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In consultation with the minority leader, the majority leader fashions unanimous consent agreements by which the Senate may limit the amount of time for debate on a measure and divide that time between the parties. Occupying the front-row desks on the center aisle in the Senate Chamber, the leaders pay close attention to floor action.
Nov 7, 2023 · Learn about the Senate Majority Leader, one of the most powerful and influential positions in the United States government. Find out how they set the agenda, manage Senate business, and negotiate with other branches of government.
- Overview
- Constitutional framework
- Organization and powers
- U.S. senators
United States Senate, one of the two houses of the legislature (Congress) of the United States, established in 1789 under the Constitution. Each state elects two senators for six-year terms. The terms of about one-third of the Senate membership expire every two years, earning the chamber the nickname “the house that never dies.”
The role of the Senate was conceived by the Founding Fathers as a check on the popularly elected House of Representatives. Thus, each state, regardless of size or population, is equally represented. Further, until the Seventeenth Amendment of the Constitution (1913), election to the Senate was indirect, by the state legislatures. They are now elected directly by voters of each state.
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The Senate shares with the House of Representatives responsibility for all lawmaking within the United States. For an act of Congress to be valid, both houses must approve an identical document.
As in the House of Representatives, political parties and the committee system dominate procedure and organization. Each party elects a leader, generally a senator of considerable influence in his or her own right, to coordinate Senate activities. The leader of the largest party is known as the majority leader, while the opposition leader is known as the minority leader. The Senate leaders also play an important role in appointing members of their party to the Senate committees, which consider and process legislation and exercise general control over government agencies and departments. The vice president of the United States serves as the president of the Senate but can vote only in instances where there is a tie. In the vice president’s absence, the president pro tempore—generally the longest-serving member from the majority party—is the presiding officer of the Senate.
Sixteen standing committees are grouped mainly around major policy areas, each having staffs, budgets, and various subcommittees. The chair of each committee is a member of the majority party. Among important standing committees are those on appropriations, finance, government operations, foreign relations, and the judiciary. Thousands of bills are referred to the committees during each session of Congress, though the committees take up only a fraction of these bills. At “mark-up” sessions, which may be open or closed, the final language for a law is considered. The committees hold hearings and call witnesses to testify about the legislation before them. Select and special committees are also created to make studies or to conduct investigations and report to the Senate; these committees cover aging, ethics, Indian affairs, and intelligence.
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The smaller membership of the Senate permits more extended debate than is common in the House of Representatives. To check a filibuster—endless debate obstructing legislative action—three-fifths of the membership (60 senators) must vote for cloture. (In 2013 the Senate rule for invoking cloture was reinterpreted to permit cloture by majority vote for debate regarding all presidential nominations except those to the Supreme Court, and in 2017 the rule was similarly reinterpreted for Supreme Court nominations.) If the legislation under debate would change the Senate’s standing rules, cloture may be invoked only on a vote of two-thirds of those present. There is a less elaborate structure of party control in the Senate; the position taken by influential senators may be more significant than the position (if any) taken by the party.
The constitutional provisions regarding qualifications for membership of the Senate specify a minimum age of 30, citizenship of the United States for nine years, and residence in the state from which elected.
The table provides a list of current U.S. senators.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
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Nov 12, 2020 · Learn about the roles and responsibilities of the party leaders in the House and Senate, including the Majority Leader. The Majority Leader is the second-highest ranking leader in the Senate and is responsible for managing legislation and party unity.
However, in reality, the vice president seldom enters the Senate, let alone directly presides over the chamber, unless a tied vote is expected, and the president pro tempore has become a ceremonial role deprived of any leadership ability. Thus, the majority leader is seen as the de facto leader of the Senate, especially in modern times, and ...
The Senate's executive and legislative business is also managed and scheduled by the majority leader. The assistant majority leader and assistant minority leader of the United States Senate, commonly called whips, are the second-ranking members of each party's leadership. The main function of the majority and minority whips is to gather votes ...
May 17, 2021 · 79. Senate Minority Leader. John Roberts. 66. Chief Justice. President. The President is both the head of state and head of government of the US, and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Under Article II of the US Constitution, the President is responsible for the execution and enforcement of the laws created by Congress.
