The power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of the United States, who also acts as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress and, to that end, appoints the heads of the federal agencies, including the Cabinet. The Vice President is also part of the Executive Branch, ready to assume the Presidency should the need arise.

The Cabinet and independent federal agencies are responsible for the day-to-day enforcement and administration of federal laws. These departments and agencies have missions and responsibilities as widely divergent as those of the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Social Security Administration and the Securities and Exchange Commission. See Government Executives for individual cabinet member bios.

Including members of the armed forces, the Executive Branch employs more than 4 million Americans.

The US Capitol building …

The US Senate has three office buildings to the northeast of the Capitol: Russell, Dirksen, and Hart.

The US House has six office buildings to the southwest of the Capitol: Cannon, Longworth, Rayburn, Ford, and O’Neill.

The 119th United States Congress is the current term of the legislative branch of the United States federal government.  It convened on January 3, 2025, during the final 17 days of Joe Biden’s presidency, and will end in 2027. It will meet during the first two years of Donald Trump’s second presidency.

Following the 2024 elections, the Republican Party won the majority in the Senate with 53 Republicans winning their races and 47 Democrats winning their races. See this slider of posts on the new leaders of the Republican senators and this slider of post on the leaders of the  Democratic senators.  To view all the Republican senators,  go this slider of their posts and to view all the Democratic senators,  go this slider of their posts. All the senators can be found in this slider organized alphabetically by state name.

Today the Senate operates with 21 committees (16 standing and 5 select). These select committees, however, are permanent in nature and are treated as standing committees under Senate rules.

Committees are essential to the effective operation of the Senate. Through investigations and hearings, committees gather information on national and international problems within their jurisdiction in order to draft, consider, and recommend legislation to the full membership of the Senate. Only a small percentage of bills considered by committees reach the Senate floor. They evaluate presidential nominees for executive and judicial posts and provide oversight of federal government operations.

The Senate is currently home to 24 committees: there are 16 standing committees, four special or select committees, and four joint committees. Standing committees are permanent bodies with specific responsibilities and jurisdictions that are defined in the Senate’s rules. Although some committees are almost as old as the Senate itself, the Senate periodically updates the names and jurisdictions of standing committees to address the issues of an evolving nation. The four special or select committees were initially created by a Senate resolution for specific purposes and are now regarded as permanent. The Senate has authorized other select investigating committees throughout its history that have expired after submitting a final report. The four joint committees, made up of senators and representatives, provide administrative coordination between the House and Senate and conduct studies for the benefit of both houses.

For a complete list of Senate committees and their current membership, click here.

Source: Senate website

The 119th United States Congress is the current term of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened on January 3, 2025, during the final 17 days of Joe Biden‘s presidency, and will end in 2027. It will meet during the first two years of Donald Trump‘s second presidency.

Following the 2024 elections, the Republican Party retained its slim majority in the House, won the majority in the Senate, and upon Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025, will have an overall federal government trifecta for the first time since the 115th Congress in 2017, which was in session during Trump’s first term.

The 119th Congress features the slimmest majority in the House for any party since the 72nd Congress in 1931, and the first openly transgender member of Congress in history (Representative Sarah McBride of Delaware).[1][2]

Source: Wikipedia

The House’s standing committees have different legislative jurisdictions. Each considers bills and issues and recommends measures for consideration by the House. Committees also have oversight responsibilities to monitor agencies, programs, and activities within their jurisdictions, and in some cases in areas that cut across committee jurisdictions.

The Committee of the Whole House is a committee of the House on which all representatives serve and which meets in the House Chamber for the consideration of measures from the Union calendar.

Before members are assigned to committees, each committee’s size and the proportion of Republicans to Democrats must be decided by the party leaders. The total number of committee slots allotted to each party is approximately the same as the ratio between majority party and minority party members in the full chamber.

Get answers to frequently asked questions about committees from the Clerk of the House.

Source: US House website

The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.

The composition and powers of the Senate are established by Article One of the United States Constitution. The Senate is composed of senators, each of whom represents a single state in its entirety. Each state is equally represented by two senators who serve staggered terms of six years. There are currently 100 senators representing the 50 states. The vice president of the United States serves as presiding officer and president of the Senate by virtue of that office, and has a vote only if the senators are equally divided. In the vice president’s absence, the president pro tempore, who is traditionally the senior member of the party holding a majority of seats, presides over the Senate.

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The federal judiciary of the United States is one of the three branches of the federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government.

Article III of the Constitution requires the establishment of a Supreme Court and permits the Congress to create other federal courts and place limitations on their jurisdiction. Article III states that federal judges are appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate to serve until they resign, are impeached and convicted, or die.

The federal courts are generally divided between trial courts which hear cases in the first instance e.g. District Courts, and appellate courts which review specific contested decisions made by lower courts e.g. Courts of Appeal.

The United States federal executive departments are the principal units of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States. They are analogous to ministries common in parliamentary or semi-presidential systems but (the United States being a presidential system) they are led by a head of government who is also the head of state.

The executive departments are the administrative arms of the president of the United States. There are currently 15 executive departments.

To view feature image in large screen mode (especially to see what the initials stand for), select the post then click on image to enlarge.

Legislative definitions of an agency of the federal government of the United States are varied, and even contradictory. The official United States Government Manual offers no definition. While the Administrative Procedure Act definition of “agency” applies to most executive branch agencies, Congress may define an agency however it chooses in enabling legislation, and through subsequent litigation often involving the Freedom of Information Act and the Government in the Sunshine Act. These further cloud attempts to enumerate a list of agencies.

The majority of the independent agencies of the United States government are also classified as executive agencies (they are independent in that they are not subordinated under a Cabinet position). There are a small number of independent agencies that are not considered part of the executive branch, such as the Congressional Research Service and the United States Sentencing Commission, which are legislative and judicial agencies, respectively.

To view feature image in large screen mode (especially to see what the initials stand for), select the post then click on image to enlarge.

Source: Wikipedia