[[File:US senate seal.png|right|200px]][[File:US Senate Chamber.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Senate chamber, showing visitors gallery (top) and Senator's desks on the floor.]]The '''United States Senate''' is one of the two Houses upper house of the [[United States Congress]], the lower house being the [[United States House of Representatives]]. It The U.S. Senate is composed of 100 membersSenators, two from each of the 50 [[state]]s. The Senate convenes in [[Washington, D.C.]]. As of 2007Currently, Republicans control the Senate is equally divided, with 49 [[Republican]]s 45 Democrats and 49 [[Democrat]]s54 Republicans. [[Independent]]s [[Bernie Sanders]] and [[Joe Lieberman]] caucus caucuses with the [[Democratic Party]], giving Democrats the majority and control of the committees.
As far as voting on individual billsOn social issues like [[abortion]] the U.S. Senate is more [[liberal]] than the U.S. House, most probably due to the greater influence of the media on the statewide Senate elections. Most votes on controversial issues are not strictly along party lines, and although a few senators from both parties can and do may cross lines against what their leadership endorses on different issues. It should also be pointed out that Due to the clubby nature of the Senate, many bills have bipartisan support, meaning that the bill has strong support among both Republicans and Democrats.
The position of '''President of Unless rules specify otherwise, the Senate''' is filled may agree to any question by the [[Vice President a majority of the United States]]Senators voting, and he casts the deciding vote in case of if a tie. The Senate's current Majority Leader is noted liberal [[Democratquorum]] [[Harry Reid]], and the Minority Leader is the present. The [[RepublicanChair]] puts each question by [[Mitch McConnellVoice Vote|voice vote]]unless the "yeas and nays" are requested, in which case a roll call vote occurs. <ref>http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/senatorsreference/a_three_sections_with_teasersb_three_sections_with_teasers/leadershipglossary.htm</ref>
The Senate is named for the [[Roman Senate]], the governing council of ancient Rome. The Latin word means a council of elders, and derives from the same Latin root as ''senior.'' == Senators ==Senators are elected by each of the fifty states. They serve for six-year terms, without term limits. Approximately one-third of the Senate comes up for re-election every two years. Although originally elected by the state legislatures, the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913 gave that power to the citizens. If a Senator resigns or dies in office, that state's Governor appoints a temporary Senator to maintain that state's representation. The position of '''President of the Senate''' is filled by the [[Vice President of the United States]]. The Vice President only votes in the case of a tie. The Senate's current Majority Leader is [[Republican]] [[Mitch McConnell]] and the Minority Leader is the [[Democrat]] [[Harry Reid]].<ref>http://senate.gov/pagelayout/senators/a_three_sections_with_teasers/leadership.htm</ref>
==Powers of Senate==
In addition to passing legislation, the Senate also has a number of unique and special powers.
* The Senate has the power to try cases of impeachment of federal officials, should such officials be impeached by the House of Representatives. When the [[President]] in on trial, such proceedings are overseen by the Chief Justice of the United States. Two notable instances of this were the impeachment proceedings of Presidents [[Andrew Johnson]] and [[Bill Clinton]]. Neither were removed from office.
* The Constitution gives the Senate the power to "advice and consent" appointments made by the [[President]]. Major appointments subject to this include heads of Cabinet-level federal departments, [[Supreme Court]] justices, [[U.S. District Court]] judges, [[U.S. Attorney]]s, ambassadors to foreign powers, high-ranking military commands and certain federal agencies such as [[NASA]] or the [[Environmental Protection Agency]].
* The Senate ratifies all treaties between the United States and foreign powers.
* If there no majority in the [[Electoral College]], the Senate selects the Vice President while the House selects the President. The Senate has only used this power once: in 1837, when it elected [[Richard Mentor Johnson]] Vice President after Virginia's delegates to the Electoral College voted for Martin Van Buren but refused to vote for him, giving him one vote shy of a majority. Under the Twelfth Amendment, the Senate elected Johnson 36 to 16 with three abstentions along sharp party lines.
* A notable difference between the Senate and the House of Representatives is the ability for the minority to filibuster; in other words, 60 votes are required to force legislation to continue onto a voting period. The filibuster is important to prevent a majority of even 51 to 49 from forcing legislation through. This was crucial during the 110th congress from 2007-2009, where the Democratic party had a majority of merely 51-49, and if not for the filibuster could have forced potentially harmful legislation through.
The Senate has the power to try cases of impeachment and remove officials from office. It is also responsible to give "advice and consent" to the actions of the [[president]]. The Senate approves appointments made by the [[President]] and ratifies his treaties.<ref>US Government and Politics</ref>==Current Composition==*'''Republican Party (Majority)''': 54*'''Democratic Party (Minority)''': 45*'''Independent Democrats''' : 1
==See also==[[Ann Coulter]] complained that "Republicans lost their majorities in the House and the Senate in 2006, thanks to George W. Bush's highly effective "Keep the Base at Home on Election Day" campaign, which consisted of pushing amnesty for illegal aliens."<ref>[http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2013-10-30.html Thank these Republicans for Obamacare]</ref>
* == In fiction ==The Senate has figured very prominently in American literature and especially [[Congressmotion picture|cinema]]* [[U.S. Arguably the two most famous motion pictures in which the Senate Glossary]]and/or certain fictitious members of it figure prominently are:
* ''[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]],'' in which an ingenuous [[Jefferson Smith|interim Senator]] comes to the Senate and rebels against the graft and chicanery that he discovers there. So accurate were the replicas of the Senate chambers, galleries, and cloakroom that Columbia Pictures Corporation built for the film that visitors to the Senate galleries have often remarked that their visit was like appearing in the movie.
* ''[[The Manchurian Candidate]],'' in which the wife of one member of the [[New York State]] Senate delegation hypnotically orders her son to kill the other member of that delegation, as part of a much larger plot to make her husband [[President of the United States]] "with powers that will make [[martial law]] seem like [[anarchy]]."
==Bibliography==[[File:Seal of the Senate.png|right|200px|thumb|The third Seal of the United States Senate, adopted in 1886. At the top of the circle can be seen a red [[Liberty Cap]]]]===Official Senate histories===The following are published by the Senate Historical Office.* ''[[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]], 1774–1989''* [[Robert C. Byrd]]. ''The Senate, 1789–1989''. Four volumes.** Vol. I, a chronological series of addresses on the history of the Senate** Vol. II, a topical series of addresses on various aspects of the Senate's operation and powers** Vol. III, Classic Speeches, 1830–1993** Vol. IV, Historical Statistics, 1789–1992* Dole, Bob. ''Historical Almanac of the United States Senate''* Hatfield, Mark O., with the Senate Historical Office. ''Vice Presidents of the United States, 1789–1993'' ([http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Vice_President.htm essays reprinted online])* Frumin, Alan S. ''[http://www.gpoaccess.gov/riddick/index.html Riddick's Senate Procedure]''. (1992). ===Scholarly studies ===* Baker, Richard A. ''The Senate of the United States: A Bicentennial History'' (1988).* Baker, Richard A., ed., ''First Among Equals: Outstanding Senate Leaders of the Twentieth Century'' Congressional Quarterly, 1991. biographies of famous Senators* Barone, Michael, and Grant Ujifusa, ''The Almanac of American Politics 1976: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors: Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts'' (1975); new edition every 2 years; latest issue August 2009.* David W. Brady and Mathew D. McCubbins. ''Party, Process, and Political Change in Congress: New Perspectives on the History of Congress'' (2002)* Caro, Robert A. ''The Years of Lyndon Johnson. Vol. 3: Master of the Senate.'' Knopf, 2002.* Comiskey, Michael. ''Seeking Justices: The Judging of Supreme Court Nominees'' U. Press of Kansas, 2004.* Congressional Quarterly '' Congress and the Nation: 2001–2004: A Review of Government and Politics: 107th and 108th Congresses '' (2005); massive, highly detailed summary of Congressional activity, as well as major executive and judicial decisions; based on ''Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report'' and the annual CQ almanac; (CQ is a private company; it is nonpartisan and relied upon by all Senate watchers)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1997–2001 '' (2002)** Congressional Quarterly. ''Congress and the Nation: 1993–1996 '' (1998)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1989–1992 '' (1993)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1985–1988 '' (1989)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1981–1984 '' (1985)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1977–1980 '' (1981)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1973–1976 '' (1977)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1969–1972 '' (1973)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1965–1968 '' (1969)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1945–1964 '' (1965), the first of the series* Cooper, John Milton, Jr. ''Breaking the Heart of the World: Woodrow Wilson and the Fight for the League of Nations. '' (2001).* Davidson, Roger H., and Walter J. Oleszek, eds. ''Congress and Its Members'', (CQ, 10th ed. 2007) (Legislative procedure, informal practices, and member information)* Gould, Lewis L. ''The Most Exclusive Club: A History Of The Modern United States Senate'' (2005), the best history, by a leading historian* Hernon, Joseph Martin. ''Profiles in Character: Hubris and Heroism in the U.S. Senate, 1789–1990'' (1997).* Hoebeke, C. H. ''The Road to Mass Democracy: Original Intent and the Seventeenth Amendment.'' (1995). (popular elections of Senators)* Lee, Frances E. and Oppenheimer, Bruce I. ''Sizing Up the Senate: The Unequal Consequences of Equal Representation.'' (1999). 304 pp.* Malsberger, John W. ''From Obstruction to Moderation: The Transformation of Senate Conservatism, 1938–1952.'' (2000)* Mann, Robert. ''The Walls of Jericho: Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Russell and the Struggle for Civil Rights.'' (1996)* Ritchie, Donald A. ''Press Gallery: Congress and the Washington Correspondents''. (1991).* Ritchie, Donald A. ''The Congress of the United States: A Student Companion'' (2nd ed. 2001).* Ritchie, Donald A. ''Reporting from Washington: The History of the Washington Press Corps'' (2005).* Rothman, David. ''Politics and Power the United States Senate 1869–1901'' (1966)* Swift, Elaine K. ''The Making of an American Senate: Reconstitutive Change in Congress, 1787–1841''. (1996)* Valeo, Frank. ''Mike Mansfield, Majority Leader: A Different Kind of Senate, 1961–1976'' (1999) Montana Democrat and majority leader* VanBeek, Stephen D. ''Post-Passage Politics: Bicameral Resolution in Congress.'' (1995)* Weller, Cecil Edward, Jr. ''Joe T. Robinson: Always a Loyal Democrat.'' (1998). (Arkansas Democrat who was Majority leader in 1930s)* Wirls, Daniel and Wirls, Stephen. ''The Invention of the United States Senate'' (2004). (Early history)* Zelizer, Julian E. ''On Capitol Hill : The Struggle to Reform Congress and its Consequences, 1948–2000'' (2006)* Zelizer, Julian E., ed. ''The American Congress: The Building of Democracy'' (2004) (overview) ====References====
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==See also==* [[Congress]]* [[U.S. Senate Glossary]]* [[2008 Senate election]] ==External links==*[http://www.opencongress.org/person/senators OpenCongress - Senators] [[Category: United States Governmentof America]][[Category: United States Elected OfficialsCongress]][[Category: United States CongressSenate]][[Category:United States Elected Officials]]