Unit 4 How do the three branches of Government work together to create new and enforce existing public policies? Legislative Branch- Taxation- Taxation is the power the government has to collect money from citizens to finance things. They have this power in order to have money to pay for different public services. An example of this is in 2013 0.37% of the federal income tax paid for Community, Area, and Regional Development. Declaring War- When the nation feels threatened by a outside nation Congress has the power to declare war on that nation. The Legislative Branch has this power in order to keep the people of the United States safe from possible hostilities from other countries. An example of this was just recently there was talk of the US possibly entering war with ISIS and the US military did intervene with some of the hostilities taking place there. Patents and Copyrights- Congress can put a copyright on someones idea or invention so that no one else can try to take ownership of it. They have this power in order to prevent fraud in the marketing business and other businesses. A current example of this was on November 20, 2014 53 new patents were assigned to Canon. Borrowing Money- When the government needs extra money to pay for things it can borrow the money from other countries by selling them treasury marketable services. They have this power in order to make sure they have enough money to pay for things we need in the US. An example of this is how the US has been borrowing from China and putting ourselves into higher debt. Coining Money- Coining money is the Legislative branchesresponsibility to print off money and make coin money. They do this in order to keep the economy going smoothly sometimes it results in inflation. An example is when the Congress decides we need to print money because we don't have enough. Regulating Commerce- Congress is in charge of regulating commerce which is the activity of buying and selling between the US and other nations and between the states. With this power Congress can decide what we can sell and what we can buy from other countries and when and what can be bought and sold between states. Congress has this power in order to keep spending and selling from getting out of control. An example of this is when the government allows us to buy goods like clothes and other items from other countries like China especially. Naturalization- The Legislative branch is in charge of Naturalization; The process in which people become citizens of the United States. They have this power in order to allow people from other countries to legally attain the American Dream and get better opportunities in the US. They have this power to ensure that not just anyone can become a citizen they must take a test first. An example of this is the process that immigrants must go through before being able to live an work in the United States. Raising an Army and Navy- This is the power given to Congress to create a military force to represent the United States. This gives Congress the power to bring together a group of soldiers and train them for battle. They have this power in order to keep the United States and have people prepared to fight and protect it from danger. An example of this is the soldiers we have in Iraq from the War on Terror. Post Offices- The Legislative branch is in charge of postal services in the US. They can determine what can be mailed between people in the US and make sure it is delivered. They have this power so that people can communicate via paper mail and so that businesses can send merchandise in packages. An example of this is a company like FedEx that delivers packages as part of the postal system.
Executive Branch Commander in Chief- The President of the US is the Commander in Chief and is in charge of the army and navy and the state militia of several states when called into service. This power allows the country to have a leader during times of war and the commander in chief has these powers ensure the national security of the United States. An example of this power being put into action was the Iraq War that we still have troops in Iraq from. Pardons- This is the power given to the President to grant pardons or forgiveness for people convicted of crimes. This gives the President the power to release people from or shorten the length of punishments for criminals. This prevents people from being punished for too long. An example of this was on December 19th, 2013 when Charlie Lee Davis was pardoned from the crime of possession with the intent of distribution of cocaine. Treaties- This is the constitutional power for the president or secretary to initiate a treaty. This allows the executive branch to purpose treaties between the US and other nations and is given to the Executive branch in order to keep peace between the US and other nations. An example of a treaty signed into effect was in 2010; the New START(Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) limited the nuclear weapons being produced in the US and Russia and allowed for inspections. Ambassadors-The Constitutional powers granted to the Executive branch pertaining to Ambassadors is that the President is given representatives called Ambassadors who go to other nations. This gives the US the power to represent itself in other countries. An example of a United States ambassador is John Berry the ambassador in Australia who took his position on August 1st, 2013. Supreme Court Judges- This gives supreme court judges the power of jurisdiction or the power to make rules for lower courts in the system. They also check the actions of the President and Congress. This gives the executive branch the power to decide whether the actions carried out by other branches are constitutional or unconstitutional. In 2012 President Obama violated the Constitution by appointing officials to the National Labor Relations Board while Senate was on a break. State of the Union- This is the power given to the President to address a joint session of Congress annually. This allows the executive branch to report the condition of the nation and legislative agenda and to inform congress and the American people of the nations status and the Legislative agenda. Barack Obama made his State of the Union address on January 28th, 2014.
Judicial Branch Judicial Review- This is the power for courts to review actions made by the executive branch and legislative branch. They have this power to keep other branches from overstepping the boundaries of rules put into effect by the Constitution. They have the power to declare actions made by the other two branches constitutional or unconstitutional . Any action made by any of the other two branches can be put into review by the Judiciary. Issues between States-The Constitution gives the Jusdiciary the power to extend judicial review to resolving disputes between states. This gives the judicial branch the power to solve problems that take place between states and to keep peace in the Country. If any two states have a disagreement the judicial branch can solve the problem. Treason- The Constitution gives the Judiciary the power to punish persons for treason and declare war against countries committing treason to the US. The judicial branch has the power to punish people who commit treason and they do this to make sure people and other countries are loyal to the Us. Treason was more prevalent in our nations early history for example the Rosenburgs were charged with Treason but still today people get in trouble for being spies against the US.
Checks and Balances Legislative checks Executive- They can reject proposed treaties with a 2/3 vote, Reject Presidential nominations of fed. officials and judges, Impeach and remove presidents from office, and congress can override the presidents vetoes. In 2013 Obama signed the United Nations Arms Treaty but his signature was rebuked by congress and was overturned. Legislative checks Judicial- Congress can create lower courts, senate can reject nominees to fed/ supreme courts, amend the constitution to change senate decisions and can impeach and remove judges. On April 30, 2014 A New Amendment concerning the Violence Against Woman Reauthorization Act of 2013 was enacted. Executive checks Legislative- President can veto laws passed by congress, propose bills to congress, submit federal budget to the House, and appoint federal officials who carry out/ enforce laws. On May 9, 2014 Bill S.2197 was proposed to Congress to repeal certain requirements regarding newspaper ads of Senate stationery contracts. Executive checks Judicial- Nominates judges to Supreme Court, Nominates judges to fed courts, president can pardon criminals(amnesty). President Barack Obama plans to grant amnesty to approximately 5 million illegals in the US soon. Judicial checks Executive- Judicial Review. Riley v California- Supreme Court ruled that police officers must have a warrant to search a suspects cell phone. Judicial checks Legislative- Supreme Court can use judicial review to deem presidential actions and treaties unconstitutional. In June 2014 3 of Obamas recess appointments to the National Labor Relations board were struck down by the Supreme Court and rule Unconstitutional.