Federal government of the United States facts for kids
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| Formation | 1789 |
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| Founding document | United States Constitution |
| Jurisdiction | United States |
| Legislative branch | |
| Legislature | Congress |
| Meeting place | Capitol |
| Executive branch | |
| Leader | President |
| Appointer | Electoral College |
| Headquarters | White House |
| Main organ | Cabinet |
| Departments | 15 |
| Judicial branch | |
| Court | Supreme Court |
| Seat | Supreme Court Building |
The federal government of the United States is the main government for the entire United States. It is a federal republic, which means power is shared between a central government and individual states. The U.S. includes 50 states, five major self-governing territories, and the capital city, Washington, D.C.. Most of the federal government is based in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. federal government has three main parts, called "branches." These are the legislative (law-making), executive (law-enforcing), and judicial (law-interpreting) branches. The U.S. Constitution gives specific powers to each branch. The legislative power belongs to Congress. The executive power belongs to the President. The judicial power belongs to the federal courts.
In the U.S. system, the federal government shares power with each of the 50 states. This is called federalism. Native American tribes also have their own sovereign powers, but they are still under federal law.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The full name of the country is the "United States of America." This name is used on money, in treaties, and in legal cases. When people talk about the federal government specifically, they often say "Government of the United States of America" or "United States Government."
In everyday talk, people often use "Federal Government" or "U.S. Government." You might see "Federal" or "National" in the names of government groups, like the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the National Park Service. Because the government's main offices are in Washington, D.C., people sometimes just say "Washington" to mean the federal government.
How the U.S. Government Started
The U.S. government is built on important ideas like federalism, republicanism, and democracy. This means power is shared between the federal government, state governments, and the people. It's a mix of different systems, often called a democratic republic or a representative democracy.
Since the Constitution was adopted, people have debated how much power the federal government should have. Some believe it should have a lot of power, while others think it should have a more limited role.
After the American Civil War, the federal government's powers generally grew a lot. However, there have been times when states wanted more power, and they succeeded in limiting the federal government.
One key idea in the U.S. Constitution is "checks and balances." This means each of the three branches of government can limit the power of the others. For example:
- Congress (legislative branch) makes laws.
- The President (executive branch) can veto (reject) those laws.
- But Congress can override a presidential veto with enough votes.
- The President chooses judges for the Supreme Court.
- But Congress must approve those judges.
- The Supreme Court can say that laws passed by Congress are unconstitutional. This means the laws cannot be used.
Legislative Branch: Making Laws
The United States Congress is the part of the government that makes laws. It is made up of two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate. This two-part system is called bicameral.
Who is in Congress?
The House of Representatives
The U.S. House has 435 voting members. Each member represents a specific area, called a congressional district, in their state. The number of representatives each state gets depends on its population. This number is updated after each U.S. Census, which happens every ten years. Each member serves a two-year term.
To be a representative, a person must be at least 25 years old. They must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years. They also must live in the state they represent.
Besides the 435 voting members, there are six non-voting members. These include delegates from Washington, D.C., Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. There is also a resident commissioner from Puerto Rico. All members of the House must be elected. If a seat becomes empty, a special election is held to fill it.
The Senate
The Senate has two senators from each state, no matter how big or small the state's population is. There are currently 100 senators (2 from each of the 50 states). Each senator serves a six-year term. About one-third of the Senate is up for election every two years.
If a Senate seat becomes empty, the state governor can appoint someone to fill it. This person serves until a special election can be held.
Special Powers of Each House
The House and Senate each have their own special powers. For example, the Senate must approve many important people the President chooses. These include cabinet members, federal judges (like those on the Supreme Court), and ambassadors to other countries. All bills about raising money (taxes) must start in the House of Representatives.
Both the House and Senate must approve a bill for it to become a law. Then, the President must sign it. If the President vetoes (rejects) a bill, both houses of Congress can still make it a law. But they need a two-thirds vote in each house to do so. The powers of Congress are limited to what is written in the Constitution. All other powers belong to the states and the people.
Congress also has the power to make any laws that are "necessary and proper" to carry out its other powers.
Removing Federal Officers
Congress has the power to remove the President, federal judges, and other federal officers from their jobs. This process is called impeachment. The House of Representatives first votes to impeach the official. Then, the Senate holds a trial to decide if the official should be removed.
As of 2023, three presidents have been impeached: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump (twice). None of them were removed from office by the Senate.
How Congress Works
Each house of Congress can set its own rules. This is how congressional committees were created. These committees do a lot of the work, like writing laws and investigating national issues. There are many committees and subcommittees that help Congress manage its workload.
What Congress Can Do
The Constitution gives Congress many powers. These include:
- Collecting taxes.
- Printing money.
- Setting up post offices and roads.
- Creating federal courts below the Supreme Court.
- Declaring war.
- Raising and supporting the armed forces.
- Making laws for Washington, D.C..
- Controlling trade between states.
- Making any laws needed to properly use its powers.
Over time, there have been many arguments about the limits of the federal government's powers. These arguments are often decided by the United States Supreme Court.
Congress's Oversight Role
Congress also has an "oversight" role. This means it watches over the executive branch to make sure laws are followed. It helps prevent waste and fraud. It also protects people's rights and gathers information for new laws.
This oversight applies to all government departments and agencies. Congress does this through:
- Committee investigations and hearings.
- Meetings with the President and reports from the executive branch.
- The Senate approving presidential choices for jobs and treaties.
- The House impeaching officials and the Senate holding trials.
- Informal meetings between lawmakers and executive officials.
Executive Branch: Carrying Out Laws
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The President
The executive branch is led by the President of the United States. The President is both the head of state (a ceremonial role) and the head of government (the chief executive). The Constitution says the President must "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." This means the President must make sure federal laws are followed. The President often takes action through executive orders.
The President is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. This means they are the top leader of the military. The President also handles foreign relations, meeting with ambassadors and making treaties. However, the Senate must approve treaties.
The President chooses many important government officials, like ambassadors and Supreme Court judges. The Senate must approve these choices.
The President can also grant pardons for federal crimes. This means they can forgive someone for a crime or reduce their punishment. This power only applies to federal crimes, not state crimes.
The President also has informal powers. They can greatly influence how laws are made and what policies the government follows. They are usually the leader of their political party.
How the President is Chosen
The President and Vice President are usually elected together by the Electoral College. Each state gets a certain number of electoral votes based on its population. The District of Columbia also gets electoral votes.
A President can serve a maximum of two four-year terms (8 years). If a Vice President becomes President and serves less than two years of the previous President's term, they can still run for two full terms.
Veto Power and Impeachment
If a bill passes both parts of Congress, it goes to the President. The President can sign it into law or veto it. If the President does nothing for ten days, the bill becomes law without their signature. However, if Congress ends its session during those ten days, the bill does not become law (this is called a pocket veto).
Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate. This does not happen very often.
The President can be impeached by the House and removed from office by the Senate. This can happen for serious offenses like treason or bribery.
The President cannot dissolve Congress. However, they can adjourn Congress if the House and Senate cannot agree on when to end their session. No president has ever used this power. The President can also call Congress together for "extraordinary Occasions" to discuss urgent matters.
The Vice President
The Vice President is the second-highest official in the federal government. The Vice President's main job is to be the president of the Senate. In this role, they lead Senate meetings. They can also cast a tie-breaking vote if there is a tie in the Senate.
The Vice President also leads the joint session of Congress when it counts the votes from the Electoral College for presidential elections.
The Vice President is first in line to become President if the President dies, resigns, or is removed from office. This has happened nine times in U.S. history. The Vice President can also become acting President if the President is unable to do their job.
Cabinet, Departments, and Agencies
The President has a group of advisors called the Cabinet. The Cabinet's job is to advise the President and help carry out government programs and laws. The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the leaders of 15 executive departments. These departments handle different areas, like State (foreign affairs), Treasury (money), Defense (military), and Justice (laws).
The President chooses the heads of these 15 departments, and the Senate must approve them. Once approved, these "Cabinet secretaries" serve as long as the President wants them to.
There are also other important groups that help the President. The Executive Office of the President (EOP) includes the White House staff, the National Security Council, and the Office of Management and Budget. These groups help the President manage the government.
Outside of the Cabinet and EOP, there are many independent agencies. These include groups like the United States Postal Service (USPS), NASA (space exploration), and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Judicial Branch: Interpreting Laws
The judicial branch explains and applies the laws. It does this by hearing and deciding on different legal cases.
Federal Court System
The Constitution created the Supreme Court of the United States. It also allows Congress to create other, lower courts as needed. Federal judges serve for life, as long as they have "good behavior." Their pay cannot be lowered while they are in office. The President appoints all federal judges, and the Senate must approve them.
The federal court system has three main levels:
- The Supreme Court: This is the highest court. It hears appeals from lower courts and state supreme courts. It decides cases about the Constitution and federal laws. It can declare laws or actions by the government unconstitutional.
- The United States Courts of Appeals: These courts hear appeals from the district courts. There are 13 of these courts.
- The United States District Courts: These are the trial courts. They hear cases about federal laws and some cases between people from different states. There are 94 district courts.
There are also specialized courts, like bankruptcy courts and the U.S. Tax Court. These courts handle only specific types of cases.
Federal courts handle cases that involve:
- The Constitution or federal laws.
- U.S. treaties.
- Cases involving ambassadors from other countries.
- Cases where the federal government is a party.
- Disputes between states or between a state and a foreign country.
Federal courts handle both criminal cases (about breaking federal laws) and civil cases (disputes between people or groups).
To protect their independence, federal judges serve until they die, retire, or resign. A judge can be impeached and removed from office just like the President.
State and Federal Courts Working Together
Each state has its own court system, which handles state laws. Even though state and federal governments are separate, the U.S. Supreme Court can hear appeals from state supreme courts in some cases. State supreme courts are the final authority on their state's laws and constitution.
Federal courts must apply the laws of the state where they are located when hearing cases about state law. However, they use federal rules for how the court process works. Together, the laws of the federal and state governments make up U.S. law.
Government Money: The Budget
The federal government's budget plan usually starts with the President's ideas for spending. This plan goes to Congress. The government's financial year starts on October 1 and ends on September 30 of the next year.
In fiscal year 2018, the federal government spent about $4.11 trillion. This was about 20.3% of the country's total economic output (GDP). The government collected about $3.33 trillion in taxes. Most of this came from individual income taxes and Social Security/Social Insurance taxes.
Government Employees
In 2023, the U.S. federal government had about 2.26 million civilian employees. About 160,000 of these employees worked in Washington, D.C.. This number does not include employees of the United States Postal Service.
Elections and Voting
The right to vote, also called suffrage, has changed a lot over time in the U.S. In the early days, only white men who owned land could vote. People only directly elected members of the U.S. House of Representatives and state legislatures. State legislatures chose senators.
Since 1913, with the Seventeenth Amendment, people directly elect both senators and representatives. Today, most U.S. citizens aged 18 and older can vote. This includes people of all races and genders. One main exception is that people convicted of serious crimes (felonies) may lose their right to vote in some states.
People living in U.S. territories and Washington, D.C. have limited representation in Congress. While D.C. residents pay federal taxes, their representative in Congress cannot vote on laws. However, D.C. residents have been able to vote in presidential elections since 1961.
Residents of Puerto Rico generally do not pay federal personal income taxes on income earned in Puerto Rico. However, they do pay other federal taxes, like those for Social Security and Medicare. Puerto Rico is represented in Congress by a non-voting Resident Commissioner.
State, Tribal, and Local Governments
State governments have the biggest impact on most Americans' daily lives. The Tenth Amendment says that any power not given to the federal government belongs to the states. So, states handle most issues that affect people directly, like property laws, crime, health, and education. States raise money through taxes or by selling bonds.
Each state has its own constitution, government, and laws. The U.S. Constitution only requires that each state have a "Republican Government." This means there can be big differences in laws and procedures between states. The highest elected official in each state is the Governor. Each state also has an elected state legislature that makes state laws. Most states have a two-part legislature, like the U.S. Congress. Each state also has its own state court system.
American Indian tribes are considered "domestic dependent nations." This means they are sovereign governments, but they are still subject to federal authority. In some cases, they are outside the jurisdiction of state governments. Tribes are encouraged to form their own governments, often with elected tribal councils.
Local governments within states include counties, municipalities (like cities and towns), and special-purpose districts. These local governments make laws for their specific areas, covering things like traffic or alcohol sales. Counties are administrative parts of a state. In Louisiana, they are called parishes, and in Alaska, they are called boroughs. The powers of county governments vary greatly by state. Some counties have little power, while others can collect taxes and have their own police.
Cities and towns are usually called incorporated municipalities. They also vary from state to state and are usually under the county government. Some cities have combined with their county government to form consolidated city-counties. States can also create special-purpose districts for a single job, like school districts, water management, or fire departments.
See also
In Spanish: Gobierno federal de los Estados Unidos para niños
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