Constitution question: can V.P. Vance (as Senate president) "usurp" control of the Senate from majority leader?

Mitch McConnell is pulling his usual shenanigans and trying to install one of his puppets as the incoming senate majority leader. That got me to thinking...

The Constitution does not provide for a "Senate majority leader," but it DOES declare that the Vice President is "president of the Senate." If McConnell gets his puppet installed, could Vice President Vance simply walk into the Senate and say "I'm assuming my duty as president of the Senate," and just shut out the majority leader? Has there been any historical precedent for a V.P. doing something like this?

If obstructionist Republicans intend to stymie Trump's nominations and appointments, this would be a totally boss move. And Vance has the stones to pull it off.

They do when the Constitution gives the sole power to make the rules to the Senate. All it says is that the VP is the presiding officer of the Senate. It says nothing about what power that position gives to the VP. The Senate rules specify that, and the Constitution leaves the making of those rules up to the Senate.

I agree; the Senate cannot make a rule stating that someone other than the VP is it’s presiding officer. They can make a rule that the presiding officer has no real power to determine the order of business and that the power to do so rests with the ML (or any other person the rules designate).

The Senate can indeed make the VP an effective figurehead regarding day to day proceedings. It cannot remove the VP as presiding officer or take away the tie breaking vote from the VP, but the Constituition is silent about any other aspect of the VP’s role in the Senate.

Thank you for the correction on the constitutionality of Vance acting as SLM. I still think it’s a very poor idea. It will do great harm to Vance’s viability in 2028. Maybe this idea comes from DeSantis supporters thinking of a way to clear the field for 2028. I don’t dislike DeSantis, but Vance is my first and foremost preference.

The SLM has many other responsibilities other then shepherding legislation. This job means you are knee deep in Senate politics, which means finding Senate candidates, raising money for those candidates & GOP senators, handing out committee assignments, appointing committee chairmanships and soothing Senatorial egos. All of which means cutting deals and “compromising” which a lot of hard care Freepers won’t like. However, that’s politics! Trumps’s coattails were short we did not end up with LBJ like majorities in both Houses of Congress. In fact, we may not have the House. With these razor thin majorities, the agendas of the congresscritters will looming large in all deal discussions. Without LBJ like majorities we can’t bully them into line, they’ll have to be sweet-talked. Many on this site will not like that!

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