Importance of the Senate

The Senate is the upper house of Congress. Each state has two senators that serve six year terms with 1/3 of them up every 2 years. No more than one seat per state can be up for election in any given election and no fewer than 33 total nor more than 34 total. The Vice President has the tie breaking vote as the head of Congress. The senate has the power to approve or block most presidential nominees even for the Supreme Court and the Cabinet. They can block any bill that passes the house. They can pass laws subject to approval to the house except for the spending bills and taxes. They can approve or reject the houses spending bill and tax bill and can also amend the bills. The most senior member of the majority party by tradition gets elected the president pro temper of the senate. He along with the vice president co-chairs the senate and he picks the chairman when neither are presiding.

He is the 3rd most ranking member of congress after the Vice president and the Speaker of the House. He is the Fourth in line for the presidency after the President, Vice President and Speaker of the House. The senate acts as the jury in an impeachment trial. The speaker of the house or a manager appointed by him is the prosecutor. When a official other than the president is on trial than the vice president is the judge. When the president is on trial the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is the Judge. The President Pro Temper is the jury foreman. It takes 2/3 vote to convict and remove from office.

If the Democrats take the senate then they can block all of Trumps nominees to the Supreme Court and other federal court along with other key offices like the Cabinet. They will be able to block and amend any tax and spending bill passed from the house. They will be to pass federal laws subject to approval of the House. They will be able to block any of the Houses bills. No law that the President proposes can be passed without there support. They will be able to use the bills passed over the next two years as accomplishments coming into the presidential election proving that they can govern and are not just obstructionist.

If the Republicans win then they will be able to pass the presidents agenda threw the senate subject to the houses approval. They will be able to amend tax and spending bills in order to favor the presidency. They will be able to pass the presidents nominees though the senate. They will have complete control over the chair of the senate. As these examples show the Senate race is even more important then the House. If your state has a Senate race like Ohio then make sure to vote in this important race.