Portal:Government of the United States

Wikipedia portals: Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Natural sciences People Philosophy Religion Society Technology Main page   Legislative branch   Executive branch   Judicial branch & elections edit   U.S. Government Portal 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... edit   Selected article The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency. The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime. Its motto is the backronym of FBI, "Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity". The FBI's headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, is located in Washington, D.C.. Fifty-six field offices are located in major cities throughout the United States as well as over 400 resident agencies in smaller cities and towns across the country. More than 50 international offices called "legal attachés" are in U.S. embassies worldwide. edit   Selected picture Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States. Photo credit: Alexander Gardner edit   Obama Administration 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 edit   In the news 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. edit   Current legislation 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. edit   Pending cases 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. edit   Related portals United States Washington, D.C. United States Supreme Court Barack Obama Law Politics United States Military United States Army United States Navy United States Marine Corps United States Air Force United States Coast Guard edit   WikiProjects Related WikiProjects Other Relevant Wikiprojects: Elections and Referendums Law Law Enforcement Voting Systems Full list of WikiProjects What are portals? List of portals Featured portals