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"I don't think any person in America should die because they are too poor to live"
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
How Does The Federal Government Work?
The US government is broken down into three branches, the Legislative Branch makes laws, the Executive Branch enforces the law and the Judicial Branch interprets the law and constitution. There are constitutional limitations placed upon each branch of government and they each get their unique powers as well. These are known as 'Checks and Balances'.
The Legislative Branch has the unique power of approving treaties, supreme court justices, appropriations spending (yearly budget bill to fund the government), and confirm or reject nominees for heads of federal agencies proposed by the president. The Executive Branch has the power to select federal agency heads and Supreme Court justices, veto (block) a bill from Congress, and issue executive orders that do not overrule law but can enforce executive offices and agencies to act upon the president's request. The Judicial Branch declares if acts committed by the president or bills presented by Congress are constitutional or not.
How Does A Bill Get Passed Through Congress?
Laws and bills always start as ideas typically brought forth by a sponsor (author) of a bill and sometimes by a group of legislators that will consist of co-sponsors (co-authors). The bill is then assigned to committees for further study and investigation. The committees selected will always have direct influence or relation to the proposed bill. For example, S.346 below was referred and heard by the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs as well as the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Once a bill is released by a committee, it is then up to the house majority leader (speaker of the house) to put the bill on the voting calendar for release, debate, or vote. When a bill is not on the calendar or released, it is referred to as "a bill dying". If the bill is taken up for a vote in the House, a simple majority of (218/435) is required for passing in which case it moves on to the Senate. The same committee process is conducted in the Senate as was in the House. The Senate majority leader, senate clerk, or a senator from the floor who is granted recognition to speak may bring a bill up for a vote. The Senate will then decide to release, debate, or vote on the proposed bill and a simple majority of (51/100) is required. Finally, a conference committee of the House and Senate works any remaining differences, errors, and language out before it is sent back to the House and Senate for final approval. The president is then sent the finalized bill that is identically approved by the House and Senate, having 10 days to sign it into law, suggest amendments, or veto it.
How Am I Represented In Congress?
Congress is comprised of the House of Representatives (435 members) and the Senate (100 members). The 1929 Permanent Apportionment Act limits the total number of representatives allowed in the House to 435, making the average representation 1 voting member for every 747,000 people to a total US population of 337 million people. In contrast, the UK has 650 members of their House of Commons to represent their population of 67.5 million at a rate of 1 voting member for every 105,000 people. To make it more clear, the US is 1/747,000 and the UK is 1/105,000 representing their populations. The US is the only Western democracy that has not changed its lower house total since 1929. For the US to be anywhere near the representation given by 33 other nations, we would have to have a House of Representatives the size of 2,247 which would grant us 1 voting member per 150,000 people. As for the Senate, each state is granted two senators regardless of state size, GDP, population, etc. One of the biggest reasons is to ensure constant and long-standing representation for the states. Senators are granted 6-year terms as opposed to house members being granted 2-year terms. The general intention and purpose of Congress is to have the people of each state elect and send their voted-in representatives to D.C. to vote, speak, and act on their behalf.
What Can The President And Vice President Do?
The president has the power of executive action which directs executive offices or furthers existing laws. An example of a recent executive order is the order initiated by President Biden that reduced border encounters at the Southwest border by more than 50%. The president is the representative of the US in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United Nations (UN). These organizations were created in partnership with allied nations by the United States in 1949 and 1945 respectively. Their roles are different and the members of each vary but overall the intention is to have intergovernmental bodies that work together for mutual economic, social, military, and cultural growth. The president has the sole ability to veto a bill sent by Congress and appoint members of the executive branch and Supreme Court justices with Senate approval. The last major role of the president is their charge over the military during wartime, giving the president the ability to initiate actions in the defense of the United States and our allies.
The vice president is not a vanity role but they aren't incredibly enabled to enforce any laws or rules outside of what the president grants to them. The roles of the vice president would include the president of the Senate which has the primary role of being a tie-breaking vote in the Senate, receiving and counting the electoral votes for president, and assuming the role of president in the case of them exiting or being removed from office. Now it is important to be clear that a vice president still has influence regardless of them not having major enforcement capabilities, a vice president will always need to be ready to assume the highest role in the country, will be given specific tasks by the president, and are historically influential within congress due to their previous tenure within governmental roles.
What Are Executive Officers?
Executive officers are a part of the executive office of the president and have the responsibility of supporting the president with making decisions and spreading their messages and their influence across the world. The office of the president is overseen by the White House Chief of Staff, an appointed and confirmed representative by the executive and legislative branches. The most visible part of the office of the president is the Press Secretary and White House Communications Office, which give daily briefs to the media on the most recent events and/or decisions made by the government. There are also some more practical but overlooked offices of the president such as the Office of Presidential Advance which prepares remote sites away from the White House for the president's arrival ensuring safety and security.
What Is The Cabinet?
The cabinet advises the president on any subject they request further information or guidance on. The cabinet consists of the 15 executive departments I have displayed below with some basic information of each. There are other offices deployed and supported by the president that are not the 15 executively required departments. These include; The White House Chief of Staff, US Ambassador to UN, Director of National Intelligence, US Trade Representative, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Management and Budget, Council of Economic Advisers, Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Small Business Administration.
How Does The Supreme Court Work?
Various acts of Congress have altered the number of seats on the Supreme Court from a low of 5 to a high of 10. After the Civil War, the number of seats on the court was fixed at 9. One chief justice and eight associate justices comprise the Supreme Court structure, where the chief justice's sole responsibility of conducting presidential impeachment trials is their unique power over associate justices. Justices selected by the president are approved by the Senate and hold lifetime positions. The salaries of justices cannot be decreased during their term.
The court has jurisdiction over cases between two or more states and/or cases involving ambassadors and other public ministers. The court has jurisdiction over almost any other case that involves a point of constitutional and/or federal law. Other cases include when the US is the party, causes involving treaties, and cases involving ships and navigable waterways. The Supreme Court agrees to hear 100-150 cases of the more than 7,000 cases that are asked to be reviewed and heard every year. The best-known power of the Supreme Court is judicial review, or the ability of the court to declare legislative or executive acts in violation of the Constitution. This power is not constitutionally guaranteed but was rather adopted following Marbury v Madison (1803).
As the highest court in the land, this is the last resort for those seeking justice. Due to its power of judicial review, it plays an essential role in ensuring each branch of government recognizes and respects its limitations of power. It protects civil rights and liberties by striking down laws that violate the Constitution. In essence, it serves to ensure the changing views of a majority do not undermine the fundamental values common to all Americans; freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and due process of law.
"So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great good fortune."
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
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