Branches of the U.S. government

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government </a> <ul class="usa-sidenav__sublist"> <li class="usa-sidenav__item"> <a href="/web/20231123003704/https://www.usa.gov/agency-index"> A-Z index of U.S. government departments and agencies </a> </li> <li class="usa-sidenav__item"> <a href="/web/20231123003704/https://www.usa.gov/state-local-governments"> State and local governments </a> </li> <li class="usa-sidenav__item"> <a href="/web/20231123003704/https://www.usa.gov/facts-figures"> U.S. facts and figures </a> </li> <li class="usa-sidenav__item"> <a class="usa-current" aria-current="page" onclick="return false;" href="/web/20231123003704/https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government" class="active-trail"> Branches of government </a> </li> <li class="usa-sidenav__item"> <a href="/web/20231123003704/https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials"> Elected officials </a> </li> <li class="usa-sidenav__item"> <a href="/web/20231123003704/https://www.usa.gov/buy-from-government"> Buying from the U.S. government </a> </li> <li 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This ensures that no individual or group will have too much power.</p> <div data-embed-button="paragraphs" data-entity-label="USWDS Components" data-paragraph-id="2cda2adb-afc7-4df9-8a53-a06b7b96780e" data-langcode="en" data-view-mode="embed" data-entity-embed-display="entity_reference_revisions:entity_reference_revisions_entity_view" data-entity-type="embedded_paragraphs" data-entity-uuid="2cda2adb-afc7-4df9-8a53-a06b7b96780e" data-entity-embed-display-settings="[]" class="embedded-entity"> <div class="field field--name-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="usa-accordion paragraph paragraph--type--uswds-accordion paragraph--view-mode--embed paragraph--id--278">  <h2 class="usa-accordion__heading"> <button class="usa-accordion__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="278-0"> Legislative branch </button> </h2> <div id="278-0" class="usa-accordion__content usa-prose" hidden="until-found"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-field paragraph--view-mode--default paragraph--id--270"> <div class="paragraph__column"> <div class="field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This branch is made up of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20231123003704/https://www.congress.gov/members">Congress</a> (the Senate and House of Representatives) and special agencies and offices that provide support services to Congress.</p> <p>The legislative branch鈥檚 roles include:</p> <ul><li>Drafting proposed laws</li> <li>Confirming or rejecting presidential nominations for heads of federal agencies, federal judges, and the Supreme Court</li> <li>Having the authority to declare war</li> </ul></div> </div> </div> </div> <h2 class="usa-accordion__heading"> <button class="usa-accordion__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="278-1"> Executive branch </button> </h2> <div id="278-1" class="usa-accordion__content usa-prose" hidden="until-found"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-field paragraph--view-mode--default paragraph--id--272"> <div class="paragraph__column"> <div class="field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The executive branch鈥檚 key roles include:</p> <ul><li>President - The president is the head of state, leader of the federal government, and Commander in Chief of the United States armed forces.聽</li> <li>Vice president - The vice president supports the president. If the president is unable to serve, the vice president becomes president. The vice president also presides over the U.S. Senate and breaks ties in Senate votes.</li> <li>The Cabinet - Cabinet members serve as advisors to the president. They include the vice president, heads of executive departments, and other high-ranking government officials. Cabinet members are nominated by the president and must be approved by the Senate.</li> </ul><p>The executive branch also includes executive departments, independent agencies, and other boards, commissions, and committees.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2 class="usa-accordion__heading"> <button class="usa-accordion__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="278-2"> Judicial branch </button> </h2> <div id="278-2" class="usa-accordion__content usa-prose" hidden="until-found"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-field paragraph--view-mode--default paragraph--id--274"> <div class="paragraph__column"> <div class="field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The judicial branch includes the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20231123003704/https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/justices.aspx">Supreme Court</a> and other federal courts.</p> <p>It evaluates laws by:</p> <ul><li>Interpreting the meaning of laws</li> <li>Applying laws to individual cases</li> <li>Deciding if laws violate the Constitution</li> </ul></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2>How each branch of government provides checks and balances</h2> <p>The ability of each branch to respond to the actions of the other branches is <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20231123003704/https://bensguide.gpo.gov/j-check-balance">the system of checks and balances</a>.</p> <p>Each branch of government can change acts of the other branches:</p> <ul><li>The president can veto legislation created by Congress. He or she also nominates heads of federal agencies and high court appointees.</li> <li>Congress confirms or rejects the president's nominees. It can also remove the president from office in exceptional circumstances.</li> <li>The Justices of the Supreme Court, nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, can overturn unconstitutional laws.</li> </ul></div> </div> </div> <div class="views-element-container settings-tray-editable block block-views block-views-blockwizard-step-test-block-1" id="block-views-block-wizard-step-test-block-1" data-drupal-settingstray="editable"> <div><div class="js-view-dom-id-cb1f6ddb240da1a970164159bb37eeb524249223cb834aad94e0f27b2f968d71"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="additional_body_info"> <p id="last-updated">LAST UPDATED: May 12, 2023 </p> <div id="sm-share"> <span id="share-page">SHARE THIS PAGE:</span> <div class="share-icons"> <a aria-labelledby="share-page fb" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20231123003704/https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government&v=3"> <div class="share-icon-div"> <img class="share-icon" id="fb" src="/web/20231123003704im_/https://www.usa.gov/themes/custom/usagov/images/social-media-icons/Facebook_Icon.svg" alt="Facebook"/> </div> </a> <a aria-labelledby="share-page twr" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20231123003704/https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?source=webclient&text=https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government"> <div class="share-icon-div"> <img class="share-icon" id="twr" src="/web/20231123003704im_/https://www.usa.gov/themes/custom/usagov/images/social-media-icons/X_Twitter_Icon.svg " alt="X Twitter USAGov"/> </div> </a> <a aria-labelledby="share-page em" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20231123003704/mailto:/?subject=https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government"> <div class="share-icon-div"> <img class="share-icon" id="em" src="/web/20231123003704im_/https://www.usa.gov/themes/custom/usagov/images/social-media-icons/Email_Icon.svg" alt="Email"/> </div> </a> </div> </div> <div class="border-top-05 border-base-lightest"></div> <div id="question-box"> <div class="border-left-1 padding-left-205 border-cyan-10 margin-top-8 margin-bottom-9 padding-bottom-2"> <h2 class="font-family-heading margin-top-0"> Have a question? </h2> <p>Ask a real person any government-related question for free. 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