The Senate has the sole power to confirm those of the President's appointments that require consent, and to ratify treaties. There are, however, two exceptions to this rule: the House must also approve appointments to the Vice Presidency and any treaty that involves foreign trade.
January 3, 2021: 117th Congress officially begins, with Democrats controlling the House, and Republicans in charge of the Senate.
Senators represent their entire states, but members of the House represent individual districts. The number of districts in each state is determined by a state's population. Each state has a minimum of one representative in Congress.
The Senate has the sole power to confirm those of the President's appointments that require consent, and to provide advice and consent to ratify treaties. There are, however, two exceptions to this rule: the House must also approve appointments to the Vice Presidency and any treaty that involves foreign trade.
The House is one of Congress's two chambers (the other is the U.S. Senate), and part of the federal government's legislative branch. The number of voting representatives in the House is fixed by law at no more than 435, proportionally representing the population of the 50 states.
Senators represent their entire states, but members of the House represent individual districts. The number of districts in each state is determined by a state's population. Each state has a minimum of one representative in Congress. The House and Senate have evolved into very different bodies.
With four times the membership, the House follows procedures closely and limits debate. Debate is nearly unlimited in the Senate and all members have an opportunity to influence legislation. Senators feel less pressure to move quickly on issues.
In general, House rules and practices allow a numerical majority to process legislation relatively quickly. Senate rules and procedures, on the other hand, favor deliberation over quick action, as they provide significant procedural leverage to individual Senators.
The Senate shares full legislative power with the House of Representatives. In addition, the Senate has exclusive authority to approve-or reject-presidential nominations to executive and judicial offices, and to provide-or withhold-its advice and consent to treaties negotiated by the executive.
There are a total of 535 Members of Congress. 100 serve in the U.S. Senate and 435 serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Senate takes action on bills, resolutions, amendments, motions, nominations, and treaties by voting.