Question

How does the size of the senate affect its operation?

Answer 1

I would argue that the respective sizes of each house affect each other little. The House of Representatives has 535 members where as the Senate has 100. The actual number in each house has little to do with their operations. Bills are still drafted, debated, and voted upon in each house. Each house needs to approve a bill in order for it to come across the President's desk. The make up of each house, however, can have a huge effect. Take the current congress for example. There is a republican majority in the House of Representatives, and a democratic majority in the Senate.