Question: who is the second ranking member of the executive branch
Answer: Vice President

title: United States presidential line of succession
text: to provide for a line of succession beyond the vice president, which it has done on three occasions. The current Presidential Succession Act was adopted in 1947, and last revised in 2006. The line of succession follows the order of Vice President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, President pro tempore of the Senate, and then the eligible heads of federal executive departments who form the president's Cabinet. The Presidential Succession Act refers specifically to officers beyond the vice president "acting as" president rather than "becoming" president when filling a vacancy. The Cabinet currently has 15 members, of which the