President pro tempore of the United States Senate information
Second-highest-ranking official of the US Senate
For a list of presidents pro tempore of the Senate, see List of presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate.
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
Seal of the president pro tempore
Incumbent Patty Murray since January 3, 2023
United States Senate
Style
Madam President (when presiding)
The Honorable (formal)
Seat
Senate chamber, United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.
Appointer
United States Senate
Term length
At the pleasure of the Senate, and until another is elected or their term of office as a Senator expires
Constituting instrument
United States Constitution
Formation
March 4, 1789
First holder
John Langdon
Succession
Third[1]
Deputy
Any senator, typically a member of the majority party, designated by the President pro tempore
Salary
US$193,400 per annum
Website
www.senate.gov
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The president pro tempore of the United States Senate (often shortened to president pro tem) is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate, after the vice president. According to Article One, Section Three of the United States Constitution, the vice president of the United States is the president of the Senate (despite not being a senator), and the Senate must choose a president pro tempore to act in the vice president's absence.
The president pro tempore is elected by the Senate as a whole, usually by a resolution which is adopted by unanimous consent without a formal vote. The Constitution does not specify who can serve in this position, but the Senate has always elected one of its current members. Unlike the vice president, the president pro tempore cannot cast a tie-breaking vote when the Senate is evenly divided. The president pro tempore has enjoyed many privileges and some limited powers.[2]
During the vice president's absence, the president pro tempore is empowered to preside over Senate sessions. Except when necessary or to highlight important votes, the vice president and the president pro tempore rarely preside; instead, the duty of presiding officer is rotated among junior U.S. senators of the majority party to give them experience in parliamentary procedure.[3]
Since 1890, the most senior U.S. senator in the majority party has generally (though not always) been chosen to be president pro tempore and holds the office continuously until the election of another.[4] Since the enactment of the current Presidential Succession Act in 1947, the president pro tempore is third in the line of succession to the presidency, after the vice president and the speaker of the House of Representatives.[5] The current president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate is Patty Murray of Washington. The most senior senator in the majority Senate Democratic Caucus and the first woman to hold the position, she was sworn in on January 3, 2023, at the start of the 118th Congress.
^"3 U.S. Code § 19 - Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act". LII / Legal Information Institute.
^Senate Historical Office; With a preface by Senator Robert C. Byrd, President pro tempore (2008). Erickson, Nancy (Secretary of the Senate) (ed.). Pro Tem: Presidents Pro Tempore of the United States Senate since 1789. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-16-079984-6. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
^"Hillary takes Senate gavel–for an hour". CNN. January 24, 2001. Archived from the original on January 20, 2010.
^Davis, Christopher M. (December 20, 2012). The President Pro Tempore of the Senate: History and Authority of the Office (Report). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
^Lord, Debbie (June 18, 2018). "A president resigns, dies or is impeached: What is the line of succession?". wftv.com. Cox Media Group. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
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