Federal Government Information   Tags: congress, federal, government, policy, political_science, president, reference, regulation  

When you're researching a topic related to the Federal Government, there are some helpful documents to be aware of:

This guide will help you find information about the Federal Government. The guide has been divided into three parts, based on the three branches of the Federal Government:

• Legislative: Use this tab for information about Congress (i.e., the House and the Senate).
• Executive: Use this tab to find information about the President and Federal agencies, like the Department of Health and Human Services or the Environmental Protection Agency.
• Judiciary: Use this tab to find information about the Federal Court System, including the Supreme Court.

For basic information about how the Federal Government is organized, we recommend Ben's Guide to U.S. Government. The structure of the United States Government is defined by the Constitution:

• Article I of the Constitution defines the legislative branch and gives Congress (the House and the Senate) power to legislate (i.e., make laws).
• Article II defines the powers of the President (i.e., the Executive).
• Article III places judicial power in the hands of one Supreme Court and the court system established by Congress.

A diagram of the branches of the U.S. Government can be found on Page 21 of the official U.S. Government Manual.