Vice President of the United States of America |
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Executive branch of the U.S. government Office of the Vice President |
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Style | Mr. Vice President (Informal) The Honorable (Formal) Mr. President (When presiding over Senate) His Excellency (Diplomatic, outside the U.S.) |
Member of |
Cabinet National Security Council President of the U.S. Senate |
Residence | Number One Observatory Circle |
Seat | Washington, D.C. |
Appointer | Electoral College |
Term length | 4 years |
Constituting instrument | U.S. Constitution |
Inaugural holder |
John Adams (April 21, 1789) |
Formation | March 4, 1789 |
Succession | First in the Presidential Line of Succession |
Salary | $230,700 |
Website | WhiteHouse |
The Vice President of the United States (VPOTUS) is a constitutional officer in the legislative branch of the Federal government as President of the Senate under Article One, Section Three, Paragraph Four of the United States Constitution.
The vice president is a statutory member of the National Security Council under the National Security Act of 1947 and under Amendment XXV, Clause One of the United States Constitution is the highest-ranking official in the presidential line of succession in the executive branch of the United States, after the President. The executive power of both the vice president and the president is granted under Article Two, Section One of the Constitution. The vice president is indirectly elected, together with the president, to a four-year term of office by the people of the United States through the Electoral College. In the presidential line of succession, the vice president is the first person who would normally ascend to the presidency upon the death, resignation, or removal of the president. The Office of the Vice President of the United States assists and organizes the vice president's official functions.
As the president of the United States Senate, the vice president votes only when it is necessary to break a tie. While Senate customs have created supermajority rules that have diminished this constitutional tie-breaking authority, the vice president still retains the ability to influence legislation; for example, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 was passed in the Senate by a tie-breaking vice presidential vote. Additionally, pursuant to the Twelfth Amendment, the vice president presides over the joint session of Congress when it convenes to count the vote of the Electoral College.