In that time, she served as president, the first woman to do so in the nation's history. Acting presidents, according to The Wall Street Journal, have all the powers of the president except for naming a vice president.
A section of the 25th Amendment states that Presidents may temporarily transfer their powers to their vice president, should they be unable to do their job. It is not mandatory under circumstances such as a routine colonoscopy, but Biden chose to do so.
Joe Biden notified leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the decision. After his medical procedure, he submitted a letter reclaiming presidential powers.
The colon has historically been a source of presidential power transfers in the US. Former President Ronald Reagan transferred power to George W. Bush while undergoing colon cancer surgery, and George W. Bush transferred powers to then-vice president Dick Cheney twice while also undergoing colonoscopies.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the Biden administration knew that they "make history every time they’re working together, every time she’s out there speaking on behalf of the government as the Vice President of the United States. But certainly, today was another chapter in that history that I think will be noted for many women [and] young girls across the country."
