The Senate vs. the House: What Each Chamber of Congress Actually Does

People mix up the Senate and the House because both chambers do the same basic job: they make federal law inside the same building, the U.S. Capitol, and any bill has to pass both before it can reach the president. The differences are in size, term length, who the members answer to, and the powers the Constitution gives each chamber alone.

How the Senate works

The Senate has 100 members, two from each state no matter how large or small the state is. Senators serve six-year terms, and about one-third of the seats come up for election every two years, so the chamber turns over slowly.

The vice president presides over the Senate and votes only to break a tie. The day-to-day work is run by the Senate majority leader, who controls the floor schedule. Debate has few time limits: it can continue until 60 senators vote to end it, a procedure called cloture. A single senator can therefore slow or block a bill more easily than a single House member can.

The Constitution gives the Senate several powers the House does not have. It confirms presidential nominees, including federal judges, Cabinet members, and ambassadors, by majority vote. It approves treaties with a two-thirds vote. And it holds the trial when an official is impeached, where removing that official from office requires a two-thirds vote.

How the House works

The House of Representatives has 435 voting members, and those seats are divided among the states by population after each ten-year census. Every member serves a two-year term, and the entire House is up for election every two years, so its makeup can change quickly.

The Speaker of the House presides. The Speaker is elected by the members and stands second in the line of succession to the presidency. Because the House is so large, its rules are strict: debate time is limited, and the Rules Committee sets the terms under which each bill is considered. Individual members have less room to delay a vote than senators do.

The House has its own exclusive powers. Under the Constitution, bills that raise revenue must start in the House. The House brings impeachment charges by majority vote. And if no presidential candidate wins a majority in the Electoral College, the House chooses the president, voting by state delegation.

Senate and House side by side

	The Senate	The House
What it is	The upper chamber of Congress	The lower chamber of Congress
Members	100, two from each state	435 voting members, divided by population
Term length	6 years; about one-third up for election every 2 years	2 years; the whole chamber up for election every 2 years
Who they answer to	Voters of their entire state	Voters of their congressional district
Qualifications to serve	At least 30 years old, a U.S. citizen for 9 years, resident of the state	At least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for 7 years, resident of the state
Powers only it has	Confirms nominees, approves treaties (two-thirds), holds impeachment trials (two-thirds to remove)	Starts revenue bills, brings impeachment charges, chooses the president if the Electoral College is deadlocked
How debate works	Few time limits; 60 votes needed to end debate (cloture)	Strict time limits; the Rules Committee sets debate terms for each bill
Who presides	The vice president (breaks ties); daily business run by the majority leader	The Speaker of the House, elected by the members

Which chamber matters for what you want to know

If you are voting, your House member represents your congressional district and faces voters every two years, while your two senators represent your entire state and serve six-year terms. If you are following a bill, it must pass both chambers in identical form, and most bills die when one chamber never takes them up. If you are watching confirmations of judges or votes on treaties, that is the Senate. If you are watching where tax and spending bills begin, that is the House.

Explainer based on the U.S. Constitution and the official histories published by the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives.