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.

John P. Hale legislativeBody United States Senate
Agricultural Act of 2014 introducedInChamber United States Senate
Theodore G. Bilbo memberOf United States Senate
Joseph F. Guffey legislativeBody United States Senate
Robert M. La Follette memberOf United States Senate
Rose McConnell Long legislativeBody United States Senate
Gary Hart memberOf United States Senate
3rd United States Congress legislativeChamber United States Senate
Alan Cranston memberOf United States Senate
4th United States Congress legislativeChamber United States Senate
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. representedIn United States Senate
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. memberOf United States Senate
McNary-Haugen Farm Relief Bill introducedIn United States Senate
79-585 chamberInvolved United States Senate
subject surface form: Public Law 79-585
War Powers Act of 1941 passedBy United States Senate
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution introducedIn United States Senate
Warren G. Magnuson memberOf United States Senate
Revenue Act of 1913 legislativeChamber United States Senate
John Walker legislativeBody United States Senate
John Walker memberOf United States Senate
Article I, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution vestsPowerIn United States Senate
this entity surface form: Senate of the United States
Senate Office of the Legislative Counsel partOf United States Senate
Robert Ferdinand Wagner legislativeBody United States Senate
Protect America Act of 2007 introducedIn United States Senate
Barbara Boxer legislativeBody United States Senate
The Crime Against Kansas speech location United States Senate
The Crime Against Kansas speech legislativeBody United States Senate
CNP confirmedBy United States Senate
subject surface form: Chief of Naval Personnel
Tom Daschle memberOf United States Senate
Alex Padilla memberOf United States Senate
78th United States Congress hasChamber United States Senate
Thomas Hart Benton (as senior political figure from Missouri in the Senate context) memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Thomas Hart Benton
Iowa congressional delegation upperHouse United States Senate
Strom representedIn United States Senate
subject surface form: Strom Thurmond
Strom legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: Strom Thurmond
Fred Thompson (American politician and actor) memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Fred Thompson
State of the Union addresses deliveredTo United States Senate
subject surface form: State of the Union address
this entity surface form: Senate of the United States
Public Law 93-148 vetoOverriddenBy United States Senate
McLeod confirmedBy United States Senate
subject surface form: Anthony McLeod Kennedy
American democracy hasInstitution United States Senate