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.

Public Law 116-136 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Chris Van Hollen memberOf United States Senate
Ralph Yarborough memberOf United States Senate
Public Law 116-94 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Public Law 116-139 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Fred R. Harris memberOf United States Senate
Snowe memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Olympia Snowe
Carla Haden confirmedBy United States Senate
subject surface form: Carla Hayden
U.S. Commissioner of Reclamation confirmedBy United States Senate
John memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: John Williams Walker
U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia confirmedBy United States Senate
Samuel Pasco memberOf United States Senate
Joseph Clay Stiles Blackburn memberOf United States Senate
Peter Goelet Gerry memberOf United States Senate
Public Law 116-127 chamberInvolved United States Senate
George E. Chamberlain memberOf United States Senate
Orville Hitchcock Platt memberOf United States Senate
Orville Hitchcock Platt legislativeBody United States Senate
CAA 2021 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Democratic Party gained control of the United States Senate legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: Democratic Party gained control of the United States Senate (1986)
50th United States Congress legislativeBody United States Senate
Billion-Dollar Congress legislativeBody United States Senate
Apportionment Act of 1911 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Hayne–Webster debate legislativeBody United States Senate
George McDuffie memberOf United States Senate
Thomas Worthington legislativeBody United States Senate
Rudman legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: Warren Rudman
Walter Dee Huddleston legislativeBody United States Senate
Ann Aldrich confirmedBy United States Senate
United States Minister to Persia confirmedBy United States Senate
James D. Phelan memberOf United States Senate
99-514 legislativeChamber United States Senate