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Senate Seal

The United States Senate is one of two chambers in the United States Congress, the other being the United States House of Representatives. Constitutionally, the Senate is led by the Vice-President of the United States, who serves as the President of the Senate. The current Vice-President is Joe Biden. The Democratic Party is the majority party in the Senate, and the Democrats are led by Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. The Republican Party is led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

The exclusive powers granted to the Senate in Article One of the United States Constitution include approving treaties prior to their ratification, the trial of federal officials impeached by the House of Representatives, and confirming the Presidential appointments of federal officials.

The primary function of the Senate is to pass national legislation; bills that pass the Senate must also pass the House and be signed by the President in order to become a law. Each state has two United States Senators, giving the Senate a fixed total of one hundred members.

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