Vice-President of the United States
The Basics
Because the presidency is the most important job in the U.S. government, it’s absolutely essential to have a backup plan in case the president dies, resigns, is impeached, or can’t fulfill their duties for any other reason. This is why the U.S. Constitution requires a Vice-President, and their most important responsibility is to be ready to serve at any time.
Because a VP’s main job is basically to be a backup, they’re usually given other responsibilities as well. These include:
- Serving as President of the U.S. Senate
The Constitution specifies that the VP leads the Senate, but can’t vote except to break ties. The VP also presides over the official counting and certification of Electoral College votes after a Presidential election - Attending Cabinet meetings
It’s not required by the Constitution, but most Presidents include the VP in Cabinet meetings and other high-level policy discussions - Diplomacy
VP’s take trips all over the world to negotiate with other countries’ governments, attend summits, and cultivate relationships with other countries on behalf of the United States - Advocating for the president’s agenda at home
Usually, a VP is given a few key issues to focus on, and will also attend political events on behalf of the president
The 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution lays out what the federal government can do in the rare situation where a president can’t fulfill their duties but hasn’t formally told Congress – for example, if the president is undergoing a surgery and there are unexpected complications, or if the president is injured and it’s unknown what the outcome will be. The vice-president is responsible for convening the Cabinet and letting them know that the president is incapacitated. If a majority of the Cabinet members agree, they can formally notify Congress of their conclusion that the president is unable to do their job, at which point the VP would become Acting President – this process basically kicks the president out of office until they’re able to do their job again (there’s also a process for bringing the president back into power, and a way for a president to dispute this conclusion; both involve a vote of Congress). This amendment was added after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and lawmakers realized there was a need for a formal process.
Term Limits
The office of vice-president itself doesn’t have term limits – but the office of the president does! And because the qualifications for being vice-president are the same as for the presidency, anyone who has been elected president twice, or served as president for more than ten years, is not eligible to be vice-president.
Eligibility
A vice-president must meet all the eligibility requirements for being president. That includes being a “natural born citizen” of the U.S., at least 35 years old, and having lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.
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What have Vice-Presidents done?
Vice-Presidents have taken on major policy roles throughout our country’s history, and cast decisive tie-breaking votes in the U.S. Senate. Here are a few that have made a big impact:
- Kamala Harris
2022
Cast a tie-breaking vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, the biggest investment in renewable energy in U.S. history - Al Gore
1997
Represented the U.S. during negotiations for the Kyoto Protocol, the first major international treaty on climate change - Dick Cheney
2001-2009
Widely known as the most powerful VP in U.S. history due to his massive influence over foreign policy and national security issues, Cheney had so much power in the White House he was known as the “shadow president” of the Bush administration - Mike Pence
2017
Cast a tie-breaking vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education – the first time in history that a tiebreaker was needed to confirm a member of the president’s Cabinet
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In the early days of the United States, the candidate for president who got the second-most votes became the vice-president, but it didn’t take long for people to realize that this system didn’t work very well – political rivals usually don’t make good coworkers. In the 1800 election, there was a tie in the Electoral College, and the vote for president went to the House of Representatives. After that, the 12th Amendment was passed, which allowed the president and VP to be elected separately.
Now, presidential and vice-presidential candidates run for office together on a ticket, so the president and VP always belong to the same political party, and voters don’t have a direct say in who the VP is. Each party’s nominee for president is chosen via primary elections (this is the part that voters can participate in), and then the presidential candidate selects a running mate who will be the candidate for VP, usually in consultation with party leaders and their closest advisors. Politics is usually a big consideration, and presidential candidates think about who will help them win key states or key voters. Sometimes presidential candidates also consider potential governing challenges they might have if they win the election and take office, and choose someone who might help them address those challenges – for example, a VP who served in Congress for a long time might have valuable relationships with lawmakers, or a VP with expertise in certain policy areas may be helpful if that policy area is one the presidential candidate wants to focus on. There is also usually a thorough vetting process for anyone who is being considered for the role.
Source: the Brookings Institution
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For most Americans, Lyndon B. Johnson is best known for the actions he took as president: assuming the office in 1963 after the assassination of JFK, he championed foundational civil rights laws such as the Voting Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act; led the creation of the Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs, which millions of Americans rely on; and escalated U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Less well known, but just as influential for U.S. and global history, is his influence on the American space program.
When Johnson became vice-president in 1961, he had been pushing for the federal government to dedicate more resources to space exploration for years. The Soviet Union had launched the world’s first artificial satellite in 1957, and Johnson strongly believed that a U.S. space program was essential for national security, defense, and gaining a political advantage in the Cold War. As Senate Majority Leader, he held hearings, launched an inquiry, led committees, and championed the legislation that eventually created NASA, all while pushing the White House and Congress for more funding. As vice-president, he saw an even bigger opportunity to strengthen the space program. In April of 1961, after just three months in office, he formally recommended that President Kennedy make the space program a national priority. In a famous speech the very next month, President Kennedy called for the U.S. to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade; to oversee this goal, he appointed Vice-President Johnson as chair of the National Space Council. From this position, Johnson was able to use both the power of the White House and his extensive connections in Congress to push for more funding. By 1962, the U.S. had put the first American into orbit with the launch of the Mercury-Atlas 6 spaceflight.
After Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, now-President Johnson continued to prioritize the space program, and continued Kennedy’s tradition of inviting astronauts to visit the White House, keeping the program in the public eye throughout his time in office. In 1969, the U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon. Since its founding, NASA’s research and technological innovations have had an impact in aviation, education, and many areas of science. For his consistent dedication to the issue throughout his career, some historians call Johnson the “forgotten champion” of the space race.
Sources: the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library; the University of Virginia’s Miller Center; the National Air and Space Museum; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on the Mercury-Atlas 6 spaceflight and the impact of the agency’s work; VP Johnson’s 1961 memorandum on the space program; the White House Historical Association