United States Senate facts for kids
Quick facts for kids United States Senate |
|
|---|---|
| 119th United States Congress | |
|
|
Flag of the U.S. Senate
|
|
| Type | |
| Type | |
|
Term limits
|
None |
| History | |
|
New session started
|
January 3, 2025 |
| Leadership | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 100 |
 |
|
|
Political groups
|
Outgoing legislature
Majority (53)
Minority (47)
|
|
Length of term
|
6 years |
| Elections | |
| Plurality voting in 46 states Varies in 4 states
|
|
|
Last election
|
November 3, 2026 (35 seats) |
|
Next election
|
November 7, 2028 (34 seats) |
| Meeting place | |
 |
|
| Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, D.C. United States |
|
| Constitution | |
| United States Constitution | |
The United States Senate is one of two groups that make laws for the United States. Together with the House of Representatives, it forms the United States Congress. The Senate is known as the upper house of Congress. The House of Representatives is called the lower house. Having two separate groups to make rules is called bicameralism. Both groups meet inside the famous Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., which is the capital city of the nation.
Every single one of the 50 states gets to send two leaders called senators to Washington. This means there are 100 senators in total. It does not matter if a state has millions of people like California or fewer people like Wyoming. Each state has an equal voice in the Senate. Senators serve terms that last for six years. Every two years, people across the country hold elections to pick about one-third of these lawmakers.
The Senate shares the job of creating national laws under Article One of the Constitution. However, it also has special duties that the House does not have. The Senate gets to review and approve important jobs given out by the president. It checks nominees for judges on the courts, including the Supreme Court. It also reviews treaties, which are formal agreements made with other countries.
Contents
History of the Senate
The creators of the American Constitution met in Philadelphia during the hot summer of 1787. They spent many long weeks arguing about how to build a good government for the young country. Many delegates wanted states with larger populations to have more power in making national decisions. Other delegates from smaller states worried that big states would completely ignore their needs. Under the earlier rules called the Articles of Confederation, every state had possessed one equal vote.
The Great Compromise
The debate became so heated that some delegates warned the entire convention might collapse. Leaders from small states even thought about walking out of the meetings entirely. Finally, lawmakers worked out a creative solution called the Connecticut Compromise. It created two separate chambers of Congress to balance power fairly. The House gives more seats to states with more people. In the Senate, every state receives exactly two senators regardless of size.
Inspired by Ancient Rome
The founders chose the name for the chamber based on the ancient Roman Senate. In Latin, the word senatus meant a council of elders. It came from an older root word meaning an elder person. The founders wanted the Senate to be a calmer group that took extra time to think. They hoped older leaders would carefully study ideas before turning them into laws. Article Five of the Constitution protects this special plan. It promises that no state can lose its equal vote without agreeing to it.
Changing How Senators Are Picked
For more than one hundred years, regular citizens did not directly vote for their senators. Instead, the state legislature in each state picked the two people to send to Congress. Over time, many Americans realized this old system caused major trouble. State lawmakers sometimes fought for months and failed to pick any senator at all. This left empty seats in Washington for very long periods. Other times, wealthy groups used improper influence to control who was chosen.
People across the nation began demanding a change so regular citizens could pick their own leaders. Many states started using their own trial votes to let voters express their wishes. Finally, in 1913, the country approved the Seventeenth Amendment. This amendment created direct elections by the voters for all senators. Ever since that year, citizens have chosen their senators at public ballot boxes on Election Day.
Powers and Important Duties
The federal government uses a clever system of checks and balances so no single branch becomes too powerful. The Senate works alongside the executive branch led by the president and the judicial branch made up of courts. Under the Constitution, the Senate has several exclusive powers that give it great authority. These powers allow the Senate to guide national policy and keep watch over other leaders.
Making Laws with the House
A new idea for a rule is called a bill. To become an official law, any bill must pass both the Senate and the House of Representatives. If both groups agree, the bill is sent to the president to be signed. If the two chambers pass slightly different versions of the bill, they must work out their differences. They often create a special group called a conference committee to write a shared version.
The Constitution includes a rule called the Origination Clause. This clause says that all bills for raising taxes must start in the House of Representatives. In practice, the Senate still has plenty of power over money matters. Senators can change almost any detail of a spending bill once the House sends it over. Former President Woodrow Wilson once pointed out that the Senate can add entirely new features to these plans.
Approving Presidential Nominations
Under the Constitution, the Senate provides advice and consent on key presidential choices. The president picks people to lead big agencies, serve in the Cabinet, and represent the nation abroad. These important jobs include ambassadors who travel across the world. They also include leaders who guide the military as flag officers. The Senate holds public hearings to ask these nominees tough questions before voting to approve them.
The Senate also examines all federal judges, including choices for the Supreme Court. Because federal judges hold their jobs for life, these hearings are watched very closely by the public. Most nominees win approval after careful questioning in committee rooms. However, presidents sometimes withdraw names if senators find serious problems. Throughout American history, only nine Cabinet choices have faced outright rejection on the Senate floor.
When Congress is taking a break, it is called a congressional recess. The Constitution allows a president to fill an empty job during this time with a recess appointment. This temporary appointment lasts until the end of the next session of Congress. In the past, presidents sometimes used this rule to seat leaders without waiting for normal hearings. In 1960, the Senate passed a non-binding resolution asking presidents not to make recess appointments to the Supreme Court. In a court case named Myers v. United States, judges decided the president can fire executive officials without asking the Senate for permission.
Approving Treaties
The president has the authority to talk with leaders from other nations and make formal promises. However, these agreements do not become official treaties under American law without the Senate. The Constitution says that two-thirds of the senators present must vote yes to approve a treaty. This high requirement ensures that a treaty has wide support across the country. It gives every state a say in how the United States acts with foreign friends.
Not every agreement with another country requires a full treaty vote. Sometimes presidents sign an executive agreement using powers already granted by laws. Other times, they create a congressional-executive agreement with a simple majority vote from both chambers of Congress. Legal scholars such as Laurence Tribe and John Yoo have debated how these different agreements fit with the Constitution. Courts have consistently ruled that these agreements are legal ways to work with foreign nations.
Running Impeachment Trials
The Constitution gives the House of Representatives the power to impeach high-ranking government officials who break the law. Impeachment works like a formal set of charges against an official. When the House votes to impeach an official, the trial takes place inside the Senate. Senators take a special oath to listen to the evidence fairly. If the president of the United States is on trial, the chief justice of the United States leads the proceedings.
To convict an official in an impeachment trial, two-thirds of the senators present must vote guilty. If convicted, the official is immediately removed from office. The Senate can also vote to ban that person from ever holding a federal office again. The Senate cannot send anyone to prison, but normal courts may handle any criminal charges later. Only three presidents have ever faced an impeachment trial: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump. The Senate decided not to convict any of them.
Choosing the Vice President in a Tie
Americans cast votes for president and vice president through a system called the Electoral College. If no vice-presidential candidate wins a clear majority of electoral votes, the decision moves to Congress. Under the Twelfth Amendment, the Senate gets to choose the vice president. Senators must pick between the two candidates who earned the most electoral votes. The Senate has used this rare power only once, choosing Richard Mentor Johnson in 1837.
Qualifications and Elections
To become a senator, a person must meet three simple rules written in the Constitution. First, the candidate must be at least 30 years old on the day they take office. Second, they must have been a citizen of the United States for at least nine full years. Third, they must live in the state they want to represent at the election time. These rules ensure that senators have good life experience and understand their home communities.
Age and Rules
The requirements to be a senator are stricter than those for the House of Representatives. Members of the House only need to be 25 years old and citizens for seven years. In a famous paper called Federalist No. 62, founder James Madison explained why senators needed higher standards. He wrote that the Senate handles complicated matters like foreign affairs. Madison believed older leaders would bring greater stability and knowledge to the job.
The Senate itself decides whether a newly elected member meets all constitutional rules. In the early 1800s, the chamber was not very strict about checking birthdates. Four young leaders actually took office before turning thirty years old:
- Henry Clay joined the Senate in 1806 when he was only 29 years old.
- Armistead Thomson Mason joined in 1816 at the age of 28.
- John Jordan Crittenden became a senator in 1817 at age 29.
- John Eaton took office in 1818 when he was just 28 years old.
The Senate became much more careful about the age rule in later years. In 1934, Rush D. Holt Sr. won an election at age 29. He waited politely until his 30th birthday the next June before taking his official oath. In 1972, Joe Biden was elected to represent Delaware when he was 29. His 30th birthday arrived just a few days later, so he was 30 when sworn in. The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution also says anyone who rebels against the United States cannot serve in Congress.
How Senate Elections Work
Senate elections take place every two years on Election Day, in early November. This falls on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in even-numbered years. Every voter in the state gets to vote for the same senate candidates. The Elections Clause of the Constitution allows each state to design its own election system. In most states, political groups hold a primary election first. The winners of those party primaries then compete in the general election.
Most states use plurality voting, which means whoever gets the most votes wins the seat. However, a few states use different systems to select their leaders:
- In Georgia, candidates must win more than half the total votes, or they face a runoff election.
- In California and Washington, candidates compete in a nonpartisan blanket primary where the top two advance.
- In Maine and Alaska, voters use ranked-choice voting to pick their favorites in order.
Filling Empty Seats
When a senator leaves office early, the Seventeenth Amendment explains how to fill the empty seat. The state must hold a special election so voters can pick a replacement. In the meantime, most state legislatures let their governor pick a temporary person. That appointed person works until the voters choose someone in the special election. The Secretary of the Senate provides the paperwork to make sure everything is done correctly.
State laws handle these temporary vacancies in different ways across the nation:
- Four states do not allow governors to make temporary choices, relying entirely on special elections.
- Nine states let governors choose someone right away, but hold an election very quickly.
- Thirty-seven states let the governor pick an interim senator to serve until the next statewide election.
- Eleven of those states require the governor to pick a person from the same political party as the former senator.
Staggered Six-Year Terms
Senators serve six-year terms, which is much longer than the two-year terms in the House. To keep the government steady, the Senate uses a staggered schedule. The 100 seats are divided into three groups called classes. Every two years, only one class is up for election. This means about two-thirds of the Senate always has experience with current laws. Both senate seats from the same state belong to different classes so they are not contested at the same time.
There are no term limits for senators under the Constitution. A senator can run for re-election as many times as the people of their state choose to vote for them. The Twentieth Amendment sets January 3 as the day when newly elected senators start their work. Before that day, a newly elected leader is called a senator-elect. A person picked by a governor for a vacancy is called a senator-designate.
The Senator's Oath
Before doing any official work, every new senator must take a serious public oath. The Constitution requires all federal officials to promise to support the country's laws. The oath says that the senator will defend the Constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. Senators promise to carry out their duties faithfully and honestly. This custom reminds every lawmaker that their first duty is to the American people and the Constitution.
Pay and Benefits
Senators earn an annual salary for their public service. Since 2009, regular senators have earned a salary of $174,000 each year. Leaders who take on extra duties, such as the party heads, receive slightly more pay. Senators also receive retirement options and health insurance benefits similar to other federal workers. They pay into the Federal Employees Retirement System during their years on Capitol Hill. A senator's pension after retirement depends on how long they worked in public office.
Seniority and Titles
In the Senate, experience brings special privileges known as seniority. Senators who have served the longest often get first choice of desk locations and better office suites. They also earn top leadership spots on powerful committees. Between the two senators from any state, the one who has served longer is called the senior senator. The other member is called the junior senator. For example, in New York, Chuck Schumer is the senior senator and Kirsten Gillibrand is the junior senator.
Senators are formally addressed as "The Honorable" in letters and ceremonies. News reports usually identify a senator by their party name and state. For example, a report might write "(D-NY)" to show a lawmaker is a Democrat from New York. Inside the Senate chamber, members speak to each other with great politeness. They often refer to a peer as "my friend from Ohio" or "the senior senator from Texas."
Expulsion and Discipline
The Senate has the power to discipline its own members if they behave improperly. Under the Constitution, the chamber can expel a member with a two-thirds vote. This is an extreme step that has occurred only fifteen times in history. In 1797, William Blount was expelled for working against the nation. During the American Civil War, fourteen senators were expelled for supporting the Confederacy. When facing serious trouble, some senators choose to resign instead. The Senate can also vote to issue a censure, which is a formal public statement of disapproval.
Leaders and Important Officers
The Senate has several key leaders who guide daily business and keep debates organized. Some of these officers are elected lawmakers, while others are non-elected staff members who manage practical needs. Together, they make sure meetings run smoothly according to centuries-old rules.
The Presiding Officer
The vice president holds the title of president of the Senate under the Constitution. Even though the vice president is not an elected senator, they can lead Senate sessions. They do not join regular debates and cannot cast a vote during normal business. However, if the 100 senators are tied 50 to 50 on a vote, the vice president can cast the deciding vote. These tie-breaking votes can decide whether a bill passes or fails.
Because the vice president has many other executive duties, they do not lead daily Senate debates very often. Instead, the Senate chooses a member called the president pro tempore. This Latin title means "president for a time." By long tradition, this post goes to the longest-serving senator in the majority party. In daily practice, newer senators take turns sitting in the main chair for an hour at a time. This helps newer lawmakers learn the chamber rules from the expert Senate parliamentarian.
The leader sitting in the tall chair at the front is called the presiding officer. The presiding officer runs the meeting by calling on members to speak and announcing vote results. They also settle questions about chamber rules when senators raise points of order. Unlike the leader of the House, the Senate presiding officer has limited personal control over debate. They must call on the first senator who stands up to speak.
Party Floor Leaders
Political parties in the Senate choose their own leaders to guide legislative goals. The leader of the party with the most seats is the Senate majority leader. The majority leader has immense power because they schedule bills and organize debate on the floor. The head of the other group is the Senate minority leader, who represents the minority view. Both leaders work together at times to set schedules for important votes.
Each party also picks an assistant leader known as a whip. The majority whip and minority whip have the job of counting votes before decisions happen. They talk with senators across their party to see how each member plans to vote. If an important vote is coming up, whips encourage lawmakers to support the party's position. They make sure senators arrive on time so their votes are counted.
Non-Member Officers
Several important officials work in the Capitol who are not politicians at all:
- The Secretary of the Senate manages official records, worker pay, and supplies for all senate offices.
- The sergeant at arms is the chief law enforcement officer who keeps the building safe and maintains order.
- The Capitol Police protect the grounds and buildings across Capitol Hill every single day.
- The chaplain opens each morning session with a prayer for wisdom and peace.
- High school students can work as senate pages to deliver messages and help members during busy floor debates.
Working in the Chamber
The Senate meets in a grand room located in the north wing of the Capitol building. One hundred beautiful wooden desks sit in rows arranged in a curve facing the front stage. Desks on the right side of the aisle belong to Democrats, while desks on the left belong to Republicans. Many of these wooden desks have been used for over two hundred years. Each senator carves their name inside their desk drawer before leaving office.
Daily Meetings and Rules
The Senate begins its workday following the Standing Rules. Clerks sit at a lower desk below the presiding officer to record every spoken word. Members of the public can sit in upper balconies called galleries to watch their government work. The debates are also broadcast on television across the nation by channels like C-SPAN 2. This lets citizens observe how decisions are made.
The Senate often saves time by asking for unanimous consent. This means that if no single senator objects, the group skips complicated steps to speed things up. Leaders talk behind the scenes to agree on these requests before announcing them out loud. If even one senator objects, the regular rules must be followed. The presiding officer keeps meetings orderly using a small ivory gavel.
Senators sometimes use a custom called a hold to slow down business. A senator privately tells their party leader that they object to a certain bill or nomination. This signal warns leaders that the senator will fight the measure if it comes to the floor. A hold gives senators time to study bills carefully or ask for changes. Leaders must use special procedural votes to move forward if a hold is not lifted.
The Quorum Rule
The Constitution says that more than half of the members must be present to do business, which is called a quorum. In the Senate, a quorum is 51 members. The chamber always assumes enough people are present unless someone asks for a quorum call. When asked, a clerk calls out each senator's name to count who is in the room. Senators often ask for a quorum call simply to pause debate so leaders can talk quietly in the hallway.
Debating on the Floor
The Senate is famous for encouraging open debate where members can share different ideas. When a senator wants to talk, they stand by their desk and address the presiding officer. Senators do not speak directly to each other during debate. Instead, they say "Mr. President" or "Madam President" to address the chair. They refer to peers politely as "the senator from Ohio" or "my distinguished colleague."
Rules allow senators to speak for as long as they want on almost any subject. There is no strict rule that speeches must relate directly to the bill being discussed. Lawmakers can talk about local problems in their home state or share stories about everyday citizens. Because senators take time to talk through complex problems, the Senate is often called the world's greatest deliberative body.
The Filibuster and Cloture
Because debate time is unlimited, a senator can try to delay a bill by talking for hours. This tactic is known as a filibuster. A group of lawmakers can use a filibuster to prevent a vote on an idea they oppose. Long ago, senators had to stand and talk without stopping to keep a filibuster going. Today, simply announcing an objection is often enough to stop a bill from moving forward.
To end debate and force a final vote, the Senate must use a rule called cloture. Under modern rules, cloture requires a three-fifths vote of the whole Senate, which is 60 votes. If 60 senators vote for cloture, debate must end after 30 more hours. If fewer than 60 agree, the filibuster continues and the bill usually stops moving. This means a minority of 41 senators can block bills that the majority likes.
The filibuster began by accident in 1805 when Aaron Burr suggested simplifying the Senate rulebook. Over time, lawmakers realized that dropping the motion to end debate let them speak without end. In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked the Senate to create the first cloture rule. The longest speaking filibuster in history took place in 1957 when Strom Thurmond spoke for over 24 hours against civil rights laws. In 2025, Cory Booker delivered a speech lasting 25 hours and five minutes to discuss government actions.
Congress created an exception to the filibuster in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. This special process is called budget reconciliation. Reconciliation allows Congress to pass certain tax and spending bills with a simple majority vote. Debate on reconciliation bills is limited to 20 hours, so a filibuster cannot be used. In recent decades, parties have also changed rules using the nuclear option to stop filibusters on judicial nominations.
How Senators Vote
When debate finishes, the presiding officer calls for a vote on the bill. The simplest way to vote is a voice vote. The presiding officer asks everyone in favor to say "Aye" and those against to say "Nay." The leader listens to the volume of voices and decides which side won. If the result is close, any senator can ask for a recorded roll call vote.
During a recorded vote, a clerk reads all 100 names in alphabetical order. Each senator calls out their vote as their name is called. Senators who were out of the room can still cast their vote if they arrive before the voting period ends. A vote must stay open for at least 15 minutes. Most normal bills need a simple majority of 51 votes to pass after cloture has been approved.
Secret Sessions
Very rarely, the Senate holds a private meeting called a closed session. During these meetings, guards close the chamber doors and turn off the television cameras. Everyone in the public galleries must leave the room immediately. Senators only hold closed sessions to talk about secret national security information or discuss private trials. Transcripts from these meetings are locked away in special vaults until the Senate decides to make them public.
Senate Committees
It is impossible for all 100 senators to be experts on every single topic. To solve this problem, the Senate divides its work among smaller groups called committees. Committees study specific areas such as schools, farming, science, taxes, and foreign affairs. Most of the hard work of writing bills happens inside these committee rooms before a bill reaches the floor.
Standing Committees
There are 16 permanent groups called standing committees in the Senate. Each committee has power over a specific topic. For example, the Judiciary Committee studies laws about courts and interviews future judges. The Foreign Relations Committee reviews treaties and meets with diplomats. Committees hold public hearings where they listen to experts and gather facts:
- Committees can change the wording of bills to make them better.
- They can vote to approve a bill and send it to the full Senate.
- They can choose not to act on a bill, which quietly stops it from becoming law.
- They can issue a subpoena to require witnesses to answer questions.
Committee Leadership
Each committee is led by a chairperson who belongs to the majority party. The chair holds significant authority over the committee's work. The chair decides which bills to discuss, schedules public hearings, and leads the debate on the Senate floor. The most experienced member from the other party is called the ranking member. Both leaders work together to organize meetings, though they often disagree on policies.
In the past, the senator who had served the longest on a committee always became the chair automatically. Sometimes, very sick or elderly senators stayed in charge even when they were too tired to work well. In the 1970s, the Senate reformed these rules so party members could vote on their committee leaders. Today, seniority is still respected, but members consider many skills when choosing who should lead.
Senate Office Buildings
Senators spend much of their workday working in offices located across the street from the Capitol. Thousands of aides, researchers, and clerks help senators answer mail, study bills, and meet with visiting citizens. The Senate uses three large office buildings connected to the Capitol by private underground trains:
- The Russell Senate Office Building is the oldest building, finished in 1908 with grand stone columns.
- The Dirksen Senate Office Building opened in 1958 and contains modern hearing rooms for committees.
- The Hart Senate Office Building opened in 1982 and has a massive indoor atrium with natural light.
Conclusion
The United States Senate plays an essential role in keeping the American government balanced and steady. By giving every state two seats, it ensures that citizens across the entire country have an equal voice. Its traditions of deep debate and careful review help senators study ideas before turning them into laws. From confirming Supreme Court justices to passing national budgets, the Senate continues to shape daily life across the United States.
Images for kids
-
A chart showing the salaries of U.S. senators from 1992 to 2022.
See also
In Spanish: Senado de los Estados Unidos para niños
