Levels of Government in the United States

U.S. Federal Government

The Constitution of the United States establishes these three branches of government. The ability of each branch to respond to the actions of the other branches is a system of checks and balances. Each branch of government can change acts of the other branches:

• The president can veto legislation created by Congress. He or she also nominates heads of federal agencies and high court appointees.

• Congress confirms or rejects the president's nominees. It can also remove the president from office in exceptional circumstances.

• The Justices of the Supreme Court, nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, can overturn unconstitutional laws.

Executive Branch

The executive branch includes the President, Vice President, Federal cabinet departments, independent agencies, and about 5,000,000 workers. Federal cabinet departments help the government in carrying out and enforcing laws, as well as managing and defending the country.

The United States Federal cabinet departments are State, Treasury, Interior, Agriculture, Justice, Commerce, Labor, Defense, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security.

Judicial Branch

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on questions of U.S. constitutional or federal law. Judges depend on the executive branch to enforce court decisions.

The court consists of nine justices (the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justices.) Justices have lifetime tenure, meaning they remain on the court until they die, retire, resign, or are impeached and removed from office.

Legislative Branch

Congress is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, and an upper body, the United States Senate. It meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Members are chosen through direct election, though vacancies in the Senate may be filled by a governor's appointment. Congress has a total of 535 voting members (100 senators and 435 representatives.)

Congress convenes for a two-year term, commencing every other January. Elections are held every even-numbered year on Election Day. The Senate and the House have different structures and responsibilities. Both chambers are responsible for making laws. However, both houses must pass a bill before it can become law. Congress also has the power to confirm or reject presidential appointments. Also, the U.S. Congress has the sole power to declare war.

The Senate

The Senate has exclusive power to confirm U.S. presidential appointments to high offices, and (by two-thirds supermajority to pass main motions) approve or reject treaties, and try cases of impeachment, which can remove a president from office. The vice president of the United States, as President of the Senate, has a vote in the Senate only when there is a tie.

Each senator is elected in their state for a six-year term, with terms staggered, so every two years approximately one-third of the Senate is up for election. Each state, regardless of population or size, has two senators, so currently, there are 100 senators for the 50 states.

The House of Representatives

The number of voting representatives in the House is fixed by law at no more than 435. The number of representatives each state has is based on its population. Each state has at least one representative. Currently, there are five delegates representing the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Representatives serve two-year terms. The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the House.