Senate

The Senate

Lesson 3

The Senate at Work

➔

All states are equally represented by 2 Senators
◆

Deliberative body that deliberates, or formally discusses, public
policies

➔

Senators are expected to be knowledgeable about many issues
◆

Represent an entire state, not just a district

➔

Senate is much smaller
◆

Only 100 desks

◆

Few senators present at one time

◆

Assistants stay in or near the Senate Chamber at all times

➔

Rules are more flexible
◆

Allow for more freedom to express their ideas

The Vice President

➔

Vice President
◆

The Senate has no speaker, but the Vice President presides
over the Senate to break a tie, if needed.

●Does not have the same role or power as the speaker
of the House

◆

May recognize members and put questions to vote, but can
not cast a vote.

◆

Most VP’s devote their time to executive duties instead of
legislative

➔

President pro tempore: the Senate member, elected by the
Senate, who stands in as president of the Senate in the
absence of the Vice President
◆

117th Congress - Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

◆

3rd in line for presidential succession behind VP and Speaker
of the House

Kamala Harris
Vice President

Biden Administration

Leadership in Senate

➔

Majority Leader
◆

117th Congress = Charles E. Schumer
(D-NY)

◆

Steer the party’s bills through

◆

Planning the work schedule

◆

Creating agenda

➔

Minority Leader
◆

117th Congress = Mitch McConnell
(R-KY)

◆

Critiquing the majority party’s bills

◆

Keeping his or her own party united

Lawmaking in the Senate

➔

Supermajority
◆

⅔ of the Senate is required to approve treaties,
overturn presidential vetoes, and remove federal
officials from office

➔

Senate does not require a rules committee

➔

There are two Senate calendars
◆

Calendar of General Orders - lists all the bills the
Senate will consider

◆

Executive Calendar - schedules treaties and
nominations

What happens if the President

vetoes a bill?

Lawmaking in the Senate (Continued)

➔

One Senator can object and slow down or stop the pending
process.
◆

Hold: a motion placed on a bill in Senate

◆

The hold alerts party leaders that if unanimous consent were
to be sought, they would object

●Unanimous Consent: a motion by all members to set
aside formal rules and consider a bill from the calendar

Lawmaking in the Senate (Continued)

➔

Most bills need the votes of 60 senators to pass the Senate

➔

This is because of atactic called the filibuster
◆

Filibuster: a method of defeating a bill in the Senate by
stalling the legislative process and preventing a vote.

➔

If the bill is filibustered, it is set aside and the Senate moves on
to other business

➔

End a filibuster by voting for a cloture resolution
◆

Cloture Resolution: a procedure that allows each senator to
speak only one hour on a bill under debate

Strom Thurmond

Made the longest

single-person filibuster in

U.S. Senate history (24
hours and 18 minutes)

Drag and Drop

How many Senators represent each state in the Senate?

Placeholder

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2

1

4

3

Dropdown

Who presides over the Senate and breaks a tie if needed?

Select answer

Drag and Drop

What is the role of the President pro tempore in the Senate?

Placeholder

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Steers the party's bills through

Keeps his or her own party united

Critiques the majority party's bills

Presides over the Senate

Dropdown

What is the requirement for a supermajority in the Senate?

Select answer

Dropdown

What is the purpose of the Executive Calendar in the Senate?

Select answer

Multiple Choice

What happens if the President vetoes a bill?

• The veto can be overridden by Congress with a 2/3 vote

• The bill is automatically passed into law

• The bill is sent to the Supreme Court for review

• The bill is sent back to the House of Representatives

Multiple Choice

What is a filibuster in the Senate?

• A method of defeating a bill by stalling the legislative process

• A motion placed on a bill in Senate

• A procedure that allows each senator to speak only one hour on a bill under debate

• A motion by all members to set aside formal rules and consider a bill from the calendar

Multiple Choice

How can a filibuster be ended in the Senate?

• By the Vice President's intervention

• By voting for a cloture resolution

• By unanimous consent from all senators

• By the President's veto

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of a hold in the Senate?

• To consider a bill from the calendar

• To schedule treaties and nominations

• To resolve any differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill

• To slow down or stop the pending process

Multiple Choice

Who made the longest single-person filibuster in U.S. Senate history?

• Mitch McConnell

• Charles E. Schumer

• Patrick Leahy

• Strom Thurmond

Drag and Drop

What is a primary way that leaders in both the House and Senate exercise power?

Placeholder

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Fundraising

Media access

Committee assignments

Setting the legislative agenda

Dropdown

Which party chooses the committee chairs in the House and Senate?

Select answer

Drag and Drop

What is the role of political parties in making Congress more efficient?

Placeholder

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Stifling debate

Promoting division

Providing discipline

Creating chaos

Multiple Choice

What is a key reason why political parties raise so much money to win elections?

• To gain power and influence

• To fund lavish parties for party members

• To buy expensive gifts for voters

• To provide resources for the community

Multiple Choice

What can understanding Congressional leaders and their motivations provide a sense of?

• How to avoid politics

• How to become a leader

• Why things do and don't get done by the government

• The best party to attend