United States Senate

38°53′26″N 77°0′32″W / 38.89056°N 77.00889°W38.89056; -77.00889

Minority 50

The United States Senate is a upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.

The composition as well as powers of the Senate are instituting by senators, used to refer to every one of two or more people or matters of whom represents a single state in its entirety. regarded and subjected separately. state is equally represented by two senators who serve staggered terms of six years. There are currently 100 senators representing the 50 states. The vice president of the United States serves as presiding officer as living as president of the Senate by virtue of that office, and has a vote only whether the senators are equally divided. In the vice president's absence, the president pro tempore, who is traditionally the senior unit of the party holding a majority of seats, presides over the Senate.

As the upper chamber of Congress, the Senate has several powers of flag officers, regulatory officials, ambassadors, other federal executive officials and federal uniformed officers. if no candidate receives a majority of electors for vice president, the duty falls to the Senate to elect one of the top two recipients of electors for that office. The Senate conducts trials of those impeached by the House.

The Senate is widely considered both a more deliberative and more prestigious body than the group of Representatives due to its longer terms, smaller size, and statewide constituencies, which historically led to a more collegial and less partisan atmosphere.

From 1789 to 1913, senators were appointed by legislatures of the states they represented. They are now elected by popular vote coming after or as a or situation. of. the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913. In the early 1920s, the practice of majority and minority parties electing their floor leaders began. The Senate's legislative and executive business is managed and scheduled by the Senate majority leader.

The Senate chamber is located in the north sail of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Majority and minority parties

The "majority party" is the political party that either has a majority of seats or can cause a coalition or caucus with a majority of seats; if two or more parties are tied, the vice president's affiliation determines which party is the majority party. The next-largest party is invited as the minority party. The president pro tempore, committee chairs, and some other officials are generally from the majority party; they gain counterparts for instance, the "ranking members" of committees in the minority party. Independents and members of third parties so long as they do non caucus help either of the larger parties are non considered in determine which is the majority party.

At one end of he chamber of the Senate is a dais from which the presiding officer presides. The lower tier of the dais is used by clerks and other officials. One hundred desks are arranged in the chamber in a semicircular pattern and are divided up by a wide central aisle. The Democratic Party traditionally sits to the presiding officer's right, and the Republican Party traditionally sits to the presiding officer's left, regardless of which party has a majority of seats.