US President Joe Biden has resumed his presidential duties after briefly handing them over to Vice President Kamala Harris.
POTUS transferred his powers to Harris earlier today while he was under an anaesthetic during a medical check-up. The president needed the anaesthetic for a routine colonoscopy, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. Psaki later said that Biden remains at the Walter Reed hospital to complete his routine physical after resuming his duties.
"As was the case when President George W. Bush had the same procedure in 2002 and 2007, and following the process set out in the Constitution, President Biden will transfer power to the Vice President for the brief period of time when he is under anesthesia. The Vice President will work from her office in the West Wing during this time", Psaki said.
The White House promised to release at a later date the results of Biden's check-up at the Walter Reed Medical Center, but called the procedure "routine". It will take place on 19 November ahead of Biden's 79th birthday.
The process of temporarily handing power over to the vice-president because of a president's incapacity was first ratified in 1965 after Congress passed the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution. According to the amendment, a vice-president will return power to the president once the president reawakens from the anaesthetic.
The amendment also regulates cases when a president is rendered permanently incapable: in this scenario, a vice-president assumes the post of the president for the rest of the term. The 25th amendment was adopted to preserve the continuity of the government after the assassination of President John F Kennedy in 1963.