 Separation of powers  To keep the government from becoming too powerful, the founding fathers split the jobs of government between three branches of government  The jobs of the three branches of government are laid out in articles I,II,&III of the constitution

 Legislative branch  Made up of a bicameral congress  House of Representatives has 435 members and each state gets representatives based on population  Senate has 100 members and each state has two senators.

 Makes laws  Approves the budget  Confirms ALL presidential appointments  Raises revenue through taxes  Regulates commerce (trade within our country and with other countries)  Declares war

 Headed by the president of the US  Also includes the VP, the cabinet, and the bureaucracy.

 Executes the laws of the land  Prepares the annual budget for congressional approval  Appoints cabinet officers, judges, and ambassadors  Administers the federal bureaucracy

 All federal courts  The highest federal court is the Supreme Court  Federal courts hear all cases involving federal law and questions about interpreting the constitution  Supreme Court has the power of judicial review

 To keep any one branch from getting too powerful, each branch has the ability to “check” the other branches.

 Congress checks the executive branch by:  Overriding the president’s veto  Impeaching and convicting the president Congress checks the judicial branch by: confirming or refusing federal judges Impeaching federal judges

 President checks the legislative branch by:  Proposes legislation  Prepares the annual budget for congress (limiting their power over the economy)  Calls special sessions of congress  Vetoes legislation that congress has passed  President checks the judicial branch by:  Appoints federal judges

 The courts check the legislative branch by:  Declaring laws passed by congress unconstitutional  The courts check the executive branch by:  Declaring acts of thepresident unconstitutional

A Congressman proposes a Bill A Committee works on the bill The bill is debated in both houses of Congress The bill is voted on in both houses The bill is sent to the president for approval

CChief of State CChief Executive CCommander-in-Chief CChief Diplomat CChief of Party CChief Citizen CCeremonial head of the government HHead of the Executive branch HHead of the armed forces HHead of American foreign policy LLeader of his political party RRepresentative of all people

 The president can influence public policy by:  Proposing legislation  Appealing to the people  Approving or vetoing legislation  Appointing officials to carry out the laws The president’s power has grown since the constitution was written