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This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 24 January 2025. Bicameral legislature of the United States For the current Congress, see 119th United States Congress. For the building, see United States Capitol. This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from being ...
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) [a] is the common government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, comprising 50 states, five major self-governing territories, several island possessions, and the federal district (national capital) of Washington, D.C ...
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.. The structure of the United States Congress with a separate House and Senate (respectively the lower and upper houses of the bicameral legislature) is complex with numerous committees handling a disparate array of topics presided over by elected officers.
The U.S. Congress is the bicameral legislature of the United States government, and is made up of two chambers: the United States Senate (the upper chamber) and the United States House of Representatives (the lower chamber). Together, the two chambers exercise authority over the following legislative agencies:
One congressional power is oversight of other branches of the government. In the early 1970s, the Senate investigated the activities of President Richard Nixon regarding Watergate which led to the president's resignation. One of the foremost legislative functions of the Congress is the power to investigate and to oversee the executive branch.
The primary function of any legislature is to create laws. State legislatures also approve budget for state government. They may establish government agencies, set their policies, and approve their budgets. For instance, a state legislature could establish an agency to manage environmental conservation efforts within that state.
Palace of Westminster, where the legislature of the United Kingdom, the Parliament of the United Kingdom, meets, located in London. A legislature (UK: / ˈ l ɛ dʒ ɪ s l ə tʃ ə r /, US: /-s l eɪ tʃ ə r /) [1] [2] is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein.
Finally, Gorham concluded that the legislative branch should be required to meet at least once a year to act as a check upon the executive department. [84] Although this clause provides that the annual meeting was to be on the first Monday in December, the government established by the 1787 Constitution did not begin operations until March 4, 1789.