OF THE US GOVERNMENT. The Capitol

 

The most recognized symbol of democratic govern­ment in the world, the United States Capitol has housed Congress since 1800. The Capitol is where Congress meets to write the laws of this nation, and where presidents are inaugurated and deliver their annual State of the Union messages. For nearly two centuries, the Capitol has grown along with the nation, adding new wings to accommodate the increasing number of senators and representatives as new states entered the Union. Its ceilings are decorated with historic images, and its halls arc lined with statuary and paintings representing great events and people in the nation’s history.

The original Capitol was designed by Dr. William Thornton, and the cornerstone was laid by Presi­dent George Washington on September 18, 1793. In 1800, when the government moved from temporary quarters in Philadelphia to Washington, DC, the Capitol that awaited them was an unfin­ished brick and sandstone building.

By 1850, so many new states had been admitted to the Union that the House and Senate had out­grown their chambers. It was decided to enlarge the Capitol by adding grand wings to the ends of the original building.

The Rotunda is thevery heart of the Capitol. Although it serves no legislative function, it is a cer­emonial center where state funerals have been held for presidents from Abraham Lincoln to Lyndon Johnson, distinguished members of Congress, mili­tary heroes, and eminent citizens. Visiting heads of state have been received in the Rotunda, and mem­orable individuals and events celebrated.

The Congress

Congress, the national legislature of the United States, is composed of two houses or chambers – the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state has two Senators who are elected for six-year terms. One-third of the Senate is elected every two years. Members of the House of Representatives are elected from local districts within states. Each state receives a number of Representatives in proportion to its population. The entire House is elected every two years.

To become law, proposed legislation must be passed by both houses and approved by the President. If the President does not sign, or vetoes, a bill, it may still be enacted, but only by a two-thirds vote of each house of Congress.

The Constitution did not establish a parliamentary or cabinet system of government, as in the United Kingdom and many other democracies around the world. Under the United States Constitution, the President is both the head of state and the head of the government. The President appoints a cabinet consisting of the heads of major executive departments and agencies but neither the President nor any member of the cabinet sits in the Congress. The President’s political party, moreover, does not need to hold a majority of the seats in the Congress to stay in office. In fact, it is not unusual for one or both houses of the Congress to be controlled by the opposition party.

Each house of the Congress has committees of its members, organized by subject-matter, that draft laws, exercise general oversight over government agencies and programs, enact appropriation bills to fund government operations, and monitor the operation of federal programs. The federal courts, for example, maintain regular communications with the Judiciary Committees and the Appropriations Committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

Of the us government

 

The President is elected every four years, and under the Constitution may serve no more than two terms in office. Once elected, the President selects a cabinet, each member of which must be confirmed by a majority vote in the Senate. Each cabinet member is the head of a department in the executive branch. The cabinet includes, for example, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Attorney General.

The President, his cabinet, and other members of the President’s administration are responsible for operating the executive branch of the federal government and for executing and enforcing the laws. The Attorney General, who is head of the Department of Justice, is responsi­ble for all criminal prosecutions, for representing the government’s legal interests in civil cases, and for administration of the Bureau of Prisons, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Marshals Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and certain other law enforcement organi­zations. At the local level, the chief prosecutor in each of the 94 federal judicial districts is the United States attorney, who is appointed by the President and reports to the Attorney General.

The Department of Justice plays no role in administration or budgeting for the federal courts. The judiciary communicates separately and directly to the Congress on legislative and appropriations matters.