President of the Senate
“The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.” US Constitution, Article 1, Section 3, Clause 4
The Constitution only gives one specific obligation to the Vice President. The Vice President is the President of the Senate. At present, the Vice President usually presides over the Senate only when a tie vote is anticipated. Since the Vice President is a non-member of the Senate, the only vote he may cast is a tie-breaking vote. During normal Senate business, the President pro tempore, who is a Senator selected to the position by the members of the Senate, presides when the Vice President is absent. The role of the President of the Senate is different from the Speaker of the House, who is a member of the House of Representatives and may participate in debate and voting. The Speaker usually doesn’t vote unless it is to cause a tie or break a tie, but can vote on any issue.
The current President of the Senate is Vice President Joseph Biden.
Joseph Biden, Vice President of the United States
We the people give the Vice President a post as President of the Senate and give him opportunity to keep informed about the issues and concerns of the nation.
The benefit to us is that we get a person as President of the Senate who has been elected by the people.
President Pro Tempore of the Senate
“The Senate shall choose their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of the President of the United States.” US Constitution, Article 1, Section 3, Clause 5
I have put the discussion of the role of the President pro tempore in the same post as the President of the Senate, since the two roles are closely related.
The President pro tempore presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President. “Pro tempore” means “for the time being”. As of law passed in 1947, the President pro tempore is next in line for Presidential succession following the Speaker of the House.
The President pro tempore is an elected member of the Senate and as such may speak and vote as any Senator. Initially, the President pro tempore was chosen for his personal characteristics, popularity, and reliability. Since the 1950’s, it has been traditional that the senior member of the majority party in the Senate is elected as the President pro tempore. The modern-day President pro tempore will ask new members of the majority party to preside over the Senate so that they can learn more about the rules and procedures of the Senate.
Additional law allows for the President pro tempore to make appointments to national commissions, usually with advice of the majority leader. The President pro tempore may also administer oaths required by the Constitution, sign legislation, and other obligations of the presiding officer. The President pro tempore may not vote to break a tie in the Senate.
The current President pro tempore of the 113th Congress is Patrick Leahy (D, VT).
Patrick Leahy, President Pro Tempore of US Senate (D, VT)
To see a complete list of those who have served as President pro tempore of the US Senate, please see: http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/President_Pro_Tempore.htm
We the people give the Senate the power to select the person to serve as President of the Senate in the absence of the Vice President and to be third in line for secession to the Presidency.
We the people get continuity in leadership and a leader who is knowledgeable of the rules and procedures of the Senate, who has been elected by the people.
“We should also answer the central question of public service. Why are we here? What do we believe in? Well for one thing, we’re here to see that government continues to serve the people and not the other way around. Yes, government should do all that is necessary, but only that which is necessary.” Ronald Reagan, Address accepting the Republican presidential nomination, Dallas, TX, August 23, 1984.
References:
Findlay, Bruce Allyn and Findlay, Esther Blair. Your Rugged Constitution. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1950
Hannaford, Peter. The Quotable Ronald Reagan. Washington, DC: Regnery Press, 1998
US Constitution
Reclaiming the Shining City 