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.

Hugh Scott legislativeChamber United States Senate
110-289 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Maysville Road veto chamberInvolved United States Senate
Harrison Gray Otis memberOf United States Senate
Non-Importation Act of 1806 passedBy United States Senate
Seventh Annual Message to Congress deliveredTo United States Senate
5th United States Congress legislativeChamber United States Senate
6th United States Congress hasPart United States Senate
Judiciary Act of 1801 legislativeChamber United States Senate
James L. Buckley memberOf United States Senate
Martin Dies Jr. office contested United States Senate
United States Minister to Prussia confirmedBy United States Senate
George Cabot memberOf United States Senate
Frederick H. Gillett memberOf United States Senate
Charles E. Whittaker confirmedBy United States Senate
David Weiss confirmedBy United States Senate
subject surface form: David Weiss (attorney)
Bankruptcy Act of 1898 chamberOfOrigin United States Senate
Justice Harold H. Burton representedIn United States Senate
subject surface form: Harold H. Burton
Justice Harold H. Burton memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Harold H. Burton
James Flanagan memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: James W. Flanagan
1959 State of the Union Address deliveredTo United States Senate
Muriel Buck Humphrey legislativeBody United States Senate
Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin memberOf United States Senate
Herb Kohl (as U.S. Senator from Wisconsin) memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Herb Kohl
United States diplomatic mission in Ireland confirmedBy United States Senate
subject surface form: United States Ambassador to Ireland
Hay-Chamberlain Act legislativeChamber United States Senate
Thomas Willis Cobb electedToBody United States Senate
Coast Guard City, USA governmentBodyInvolved United States Senate
James P. Clarke memberOf United States Senate
1961 State of the Union Address givenTo United States Senate
Landra Gould associatedWith United States Senate
this entity surface form: U.S. Senate
Commander, 14th Air Force confirmedBy United States Senate