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.

Subcommittee on the Constitution governingBody United States Senate
National Science Board memberConfirmationBy United States Senate
Social Security Amendments of 1950 chamber United States Senate
Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act introducedIn United States Senate
Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act legislativeChamber United States Senate
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 chamberInvolved United States Senate
VPOTUS presidesOver United States Senate
IRTPA introducedInChamber United States Senate
impeachment of Andrew Johnson triedBy United States Senate
75th United States Congress hasChamber United States Senate
75th United States Congress legislativeBody United States Senate
Public Law 103-308 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court appointmentRequiresConsentOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Chief of Naval Operations confirmedBy United States Senate
United States Attorney General confirmedBy United States Senate
Secretary of War confirmedBy United States Senate
John E. Sununu legislativeBody United States Senate
Hillary Clinton describedBySource United States Senate
Indian Charley servedIn United States Senate
subject surface form: Charles Curtis
Senate Minority Leader legislativeBody United States Senate
Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution governsOffice United States Senate
this entity surface form: United States Senators
Federal Reserve Act of 1913 introducedInChamber United States Senate
Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law partOf United States Senate
Jefferson Davis representedIn United States Senate
this entity surface form: U.S. Senate
99th United States Congress hasPart United States Senate
99th United States Congress legislativeBody United States Senate
U.S. ambassadors confirmedBy United States Senate
Teapot Dome scandal participant United States Senate
this entity surface form: U.S. Senate