Final answer:
The Speaker of the House has more power than the Senate majority leader due to their role as the elected head of the House, their ability to control the legislative process, and the majoritarian nature of the House, which allows for more decisive control by the majority party.
Step-by-step explanation:
Speaker of the House vs Senate Majority Leader
Compared to the Senate majority leader, the Speaker of the House has more power for a few key reasons. First, the Speaker is elected by the entire body of representatives, making this position the presiding officer and administrative head of the House, as well as the partisan leader of the majority party. This equates to a great deal of control over the legislative agenda, including the power to assign bills to committees and schedule floor votes.
Additionally, the House is characterized by its majoritarian nature, where the majority can enforce control in a manner resembling a cartel due to procedural rules and customs. This allows the Speaker of the House to exert significant influence over legislation and party strategy. In contrast, the nature of the Senate promotes bipartisan cooperation to achieve a super-majority for legislation to pass, which limits the power of the Senate majority leader.
Furthermore, the House functions under a hierarchy where the Speaker has critical roles such as appointing committee members and chairs, ruling on House procedures, and presiding over joint sessions with the Senate. These powers underscore the Speaker's substantial influence compared to that of the Senate majority leader, who does not possess such unilateral floor control due to the Senate's rules promoting unlimited debate and legislative procedures such as filibusters and cloture that require bipartisan support.