Question

Explain the main institutions of American government (Congress, the Presidency, Bureaucracy, the Judiciary), including their roles and interrelationships. Do they check and balance each other? How so? Does it work?

Answer 1

Congress comprises elected members across the country whose primary responsibility is to makes and amends laws. The Congress approves presidential nominations and can impeach the president from office. It also has powers to control the budget. The president is the head of the executive branch and can veto the laws made by the Congress with a Presidential Veto.

Judiciary interprets the law. The judicial Sentencing Commission agency is independent. The president nominates the Supreme Court justices, the court of appeal, and district court judges. The Senate approves these appointments. Congress has powers to impeach judges and remove them from their offices.

Bureaucracy is a complex administration system made up of appointed officials. The federal bureaucracy consists of cabinet departments and independent regulatory and executive agencies. It also includes government corporations. The president appoints the agency heads and subheads in the bureaucracy and issuance of executive orders. The Senate must approve all these appointments.

Congress exercises control over the bureaucracy by conducting audits, revising their statutes, controlling agency budget, and influencing agency directors' selection through the Senate. The judiciary also holds the executive bureaucracy by making rulings that either support or overturn their actions.

Explanation:

From the above, it is evident that government institutions are interrelated and operate through checks and balances. A decision by one needs the approval of the other, and it can be overturned. Such an approach helps prevent instances where one institution has absolute powers.