 
(15) the Commission specifically recommended 
that, ‘‘[s]ince a catastrophic attack could occur with 
little or no notice, we should minimize as much as 
possible the disruption of national security policy-
making during the change of administrations by ac-
celerating the process for national security appoint-
ments’’ and that ‘‘the process could be improved sig-
nificantly so transitions can work more effectively 
and allow new officials to assume their new respon-
sibilities as quickly as possible’’; 
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(16) the Commission suggested that ‘‘[a] presi-
dent-elect should submit lists of possible candidates 
for national security positions to begin obtaining se-
curity clearances immediately after the election, so 
that their background investigations can be complete 
before January 20’’, that ‘‘[a] president-elect should 
submit the nominations of the entire new national 
security team, through the level of under secretary 
of cabinet departments, not later than January 20’’, 
that ‘‘[t]he Senate, in return, should adopt special 
rules requiring hearings and votes to confirm or re-
ject national security nominees within 30 days of 
their submission’’, and that an outgoing Administra-
tion should work cooperatively with an incoming 
President to ensure a smooth transition, in the in-
terest of national security; and 
(17) there is no more important national secu-
rity position than the office of President, and thus 
it is essential to national security that any new ad-
ministration establish its own clear and stable line of 
succession to the presidency as quickly as possible. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that during the period preceding the end of a term 
of office in which a President will not be serving a suc-
ceeding term— 
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(1) that President should consider submitting 
the nominations of individuals to the Senate who are 
selected by the President-elect for offices that fall 
within the line of succession; 
(2) the Senate should consider conducting con-
firmation proceedings and votes on the nominations 
described under paragraph (1), to the extent deter-
mined appropriate by the Senate, between January 
3 and January 20 before the Inauguration; and 
(3) that President should consider agreeing to 
sign and deliver commissions for all approved nomi-
nations on January 20 before the Inauguration to 
ensure continuity of Government. 
Æ 
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