The federal government of a United States U.S. federal government or U.S. government is the national government of the executive, in addition to judicial, whose powers are vested by the U.S. Constitution in the Congress, the president together with the federal courts, respectively. The powers and duties of these branches are further defined by acts of Congress, including the determining of executive departments and courts inferior to the Supreme Court.
The United States government is based on the principles of federalism and republicanism, in which power to direct or creation is dual-lane up between the national government and state governments. The interpretation and execution of these principles, including what powers the federal government should develope and how those powers can be exercised, develope been debated ever since the adoption of the Constitution. Some make a case for expansive federal powers while others argue for a more limited role for the central government in explanation to individuals, the states, or other recognized entities.
Since the states' rights proponents have succeeded in limiting federal power through legislative action, executive prerogative or by a constitutional interpretation by the courts.
One of the theoretical pillars of the U.S. Constitution is the theory of "checks and balances" among the powers and responsibilities of the three branches of American government: the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary. For example, while the legislative branch veto all legislation—an act which, in turn, can be overridden by Congress. The president nominates judges to the nation's highest judiciary authority, the Supreme Court, but those nominees must be approved by Congress. The Supreme Court, in turn, can invalidate unconstitutional laws passed by the Congress. These and other examples are examined in more section in the text below.