The US Government – how does it work?

It’s been pointed out to me that I should produce an explainer regarding how the US government works and define some key terms that I throw into blogs without thinking. If you are fairly knowledgeable about this, please feel free to skip this post. If not, please have a read – I’ve broken it down into sections for ease of reference.

In accordance with the US Constitution, the US government is split into three ‘separate but equal’ branches. Each of these are outlined below. In order for a bill to become law in the US it must be passed by both houses of congress (much like in the UK) and signed into law by the president.

The Executive

The executive refers to the president, vice president and the cabinet. It’s often referred to as the ‘White House’ or ‘West Wing’. The executive is charged with executing the laws enacted by congress (see below) and overseeing foreign policy. This is similar to the ‘government’ in the UK (as opposed to parliament). The president has a four year term and can serve two terms at the most (there has only been one exception to this – Franklin Delano Roosevelt who was elected to four terms). All presidents aim to serve their two terms consecutively and, as such, there has only been one man who has served two non consecutive terms – Grover Cleveland. The president and vice president are elected via the electoral college. The cabinet is then selected by the president but these personnel must then be confirmed by the senate (see below). This is to ensure that the branches of government act as a ‘check and balance’ on each other. The president has the power to veto legislation passed by the legislature and select judges to serve on the national (federal courts). Federal judge appointments must also be approved by the senate.

The Legislature

The legislature is often referred to as ‘Congress’. The US congress consists of two chambers (this is often called a bicameral legislature – the UK has the same with the Houses of Commons and Lords), the house of representatives (usually called the house) and the senate.

The house of representatives contains 435 members with states give a number of representatives that is proportional to their population. This gives California 53 representatives and states like Wyoming a single representative (often called a representative-at-large). The house is elected every two years and is led by the speaker. The Speaker of the House is elected by the house and is usually the leader of the majority party. Members of the house are usually referred to as representative or congressman/woman. The house is responsible for beginning the budgetary process and can also (as part of the checks and balances) impeach federal officers such as the president.

The senate consists of 100 members – two senators per state (the senator for a state who was elected first is called the senior senator and the more recent one is called the junior senator), irrespective of population. The senate is seen as the ‘upper’ or ‘senior’ chamber (much like the House of Lords in the UK). Each senator has a 6 year term and, as such, the senate is split into three ‘classes’ so that a third of the senate is up for reelection every two years. The senate is led by the Senate Majority Leader. The senate has responsibility for confirming judges in federal courts and confirming the president’s cabinet choices. The senate is also charges with trying federal officers impeached by the house. If there is a 50-50 split in a senate vote, it is the responsibility of the Vice President to break the tie.

The Judiciary

The judiciary is intended to be the apolitical branch of government. The purpose of the judiciary is to rule on cases related to federal law and also determine whether laws conform to the Constitution. There are three levels of the judiciary – district courts, circuit courts and the supreme court (often referred to as SCOTUS). The judges are nominated by the president and voted into office by the senate. SCOTUS is the most senior court and regularly makes judgements that have long lasting and national consequences. All federal judges serve lifetime terms. I will do a separate blog after the election to explain the Supreme Court, why it’s important and how this could effect the future of laws in the US. For the time being, it is worth remembering that the judiciary has a huge impact, be it the case of Steven Avery (for you Making a Murderer fans) to the legalization of abortion.

I hope the above is helpful. Any ideas for other ‘explainer’ blogs are more than welcome 🙂