Vice President of the United States

Vice President of the United States
Post	Vice President
Body	the United States
Insigniasize	120
Insigniacaption	Seal of the Vice President
Flagsize	120
Flagcaption	Flag of the Vice President
Incumbent	Kamala Harris
Incumbentsince	January 20, 2021
Department	United States Senate, Executive Office of the President of the United States
Style	Madam Vice President, The Honorable, Her Excellency
Residence	Number One Observatory Circle
Seat	Washington, D.C.
Appointer	Electoral College or, President via Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Termlength	Four years, no term limit
Constituting instrument	Constitution of the United States
Formation	March 4, 1789
First	John Adams
Succession	First
Salary	$284,600 annually

Vice President of the United States is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the President of the United States. The officeholder is the first in the presidential line of succession and serves as the president of the United States Senate under the Constitution of the United States. Since 2021, the office has been held by Kamala Harris, who succeeded Mike Pence following the 2020 election.

Role and duties

The primary constitutional duty is to preside over the United States Senate, casting a tie-breaking vote when necessary, as seen during the 115th United States Congress. The officeholder also serves as a key advisor to the President of the United States, often participating in meetings of the National Security Council and the Cabinet of the United States. Modern responsibilities include representing the administration domestically and abroad, undertaking diplomatic missions, and leading initiatives like the National Space Council. The role was significantly expanded by figures such as Walter Mondale under President Jimmy Carter.

Selection and election

Candidates are selected by the delegates at each party's national nominating convention, typically chosen by the presidential nominee to balance the ticket geographically or ideologically, as with John F. Kennedy selecting Lyndon B. Johnson. They are elected jointly with the president through the Electoral College under the system established by the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution. If a vacancy occurs, the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution allows the president to nominate a successor, who must be confirmed by a majority vote of both the House and the Senate, a process used for Gerald Ford.

History and evolution of the office

Originally, the runner-up in the presidential election became vice president, leading to the awkward pairing of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution rectified this after the contentious 1800 United States presidential election. For much of the 19th century, the office was considered insignificant, with John Nance Garner famously describing it as "not worth a bucket of warm spit." Its modern influence began with Richard Nixon under Dwight D. Eisenhower and was institutionalized by Walter Mondale, who was given an office in the West Wing.

List of vice presidents

There have been 49 vice presidents, with John C. Calhoun serving under two different presidents, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. Nine have succeeded to the presidency due to the incumbent's death or resignation, including Theodore Roosevelt after the Assassination of William McKinley and Harry S. Truman following the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Two, John C. Breckinridge and Aaron Burr, were later charged with treason and murder, respectively. The first to resign was Spiro Agnew in 1973 during the Watergate scandal.

Succession and the presidency

The officeholder ascends to the presidency upon the president's death, resignation, or removal, as outlined in the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Presidential Succession Act of 1947. This has occurred nine times, with Lyndon B. Johnson sworn in aboard Air Force One after the Assassination of John F. Kennedy. The amendment also provides for temporary transfers of power, such as when George H. W. Bush acted as Acting President of the United States during Ronald Reagan's surgery. The line of succession extends to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.

Office and official residence

The primary workplace is the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House, with a ceremonial office in the United States Capitol. The official residence, since 1974, is Number One Observatory Circle on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.. The complex, managed by the United States Navy, includes support facilities for the vice presidential staff and the United States Secret Service. The office's operations are funded through the Executive Office of the President of the United States budget.

Category:Vice Presidents of the United States Category:1789 establishments in the United States Category:United States presidential succession