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 79-585 legislativeChamber United States Senate
77th United States Congress legislativeBody United States Senate
Mary Jo Kopechne employer United States Senate
93rd United States Congress hasChamber United States Senate
Robert F. Wagner legislativeBody United States Senate
Chief of Space Operations confirmedBy United States Senate
Joseph McCarthy memberOf United States Senate
Charles Sumner spokeIn United States Senate
Blanche K. Bruce representedIn United States Senate
Chief of Naval Personnel appointmentConfirmedBy United States Senate
Pete Rouse (as White House Chief of Staff) employer United States Senate
subject surface form: Pete Rouse
U.S. War Powers Resolution vetoOverride United States Senate
David Barton legislativeBody United States Senate
Thomas Sumter memberOf United States Senate
Architect of the Capitol confirmedBy United States Senate
James Eastland memberOf United States Senate
John C. Stennis legislativeBody United States Senate
Russell B. Long legislativeBody United States Senate
George Sutherland representedIn United States Senate
Commission on Civil Rights appointedBy United States Senate
subject surface form: United States Commission on Civil Rights
Church Committee legislativeBody United States Senate
Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security hasMembers United States Senate
this entity surface form: United States senators
79th United States Congress legislativeChamber United States Senate
85th United States Congress hasComponent United States Senate
Commissioner of Internal Revenue confirmedBy United States Senate
Privacy Act of 1974 legislativeBody United States Senate
Mark O. Hatfield memberOf United States Senate
Senator Adlai Stevenson III representedIn United States Senate
subject surface form: Adlai Stevenson III
Senator Adlai Stevenson III memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Adlai Stevenson III
Albert Gore, Jr. memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Albert Gore Jr.
Public Law 111-203 sponsorChamber United States Senate
72nd United States Congress hasPart United States Senate
72nd United States Congress legislativeChamber United States Senate
Stuart Symington representedIn United States Senate
Stuart Symington employer United States Senate
Eugene McCarthy affiliation United States Senate