The Vice Presidency and Presidential Succession“I am Vice President. In this I am nothing, but I may be everything.”~John Adams, The first Vice President

Presidential Succession18 in line Presidential Succession Act

Passed in 1947 Vice President Speaker of the House President Pro Tem of Senate Sec. of State Sec. of Treasury Sec. of Defense Attorney General Sec. of Interior

Succession Continued Sec. of Agriculture Sec. of Commerce Sec. of Labor Sec or Health and Human Services Sec. of Housing and Urban Development Sec. of Transportation Sec. of Energy Sec. of Education Sec. of Veterans Affairs Sec. of Homeland Security

Cabinet members are listed in the order that their position was created

Presidential Disability25th Amendment also allows VP to

take over if President is alive but unable to serve Passed in 1967“Unable to discharge the powers &

duties of his office” (under anesthesia, stroke, etc.) President can be removed from office

Allows the VP position to be filled if needed

The Vice PresidentPresides over Senate & breaks

tiesHelps decide Presidential

Disability

9 VPs have succeeded into Presidency during emergencies4 became president after assassinations4 became president after death due to

illness1 became president after a resignation

Presidency in ActionExecutive Branch is viewed as

most important & powerful branch of U.S. governmentLed by single person, not manyAbility to react quickly to national emergencies

Executive PowersOath of Office

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

“The true view of the executive function is, as I conceive it, that the President can exercise no power which cannot be fairly and reasonably traced to some specific grant of power… Such specific grant must be either in the Federal Constitution or in an act of Congress ...”

William H. Taft, 1916

“I decline to adopt the view that what was imperatively necessary for the Nation could not be done by the President unless he could find some specific authorization to do it. My belief was that it was not only a President’s right but his duty to do anything that the needs of the Nation demanded unless such action was forbidden by the Constitution or by the laws…. I did not usurp power, but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power.”

Theodore Roosevelt, 1913

Whose view do you favor?

Whose view do you think modern President’s favor?