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.

Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Oliver Ellsworth
Rob Portman memberOf United States Senate
John Porter East memberOf United States Senate
AF Assistant Secretary confirmedBy United States Senate
subject surface form: Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
Doug Jones memberOf United States Senate
Lafayette S. Foster memberOf United States Senate
Morrill memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Justin Smith Morrill
Edmunds–Tucker Act legislativeBody United States Senate
Water Quality Act of 1987 legislativeBody United States Senate
Public Law 103-82 legislativeChamber United States Senate
Donald legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: Donald W. Riegle Jr.
George F. Edmunds memberOf United States Senate
Ron Wyden legislativeBody United States Senate
Pete Domenici (in earlier parity efforts) legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: Pete Domenici
Daniel J. Evans legislativeBody United States Senate
Peter Welch memberOf United States Senate
Senator Samuel C. Pomeroy memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Samuel C. Pomeroy
Clement C. Clay Sr. memberOf United States Senate
James Barbour memberOf United States Senate
Tim Scott memberOf United States Senate
Theodore Sedgwick legislativeBody United States Senate
William Alexander Graham memberOf United States Senate
67th United States Congress legislativeBody United States Senate
Steve Symms legislativeBody United States Senate
Frank Forrester Church III memberOf United States Senate
Frank Forrester Church III legislativeBody United States Senate
Caucus Vice Chair legislativeChamber United States Senate
69th United States Congress legislativeBody United States Senate
Rush Holt Sr. legislativeBody United States Senate
Bob Menendez legislativeBody United States Senate
Arthur H. Vandenberg memberOf United States Senate
Benjamin F. Wade memberOf United States Senate
Dionisio Chávez legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: Dennis Chávez
Howell Heflin memberOf United States Senate
Eppa Hunton memberOf United States Senate