UNDERSTANDING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
By Gerard A. Jones, NOITU National President
This Summer, we witness one of the most politically motivated debates in Washington between President Obama and the Speaker of the House of Representatives over raising the debt ceiling. After many debates and compromises on both sides, an agreement was reached and passed by the House to raise the debt ceiling to prevent the Federal Government from defaulting on the national debt and providing the funds needed to prevent the disruption of payment to Social Security and Medicare recipients, the military and all federal employees and agencies. This article will briefly explain the Federal Government.
The Federal Government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of 50 states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises 3 distinct branches of government: a Legislative, an Executive and a Judiciary. These branches and their various powers are alienated in the U.S. Constitution, the powers are specified in greater details in laws enacted by Congress. The seat of government of the United States is in Washington, D.C., a geographical area that is not located with any state. This has led to “Washington” commonly being used as a metonym for the U.S. Federal Government.
The outline of the government of the United States is laid out in the Constitution. The government was formed in 1789, making the United States one of the world’s first, modern National Constitutional Republic. One of the theoretical pillars of the United States Constitution is the idea of “checks and balances” among the powers and responsibilities of the 3 branches of American government: the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judiciary. For example, while the Congress (Legislative) has the power to create law, the Executive (President) can veto any legislation---an act which, in turn can be overridden by Congress. The President nominates judges to the nation’s highest judiciary authority (The Supreme Court), but those nominees must be approved by Congress. The Supreme Court in its own has the power to invalidate as “unconstitutional” any law passed by Congress.
The United States Congress is the Legislative branch of the federal government. It is bicameral, comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The House of Representative currently consists of 435 voting members, each of whom represents a congressional district. The number of representatives each state has in the House is based on each state’s population as determined in the most recent United States census. All 435 representatives serve a two-year term. Each state receives a minimum of one representative in the House. In order to be elected as a representative, an individual must be at least 25 years of age, and must have been a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years. There is no limit on the number of terms a representative may serve. In addition to the 435 voting members, there are 6 non-voting members consisting of 5 delegates and 1 resident commissioner. There is 1 delegate each from the District of Columbia, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the resident commissioner from Puerto Rico.
The Senate is made up of 2 senators from each state, regardless of population. There are currently a total of 100 senators, who each serves a six-year term. Approximately one-third of the senate stands for election every 2 years.
The House and Senate each have particular exclusive powers. For example, the Senate must approve many important Presidential appointments, including cabinet officers, federal judges (including nominees to the Supreme Court), department secretaries (heads of federal executive branch departments), U.S. military and naval officers, and ambassadors to foreign countries. All legislative bills for the purpose of raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives. The approval of both chambers is required to pass any legislation, which then may become law by being signed by the President (or if the President vetoes the bill, both houses of Congress then re-pass the bill, but by a two-thirds majority of each chamber, in which case the bill becomes law without the President’s signature). The power of the Congress is limited to those enumerated in the constitution. All other powers are reserved to the states and the people.
The executive branch in the federal government is vested in the President of the United States, although power is often delegated to the cabinet members and other officials. The President and Vice-President are elected as running mates by the Electoral College for which each state, as well as the District of Columbia is allocated a number of seats based on its representation in both Houses of Congress. The President is limited to a maximum of two 4-year term as well as being able to have served for 2 years after succeeding the presidency, prior to his last term.
The President is both the Head of the State and the government, as well as the military commander-in-chief and chief diplomat. The President, according to the constitution, must “take care that the laws be faithfully executed” and “preserve, protect and defend the constitution.” The President presides over the executive branch of the federal government, an organization numbering about 5 million people, including 1 million active-duty military personnel and 60,000 postal service employees. The 44th and current President is Barack Obama.
The Vice-President is the 2nd highest executive official in rank of the government. As first in the U.S. Presidential line of succession, the Vice-President becomes President upon the death, resignation or removal of the President, which has happened 9 times in U.S. history. Under the constitution, the Vice-President is Head of the Senate.
The Secretary of State is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Department of State, the most senior of all federal executive departments. The Secretary of State is the 3rd highest official of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States after the Vice-President. The secretary is a member of the President’s cabinet and the highest ranking cabinet secretary both in the presidential line of succession and order of precedence.
