I'm currently a graduate student in USC's Price School of Public Affairs, International Public Policy and Management program (IPPAM). The majority of my classmates are foreign nationals and they asked me to give a presentation on the US Federal Government structure. It's a basic overview but they were keenly interested in lobbying and PACs.

1. The United States Federal Government
The 30,000 ft. overview
(And don’t make me translate this in to meters)
By: Molly Nichelson
IPPAM 17

2. So you want to learn about the
federal government of the
United States of America
Really? You do?

3. Why do we have our US
government?

4. The U.S. Constitution
• Supreme law of the United States of America
• Seven Articles
– Articles 1-3 enumerate the separation of powers
• Legislative, Executive and Judicial
– Articles 4-6 entrenches federalism, describes the rights
and responsibilities of state governments & how they
relate to federal government
– Article seven establishes ratification procedures to be
used by the 13 states

5. U.S. Constitution Fun Facts
• Written in 1787, signed on September 17th, ratified by the
necessary nine states in 1788
• Signed by 39 men
• U.S. Constitution is the oldest and shortest at 4,400 words
• On display in the National Archives Building in Washington,
D.C. – all four pages of it
– Displayed behind protective glass framed with titanium
– Protected in argon gas
– Kept at 67 degrees (again, don’t make me translate in to Celsius)
– Relative humidity of 40 percent

6. Articles 1-3 of the U.S.
Constitution
Legislative, Executive and Judicial
Branches and Powers

7. The Legislative Branch
• Creation of the U.S. House of Representatives
and the U.S. Senate

8. The Legislative Branch
• Section 1 - U.S. House of Representatives
– Elected every two years
– Representatives with full voting rights is 435
• Delegates from Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern
Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands & Washington, D.C. are non-voting
– Districts are redrawn every 10 years by their respective
states and based on population
– U.S. Census provides the results
– District-line drawing is VERY contentious

9. The Legislative Branch
• Section 2 - U.S. Senate
– Two Senators from each state = 100 in total
– Elected every six years
– Vice President is the President of the U.S. Senate but will
only vote if there is a tie
– Power to impeach the President, ratify Supreme Court
justices, confirm nominations to agencies

10. Why would the United States
have two legislative branches?
Your turn to answer a question

11. What do these
U.S. Representatives and
Senators do?
Besides argue and not accomplish much,
fundraise and go on political programs to argue*
*Cynical American who is joking…kinda. God bless the First Amendment!

12. How do federal legislators legislate?
• Propose legislation (a bill)
–H.R. for House of Representatives / S. for
Senate, followed by a number (ex. H.R. / S.
123)
• Joint Resolutions
• Concurrent Resolutions
• Simple Resolutions

13. Creating Legislation –
School House Rock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyeJ55o3El0

14. How does a bill really
become law?

16. Which factors impact a bill
becoming law?

17. Impacting Legislation & Legislators
• Outside interest groups
– Political Action Committees (PACs)
• Non tax deductible donations given to politicians,
political committees
• Political advertising
– Lobbyists
• Hold fundraisers for politicians
• Help craft legislation
• Many are former legislators or worked for legislators

18. Impacting Legislation & Legislators
• Outside interest groups
– Business, Trade Associations & Labor Unions
• Provide insight for their constituencies
– Grassroots advocacy / constituent
communications
• Emails, phone calls, protests, letters, faxes
– Media, Social Media & the Internet
• Talk shows, blogs, radio programs – 24 hr. news cycle!

19. The Executive Branch
Hail to the Chief!

20. The Executive Branch
• President of the United States
– Head of State
– Commander in Chief (military)
– In charge of the administrative duties of the U.S.
Federal government
– Oversees and appoints Federal agency heads,
federal commission, federal judges, ambassadors
and other federal offices

21. The Executive Branch
• President of the United States
– Signs, vetoes or pocket vetoes legislation from
Congress
• Congress can override a Presidential veto if it gets
2/3rds of both Houses
– Enforces the laws of the U.S.
– Four year term
– Vice President runs with the President

22. Executive Branch
• The Cabinet
– Advises the President and runs their respective federal
agencies
– The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of
15 executive departments
• Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy,
Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and
Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation,
Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General

23. The Judicial Branch
Someone’s gotta make sense of these laws and
make rulings!

24. The Judicial Branch
• Appointed by the President and confirmed by
the Senate
• Federal judges may only be removed through
impeachment by the House of
Representatives and conviction in the Senate
• They have no fixed term – death, retirement
of impeachment

25. The Judicial Branch
• Cases brought before the judiciary typically
proceed from district court to appellate court
and may even end at the Supreme Court
• Federal courts interpret the law, determine
the constitutionality of the law, and apply it to
individual cases

26. The Judicial Branch
• Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments to the
Constitution provide protections for those
accused of a crime. These include:
– A guarantee that no person shall be deprived of
life, liberty, or property without the due process
of law

27. The Judicial Branch
• Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments to the
Constitution provide protections for those
accused of a crime. These include:
– Protection against being tried for the same crime
twice ("double jeopardy")
– The right to a speedy trial by an impartial jury
– The right to cross-examine witnesses, and to call
witnesses to support their case

28. The Judicial Branch
• Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments to the
Constitution provide protections for those
accused of a crime. These include:
– The right to legal representation
– The right to avoid self-incrimination
– Protection from excessive bail, excessive fines,
and cruel and unusual punishments

29. The Judicial Branch
• U.S. Supreme Court
– Highest court in the United States
– Currently there are nine Supreme Court justices
– They pick their cases from lower courts and are
not required to hear cases
– Grants and hears oral argument in about 75-80
cases per year

31. Now for a pop quiz!
And you thought you were just going
to listen to me ramble on…

32. Quiz Time!
• We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
A. 6
B. Lifetime
C. 2
• Name one right that is not only for United States citizens.
A. vote in a federal election
B. free speech
C. run for federal office
• What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
A. Republicans and Democrats
B. Federalists and Anti-Federalists
C. the Senate and House (of Representatives)

33. Quiz Time!
• How many Supreme Court justices are there?
A. 3
B. 7
C. 9
• What stops one branch of the federal government from becoming too powerful?
A. Our military
B. Separation of Powers
C. The UN
• What is the supreme law of the land?
A. Declaration of Independence
B. The Constitution
C. Magna Carta

34. Questions?
And thank you for your time!