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.

Benjamin A. Smith II employer United States Senate
Bill Clinton acquittedBy United States Senate
Article I of the United States Constitution creates United States Senate
this entity surface form: Senate of the United States
Article I of the United States Constitution definesTermLengthFor United States Senate
this entity surface form: United States Senators
John Armstrong memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: John Armstrong Jr.
Espionage Act of 1917 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Title 2 of the United States Code appliesTo United States Senate
Voting Rights Act of 1965 introducedInChamber United States Senate
81st United States Congress hasChamber United States Senate
Public Law 81-171 legislativeChamber United States Senate
108th United States Congress hasChamber United States Senate
Do-Nothing Congress appliedToBody United States Senate
Secretary of the Air Force confirmedBy United States Senate
George M. Dallas representedIn United States Senate
this entity surface form: United States Senate from Pennsylvania
Cordell Hull legislativeBody United States Senate
Congress Hall housedBody United States Senate
Richard Russell Jr. memberOf United States Senate
Employment Act of 1946 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Surface Transportation Board confirmedBy United States Senate
Samuel Smith legislativeBody United States Senate
Comptroller of the Treasury confirmedBy United States Senate
Joseph T. Robinson memberOf United States Senate
Lyndon B. Johnson memberOf United States Senate
95th Congress hasChamber United States Senate
subject surface form: 95th United States Congress
Roger Sherman memberOf United States Senate
Congressional tax-writing committees chamber United States Senate
Virginia Joan Bennett positionHeldBySpouse United States Senate
this entity surface form: United States Senator
Virginia Joan Bennett positionHeld United States Senate
subject surface form: Ted Kennedy
this entity surface form: United States Senator
107th United States Congress hasPart United States Senate
107th United States Congress legislativeBody United States Senate
Public Law 107-56 legislativeChamber United States Senate