The Selection Of The President Pro Tempore of the US Senate- Part One (By Harsha Sankar)

 

The Selection Of The President Pro Tempore of the US Senate- Part One

The passage of the U.S. Constitution regarding this position: 

[Article I, Section 3, Clause 5

The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.] 

The US Constitution is clear and for good reason. The Senate can only choose their officers,including the President Pro Tempore, to serve only when the Vice-President is absent. Currently the U.S. Senate is choosing their officers on a permanent basis. This practice is not acceptable because it makes the U.S. Senate hierarchical and non-representative. For the Representative Republic Ideal to work, all senators must have equal amount of authority. It should be one Senator, one vote. All senators must have the same amount of input on all matters. 

The US Constitution bans committees because they segregate legislators into different groups. Moreover, committees are hierarchical in nature as they are led by chairpersons and ranking members. 

Cliff Notes Version: If Senate members are chosen as officers, the Senate becomes hierarchical and non-representative. It is important non-members be chosen as officers of that legislative body.

While the House Of Representatives became more political, more federal, and more powerful to a minor extent since the aftermath of the American Civil War, the US Senate was fundamentally transformed. Instead of working under the consent and auspices of the state legislature, the US Senate became an autonomous federal legislative body answerable to the People only.

In lieu of the fact that so much has changed in scope, nature, and magnitude, it is imperative that their officers, mainly the President Pro Tempore, temporarily serve only when the Vice-President is absent. The U.S. Senate should not have officers serve when the VP (duly elected or acting) is normally serving. The US Constitution states that these officers, while chosen in the absence of the VPOTUS, continues to serve even after that VPOTUS vacancy is filled. The US Constitution needs to be rewritten to ensure that these officers serve only when the VPOTUS, as President Of The US Senate, is absent.