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S.Res. 1

Senate Rules Package

119th Congress (2025-2027)

72
pages

The Senate's permanent rules, carried forward with minimal changes. Unlike the House, Senate rules are considered 'continuing' and require only minor organizational resolutions each Congress.

Adopted January 2, 2025
View on Congress.gov
Absurdity Index
5/10
4-6Questionable

Major Changes

Committee Assignments

committee

Organizational resolution assigning senators to committees based on party ratios and seniority. The annual game of musical chairs.

Leadership Elections

administrative

Formal election of Majority Leader, Minority Leader, and other leadership positions by party caucuses.

Blue Slip Procedures

procedure

Minor clarification on home-state senator notification requirements for judicial nominees. Blue slips remain advisory, not binding.

Notable Standing Rules

Rule XXII

Cloture (The Filibuster)

The famous 60-vote threshold to end debate. Three-fifths of senators must agree to stop talking before voting can occur. The source of most Senate dysfunction.

Rule XIX

Debate

Senators may speak as long as they wish on any topic. Yes, including reading Dr. Seuss or quoting Star Wars at length.

Rule XIV

Bill Introduction

Bills can be placed directly on the calendar, bypassing committee entirely. Used for urgent matters or when committees are uncooperative.

Rule XXXI

Executive Calendar

Nominations and treaties are considered separately from legislation on their own calendar.

Rule XLIV

Congressionally Directed Spending

Modern earmark rules requiring transparency in spending requests. The Senate kept earmarks while calling them something else.

Overview

Unlike the House, which adopts entirely new rules at the start of each Congress, the Senate operates under “continuing rules” — the standing rules carry forward automatically and are considered permanent until amended.

At the start of each Congress, the Senate adopts simple organizational resolutions covering committee assignments, leadership elections, and any procedural tweaks. Major rules changes are rare and typically contentious.

The Filibuster

The defining feature of Senate procedure is Rule XXII — the cloture rule requiring 60 votes to end debate. This supermajority requirement has shaped (and paralyzed) legislation for over a century:

  • 1917: Cloture first adopted at 67 votes
  • 1975: Threshold reduced to 60 votes
  • 2013: “Nuclear option” exempts executive nominations
  • 2017: “Nuclear option” extended to Supreme Court nominations

Everything else still requires 60 votes, which is why the Senate passes approximately three major bills per decade.

Key Rules Explained

Most Senate business actually happens by unanimous consent agreements — deals negotiated off the floor that allow votes to proceed without full debate. When any single senator objects, the process grinds to a halt.

Holds

Any senator can place a “hold” on legislation or nominations, signaling intent to object to unanimous consent and potentially filibuster. Holds are not officially recognized in the rules but are respected by tradition. A single senator can delay anything indefinitely.

Reconciliation

Budget reconciliation allows certain fiscal legislation to pass with 51 votes, bypassing the filibuster. This is why major bills often get crammed into reconciliation packages regardless of their actual relationship to the budget.

Why Senate Rules Rarely Change

Because the filibuster applies to rules changes themselves, reforming the Senate requires either:

  1. 67 votes: To change the rules normally
  2. Nuclear option: The majority rules the filibuster out of order on a specific matter
  3. Complete surrender: One party getting 60+ seats and caring enough to act

None of these happen regularly, which is why the Senate operates under rules largely unchanged since the 1970s.

Source: Senate standing rules and organizational resolution. View Senate Rules.

Note: This page contains editorial commentary. Bill data is sourced from public congressional records and may not be fully current. Absurdity scores are subjective editorial ratings. Verify at Congress.gov →

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