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.

JCP legislativeChamber United States Senate
Israel Pickens memberOf United States Senate
Walter Terry Colquitt memberOf United States Senate
DEA Administrator confirmedBy United States Senate
Rick Scott memberOf United States Senate
Richard Lynn Scott memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Rick Scott
U.S. Supreme Court (in coordination with the Office of the Solicitor General) confirmedBy United States Senate
subject surface form: U.S. Supreme Court
Michael Joseph Mansfield legislativeBody United States Senate
William P. Fessenden memberOf United States Senate
McGovern–Hatfield Amendment legislativeBody United States Senate
Chester Trent legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: Chester Trent Lott
Charles F. Felton as U.S. Senator from California legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: Charles F. Felton
Proxmire legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: William Proxmire
43rd United States Congress legislativeBody United States Senate
Stennis legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: John C. Stennis
Governor of New Mexico Territory confirmedBy United States Senate
Bob Packwood memberOf United States Senate
Rest-Haven Memorial Park, Eugene, Oregon memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Wayne Morse
Furnifold legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: Furnifold McLendel Simmons
Jeter C. Pritchard as U.S. senator from North Carolina legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: Jeter C. Pritchard
Cooper–Church Amendment legislativeBody United States Senate
Paul S. Trible Jr. memberOf United States Senate
Alexander Ramsey memberOf United States Senate
USFOR-A Commander confirmedBy United States Senate
U.S. Ambassador to Sudan confirmedBy United States Senate
Indian Claims Commission Act legislativeBody United States Senate
Timothy Bloodworth memberOf United States Senate
Conrad Burns legislativeBody United States Senate
Peter H. Dominick memberOf United States Senate
Greg N. Stivers confirmedBy United States Senate
Jim Bridenstine as NASA Administrator confirmedBy United States Senate
subject surface form: Jim Bridenstine
Alphonso memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Robert A. Taft
Governor of Arizona Territory confirmedBy United States Senate