In The Federalist, No. 62 , Madison justified the higher age requirement for senators. By its deliberative nature, the “senatorial trust,” called for a “greater extent of information and stability of character,” than would be needed in the more democratic House of Representatives.
Education. The Congressional Research Service notes that the vast majority of Members (95 percent) had an academic degree: 168 Representatives and 57 Senators had a law degree. Of these, five (three Representative and two Senators) also hold a Master of Laws (LL.
Party affiliation
| Affiliation | Members |
|---|
| Republican Party | 53 |
| Democratic Party | 45 |
| Independent | 2 |
| Total | 100 |
Age: The constitutional framers debated the minimum age for representatives before they considered the same qualification for senators. Instead, they debated the length of time members of Congress should be citizens before taking office.
Incumbency advantage
In general, an incumbent has a political advantage over challengers at elections. Incumbents also have easier access to campaign finance, as well as government resources (such as the franking privilege) that can be indirectly used to boost the incumbent's re-election campaign.Current floor leaders
The Senate is currently composed of 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and 2 independents, both of whom caucus with the Democrats. The current leaders are Senators Mitch McConnell (R) from Kentucky and Chuck Schumer (D) from New York.Each state, regardless of population or size, has two senators. Currently, there are 100 senators representing the 50 states. Each senator is elected at-large in their state for a six-year term, with terms staggered, so every two years approximately one-third of the Senate is up for election.
Each state, regardless of its population size, is equally represented by two
senators who serve staggered terms of six years.
There being at present 50 states in the Union,
there are currently 100
senators.
Current party standings.
| Affiliation | Members |
|---|
| Republican | 53 |
| Democratic | 45 |
| Independents | 2 |
| Total | 100 |
The Constitution prescribes that the Senate be composed of two senators from each State (therefore, the Senate currently has 100 Members) and that a senator must be at least thirty years of age, have been a citizen of the United States for nine years, and, when elected, be a resident of the State from which he or she
Representatives and Senators are limited to earning 15% in excess of their yearly Congressional salary. No income from fiduciary relationships is allowed. Many professions such as law and banking are considered to involved fiduciary relationships and are prohibited.
There are several provisions in the United States Constitution relating to impeachment: Article I, Section 2, Clause 5 provides: The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment. The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.
Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for representatives. Each representative must (1) be at least twenty-five years old, (2) have been a citizen of the United States for the past seven years, and (3) be (at the time of the election) an inhabitant of the state they represent.
Article I, Section 3, of the Constitution, sets three qualifications for senators: (1) they must be at least 30 years old; (2) they must have been citizens of the United States for the past nine years or longer; and (3) they must be inhabitants of the states they seek to represent at the time of their election.
— U.S. Constitution, Article I, section 2, clause 2
The Constitution requires that Members of the House be at least 25 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and live in the state they represent (though not necessarily the same district).Age Limits
The Constitution places few limits on who can serve in the House, but it requires that Members be at least 25. Initially, the framers had fixed the minimum age at 21, which, at the time, was both the proposed voting age and the age at which people understood adulthood to start.1). In judging the qualifications of their Members, and deciding by majority vote, the House and Senate are limited to judging only the qualifications set out in the Constitution. Powell v.
Salaries of members of the United States Congress
| Position | Salary |
|---|
| Senators and House Representatives | $174,000 |
| Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico | $174,000 |
| President pro tempore of the Senate | $193,400 |
| Majority leader and minority leader of the Senate | $193,400 |
Notice that members of the House are elected every two years, whereas senators are elected for six-year terms. Senators are at least thirty years old and citizens for nine years. Another difference is who they represent. Senators represent their entire states, but members of the House represent individual districts.
United States. In the United States, a person must be aged 35 or over to serve as President.
Thus, to serve as vice president, an individual must: be a natural-born U.S. citizen; be at least 35 years old; be a resident in the U.S. for at least 14 years.
27 Representatives and one Senator (Mark Begich) have no educational degree beyond a high school diploma.
As directed by the Constitution, a presidential candidate must be a natural born citizen of the United States, a resident for 14 years, and 35 years of age or older. These requirements do not prohibit women or minority candidates from running.
Thus, to serve as vice president, an individual must: be a natural-born U.S. citizen; be at least 35 years old; be a resident in the U.S. for at least 14 years.
(Article 2, Section 2)." The Senate has always jealously guarded its power to review and approve or reject presidential appointees to executive and judicial branch posts. The Constitution gives the Senate the power to approve, by a two-thirds vote, treaties made by the executive branch.
A Senate term is six years long, so senators may choose to run for reelection every six years unless they are appointed or elected in a special election to serve the remainder of a term.
Kelly Loeffler (R-Georgia), with a net worth of $500 million, is the wealthiest member of Congress.
Only John Quincy Adams served as a U.S. representative after being president. 16 presidents previously served as U.S. senators; only 3 immediately before election as president. Only one president, Andrew Johnson, served as a U.S. senator after his presidency.
About two-thirds of Senate respondents work between eight and eleven hours a day during non-sitting weeks and the rest work between 12 and 15 hours. About three-quarters work between 12 and 15 hours a day during sittings and about a quarter work between 16 and 19 hours a day.
Senate Joint Resolution 21, if approved by two-thirds of the Members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and if ratified by three-fourths of the States, will limit Senators to two terms and Members of the House of Representatives to six terms.
To guarantee senators' independence from short-term political pressures, the framers designed a six-year Senate term, three times as long as that of popularly elected members of the House of Representatives. Madison reasoned that longer terms would provide stability.
How long is a Senate term? The Senate has a membership of 40 Senators elected for 4-year terms, 20 to begin every 2 years. During his or her lifetime a person may serve no more than 12 years in the Senate, Assembly, or both, in any combination of terms.
Roosevelt was the first and only President to serve more than two terms. The amendment was passed by Congress in 1947, and was ratified by the states on February 27, 1951. The Twenty-Second Amendment says a person can only be elected to be president two times for a total of eight years.
The Constitution sets three qualifications for service in the U.S. Senate: age (at least thirty years of age); U.S. citizenship (at least nine years); and residency in the state a senator represents at time of election.
