Federal Government Research Paper

Describe how federal government operates.
The federal government of the U.S. is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is known as the United States of America. The federal government comprises of three branches of government: a legislative, an executive, and a judiciary. These branches and their various powers are explained in the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution grants numerous powers to Congress. These include the powers to levy and collect taxes, to coin money and regulate its value, provide for punishment for counterfeiting, establish post offices and roads, promote progress of science by issuing patents, create federal courts inferior to the Supreme Court combat piracies and felonies, declare
war, raise and support armies, provide and maintain a navy, make rules for the regulation of land and naval forces, provide for arm and discipline the militia, exercise exclusive legislation in the District of Columbia, and to make laws necessary to properly execute powers.
First, the legislative branch consists of two groups, the House of Representatives and the Senators.
Over the two centuries since the United States was formed, many disputes have arisen over the limits on the powers of the federal government. These disputes have often been the subject of lawsuits that have ultimately been decided by the House that currently consists of 435 voting members, each of them 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 seven years. There is no limit on the number of terms a representative may serve. In addition to the 435 voting members, there are six non-voting members, consisting of five delegates and one resident commissioner. There is one delegate each from the District of Columbia, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Marianna Islands, and the residential commissioner from Puerto Rico. In contrast the Senate is made up of two senators from each state, regardless of population. There is currently a total of 100 senators (two from each of the 50 states), who each serve six-year terms. Approximately one third of the Senate stands for election every two
years.
Second, the executive power 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 non-consecutive four-year terms, as well as being able to have served for 2 years after succeeding to the presidency, prior to his last term.