Vice Presidency of the United States

Vice Presidency of the United States
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Post	Vice President of the United States
Incumbent	Kamala Harris
Incumbentsince	January 20, 2021
Style	Madam Vice President
Member of	Executive Office of the President of the United States
Seat	United States Capitol
Appointer	President of the United States (via election with President of the United States)
Termlength	Four years, renewable once
Formation	United States Constitution (1789)
First	John Adams

Vice Presidency of the United States The vice presidency is an elected constitutional office established by the United States Constitution in 1789, held since 2021 by Kamala Harris. The office links the Executive Office of the President of the United States to the legislative United States Senate, and has evolved through crises involving figures such as John Adams, Aaron Burr, Theodore Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, and George H. W. Bush. Debates over its functions have involved institutions and laws including the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and precedents from administrations of Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Ronald Reagan.

History

From 1789 the vice presidency combined succession to the President of the United States with the presiding role in the United States Senate, demonstrated by early holders like John Adams and contentious figures like Aaron Burr. The election crises of 1800 led to the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, altering electoral procedures affecting Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. The nineteenth century saw holders such as Martin Van Buren and John C. Calhoun influence policy and party development in the era of the Democratic-Republican Party and Whig Party. The office's marginalization in the late 1800s prompted debates until reform during the Progressive Era linked to leaders like Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. The Great Depression and World War II elevated the importance of presidential succession when Franklin D. Roosevelt's multiple terms raised concerns addressed later by the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution and succession practice. The assassination of John F. Kennedy and accession by Lyndon B. Johnson spurred ratification of the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, clarifying vacancy and disability procedures invoked during presidencies of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Modern vice presidencies—those of Walter Mondale, Al Gore, Dick Cheney, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris—have redefined the office through active executive roles, foreign travel with ties to NATO, United Nations, and diplomatic engagements with countries such as China, Russia, United Kingdom, Canada, and Mexico.

Constitutional Role and Powers

The Constitution assigns the vice president two primary roles: first in presidential succession under Article II and the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution procedures shaping election outcomes studied after 1800; second as President of the United States Senate with authority to cast tie-breaking votes, a power used in critical roll calls like those affecting Civil Rights Act of 1964-era legislation. The Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution and statutory instruments such as the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 formalize succession behind the vice president and have been central during contingencies involving Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. The vice president’s constitutional duties intersect with practices from the Executive Office of the President of the United States, the Cabinet of the United States, and congressional procedures in the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and other standing committees.

Selection and Election

Originally electors cast votes leading to outcomes involving John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, prompting the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution to require distinct electoral ballots for president and vice president—a mechanism relevant in contests involving Aaron Burr and later contested elections like 1876 United States presidential election and 2000 United States presidential election. Modern selection involves party processes including the Democratic National Convention, the Republican National Convention, and primary campaigns featuring candidates such as Walter Mondale, Al Gore, Sarah Palin, Mike Pence, and Hillary Clinton as influential selectors. The vice presidential nominee appears on the ticket for the Electoral College and may be scrutinized during confirmation-style vetting by campaign staffs, former officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, and advisory entities including law firms and former cabinet members.

Duties and Functions

Beyond succession and presiding over the United States Senate, vice presidents undertake diplomatic assignments to partners like Japan, South Korea, Germany, and India, and represent administrations at forums such as the United Nations General Assembly, G7 summit, and NATO summit. Vice presidents often lead policy initiatives in areas overlapping with departments such as the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and agencies including the National Security Council and Central Intelligence Agency. Historical examples of functional expansion include Harry S. Truman’s periods when vice presidential roles were limited, versus the active portfolios of Walter Mondale, Al Gore on climate and technology, Dick Cheney on national security, Joe Biden on foreign policy, and Kamala Harris on immigration and voting rights where coordination involved congressional leaders like Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi.

Succession and Disability

The vice president is first in line under the Presidential Succession Act and assumes the presidency upon death, resignation, or removal of the President of the United States, as occurred when John F. Kennedy’s assassination elevated Lyndon B. Johnson and when Richard Nixon’s resignation elevated Gerald Ford. The Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides procedures for temporary transfer of powers invoked during medical procedures of presidents including Ronald Reagan, and mechanisms for filling a vice presidential vacancy implemented when Spiro Agnew resigned and Gerald Ford was nominated. Succession beyond the vice president includes officers such as the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate per statutory order.

Office and Support Structure

The Office of the Vice President, located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and with staff in the United States Capitol and the White House, comprises policy advisors, communications teams, and security coordination with the United States Secret Service, National Security Council, and United States Senate liaisons. Support resources include the Vice Presidential Daily Briefing, counsel drawn from the United States Department of Justice and White House Counsel’s Office, and logistical arrangements managed with the United States Air Force and United States Marine Corps for transportation assets such as Air Force Two and the Marine Helicopter Squadron One. The office maintains historical archives with materials deposited at institutions like the National Archives and Records Administration and presidential libraries including the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library.

Category:Vice presidents of the United States