SRES-4-119
Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S6; text: CR S6)
Sponsored by John Thune (R-SD)
What it does
This resolution formally notifies the President of the United States that the Senate has elected Senator Charles E. Grassley as President pro tempore. It is a procedural notification with no policy or funding effect.
Who benefits
No group benefits substantively; this is an internal administrative notification following a routine Senate leadership election that occurs each new Congress.
Who is hurt
No group is meaningfully affected. The resolution has no operative effect beyond formal notification.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue this resolution follows longstanding Senate practice of formally notifying the President and other officials of leadership changes at the start of each Congress, ensuring proper institutional communication and continuity of succession information.
Opponents argue
Opponents, to the extent any exist, would argue such purely ceremonial notifications add no substantive value and represent routine housekeeping that could be handled through simpler administrative means rather than a formal resolution requiring floor action.
Constitutional context
The President pro tempore is established by Article I, Section 3, Clause 5, which provides the Senate shall choose this officer in the Vice President's absence; this resolution simply carries out the Senate's own internal rulemaking authority under Article I, Section 5 to notify the President of that selection.
Checks and balances
No branch gains or loses power; this is a procedural communication between the Senate and the executive branch documenting an internal Senate leadership determination.
Historical precedent
Similar notification resolutions are adopted routinely at the start of every new Congress following the election of a President pro tempore.