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.

Chuck Grassley memberOf United States Senate
Chuck Grassley chamber United States Senate
United States (during MLB season) upperHouse United States Senate
subject surface form: United States
MMA chamberInvolved United States Senate
subject surface form: Music Modernization Act
William Hathaway legislativeBody United States Senate
Susan Collins isPartOf United States Senate
Sean F. Cox confirmationBody United States Senate
Kelly Loeffler legislativeBody United States Senate
United States minister to Korea confirmedBy United States Senate
Commander, V Corps appointmentConfirmedBy United States Senate
Brady Bill legislativeChamber United States Senate
Howard Metzenbaum legislativeBody United States Senate
HCERA legislativeChamberInvolved United States Senate
Public Law 111-152 legislativeChamber United States Senate
Jesse Helms memberOf United States Senate
James P. Gleason employer United States Senate
John J. Sparkman memberOf United States Senate
John L. McClellan legislativeBody United States Senate
Thomas Lanier Clingman memberOf United States Senate
Public Law 107-110 sponsorChamber United States Senate
Samuel Dexter (as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury) representedIn United States Senate
subject surface form: Samuel Dexter
Addison legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr.
Allen J. Ellender legislativeBody United States Senate
Revenue Act of 1971 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Charles Goodell memberOf United States Senate
Charles Goodell appointedTo United States Senate
111-148 legislativeChamberInvolved United States Senate
Army Appropriations Act of 1901 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Chuck Hagel memberOf United States Senate
Senate Select Committee on Ethics reportsTo United States Senate
Hepburn Act hasChamberOfConsideration United States Senate
Public Law 81-439 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Sam Brownback memberOf United States Senate
Alan Keyes ranForOffice United States Senate
Second Enforcement Act chamber United States Senate
PAEA chamberInvolved United States Senate
subject surface form: Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act
Combatant Commanders confirmedBy United States Senate
subject surface form: Combatant Commander
Cynthia Lummis representedIn United States Senate