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.

Tariff Act of 1789 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Transportation Act of 1920 legislativeChamber United States Senate
U.S. Public Law 98-306 chamberInvolved United States Senate
George Mitchell memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: George J. Mitchell
John F. Dryden legislativeBody United States Senate
Elias Kane memberOf United States Senate
Ben Sasse electedToBody United States Senate
Ben Sasse employer United States Senate
this entity surface form: U.S. Senate
William Grayson legislativeBody United States Senate
Rufus King memberOf United States Senate
Federalist No. 64 focusesOnInstitution United States Senate
U.S. Army Chief of Engineers confirmedBy United States Senate
NASA Administrator confirmedBy United States Senate
Office of the Administrator officeHoldersRequireConsentOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Office of the Administrator (NASA)
Frank B. Kellogg representedIn United States Senate
Education Amendments of 1972 sponsorChamber United States Senate
FEC commissionerConfirmationBy United States Senate
subject surface form: Federal Election Commission
Administrator of FEMA confirmedBy United States Senate
Second United States Congress legislativeTermOf United States Senate
Second United States Congress hasPart United States Senate
Warren representedIn United States Senate
subject surface form: Elizabeth Warren
Bank Act of 1791 debatedIn United States Senate
John Martin memberOf United States Senate
Edward Gurney legislativeBody United States Senate
William Howard Thompson legislativeBody United States Senate
William Few memberOf United States Senate
Pierce Butler memberOf United States Senate
George Herbert Allen memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: George Allen
LXXXIV legislativeChamber United States Senate
subject surface form: LXXXIV United States Congress
William F. Knowland legislativeBody United States Senate
Windham, New Hampshire federalRepresentation United States Senate
Robert Latham Owen legislativeBody United States Senate
Reorganization Act of 1949 oversightBy United States Senate
Kefauver Committee memberOf United States Senate
Kefauver Committee legislativeBody United States Senate
Anti-Administration Party legislativeBase United States Senate
Revels legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: Hiram Rhodes Revels