Branches of t he federal government
The federal government is made up of three distinct branches that include the legislature, judiciary, and executive. According to the separation of powers doctrine, the US Constitution distributes federal government powers among these three branches. The Constitution also develops a system of checks and balances to ensure that no branch of the federal government becomes powerful. The legislative branch of government has the power to make the law of the country (McQuinn, 9). The legislative power is segmented into the House of Representatives and the Senate. American citizens elect Congress’ members. While each state can be represented by a similar number of senators, the number of representatives for each state depends on the state’s population.
The legislative branch of America has 100 senators, 435 elected members of Congress, and six additional non-voting delegates who represent Puerto Rico, District of Columbia, and other territories (Amejouj and Rima, 67). Under the legislative branch, Congress has the power to levy taxes, regulate interstate commerce, determine its procedure rule, borrow money and impeach and convict the president. Legislation can only pass if both houses pass a similar version of the bill by majority votes. Once both houses pass the bill, it is taken to the president, who either signs it into law or rejects it utilizing the veto power. In a regular veto, Congress can override the veto by about 66 percent vote of both houses. The veto power, together with the ability of Congress to override a veto, is an example of the checks and balances system that prevents any of the branches from gaining too much power.
Another branch of the government is the judiciary. The Constitution of the United States gives the judiciary the power to apply and interpret the laws. However, the US Constitution did not specify Supreme Court powers or explain how the judiciary should be organized. Judiciary members that include 94 federal judicial district courts, 13 U.S. Courts of Appeal, are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate (Roebuckjarrett, 123). The federal judges serve until they die, resign, or are removed from their office through Congress impeachment.
The third branch of the federal government is the executive. The executive branch of the federal government conducts and enforces laws. It comprises the president, vice president, executive departments, cabinets, independent agencies, and other commissions, boards, and committees. United States people vote for both the president and the vice president through free and confidential ballots. The role of the president is to lead the country. The president is the head of state in charge of implementing laws that Congress has written or passed.
Federal government leader, the Commander in Chief of America armed forces and manages national defense matters to keep the country safe. Likewise, the president recommends new laws and further reviews Congress legislation deciding whether to sign bills or reject them. The president serves for a maximum of four years and can be elected for one term (Winder, 283). The vice president helps the president to carry his or her duties. If the president cannot serve efficiently, the vice president can assume the role of the president. The vice president is elected and functions for more than four years as the vice-president even under different presidents. The cabinet under the executive branch advises the president. The cabinet consists of the heads of executive departments, high-ranking government officials, and the vice president. The cabinet members are nominated by the president and approved by a simple majority of Senate votes.
Apart from each branch’s specific powers stated by the Constitution, each government branch claims certain implied powers. For instance, the president claims the exclusive right to make foreign policy without consulting Congress. On the other hand, the Congress enacts legislation that mainly defines how the law needs to be managed by the executive branch. Federal courts interpret laws in ways that Congress does not intend.
As much as the branches mentioned above play a significant role in the U.S. government, I think the executive branch wields the most power. The president holds a substantial amount of power. To aid the president to enforce laws, the Constitution allows him to appoint Supreme Court Judges, Ambassadors, and all United States Officers. Apart from appointing, the president can remove officials except where statutory is constrained. When the president removes any executive branch officer, the Congress cannot prevent; instead, they can limit removal by showing a good cause. However, the legislature checks the president’s power so that it can approve and consent to all appointments. Congress makes all the laws through the enforcement power of the president. The president also creates the nation’s policy agenda because his influence and power of choosing assistants and his appointments to the court can be felt past his or her term of office.
Additionally, the president is also powerful because he or she has the authority of the convening Congress. This is seen when the president conveys the ‘State of the Union.’ The president can also make treaties with foreign countries. Besides, the president can issue executive agreements with foreign governments. Executive agreements are official agreements that are made between two countries but not ratified by the legislature as a treaty ought to be.
In most cases, executive agreements signed by the president do not need the action of the congress. They are regarded enforceable as long as their provisions do not conflict with domestic law (Lee, 1707). However, this power bestowed to him is checked by the Congress since the treaties should be approved by at least 66 percent of the Senate members.
The executive branch is also powerful because the president, the leader of the executive branch, can influence the policy process through the veto power. The veto power is the authority to reject any legislation of Congress. The presidential veto threat prompts Congress members to fashion the act in a way that they know the president can approve. Therefore, this provides the president with another way to influence the process of law-making. In maintaining the checks and balances system, the president is given the veto power as a ‘qualified negative’. As much as the Congress can override an executive veto by about 66 percent vote in each house, the president has the power of conducting a line-item veto. However, the president is not allowed to veto any Congress act that proposes constitutional amendments.
Since the president is the commander-in-chief of American armed forces, he can declare war and power to pardon. The power to pardon allows the president to pardon a person convicted or accused of a federal crime. Still, he or she holds no such power concerning state or civil law violation as opposed to offenses. This executive power is over the judicial branch because it restores citizenship privileges and rights to a particular person charged with a crime. The president can also issue proclamations to achieve policy goals. According to (Garnett 56), these executive orders direct government agencies to attain specific courses in the congressional action absence. However, some executive orders are subject to changes in the policy or court ruling enacted by Congress. For instance, the Supreme Court revoked Truman’s order to seize the steel industry during the Korean War. The executive orders are subject to reversal by any president who successfully issued the executive orders.
Apart from issuing executive orders, the president also gives signing statements when they agree to specific legislation indicating how the chief executive can interpret and enforce it. Even though congressional rivals complain that signing statements derail legislative intent, they are less powerful than vetoes. The president has the power of persuasion. He or she employs negotiation, compromise, and persuasion strategy to safeguard policy achievements in cooperation with Congress. Successful implementation of the persuasion method can contribute to significant and sustained successes. Any president that seeks to thrive through persuasion should target the Congress, the public, members of their party, foreign leaders, and international communities. However, the president’s power of persuasion relies more on power balance within Congress. If the opposition party holds control of both the Senate and the House or representative, it is difficult for the president to achieve his or her objectives, particularly if the intention of the opposition is to frustrate the initiatives.
Conclusively, the three branches play a significant role in the government. To start with, the legislative branch is responsible for formulating the law of the country. On the other hand, the judicial branch applies and interprets the law while the executive branch implements it. In my opinion, the executive branch has more power than the judiciary and the legislature. This is because the president, the head of the state, has numerous powers than the legislature and the judiciary. The president can appoint and remove government officials, convene the Congress, make treaties and executive agreements, and influence the policy process through the veto process. The president can also declare war, pardon an individual convicted of a federal crime, issue a proclamation to achieve policy goals, and issue signing agreements.