Senate which branch

The Senate in particular was designed to serve as a counterbalance to the House of Representatives and as a brake on executive power from the president. CrashCourse U. Save Save. There are two senators from each state serving in Congress. Small and large states alike each have two Senators, so there is no differentiation in representation based on population, unlike the House, and there are fewer senators compared to representatives in the House Senators were originally chosen by state legislatures, but that process began to break down in the s.

A senator must be at least 30 years old, a citizen of the United States for at least nine years, and a resident of the state they represent. Senators are elected to six-year terms. A senator generally carries more power than the average individual member of the House because a senator represents an entire state while a House member represents only one district within a state.

In representing an entire state, a senator is in most cases responsible for more constituents than a House Representative — except in the states where Senators outnumber House Representatives, as is the case in Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming, with each having one representative.

Also because there are fewer of them, senators carry a larger megaphone to bring attention to a particular issue. The day-to-day activities of a senator are not entirely different from a House representative. They spend their days meeting with constituents, discussing policy issues in committee meetings and making public appearances to convey their message to the public. The House of Representatives passes legislation more frequently than the more deliberative Senate, so senators spend less time voting on the Senate floor and more time negotiating compromises before a bill reaches the Senate floor for a vote.

The Senate has two important and specific duties. Senators are empowered to conduct impeachment proceedings of high federal officials, are tasked with exercising the power of advice and consent on treaties, and play an important role in the confirmation or denial of certain appointments including ambassadors and judicial court justices.

The Senate presides over impeachments of the president or other high officials and can remove them by a two-thirds vote. An official is impeached once the House votes to approve an article of impeachment. The House then sends an indictment — the articles of impeachment — to the Senate, which forms itself into a jury.

If the official accused is below the level of the president, the vice president acts as the presiding officer of the impeachment. But if the official being impeached is the president, the chief justice of the Supreme Court presides over the Senate proceedings. The Senate could vote to acquit the accused official, but if two-thirds of the Senate finds the official guilty, that official is removed from office and then subject to the regular penalties of law.

The individualized nature of the process, complicated by the fact that states also had the ability to enter into treaties themselves, made that particular system inefficient. From John Adams in to Richard Nixon in the s, presiding over the Senate was the chief function of vice presidents, who had an office in the Capitol, received their staff support and office expenses through the legislative appropriations, and rarely were invited to participate in cabinet meetings or other executive activities.

In , Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson changed the vice presidency by moving his chief office from the Capitol to the White House, by directing his attention to executive functions, and by attending Senate sessions only at critical times when his vote, or ruling from the chair, might be necessary.

The Senate elects one senate member to serve as president pro tempore. The minority leader and majority are meant to consult one another to come to agreements on floor debate rules and to equally divide debate time between the parties.

Other important positions for both the majority and minority parties include:. Like the House, the Senate has committees that study issues in depth. There are a few restrictions on committee membership , which are intended to treat senators equitably in the assignment process. First, when a state is represented by two senators from the same party, they may not serve together on the same committee. For example, a senator that serves on the Appropriations Committee has more power over what programs get what level of funding.

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All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. Congress is divided into two institutions: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Must have been a citizen of the United States for 9 years.

Congressional Leadership I. Selected by majority party. Usually most senior member of the Senate majority party. Majority Whip. Policy Committee. Reviews legislative proposals and makes recommendations to senators of the majority party. Steering Committee. Minority Leader. Chairman of the Conference. Committee on Committees. Assists the leader, rounds up votes, heads large group of deputy and assistant whips. Steering and Policy Committee. Assists the leader, rounds up votes, heads large forum of deputy and assistant whips.

The following is a brief summary: To levy and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises. To borrow money. To regulate commerce with foreign nations, among the states, and with Indian tribes.

To establish rules for naturalization that is, becoming a citizen and bankruptcy. To coin money, set its value, and punish counterfeiting.