Portal:Government of the United States

Topics Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Nature People Philosophy Religion Society Technology The federal government of the United States is the central United States governmental body, established by the United States Constitution. The federal government has three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. Through a system of separation of powers and the system of "checks and balances," each of these branches has some authority to act on its own, some authority to regulate the other two branches, and has some of its own authority, in turn, regulated by the other branches. The policies of the federal government have a broad impact on both the domestic and foreign affairs of the United States. In addition, the powers of the federal government as a whole are limited by the Constitution, which, per the Tenth Amendment, reserves all power not directed to the National government, to the individual states, respectively, or "to the people". The seat of the federal government is in the federal district of Washington, D.C. More about the U.S. government... The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the Federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall. Though not in the geographic center of the District of Columbia, the Capitol is the origin by which the quadrants of the District are divided. Officially, both the east and west sides of the Capitol are referred to as "fronts." Historically, however, only the east front of the building was intended for the arrival of visitors and dignitaries. The Capitol design came about as the result of a design competition instigated by then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. The design was ultimately that of several architects, including numerous expansions and additions, such as the dome. The current building principally houses the House Chamber, the Senate Chamber, and the Capital rotunda. Template:/box-header Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States. Photo credit: Alexander Gardner Obama Administration activity The USDA replaces the iconic food guide pyramid with MyPlate. The Justice Department indicts three major online gambling companies. The Defense Department proposes significant cuts in its budget for the next fiscal year. NY Times The EPA is planning to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. NY Times The White House is drafting rules for the indefinite detention of Guantanamo detainees. ProPublica In a trio of decisions, the Supreme Court rules that: Most key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) are Constitutional (National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius); Juvenile offenders in the United States may no longer be sentenced to life-without-parole (Miller v. Alabama); Parts of a controversial Arizona immigration law are unconstitutional (Arizona v. United States). Rodney King (pictured), a victim of police brutality that sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots, dies at age 47. At 11.1 billion miles from Earth, Voyager 1 reaches the edge of the sun's heliosphere, the boundary of the solar system. Financier Allen Stanford is sentenced to 110 years in prison for his Stanford Financial Group Ponzi scheme. The Library of Congress names Natasha Trethewey the new Poet Laureate. The New York Times reveals that the Stuxnet computer worm—whose suspected target was uranium enrichment in Iran—was created by the federal government and Israel. Legislation H.J.Res. 68 (related article) - The House declines to approve ongoing military action in Libya. H.R. 847 (article) - Congress provides compensation to 9/11 rescuers whose health was adversely affected. T. 111-5 - The Senate ratifies a New START arms-reduction and inspection treaty with Russia. H.R. 4853 (article) - Congress extends the Bush tax cuts for two years and reauthorizes unemployment benefits for one year. Supreme Court cases Golan v. Holder - Whether the government can take works out of the public domain by increasing their period of copyright protection. Lower courts Jared Lee Loughner is found incompetent to stand trial on charges related to the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Perry v. Schwarzenegger (9th Cir.) - Whether bans on gay marriage violate Equal Protection and substantive due process rights. Oral arguments Commonwealth of Virginia v. Sebelius (4th Cir.) and Florida et al v. HHS (11th Cir.) - Two district courts declare the individual mandate of the new health care reform law unconstitutional. The Obama Administration has appealed. United States Washington, D.C. 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