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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.
The Constitution instructs the Senate to choose a president pro tempore to preside over the Senate in the absence of the vice president. Pro tempore is a Latin term meaning "for the time being,” signaling that the position was originally conceived as a temporary replacement.
Since the office was created in 1789, 92 individuals, from 39 of the 50 states, have served as president pro tempore of the Senate. The current president pro tempore is Patty Murray of Washington, who assumed office on January 3, 2023, at the start of the 118th Congress.
Senator Robert C. Byrd became the president pro tempore at that time. Starting January 20, 2001, the incoming Republican vice president Richard Cheney held the deciding vote, giving the majority to the Republicans. Senator Strom Thurmond resumed his role as president pro tempore.
About the President Pro Tempore | Historical Overview. The Constitution provides for two officers to preside over the Senate: the vice president and a president pro tempore. The vice president of the United States is designated as the president of the Senate.
Washington Democrat Patty Murray has become the first female president pro tempore of the Senate. That senior member of the majority party acts as Senate president when the vice president cannot be present.
The president pro tempore, or "president for a time," is elected by the Senate and is, by custom, the senior member of the majority party. [2] [3] The Constitution provides for a president pro tempore to preside over the Senate in the absence of the vice president.
Patty Murray (D - WA) is the president pro tempore, the first woman to hold this position. When the vice president cannot be in charge, the president pro tempore is in charge of the Senate. Many people still think of the president pro tempore as de facto president of the Senate.
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.
Grassley has represented Iowa in the U.S. Senate for 38 years and succeeds Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah as Senate president pro tempore. The only other Iowan to hold the office was Sen. Albert B. Cummins, who assumed office in 1919, 100 years before Grassley assumed the role.