The Role of the Senate in the US Legislature

The U.S. Congress consists of lower and upper chambers, with the House of Representatives being the former and the Senate being the latter. This structure resides in the compromise between two ways of states’ representation – with and without consideration of the individual state’s population. Thus, the Senate is represented only by two senators from each state, making the people’s representation equal. In addition, the approval of both chambers is required for the legislation’s passage. Consequently, both chambers can internally influence the legislative process. In my opinion, there is wise logic behind such a structure.

The bicameral structure allows close monitoring of the people’s needs, not wholly relying on mass opinion at the same time. The Senate serves as a double-check for the approved treaties from the House. Moreover, the Senate holds a slightly favored position over its counterpart since it takes precedence over it in some issues (Mahmood, 2020). Any senator can block legislation at anytime since his rights are protected, and there are no restrictions on the debate and amendments (Mahmood, 2020). It ensures the inapplicability of the majority rule.

Furthermore, it implies three further statements. Firstly, the Senate is more egalitarian than the House, where fewer lawmakers have a more significant weight in the legislation process (Volden & Wiseman, 2018). Secondly, parties and committees are less critical in the Senate. However, the influence of serving as a committee chair, a subcommittee chair, or a party leader is strong in both chambers (Volden & Wiseman, 2018). Thirdly, the characteristics of individual lawmakers are more influential in the Senate; the legislators’ success depends on various variables, including previous activity in the House and a desire for reelection (Volden & Wiseman, 2018). Provided the history of its successful existence, I can conclude that the Senate’s role proved to be significant and valuable to the U.S. Congress.

References

Mahmood, T. (2020). A Comparative Analysis of the Functioning of the Senate in the USA and Pakistan. South Asian Studies, 30(2), 265-280.

Volden, C., & Wiseman, A. E. (2018). Legislative Effectiveness in the United States Senate. The Journal of Politics, 80(2), 731–735. Web.