The national organization in the United States is based on two political ideas: separation of powers and federalism. When the Constitution was first drafted, the legislative, judicial and administrative powers were independently balanced to prevent the government from abusing its power.
Chinese name
American political system
nature
Federalist state
purpose
Check and balance each other to avoid government abuse of power.
trait
Two-party party system
quick
navigate by water/air
decentralization of authority
federal system
Political party system
human rights
Elective system
brief introduction
According to the constitution, the legislature is a bicameral parliament composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The judiciary headed by the Federal Supreme Court has 1 1 appeal courts, 95 local courts and 4 special courts. According to the statistics of March 1959, American federal laws and state legislation *** 1,156,644. The executive organ is headed by the president directly elected by the people, supplemented by the vice president, and consists of several administrative departments. The power of government can be divided into federal government and state government. According to the principle that the government must be close to the people so as not to deprive the people of their freedom, the drafters of the constitution reserved the autonomy of the relevant States to the state governments. The state governments themselves have legislative, judicial and administrative powers, and the power of the federal government is limited to those that a state government cannot exercise alone, such as taxation, finance, national defense, diplomacy, money banking, exit and entry management, foreign trade, national welfare and postal services, science and art.
decentralization of authority
manage
The U.S. government consists of 12 departments and more than 60 independent institutions established according to law.
President of the United States
The president of the United States is the head of state, the highest executive head of the government and the supreme commander of the armed forces. The president's term of office is four years, during which he will not leave his post because of opposition forces except impeachment by Congress. You can be re-elected after the expiration of the term.
capitol hill
According to the first paragraph of Article 2 of the Constitution of the United States of America, the President must be at least 35 years old and have lived in the United States for more than 14 years. He must also be a "born American citizen" (usually interpreted as an American citizen at birth) or an American citizen at the time of the adoption of the Constitution. The only vice president in the official position of the United States has the qualification of "being an American citizen at birth".
● US Vice President
The vice president of the United States is the first heir to the president and concurrently serves as the speaker of the United States Senate.
United States Federation
The executive departments led by the President and the Vice President include 15 ministries and several specialized agencies, which constitute the "government departments" in daily life. These departments are responsible for enforcing laws and providing various government services. The United States Federal Administration Department is the earliest major organization in the United States Federal Administration Department. The the State Council, the War Department and the Treasury Department were all established in the weeks around 1789. Every head of the executive branch of the federal government is a politically appointed American cabinet minister; Since 1792, federal law stipulates that cabinet ministers should be one of the members who meet the requirements of the succession order of the US president.
The current CEO of the executive branch begins with the presidential succession order: a description of the number of employees under the budget of 20 10( 1 billion US dollars).
US State Department
John Forbes Kerry
John Kerry
1789
four
5 17
18,900
Treasury Department of United States
Timothy Geithne
Timothy Geithne
1789
five
133
1 15,897
Ministry of National Defense
Chuck Hagel
Chuck Hagel
1947
six
Formerly the Ministry of Military Construction (1947- 1949)
6637
3,000,000
Spread out completely
An independent administrative agency of the federal government.
The independent administrative agency of the federal government is an independent administrative agency established by the US Congress through various laws. Report directly to the President of the United States. The legal rights of each organizational system (organic law/statutory grant) authorize an independent administrative agency to stand on its own feet; If yes, establish the definition of administrative law. Federal regulations have the same effect as general federal laws. The following are some independent administrative agencies of the federal government:
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-responsible for public and secret collection and analysis of overseas intelligence; Publicity); Overseas; On a secret mission for the president. The CIA reports its daily work to the Director of National Intelligence.
CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission)-Supervises futures market transactions in the United States.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)- Cooperate with state and local governments to reduce and control all environmental pollution; EPA sets and implements environmental standards and evaluates the negative impact of pollution; Manage the fund for cleaning up toxic waste areas.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-Responsible for the supervision, licensing and price management of any domestic interstate and American external communication channels.
Federal Reserve Board of the United States Central Bank; Manage and standardize the banking industry, implement monetary policy by buying and selling US Treasury bonds, and maintain a strong payment system.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)-Responsible for enforcing the federal antitrust and consumer protection laws; Investigate unfair trade incidents.
General Services Administration (GSA)- provides daily logistics services to the federal government.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was established in-1957, and is responsible for the space program and long-term civil and military aerospace research.
NARA (National Archives and Records Administration)-Preserve and manage the heritage of American historical documents.
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)- implements major federal labor laws (National Labor Relations Law); It is also authorized to prevent or compensate unfair business practices and ensure that employees become and exercise their right to form trade unions.
National Science Foundation (NSF)- supporting education and research in science and engineering through financial incentives; Encourage universities and colleges to cooperate with enterprises and governments around the world to conduct scientific research.
OPM (Office of Personnel Management)-the personnel agency of the federal government; And maintain the political and metallurgical neutrality of federal government civil servants.
Peace Corps was established in-196 1, and in the next two years, it sent well-trained volunteers overseas to help infrastructure construction in developing regions.
SBA (Small Business Administration) was established in-1953 to help small and minority businesses in the United States develop and survive.
SSA (Social Security Administration)-Administers the American social security system.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)-protecting the rights of securities investors; Require listed companies to declare all business information to make it more transparent; Investigate and prosecute any fraud of the company.
Usaid (United States Agency for International Development)-manages American funds that provide foreign economic and humanitarian assistance.
USITC (United States International Trade Commission)-provides expertise in trade development for U.S. government departments and Congress; Prosecute those who infringe intellectual property rights.
U.S. Postal Service-197 1, an autonomous institution that undertakes postal services nationwide; Exchange international mail through the Universal Postal Union.
The United States Postal Rate Commission was established in-197 1 to advocate postal prices, and will gain greater supervision power in 2007.
National transportation safety board (NTSB) was established in-1967, specializing in safety and accident investigation of land, sea, air and pipeline transportation.
The Office of the President (EOP) consists of the closest aides of the President of the United States and assistants at all levels who are responsible to the President.
White house office
Vice president's office
Office of Management and Budget
Presidential Council of Economic Advisers
National Security Council [China]
Office of the United States Trade Representative
Decision office
Office of Science and Technology Policy
Committee for improving environmental quality
National narcotics control policy office
White house executive office
Referee
The judicial power in the United States consists of the Supreme Court and lower courts. Congress can set up the Supreme Court and lower courts at any time. The function of the judiciary is to adjudicate judicial cases that oppose the legislation of Congress or require interpretation, and to hear criminal cases involving violations of federal laws. In cases involving the constitution, the federal court has appeal jurisdiction beyond state laws. The federal court is also responsible for hearing cases involving citizens of more than one state, as well as foreign-related cases.
In order to ensure the independence of the judiciary, the Constitution stipulates that federal judges can actually hold office during their good performance until their death, retirement or resignation. Judges who break the law during their term of office will be impeached like the president or other federal officials. Judges in the United States are appointed by the president, approved by the Senate, and their salaries are also approved by Congress. The annual salary of local judges ranges from 44,600 yuan to 65,600 dollars for the Chief Justice.
The Supreme Court of the United States, the only court specially established by the Constitution, is located in Washington, D.C., and consists of nine judges, one chief justice and eight representatives. Among thousands of cases filed every year, the Supreme Court usually only hears about 150 cases, most of which involve legal interpretation or national legislative intent. This kind of judicial supervision power is not specified in the constitution, but a theory drawn by the court according to its interpretation of the constitution.
Supreme court of the United States
The court of appeal is established to facilitate the handling of cases and reduce the burden on the Supreme Court. The whole country is divided into 1 1 appeal districts, and each appeal district has an appeal court with three to fifteen judges. As the name implies, the Court of Appeal reviews the decisions of local courts.
Local Courts There are 89 local courts in 50 states, and litigants can bring a lawsuit nearby. Each local court has one to twenty-seven judges, and most of the cases handled by these courts violate federal laws.
In addition to the general jurisdiction of federal courts, special courts also have courts established for special purposes, such as the Court of Appeal, which adjudicates compensation claims against the United States. The customs court has exclusive jurisdiction over civil litigation involving taxes or quotas on imported goods, and there is also a customs and patent appeal court to hear appeals against the judgments of the customs court and the US Patent Office.
laws and regulations
According to Article 1 of the Constitution of the United States, the federal government entrusts all legislative power to the Congress composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
House of Representatives
The U.S. House of Representatives is one of the two houses of Congress. The proportion of seats in the House of Representatives of American States is based on population, but there will be at least one member. The law clearly stipulates that the total number of hospital members is 435. The term of office of deputies is two years, and there is no re-election limit. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is elected by members and is traditionally the leader of the majority party. However, the leader of the majority party is the second most important majority member in the hospital. According to the US presidential succession regulations, the Speaker of the House of Representatives is the third largest political leader after the Vice President and the Speaker of the Senate.
capitol hill
The House of Representatives is generally considered to be more partisan than the Senate. Many framers tried to make the Senate (originally elected by the state legislature) a check and balance institution of the House of Representatives (directly elected by citizens). Therefore, the power to "propose and agree" (such as the power to ratify treaties) is authorized by the Senate alone. The House of Representatives also has its own unique powers: it has the right to initiate income bills, impeach government officials, and elect the president when the electoral college is deadlocked. However, all these powers can be checked and balanced by the Senate. The Senate is usually more prestigious than the House of Representatives and its members. Senators have longer terms, fewer people, and (in most cases) represent more voters than representatives.
The House of Representatives is located in the south wing of Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The Senate meets in the north wing of the same building.
senate
The United States Senate is one of the two houses of the United States Congress. Every state in the United States is represented by two senators, regardless of the population of each state. So the number of posts in the hospital is 100. Senators serve for six years, so they re-elect about one-third of the seats every two years. The vice president of the United States is the speaker of the Senate and has no Senate qualification; You can't vote unless you want to break the deadlock of a draw.
The Senate is recognized as more cautious than the House of Representatives; Senators have fewer seats and a long term of office, allowing academic views and partisan views, which is easier to dissociate from public opinion than the House of Representatives. The Senate has many powers listed in the Constitution, but the House of Representatives does not. Most importantly, when ratifying treaties or appointing important personnel, the President of the United States must "adopt the recommendations of the Senate and obtain its approval" (Chapter I of the US Constitution).
The United States Senate inherited the name of the Roman Senate. Its forum is located in the north wing of Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The House of Representatives meets in the south wing of the same building.
federal system
America is a confederate country. 1787 promulgated the Constitution of the United States of America, which changed the state structure into federalism. On the basis of establishing a unified federal regime, each state still retains considerable autonomy. The Federation has the highest legislative, administrative and judicial organs, but it has unified laws and regulations and is the main body of international exchanges; Each state has its own constitution, laws and government agencies; If the state constitution and laws conflict with the federal constitution and laws, the federal constitution and laws take precedence over the state constitution and laws. The American Constitution lists the powers enjoyed by the federal government, such as taxing, borrowing, minting coins, maintaining the army, presiding over foreign affairs, and managing interstate and international trade. Other powers not listed in the Constitution should be reserved for the state government, unless the Constitution explicitly prohibits the state from exercising these powers. The power of the state is mainly to deal with internal affairs of the state, such as collecting taxes in the name of local governments, managing industry and commerce and labor within the country, organizing security forces and maintaining public order. In the past 200 years, the specific powers of the federal central and local governments have been constantly changing and improving.
state government
Before the independence of the colony, it was under the jurisdiction of the British monarch. During the period from the founding of the United States to the establishment of the Constitution, the states were actually autonomous. Therefore, at the then "Philadelphia Constitutional Convention", state representatives decided to set up a powerful federal agency, while emphasizing the protection of state rights.
Generally speaking, the affairs that are completely confined to a certain state should be completely decided by the state government, including the management of media, property, industry and commerce and public infrastructure, state criminal code, people's working conditions, etc. The federal government requires the state government to be * * * in form, and the laws in the state are absolutely not allowed to violate the federal constitution or the laws and treaties formulated at the national level.
There is a lot of overlap between the interstate government and the federal government. Especially in recent years, the federal government has also begun to expand its jurisdiction in the fields of health, education, welfare, transportation, real estate and urban development. However, generally speaking, this situation is based on the voluntary cooperation between the two levels of government, rather than the federal government imposing its will on local state governments.
Like national institutions, there are three powers at the national level: executive, legislative and judicial, and their functions and jurisdiction are roughly the same as those of their counterparts at the national level. The chief executive of a state is a "governor", who is elected by universal suffrage in that state, usually for a term of four years (in some States, it is two years). Except Nebraska, which has only one legislature, all other states are divided into upper and lower houses. The upper house is called the Senate and the lower house is called the House of Representatives (House of Representatives, House of Representatives or General Assembly). However, it is puzzling that some States call the whole legislature the General Assembly, including the upper and lower houses. In most states, senators serve four years and members of the House of Commons serve two years.
Although the "constitutions" of each state are different in details, they are generally consistent with the federal constitution, including the declaration of civil rights and the plan to organize the government. In the fields of commerce, banking, public facilities and charitable organizations, the "state constitution" is usually more detailed and clear than the federal constitution, but it stipulates that the ultimate power belongs to the people, and some specific norms and principles will be formulated as the basis for establishing the government.
municipal government
The United States has developed from an agricultural society to a highly urbanized country, and about 80% of its citizens live in towns or suburbs. Therefore, the municipal government is very important in the American administrative system. The municipal government is more directly close to the people than the state government and the federal government, and manages all matters closely related to people's lives, such as police, fire protection, health, medical and health care, education, public transportation, real estate and so on.
The management of big cities is extremely complicated. In terms of population alone, a city in new york is bigger than 465,438+0 in 50 states. It is often said that apart from the President of the United States, the most difficult administrative position is the mayor of new york City. The functions of the municipal government are stipulated in the state charter, but in many fields, the municipal government operates independently of the state government. However, in most big cities, due to the large number of residents and extremely complicated management, it is necessary to cooperate with state and federal agencies.
There are different types of municipal governments in the United States, but there is a central government Committee (elected by referendum) and a chief executive (minister who leads subordinate departments) to manage urban affairs. Generally speaking, the municipal government can be divided into "mayor-parliament system", "committee system" and "parliament-manager system". Governments in many cities are a mixture of these systems.
Mayor's meeting system: This is the oldest municipal system in the United States. Until the early 20th century, almost all American cities were managed in this way. The structure is similar to the state government and the federal government. The mayor is elected by the people and is the highest executive of the administrative department. The parliament responsible for legislation is also elected by the people, representing different parts of the city. Mayors refer to ministers and other officials in various departments of the city, and sometimes they need the approval of the parliament. The mayor has the right to veto municipal decrees and is responsible for planning the budget for urban operation. Parliament is responsible for making municipal decrees, setting tax rates and distributing funds among different departments. With the gradual expansion of the city, the seats in the parliament are also increasing.
Committee: the legislature and the administrative organ are merged, usually composed of more than three people, elected by the residents of the city. Each member supervises the operation and management of one or more subordinate departments. The chairman of the committee is usually called the mayor, but his actual power is no different from that of other committee members.
Council-Manager system: Because elected officials may not have the professional ability to deal with complex and diverse problems in cities, they hire a "manager" to solve these problems. City managers must have good management ability and be able to exercise most administrative powers, including law enforcement and fund allocation.
More and more American cities are adopting this system. The people elected a small parliament to make laws; At the same time, the chief executive (that is, the city manager) is hired to manage urban affairs. The manager is responsible for planning the budget and supervising most subordinate departments. Generally speaking, there is no term limit, as long as the parliament is satisfied with its work, it can continue to work.
county government
The "county" in the administrative division of the United States is a subordinate division of the state, which often (but not absolutely) covers more than two towns and some villages. In fact, most counties in the United States are higher than "cities", so they are not suitable to be compared with "counties" in China. New york is a notable exception. Because of its large area, its subordinates divided it into five independent counties. Another opposite exception is Arlington, Virginia, which faces Washington across the Potomac River. Cities and suburbs coexist in the county, which is only managed by a single county government and has no subordinate divisions. This situation is called "merging city and county governments", and it has also appeared in other big cities in the United States, such as San Francisco in California and Honolulu in Hawaii.
In most counties in the United States, a town is usually chosen as the seat of the county government. In a small county, the official committee (composed of county councillors) is generally elected by the county, but in a larger county, its officials represent different constituencies. The committee is responsible for collecting taxes, making loans, fixing the salaries of county civil servants, supervising elections, building roads and bridges, and managing welfare projects of states, states and counties. However, in several states in New England, counties only represent regional divisions and have no government management functions.
Village and town government
Village and town governments are only responsible for local affairs such as road construction, water supply, law enforcement and fire fighting, sanitation facilities construction, garbage and sewage treatment, and taxation. At the same time, they should also cooperate with state and county governments to directly manage the local education system. Please note that in many states, the word "town" does not specifically refer to "town", but only means residence, which is an informal title. In addition, in some States, "town" means "town". In other words, the administrative concept covered by the word "town" varies from state to state.
Government affairs are managed by elected parliaments or committees in various names. The Committee may have a chairman, who shall be the Chief Executive, or a mayor elected by the people. Local civil servants can include civil servants, financial personnel, police, fire, health and welfare officials, etc.
Other local governments
The above-mentioned governments at all levels do not cover all aspects of American administration. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a subsidiary of the Ministry of Commerce, there are more than 84,955 local government units in the United States.
In the early days of America, many jobs were done by the people themselves. With the development of society, many tasks are gradually transferred to the government, and Americans are increasingly dependent on the functions of the government. During the colonial period, even in big cities, there were few policemen and firefighters, and the government was not responsible for installing street lamps and cleaning streets. People are fragmented and protect their property.
In modern times, these tasks are generally handled by some government departments. Even in small towns, public security, fire control, welfare, health and other affairs are organized by the government. Therefore, the division of jurisdiction across the United States is extremely uneven.