USA Government

President of USA

The president leads the country. He/she is the head of state, leader of the federal government, and commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces. The president serves a four-year term and can be elected no more than two times. The President may sign legislation passed by Congress into law or may veto it, preventing it from becoming law unless two-thirds of both houses of Congress vote to override the veto.

Once the legislation has been presented, the president has three options:

• Sign the legislation; the bill then becomes law.
  
  
• Veto the legislation and return it to Congress, expressing any objections; the bill does not become law, unless each house of Congress votes to override the veto by a two-thirds vote.
  
  
• Take no action. In this instance, the president neither signs nor vetoes the legislation. After 10 days, not counting Sundays, two possible outcomes emerge
  
  

1. If Congress is still convened, the bill becomes law.
   
   
2. If Congress has adjourned, thus preventing the return of the legislation, the bill does not become law. This latter outcome is known as the pocket veto.

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Vice President of USA

The vice president supports the president. If the president is unable to serve, the vice president becomes president. He/she can serve an unlimited number of four-year terms.

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The Cabinet of USA

Cabinet members act as advisors to the president. Cabinet members are elected by the president and must be approved by the Senate (with at least 51 votes). The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments -Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Education, the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Interior, Labor, State, Treasury, as well as the Attorney General.

In order of succession to the President and Vice President:

Legislative Branch of USA

The legislative branch has the power to declare war and works on legislation, confirms or rejects presidential appointments. This branch includes Congress (the Senate and House of Representatives) and several agencies that provide support services to Congress. American citizens have the right to vote for senators and representatives through free, confidential ballots.

USA Senate

There are two elected senators per state, totaling 100 senators. A senate term is six years and there's no limit to the number of terms an individual can serve.

Find the list of Senators here

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USA House of Representatives

The U.S. House of Representatives makes and passes federal laws. There are 435 elected representatives, which are divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population. A representative serves a two-year term, and there's no limit to the number of terms an individual can serve. To be a representative, an individual must be at least 25 years of age, must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and must live in the state that he or she represents.

Find the list of Representatives here

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Judicial Branch of USA

The Judicial branch interprets the meaning of laws, applies laws to individual cases, and decides if laws violate the Constitution. The judicial branch is comprised of the Supreme Court and other federal courts.

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. Congress decides the number of justices. The justices of the Supreme Court are nominated by the president and must be approved by the Senate (with at least 51 votes). There is no fixed term for justices. They serve until their death, retirement, or removal in exceptional circumstances.
Contact Details Supreme Court of the United States
1 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20543
Telephone:202-479-3000
TTY:202-479-3472

(Available M-F 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern)

Visit the website of the Supreme Court

             By UpstateNYer (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Other Federal Courts

The Constitution grants Congress the authority to establish other federal courts.

Lower Courts

Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation
U.S. Bankruptcy Courts
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
U.S. Court of International Trade
U.S. Courts of Appeals
U.S. District Courts
U.S. Federal Courts, by Geographic Location and Circuit

Special Courts

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
U.S. Court of Federal Claims
U.S. Tax Court

Court Support Organizations

Administrative Office of the United States Courts
Federal Judicial Center
U.S. Sentencing Commission

USA Executive Departments

United States Department of Agriculture The departments works efficiently toward the farming, forestry and food of the country. The primary goal of the department is to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers, to promote agricultural products, food quality, develop rural community and end starvation in the nation.

Contact Details
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
Information Hotline: (202) 720-2791
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United States Department of Commerce The main goal of the Commerce department is to create more and more jobs for all the eligible Americans and improve the living standard with better focus on developments.

Contact Details U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20230
Phone: (202) 482-2000
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United States Department of Education The department works toward education system of America, collect data from schools and maintain educational laws. The main goal is to promote student achievements and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. Contact Details U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
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United States Department of Health and Human Services The department works toward protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.

Contact Details
200 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20201
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United States Department of Homeland Security The department works toward securing the nation from all kind of threats. This requires the dedication of huge number of employees in jobs that range from aviation and border security to emergency response, from cyber security analyst to chemical facility inspector. Our duties are wide-ranging, but our goal is clear - keeping America safe.

Contact Details
Secretary of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528
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United States Department of Justice The department is responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice in the United States, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is headed by the Attorney General, who is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate and is a member of the Cabinet.

Contact Details
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
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United States Department of Labor The department promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.

Contact Details
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20210
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United States Department of Transportation The department coordinates the planning and development of a safe and balanced transportation system serving people of the country in all the regions. The department manages efficient movement of people or goods of the USA. The transportation system of USA includes roadway, airways, railways, seaways, spaceports, bicycle, pedestrian facilities and bus transit.

Contact Details
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
855-368-4200
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United States Department of the Treasury The department encourage global economic growth, raise standards of living, and to the extent possible, predict and prevent economic and financial crises. They works with other federal agencies, foreign governments, and international financial institutions to.

Contact Details
Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20220
(202) 622-2000
Fax: (202) 622-6415
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United States Department of Veterans Affairs The department works toward providing all required benefits to homeless people. VA administers a variety of benefits and services that provide financial and other forms of assistance to Service members, Veterans, their dependents and survivors.

Contact Details
Veterans Crisis Line:
1-800-273-8255 (Press 1)
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Independent Agencies and Government Corporations

Independent establishments are created by Congress to address concerns that go beyond the scope of ordinary legislation. These agencies are responsible for keeping the government and economy running smoothly. AMTRAK (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) Amtrak, the national rail operator, connects America in safer, greener and healthier ways. Amtrak operates more than 300 trains each day to more than 500 destinations.

To find station click here
For time table click here
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Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) The mission of CIA is to to keep the nation safe by collecting intelligence that matters, producing objective all-source analysis, conducting effective covert action as directed by the President, and safeguarding the secrets that help keep our Nation safe. Contact Details By postal mail:

Central Intelligence Agency
Office of Public Affairs
Washington, D.C. 20505
(703) 482-0623
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