The House vs. Senate: Powers
While the House and Senate make up Congress, their powers are different. Let’s look at some of these differences:
House of Representatives
- Initiates Revenue Bills*: All bills related to taxes and revenue must originate in the House.
- Impeachment Power: The House has the sole authority to impeach federal officials (including the president).
- Electoral College Tie: In the event of a tie in the Electoral College, the House selects the president from the top three candidates.
Senate
- Ratifies Treaties: The Senate must approve international treaties negotiated by the president, requiring a two-thirds majority vote.
- Confirms Appointments: The Senate confirms presidential appointments to the federal judiciary, executive agencies, and cabinet positions.
- Impeachment Trials: The Senate holds impeachment trials and has the power to convict or acquit an impeached official.
- Filibuster Power: Senators can engage in filibusters to delay or block legislation, making debate in the Senate longer and more open-ended.
*What on The Hill is a Bill? We will go more into this in the next section, but for a short answer: A bill is a proposal to change or create a law. Bills can be used to create new laws, or to change existing laws.
How bills are created:
- A member of Congress can propose a bill
- A citizen or group of citizens can petition a member of Congress to propose a bill
- A bill can be proposed during an election campaign