Congress vs Senate
Congress and senate are two words that have become so commonplace that a common citizen hardly pays any attention to the differences between these two legislative bodies. Congress and senate represent the legislative branch of the government, which is one of the three branches; other two being executive (President) and judicial (courts). If you too remain confused between congress and senate, read on as this article will clear all doubts from your mind. Though both have similar functions as legislative bodies involved in law making, there are differences in the roles and responsibilities of the senate and the house that will be highlighted in this article.
What is Congress?
To make things clear about legislative bodies, congress is the name used to refer collectively to the House of Representatives and the Senate. Thus, House or the House of Representatives is one of the two parts that make up the Congress in US politics, the other being Senate. Thus, to remember it once and for all, here is the equation.
Congress = House of Representatives (House) + Senate
The House of Representatives in US is the equivalent of the British House of Commons. It comprises 435 members that come in proportion to a state’s population. Thus, smaller states have lesser number of representatives while those having higher population have a higher number of representatives.
Together with the Senate, the House of Representatives makes up the Congress that has the power to legislate on matters of public importance. The system of having two houses in Congress is demonstrative of a system of checks and balances to prevent any legislation becoming a law in haste.
What is Senate?
Senate is considered as the upper house of the Congress. The word senate comes from the old Latin that means old or wise man. However, not all Senators are old (or wise), but the tradition continues to refer to members of the Senate as being old and wise.
There are 50 states in US and each state send 2 members to the Senate making the total number as 100. Whether small or large, all states are given just 2 members to represent them in the Congress or the federal parliament. What this implies is the equality of states as each state has an equal say in matters of importance in national politics.
Both Senators, as well as the Members of the House of Representatives, are collectively called Congressmen or Congresswomen. However, you have to remember that calling a Senator a Congressman or woman would not be much of a problem as they are a part of the Congress. However, if you call a member of the House of Representatives as Senator, the Senate members can take that as an insult.
What is the difference between Congress and Senate?
• Definitions of Congress and Senate:
• The legislative branch of the government in US is made up of House of Representatives and Senate, and collectively it is referred to as Congress.
• Senate is the upper house of the Congress.
• Number of Members:
• Congress has 535 members as it includes both Senate and the House of Representatives.
• Senate has 100 members, 2 per state, irrespective of the size of the state to give equal say to every state.
• House of Representatives has 435 members with smaller states having a lesser number and large states having a high number of representatives.
• Meaning:
• Congress comes from a Latin word meaning ‘to come together.’
• Senate comes from Latin word that means ‘old and wise.’
• Bills:
• The whole congress has to approve a bill before it is sent to the President to approve.
• Senate has the power of impeachment while money bills cannot originate in the Senate.
• Age Limit:
• The age limit to enter the Congress is 25 years as you can become a member of the House of Representative by then.
• A citizen has to be at least 30 years of age to become a Senator.
• Congressmen/women and Senators:
• All Congressmen and Congresswomen are not necessarily Senators as they also can be members of House of Representatives.
• All Senators are Congressmen (or Congresswomen as the case may be).
So, as you can see, the difference between Congress and Senate is quite simple. Congress is the legislative branch of the government. It has two parts; the Senate and the House of Representatives. So, the Senate is a part of the congress.
Images Courtesy: Joint session of Congress and Chamber to the Iowa Senate via Wikicommons (Public Domain)
Replace congress with OPENENDED referendums so we can use data science to sort out the variables that define whatever it is we consider by equating reality without human dementia and corruption from self serving lawyers, judges, banksters, lobbies who represent special interest predators that corrupt the decency of OUR nation. Allows scientific work measurement to define/develop modern government acting in the best interest of our nation’s citizens and recognize few if anyone or anything is the same, incapable of fairness in the CASE LAW that resurrects nobility-slavery hidden under endless reams of poorly defined case law where lawyers-judges empower themselves to determine what THEIR truth is.
End this hypocracy before common people arise in anarchy you cannot defeat exposed in history by the ruins of civilizations gone on before.
OPENENDED referendums can define our issues, data science can define our paths
God bless our nation
Good explanation. I like the equation. It can’t get any clearer than that.
That’s what I recall being taught in POD in high school. Congress = House + Senate. But it seems as if news shows replace “House” with term Congress and then Senate by itself. That’s for confirming it for me.
I needed a refresher on how our government is set up and SUPPOSED to work…..I appreciate the explanation.
It would be really nice if our current Congress would concentrate on matters important to American Citizens, rather than just trying to upend President Trump and his goals to help America. Are there times when I wish the President would just keep quiet?…..of course! However, I believe he is truly concerned with making America great again!! Let’s pull together for the betterment of our Country….for ALL it’s citizens!!
Why don’t people understand this? I just don’t get it. Blindly following. Sheep
You mean for white people he never ever says anything good about the rest of this countries citizens
It is sad that you have been so convinced and brainwashed through social and mainstream media outlets that you immediately throw the race card into your daily conversation. Not that I wholeheartedly think Trump is the greatest ever, but the facts are out there. You cannot dispute the facts and if your first instinct is to go racial, that tells a lot about you and your inability to see the truth. Instead, you prefer to toss out any anti-white rhetoric out there to justify your hatred. Seriously, life is too short to live with hate in your heart, plus it only poisons others.
With little effort, you would be able to find loads of articles written about what Trump has done for other races since taking office. I am sure you are going to try and come back with comments such as I am racist or white supremist or whatever negative terms you tend to sling at someone when you do not have an educated argument to support your comment, but realizing that THAT is the case, you still have the opportunity to open your mind and fix that hatred in your heart.
Once again, I am not saying I agree with Trump on all of his decisions, or any of his tweets, but I can give credit where its due and he has continually moved forward with positive changes for the U.S. and doing so while the Democrats have been consistently pursuing him on any and all charges before election time approaches.
Food for thought.
There are times when an educated argument to support negative racist rhetoric. Its listening between the lines, codes, underlying remarks of support of hate groups, confederate behaviors, narcissism, actions of demeaning towards les fortunate or of differences…Positivity has been minimal as one can see, the crimes, the intentional killing law enforcement towards a sect of people, hospital care intentionally downplayed towards persons that you deem is not worthy. Why pardon certain people, if there was nothing criminally accounted.? This nation is in shambles at this time and has been going down hill for a few years….What next…more positivity!!
Trump’s inexperience, divisiveness and narcissistic self serving tactics has isolated us and brought an uncontrolled pandemic, unnecessary deaths due to his incompetence and collapse to a thriving economy.
Marielle, are those your words or are you just repeating what you heard on TV? You should stop watching the nightly news and the daytime talk shows (and listening to famous athletes and actors as well). The mainstream news is NOT there to tell you the truth, they are there to SELL advertising. They tell you part of the truth… what THEY want you to hear so that you will go out and repeat it as your own truth. We are on a slippery slope. Stand up for what is right and what you believe in – not what some fake news source tells you to believe. Do your own research and find out the real truth. Trump did not cause Corona Virus. Think about it. This event was unprecedented. He was the first to shut down our borders from foreign travel to protect us from the spread. Over the course of his administration, Trump did what no other President has been able to do. Every decision he made put the American citizen’s best interests FIRST – ALL citizens. His policies lowered unemployment, boosted our economy, protected our borders, lowered taxes, lowered gas prices and were leading us toward energy independence. He cared about the American people and was doing everything he could to bolster our economy and make us prosper. Unlike all the career politicians that make empty promises, do nothing while in office (except back-bite, point fingers and bicker like school-yard children), he got stuff done and he kept the promises he made. The establishment and the media couldn’t stand it because he WAS getting stuff done and they hated him for it. Why do you think they spent so much time trying to impeach him? It was all fake.
Aside from that, thanks for the lesson in the structure of the House and Senate. Agreed – media uses the term “Congress” too loosely and it gets confusing.
Could turn it around. House(Mommy) + Senate(Daddy) = Congress(Baby).
At the request of state Sen. Rob Teplitz, the Senate Democratic Policy Committee held
a roundtable discussion today in Harrisburg on ways to A bipartisan package
of bills aimed at preventing risky financial schemes by local
governments received unanimous approval in the south africa Pennsylvania Senate today, according to state Sen. Rob Teplitz, a co-prime
sponsor of the three bills. The legislation originates from the findings of Senate Local Government Committee hearings conducted in 2012 on the fiscal crisis affecting the
City of Harrisburg and the crushing debt from its infamous incinerator project.reform government and prevent gridlock in the legislature.
The discussion focused on numerous reform
bills that would suspend pay for the governor and lawmakers during budget
impasses, permit recall elections and reform the way Congressional and state legislative district maps are drawn.
Teplitz’s Government