United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the United States Congress, which is a group of elected people who decide the laws of the country. Every U.S. state elects two people to represent them in the U.S. Senate. These people are called senators. Since there are 50 states, there are 100 senators. Senators serve six years at a time, and one-third of them are picked every two years. Originally the legislature of each state decided who their senators would be. After 1913 and a Constitutional amendment, the people of the state chose their senators by vote. The Vice President of the United States is in charge of the Senate, but does little except when there is a tie vote or a special event. To be a senator, a person has to be 30 years old or older, and has to be a citizen of the United States for 9 years or more. They must also live in the state they represent at election time. Functions The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress. The Senate, along with the United States House of Representatives, votes on which laws the United States should have. In most cases, both of these groups have to agree on the suggested law and the President has to sign it before it becomes a law. The Senate is the chamber of Congress in which every state has the same number of votes (two). That is different from the House of Representatives in which states with more people have more votes than states with fewer people. This was decided at the Constitutional Convention, because small states like Delaware did not want the larger states to be able to decide everything. Also, only part of the Senate runs for election during elections. Every two years, 33 (for two elections) and then 34 (for one election) senators are elected. For each state, this means that after two elections to the Senate, during one election no one will be elected to the Senate. Also, like the House, the Senate can override the president's veto with a ​2⁄3 (67 senator) vote. But unlike the house, some bills require a ​3⁄5 (60 senator) vote (it used to be ​2⁄3 of the vote) to overcome a filibuster. A filibuster happens when senators banding together, they can stop bills from going through the senate. Confirmation powers The Senate is also in charge of agreeing to treaties with other countries. The Senate has the sole responsibility for confirming presidential appointments. These include federal judges, foreign ambassadors and Cabinet members. If the Senate and President do not agree, the President has to pick someone else the Senate will agree to. Political parties Committees of the Senate and other important jobs in the Senate are assigned by its majority political party. As of 2025, the Senate is made up of 53 Republicans, which make them the Senate majority. The Senate minority is made up of 45 Democrats, with 2 independents who side with them. Notes References Other websites Media related to United States Senate at Wikimedia Commons The United States Senate Official Website Sortable contact data Senate Chamber Map Standing Rules of the Senate Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 to Present List of Senators who died in office, via PoliticalGraveyard.com Chart of all U.S. Senate seat-holders, by state, 1978–present, via Texas Tech University A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825 Archived 2008-07-25 at the Wayback Machine, via Tufts University Bill Hammons' American Politics Guide – Members of Congress by Committee and State with Partisan Voting Index Archived 2014-12-30 at the Wayback Machine Works by or about United States Senate at Internet Archive First U.S. Senate session aired by C-SPAN via C-SPAN Senate Manual via govinfo.gov (U.S. Government Publishing Office) United States Senate Calendars and Schedules Information about U.S. Bills and Resolutions Archived 2020-01-02 at the Wayback Machine