What The Vice President Is Actually Responsible For

The office of the presidency is obviously one of the most important in the United States government. While the Vice President is not nearly as important, they do have the significant function of succeeding the President should the latter die or resign from office. This was defined by Article II, Section 1, Clause 6 of the United States Constitution and has been invoked on a number of occasions. 

These include the assassination of John F. Kennedy (succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson,) the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (succeeded by Andrew Johnson,) and the assassination of William McKinley (succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt), as well as the resignation of Richard M. Nixon (succeeded by Gerald Ford.)

For the most part, the Vice President’s role in government is more restricted than that of the President. One of their key functions, however, is as the president of the Senate, a duty laid out in the Constitution. 

In such a role, they are responsible for overseeing votes in the chamber and, should there be a tie, casting the deciding vote. This has become an especially important function, particularly when the upper chamber is evenly split between two parties.

One of the Vice President’s most important, and fraught, duties is to invoke the 25th Amendment of the Constitution. This amendment gives the Vice President the power to remove the President from office, so long as either a majority of the Cabinet or a committee appointed by Congress decrees said President is unfit for office. If the President refuses to leave, a required two thirds majority of both houses of Congress is required to put the Vice President in power. 

The Amendment was passed in 1965 and ratified in 1967, largely as a response to both President Eisenhower’s health struggles while in office and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. 

The National Security Council is a vital part of the executive branch of the US government, providing the President with valuable advice on national security concerns and facilitating discussion across various agencies. Given the Vice President’s prominence in most administrations, it is not surprising for them to have a seat at the table. 

Depending on the person in the office, the Vice President can be a very valuable voice on the NSC. They can, for example, provide the President independent advice and provide a valuable link to the general public and to Congress.

The Smithsonian is one of the most important institutions in the United States, comprising several notable museums and, of course, the National Zoo. The organization as a whole is governed by a Board of Regents. 

The Vice President serves as an ex officio member, as do other prominent members of the US government such as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The Board meets four times a year. The board was created by Congress in the 19th century.

At first glance, the duty of the Vice President to preside over and certify the official count of the Electoral College might seem fairly cut and dry. As the events surrounding the 2020 election, as well as the January 6 Insurrection, made clear, some believe that gives the Vice President the power to overturn an election. However, the text of the 12th Amendment distinctly lays out the Vice President’s duties, which consist in opening the envelopes containing the tallies from the Electoral College. 

Furthermore, the Electoral Count Act of 1887 further diminished the role of the Vice President in this regard, placing most of it into the hands of the US Congress. An overwhelming number of legal scholars believe the Vice President has no power to overturn an election, whatever their private views might be on a specific election.