Responsibilities of a Congressperson

Each individual congressperson must assume three roles:

- Legislator

- Committee member

- Representative of their constituents

Powers of Congress:

- To collect taxes in order to pay debts, provide for common defence and general welfare of the US

- To borrow money on the credit of the US

- To regulate commerce with other nations and between the states

- To coin money and regulate its value

- Provide for punishment of counterfeiting

- Establish post offices and roads

- Promote progress of science

- Create courts inferior to the Supreme Court

- Define and punish 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 the militia, arm and discipline the militia

- Exercise exclusive legislation in Washington D.C

- Make laws necessary to execute the powers of Congress

The executive branch consists of the President of the US and his delegates

- The president is the head of state and head of government, the commander-in-chief of the military, the chief diplomat

- The president, according to the Constitution, must “take care that laws be faithfully executed”.

- The president has important legislative and judicial powers

- He may issue executive orders to affect internal policies

- The president may sign or veto legislation passed by Congress

- He may be impeached by a majority in the House and removed from office by a two-thirds majority in the Senate for “treason, bribery, or other crime and misdemeanors”

- The President has the power to pardon criminals convicted of federal offences, and (with the consent of the Senate) appoint Supreme Court justices and federal judges

The Vice President of the US is the second-highest executive official of the government

- As first in the presidential line of succession, the Vice President becomes the new President of the United States upon the death, resignation, or removal of the President, which has happened nine times

- His only other constitutional duty is to serve as the President of the Senate, but over the years the office has evolved into a senior advisor to the President. – Joseph Biden

Cabinet, executive departmentsd, and agencies

- The enforcement and administration of federal laws is in the hands of federal executive departments, created by Congress to deal with specific areas of national and international affairs.

- The heads of the 15 departments, chosen by the President and approved by the US Senate, form a council of advisors generally known as the President’s Cabinetthe executive office of the President:

The White House Staff

The national Security Council

The Office of management and Budget

The council of Economic Advisers

The Office of the US Trade Representative

The Office of National Drug control policy and the office of Science and Technology Policy

- The are also a number of independent agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, The Central Intelligence Agency and Environmental Protection Agency

Judicial branch

- The highest is the Suoreme Court of the US, which consists of nine justices

- The court deals with matters pertaining to the Federal Government, disputes between states, and interpretation of the US Constitution, and can declare legislation or executive action made at any level of the government as unconstitutional

- Below the Supreme Court are the courts of appeals and below them are the district courts

- The supreme court of each state is the final authority on thhe interpretation of that state’s laws and constitution

Foreign relations

- Almost all countries have embassies in Washington, and consulates around the country

- Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Sudan – do not have formal diplomatic relations with US

- US is a founding member of the UN

- Principal allies – Australia, Japan, Israel and the NATO states + United Kingdom

- Diplomatic, economic and cultural ties with Canada and Mexico

- 28000 people in 27 countries believe that US has mainly a negative influence in the worlds

Alexander Hamilton

Federalists and Antifederalists

February 4, 1789 – George Washington – the first President

Set of rules, law regulations – practical norms, regulating the work of the government

“Private property is the backbone of liberty” – James Madison, plantation owner, father of C

Preamble and seven articles, 27 amendments to the original text

The first 10 – “The Bill of Rights” – 1791 – individual rights and freedoms (speech, press, worship)

The 21^st amendment limited the President’s ruling by maximum two terms

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 914