The State System of the USA

The USA is a federative republic. In 1776 when the independence of the USA was declared, 13 "founding" states entered the federation; from 1959 the federation comprises 50 states.

Washington D. C. is the seat of the Federal Government of the United States. The Federal Government is made up of three branches - the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial. The function of the Executive Branch is to carry out the laws of the nation. It consists of the President, Vice - President and the President's Cabinet. The members of the Cabinet are chosen by the President. Most of them are called Secretaries: the Secretary of State, Agriculture, Labour, Transportation, etc.

The President is head of the state and of the executive department. He is also a Commander - in - Chief of the Army and Navy of the USA. The President and Vice - President are elected for a term of 4 years. No person can be elected to the office of President more than twice. The President is elected indirectly in two stages: first electors are chosen in their respective states, and these elect the President and Vice -President, running together on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

All legislative powers are vested in Congress, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Members of the House of Representatives (435 persons) are chosen every second year. Senators (100 persons) are elected for a term of six years, 2 senators from each state. The Senate ratifies international appointments. The Senate may also initiate any bill with the exception of financial ones; these may be introduced only by the House of Representatives. The Senate may not adopt any bill introduced by the House of Representatives or make amendments to it.

In the House of Representatives the presiding officer is the Speaker, who is elected by the members and is always a member of the majority party in the House. The Speaker is now first in the line to become President in case of the death of both President and Vice — President.

In the USA Congress the Speaker plays a very important role in party policies. He appoints members of Congressional Committees, for example, to work on the bills or to settle disputes between the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The decision on some of the most important issues may therefore depend on who is chosen by the Speaker to participate in the Committees.

The main work of the Congress is done in committees. The Congressional Houses have a system of committees - 16 in the Senate and 20 in the House of Representatives. Every bill is worked out there. Special Committees hold hearings on different issues, some of them open and others secret, depending on the subject matter.

Two main parties dominate the political scene of the USA - the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Neither of them have а permanent membership, membership being determined by election vote.