; oath of office (a) Acceptance An officer who is appointed to a higher grade under section 20239 of this title is considered to have accepted the appointment on the date on which the appointment is made unless the officer expressly declines the appointment. (b) Oath An officer who has served continuously since taking the oath of office prescribed in section 3331 of title 5 is not required to take a new oath upon appointment to a higher grade under section 20239 of this title. 20241. Removal of officers from a list of officers recommended for promotion (a) Removal by President The President may remove the name of any officer from a promotion list at any time before the date on which the officer is promoted. (b) Removal for withholding of Senate advice and consent If the Senate does not give its advice and consent to the appointment to the next higher grade of an officer whose name is on a list of officers approved by the President for promotion (except in the case of promotions to a grade to which appointments may be made by the President alone), the name of that officer shall be removed from the list. (c) Removal after 18 months (1) If an officer whose name is on a list of officers approved for promotion under section 20238(a) of this title to a grade for which appointment is required by section 20201(a) of this title to be made by and with the advice and consent of the Senate is not appointed to that grade under such section during the officer’s promotion eligibility period, the officer’s name shall be removed from the list unless as of the end of such period the Senate has given its advice and consent to the appointment. (2) Before the end of the promotion eligibility period with respect to an officer under paragraph (1), the President may extend that period for purposes of paragraph (1) by an additional 12 months. (3) In this subsection, the term promotion eligibility period means, with respect to an officer whose name is on a list of officers approved for promotion under section 20238(a) of this title to a