Congress and the Government of the USA

The USA is a federal republic consisting of 50 states. Each state has its own government and court system and makes many of its own laws. The country also has its own government headed up by the President. This type of system is called a federal system which is a form of government in which power is divided between one central power and several regional powers (the 50 states). The government is split into three autonomous branches — legislative, executive and judicial. Each has its own responsibilities, but they can also partially limit the authority of the others through a complex system of checks and balances.

The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the legislative body known as Congress. The founders of the United States intended the House to be the politically dominant entity in the federal system. However, the Senate has been the dominant body.

The House consists of 435 members, each of whom represents a congressional district and serves for a two-year term. Elections are always held on the first Tuesday in November. In the event that a member of the House of Representatives dies or resigns before the end of the two-year term, a special election is held to fill the vacancy.

Much of the work of the House is done through 20 standing committees and around 100 sub-committees which perform both legislative and investigatory functions. The House must introduce any bills. However, the consent of both chambers is required to make any law.

The Senate is the upper chamber of Congress. The intention of the authors of the US Constitution was that the Senate should be a regulatory group, less politically dominant than the House of Representatives. However, since the mid 19th century, the Senate has been the dominant chamber and indeed today it is perhaps the most powerful upper house of any legislative body in the world.

The Senate consists of 100 members, each of whom represents a state and serves for a six-year term. Each state has two Senators.

In the event that a member of the Senate dies or resigns before the end of the six-year term, no special election is held to fill the vacancy. In this case the Governor of the state that the Senator represented nominates someone to serve until the next Congressional elections when a normal election is held to fill the vacancy.

Much of the work of the Senate is done through 16 standing committees and over 40 sub-committees which perform both legislative and investigatory functions. The Senate must give 'advice and consent' to many important Presidential appointments. However, the consent of both chambers is required to make any law.