Introduction
The structure of the US Government is relatively complex due to several factors. One of the elements is the fact that the US is a federation, which implies that state authorities have a level of independence when it comes to policies and legislative decisions. On the other hand, the federal government itself is the model after which local authorities establish the ruling system. In this paper, the structure of the US government will be discussed from the perspective of the branches included within the power, namely, legislative, executive, and judicial. Moreover, the structure of state and federal governments will be examined.
Branches
The federal government, which is the power that rules nationally, employs three branches that have distinct positions and areas of expertise. Namely, the legislative, executive, and judicial powers are responsible for a variety of duties that ultimately represent the government structure (United States Government). The legislative power, which is exercised nationally by Congress, is the branch responsible for the establishment of federal laws. The US Congress has multiple essential roles, such as national-defense-related actions, tax collection, managing the US credit, regulation of business, and numerous additional tasks. The legislative branch is also responsible for determining the validity of nominated presidents and leaders of various federal agencies.
The executive branch is mainly responsible for enforcing the laws that have been established. The president is the essential individual in this particular branch, alongside the vice president and the cabinet, which is a group of members assisting the president (United States Government). Thus, the main task correlating with executive power is to sign the laws that have been established by the aforementioned Congress. Moreover, the objectives include actions such as appointing judges.
The judicial branch is responsible for practically applying the laws that have been established by Congress and signed by the president. Thus, the responsibilities are to interpret the legislation, practically employ it in individual cases to which they apply, and assess whether the bill passed by Congress and the executive branch does not contradict the US constitution. The three branches are implemented to divide the power and create a connected system, yet one in which one entity does not hold all the power.
Federal and State Governments
As mentioned prior, the United States of America is a federation in which each state is relatively independent when it comes to self-governing, with the exception of complying with federal law. Thus, state governments establish regulations that are not in the power of the federal government to implement at a national level (The White House). As a result, state and local government, which is also based on the system of power division between three branches, is another entity of authority.
Conclusion
The structure of the US government is established through the presence of three distinct branches. The legislative power executed by Congress establishes the laws that the executive branch enforces. Moreover, the judicial power is responsible for applying said legislation in each individual case and ensuring it aligns with the US constitution. Moreover, a similar structure can be observed in state and local governments. As a result, the structure of the federal and state government is relatively divided with the objective of ensuring that the power is not monopolized by one agency, individual, or entity. Moreover, elections ensure that representatives of the branches protect the rights and values of the citizens who elected them.
Works Cited
United States Government. “Branches of the U.S. Government.” USA Gov, 2022. Web.
The White House. “Our Government.” The White House, The United States Government, 2022. Web.