United States Senate

E886

The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the U.S. Congress, composed of two senators from each state who share responsibility for making federal laws, confirming key executive and judicial appointments, and ratifying treaties.

All labels observed (16)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (57)

Predicate Object
instanceOf chamber of the United States Congress
upper house of bicameral legislature
clotureThreshold three-fifths of Senators duly chosen and sworn (typically 60)
confirms Cabinet-level appointments
Supreme Court justices
ambassadors
federal judges
contrastedWith United States House of Representatives representation by population
country United States of America
createdBy Article I of the United States Constitution
surface form: Constitution of the United States, Article I
dateEstablished 1789
establishedBy United States Constitution
hasCheckAndBalanceFunction check on executive branch
check on judicial branch
hasCitizenshipRequirement at least 9 years U.S. citizenship
hasCommitteeSystem joint committees
select committees
standing committees
hasElectionCycle staggered
hasElectionFraction approximately one-third of seats every two years
hasLegislativePower power to approve or reject legislation
power to propose amendments to bills
power to propose constitutional amendments
hasMembersFrom U.S. states
hasMembersPerState 2
hasMinimumAgeRequirement 30 years
hasMotto E pluribus unum (shared national motto)
hasNumberOfMembers 100
hasOfficerTitle Senate Majority Leader
surface form: Majority Leader

Majority Whip
Senate Minority Leader
surface form: Minority Leader

Minority Whip
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
surface form: President pro tempore
hasOfficialLanguage English
surface form: English (de facto)
hasPresidingOfficer Vice President of the United States
hasPresidingOfficerTitle President of the United States Senate
surface form: President of the Senate
hasPrimaryFunction advice and consent on presidential appointments
lawmaking
ratification of treaties
trial of impeachments
hasResidencyRequirement inhabitant of the represented state at time of election
hasRule filibuster tradition
hasTermLength 6 years
hasVotingSystem popular vote within each state
impeachmentConvictionThreshold two-thirds of members present
impeachmentRole conducts trials after impeachment by the House of Representatives
legislativeProcessRequires passage of bills by both houses of Congress
locatedIn Washington, D.C.
meetsIn United States Capitol
originalSelectionMethod election by state legislatures
partOf United States Congress
publishesRecord Congressional Record
ratifies treaties negotiated by the President of the United States
represents states as political units
selectionMethodChangedBy Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
sharesLegislativePowerWith United States House of Representatives
treatyRatificationThreshold two-thirds of Senators present

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1,769)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

United States Ambassador to Ireland confirmedBy United States Senate
Barbara Smith memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Benjamin A. Smith II
Public Law 86-449 introducedIn United States Senate
Henry Wilson employer United States Senate
Henry Wilson legislativeBody United States Senate
Admiral of the Navy confirmationAuthority United States Senate
Nunn–Cohen Amendment legislativeBody United States Senate
Benjamin Wade legislativeBody United States Senate
United States Senate (Massachusetts Democratic primary, 1948) appliesToChamber United States Senate
this entity surface form: U.S. Senate
CFC judgesConfirmedBy United States Senate
subject surface form: United States Court of Federal Claims
Orrin Hatch memberOf United States Senate
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 chamberInvolved United States Senate
First Step Act chamberInvolved United States Senate
Magnuson Act of 1943 chamber United States Senate
Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Music Modernization Act legislativeBody United States Senate
CIT judgesConfirmedBy United States Senate
subject surface form: United States Court of International Trade
United States Ambassador to NATO confirmedBy United States Senate
United States federal judges confirmedBy United States Senate
Ethics Reform Act of 1989 chamberInvolved United States Senate
U.S. states areRepresentedIn United States Senate
U.S. states haveEqualRepresentationIn United States Senate
U.S. states haveTwoSenatorsEachIn United States Senate
Pete Wilson representedIn United States Senate
Michael Kubayanda confirmedBy United States Senate
106th United States Congress legislativeChamber United States Senate