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.

Majority Whip usedInChamber United States Senate
United States politics upperHouse United States Senate
115th United States Congress hasPart United States Senate
Postal Regulatory Commission membersConfirmedBy United States Senate
87th United States Congress hasChamber United States Senate
Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy confirmedBy United States Senate
James Buchanan positionHeld United States Senate
this entity surface form: United States Senator
James Buchanan servedIn United States Senate
this entity surface form: United States Senate from Pennsylvania
Federal Communications Commission confirmedBy United States Senate
Office of Presidential Personnel worksWith United States Senate
Thomas Hart Benton memberOf United States Senate
Benjamin Harrison positionHeld United States Senate
this entity surface form: United States Senator
William P. Frye representedIn United States Senate
First United States Congress meetsIn United States Senate
First United States Congress legislativeBody United States Senate
Thomas Ewing representedIn United States Senate
SecEnergy confirmedBy United States Senate
SECVA confirmedBy United States Senate
Senate press galleries partOf United States Senate
Senate press galleries appliesToJurisdiction United States Senate
Senate press galleries category United States Senate
Senate leadership offices governingBody United States Senate
U.S. Army officers confirmedBy United States Senate
Convention of 1800 ratifiedBy United States Senate
Lyman Trumbull memberOf United States Senate
SecDOT confirmedBy United States Senate
84th United States Congress hasPart United States Senate
Chair of the Federal Reserve confirmedBy United States Senate
Charles A. Halleck officeContested United States Senate
James Monroe positionHeld United States Senate
this entity surface form: United States Senator
United States Senate leadership partOf United States Senate
United States Senate leadership governsBody United States Senate
Richard Henry Lee memberOf United States Senate
Hiram Revels chamber United States Senate
U.S. Congress (indirectly through SEC oversight) hasChamber United States Senate
subject surface form: U.S. Congress
Louisiana Purchase ratifiedBy United States Senate
National Park Service Organic Act introducedIn United States Senate
JEC hasChamberRepresentation United States Senate
JEC composition United States Senate
this entity surface form: Members of the United States Senate
McMahon Act chamberOfOrigin United States Senate