According to the Constitution, executive power is exercised by the President of the United States. In his hands is concentrated all the fullness of the executive, and he has the ability to quickly make important decisions. The presidential term is defined in four years. These powers do not depend on the vote of confidence of legislators, as is customary for prime ministers in parliamentary systems. According to the 22th Amendment, adopted in 1951, the president can not be elected more than two times and perform their duties longer than eight years. The president can become citizen by birth, over 35 years old and has lived in the US for at least 14 years of age.
Vice-President shall assume office of the president in the event of the death or resignation of the incumbent. To the candidate for vice-president must meet the same requirements as a presidential candidate. He also elected to four-year terms.
The president and vice president elected by an electoral college formally, for whom the votes in each state, according to the lists proposed by political parties. Electors are generally obliged to support the candidate of his party, although this is not stated in the Constitution. Shortlisted college vote for president and vice president. The number of electors from each state is equal to the total number of congressmen and senators. The winner of the election the candidate who receives the majority of electoral votes.
Although the framers of the Constitution sought to make the executive power powerful single center of the state, they certainly could not foresee that as a result of the presidential power will become so important. The powers of the President as Supreme Commander allow him to begin military action without the formal consent of Congress. The administrative duties of the president, for example, the appointment of senior government officials, increased with increasing regulatory role of the executive branch and its functions in the social security system. In the face of declining legislative initiatives Congress further increased the role of the president in the development of the legislative program of the state.
The President has also become a guarantor of the economy responsible for the maintenance of price stability and a sufficiently high employment. He is the leader of a political party, whose support can use to strengthen its position in the Congress and the country as a whole. President - the only official in the state, is elected by popular.
The heads of the various ministries and agencies of the executive authorities appointed by the president and his advisers are simultaneously. The most important form of so-called officials office, or cabinet. Its population today is 14 (State Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Defense, Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education, and Veterans Affairs). 14 ministries - huge organization composed of dozens of departments, divisions and services. In the system of the Ministry of Justice, for example, includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Defense includes the Joint Chiefs of Staff, advises the president on military matters, as well as the Ministry of Land Forces, Navy and Air Force. The Department of State and Department of Defense agencies are the most important executive power, but their political weight varies depending on the influence of their chapters and policies of the president.
The Executive Office of the President includes the White House with the President's advisers, who have a huge impact on decision-making and to some extent become invisible "collective President", as well as a number of special departments - OMB, supervises the activities of executive agencies and the forthcoming federal budget, the Council of Economic Advisers under President and the National Security Council (NSC), which, in addition to the president, includes the Vice President, the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Director of emergency Management, as well as informally, any officials whom the president deems be invited to a meeting. Principal Consultant NSS is the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which also advises the president on national security issues.
There are some agencies that are formally subordinate to the president, but operate independently. There is also a commission (eg, Atomic Energy Commission), which stands at the head of the board of directors representing both political parties expressing different points of view and bearing collective responsibility to address important issues. For the execution of special functions created public corporations.
Perhaps the most important departments of this type are the independent regulatory commission, led bipartisan board of directors. Members of these committees shall be rotated at different times, so that the work is always attended by experienced professionals. In Examples include commission on interstate commerce, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission. Contrary to the principle of separation of powers, the commissions combine all three functions of the government. They develop the details of the laws adopted by Congress; Moreover, because of the impact on the passage of legislation and due to the fact that Congress willingly delegated their powers in the field of administrative law, these agencies are, perhaps, in their respective areas most influential force in the legislative process. The Commission shall be responsible for the proper performance of generated rules and the implementation of policies of the President and the Congress. Finally, they exercise quasi-judicial functions, arranging the hearing and ruling on cases arising in connection with the execution of the rules and conduct of policy.
The heads of federal agencies, usually appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate. Usually they take office for a fixed term and can not be arbitrarily displaced. In the case of bipartisan commissions president limited the right to appoint and dismiss heads of departments. Most ordinary members of the commission is part of the state apparatus and their selection is made based on professional qualifications, rather than party affiliation.
The Constitution gives Congress bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and House of Representatives. Its main duties include taxation, regulation of trade with foreign countries and between states, the right of declaring war, the formation of the armed forces and the allocation of funds for their maintenance. Congress is also granted by authority to take "necessary and appropriate" laws for the effective functioning of the state mechanism.
Congress works in the session mode. Each year, one session is convened. In addition to the regular sessions of Congress may meet in special session convened by the President of the United States.
The Senate, the upper house of Congress, has special powers, for example, it may approve or reject presidential appointments to senior government positions, to ratify or reject international treaties and to consider cases of officials impeached by the House of Representatives.
Under the Constitution, each state elects two senators. The number of senators grew steadily with the formation of new states - from 20 senators in the Congress of the first convocation in April 1789 to 100 in 1959, when Alaska and Hawaii gained statehood.
The Senators are elected for a term of six years. To preserve continuity of power terms of Senators offset in time so that at each election year is a vacancy in only third place. Under the Constitution, the senator is open to any person over 30 years old, a US citizen for at least 9 years old and by the time the election living in the state from which he was elected.
The US Vice-President is the chairman of the Senate. The Senate shall elect from among its members a temporary chairman, who will chair meetings in the absence of the Vice-President. However, the most important leaders of the Senate are the Senate Majority Leader and Senate Minority Leader, elected at meetings (caucuses) fractions of the major political parties represented in the Senate. They are assisted by the secretaries of party factions of the Senate.
The House of Representatives initially consisted of 59 members, but by 1910 the number had risen to 435. Since then, the size of the chamber remained unchanged, and the corrections made on population growth through the expansion of electoral districts every ten years, after the next census it. As a representative body of the people chamber has the exclusive right to tax laws. The House of Representatives may initiate impeachment against federal officials, as well as the authority to elect the president if no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes.
Members of the House of Representatives are elected for a term of two years. The candidate must be older than 25 years, not less than 7 years old and be a US citizen at the time of election to reside in the territory of the State from which he was elected.
Speaker or presiding, elected members of the House, the other leaders of the House are the leaders and secretaries of factions.
Congress, though it is not stipulated by the Constitution, forms various committees and commissions. 16 standing committees in the Senate and 19 standing committees in the House of Representatives are increasingly carried on the preparation and review of bills. Perhaps the most influential is the Rules Committee, which is preparing a bill to passage through the House and determines the order of their consideration.
Chairmen of the standing committees, which have broad powers, elected on the basis of seniority stay in Congress. Chairman, as a rule, it is the member of the majority, the longest worked on that committee.
In addition to the standing committees in each house of Congress, there are special committees. Committees, which include members of both chambers are called the Joint Committee. Reaching compromise version of the bill appointed conference committees.
Most bills may be initiated in either House, but financial ones only in the House of Representatives. Presented to the House bill is sent to the appropriate committee and after its approval tabled throughout the chamber. If the House approves the bill, it is sent to the other House, by which starts with the consideration of the Committee. Each House has the right to make amendments to the bill. Differences between the Senate and the House of Representatives removes the Reconciliation Committee, after which a compromise version of the bill is once again put up for discussion both chambers. Their acceptance of the bill goes to the president for his signature, who can sign it, veto it or leave without consideration. In the first case, the bill becomes a law; in the second case it becomes a law only if both houses overcome a presidential veto by a two-thirds majority; in the third case, the law takes effect after ten days without a presidential signature. If Congress before the expiration of ten days to announce a break, the bill does not become law; such indirect veto called pocket.
Nowadays the main functions of the Congress are different from those implied by Founding Fathers. According to their plan, Congress is ought to be the main legislative body, and the main initiator of the bill, while the President was entitled to legal advice. Nowadays, the most important legislative proposals are initiated by the executive and are sent to the Congress by the President. Congress has delegated also a significant part of its legislative powers. The President and the government departments are usually prescribed many details of laws enacted by Congress, therefore, of paramount importance administrative law.
The Congress is not only about the legislature. Also it receives complaints from citizens to officials. For the consideration of these complaints senator or congressman on average spends almost as much time as he goes into the legislative work. Congress draws attention to important social problems and political alternatives, conducting special hearings and investigations.
The Constitution does not mention political parties, but over time they began to play a key role in the political life of the country. Party act as an intermediary between the people and the government, involving activists and candidates in the electoral process and offering a variety of programs to the electorate.
National political parties are rather loose confederation of local party organizations, which are combined to support a candidate in the presidential election, or for winning a majority of seats in Congress. The system of federalism enhances party organizations in the United States (at the cost of weakening national party) in view of the distribution of many elected positions at the state and provide support in the field.
The most important feature of the US party system is the existence of two major political parties. Throughout American history division of interests has never been clear, except for the period of the Civil War, and the inside of both parties always manifests itself in different, sometimes conflicting, interests. Therefore, it was necessary to compromise in the formulation of political platforms of different parties as reflected in their programs. Often the result of voting is determined by the ratio of the personality of the candidate rather than to its political program.
The US political system is characterized by stability and conservatism. The two most popular parties - Republicans and Democrats, rule for a more than 150 years.
Democrats are the oldest representatives of the now represented in Congress US political parties, the main principles are liberal and socialist views. Founded in the first half of the 19th century, the movement perfectly adapted to any environment and is one of the key forces affecting the development of America. Barack Obama, the current President of the United States, belongs to this party.
Republicans are the representatives of the second major US political party, the main principles are conservatism and liberalism. Its popularity and name of the political power are made in the fight against slavery: it was her efforts, that this relic of the past has been overcome in the 19th century. Nowadays the party defends the interest of socially conservative citizens and economically liberal ones.
Sources:
- Barone, Michael, and Chuck McCutcheon. The Almanac of American Politics 2012: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors : Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts. Chicago: U of Chicago ;, 2011. Print.
- Maisel, Louis Sandy. American Political Parties and Elections a Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford UP, 2007. Print.
- Hershey, Marjorie Randon. Party Politics in America. 12th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. Print.
