president pro tempore

Examples of president pro tempore in the following topics:

• The 25th Amendment

  • In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.
  • Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.
  • Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.
  • Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
  • Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.

• Party Leadership in the Senate

  • The titular, non-partisan leaders of the Senate itself are the Vice President of the United States, who serves as President of the Senate, and the President pro tempore, the most senior member of the majority who theoretically presides in the absence of the Vice President.

• The Executive Departments

  • The current Secretary of State, appointed by President Barack Obama, is Hillary Clinton.
  • The executive departments of the United States federal government are executive organs that serve under direct presidential control and act in an advisory capacity to the president.
  • The secretaries of executive departments are in the line of presidential succession, meaning that if the president is forced to leave office during a term, they are eligible to fill the vacant office.
  • After the vice president, speaker of the house, and the president pro tempore of the Senate, the heads of the executive departments are ranked as follows:
  • Executive secretaries are appointed by the president and play a significant role in carrying out governmental functions and advising the presidential administration on policy.

• The Vice Presidency

  • Under the Constitution, the vice president is President of the United States Senate.
  • In modern times, the vice president rarely presides over day-to-day matters in the Senate; in his place, the Senate chooses a president pro tempore (or "president for a time") to preside in the vice president's absence; the Senate normally selects the longest-serving senator in the majority party.
  • The president pro tempore has the power to appoint any other senator to preside and, in practice, junior senators from the majority party are assigned the task of presiding over the Senate most of the time.
  • Initially, it was unclear whether the vice president actually became the new president or merely an acting president.
  • In doing so, he insisted that he was the president, not merely an acting president.

• A Typical Department Structure

  • The president nominates secretaries to their offices, and the Senate votes to confirm them.
  • Secretaries are not subject to elections or term limits, but most turnover when a new political party wins the presidency.
  • The secretaries are formally in the line of presidential succession, after the vice president, speaker of the house, and president pro tempore of the Senate.
  • In other words, if the president, vice president, speaker, and president pro temopre were all incapacitated by death, resignation, or impeachment, the Cabinet members would ascend to the Office of President in a predetermined order.
  • The deputy secretary is nominated by the president, just as the secretary is.

• Party Leadership in the House

  • While the Speaker is the functioning head of the House majority party, the same is not true of the President pro tempore of the Senate, whose office is primarily ceremonial and honorary.
  • The Speaker may designate any member of the House to act as Speaker pro tempore and preside over the House.
  • During important debates, the Speaker pro tempore is ordinarily a senior member of the majority party who may be chosen for his or her skill in presiding.
  • At other times, more junior members may be assigned to preside to give them experience with the rules and procedures of the House.
  • The Speaker may also designate a Speaker pro tempore for special purposes, such as designating a Representative whose district is near Washington, DC to sign enrolled bills during long recesses.

• Cabinet Departments

  • These Cabinet members preside over bureaucratic operations and serve as advisors to the president.
  • The deputy secretary is nominated by the president, just as the secretary is.
  • The secretaries are formally in the line of presidential succession, after the vice president, speaker of the house, and president pro tempore of the Senate.
  • In other words, if the president, vice president, speaker, and president pro temopre were all incapacitated by death, resignation, or impeachment, the Cabinet members would ascend to the Office of President in a predetermined order.
  • Still, their heads are considered high ranking advisors to the president.

• The Cabinet

  • The presidential cabinet has several secretaries who aid the president in foreign affairs.
  • Under Federal Law, the resignation of a President or of a Vice-President is only valid if declared in writing in an instrument delivered to the office of the Secretary of State.
  • Accordingly, the resignations of President Nixon and of Vice-President Spiro Agnew, domestic issues, were formalized in instruments delivered to the Secretary of State.
  • The Secretary of State is fourth in line to succeed the Presidency, coming after the Vice President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
  • Six Secretaries of State have gone on to be elected President.

• State and Local Party Organization

  • Chairpersons are usually selected by the president of the party in power and the party national committee chooses the chairperson for the other party.
  • There is a president and a president pro tempore in city councils.
  • Democrat or Republican) has the president in their party.

• African Americans in Southern Politics

  • Congress, the first African American to be directly elected to Congress (Revels had been appointed), and the first black presiding officer of the U.S.
  • In May 1874, Rainey became the first African American to preside over the House of Representatives as Speaker pro tempore.