The Senate
Current Senate Details:
last updated: Mar 10, 2021
President of the Senate:
Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Senate Majority Leader:
Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Party breakdown (As of Jan 3, 2021):
Democrats: 48 (majority)
Republicans: 50
Other: 2 (caucus with Dems)
Vacancies: 0
About The Senate
The Senate is the upper chamber of Congress. Together, the Senate and the House of Representatives make up the legislative branch of the United States at the federal level. The Senate is presided over by the Vice President of the United States. In the event of a tie, the vice president would cast the deciding vote.
There are 100 Senators in the Senate, two for each state, regardless of population size. Senators are elected for six years terms, but elections for the Senate are staggered so that one-third of the Senate is elected every two years. Just as in the House of Representatives, there are no limits as to how many terms a U.S. Senator can serve.
Unlike the House, the Senate has unlimited debate which means there aren't restrictions on how long a debate can last. Often, Senators will use this rule to delay the vote on a bill by giving a long speech. This is called a filibuster. For a filibuster to end, three-fifths of Senators must vote for what’s called a “cloture.”
As stated in Article I of the Constitution, the requirements for being a Senator are:
1) They must be at least 30 years old.
2) They must have been a citizen for a minimum of 9 years.
3) They must live in the state that they represent.
The Senate’s main job is to vote, alongside the House of Representatives, on new laws. But in addition to that, the members of the Senate also have the power to approve or reject cabinet members nominated by the president, try federal officers in cases of impeachment, and ratify treaties with foreign governments.