Carrying Out Laws
Congress passes laws, but the executive branch departments carry out those laws on a day-to-day basis. Your senator does not deliver the mail—the United States Postal Service does! Your House member does not arrest someone for breaking a federal law—an FBI agent working for the Department of Justice does! Congress does not screen your luggage at the airport—a transportation security officer working for the Department of Homeland Security does!
The Constitution may put the president in charge of making sure the laws get followed, but it’s all these people who carry out laws on behalf of the executive branch. Click on the link and SCROLL DOWN to see descriptions of all the executive departments. (Watch for a paragraph called The Cabinet. The descriptions start right after that.) |
Question(s):
- Which department deals with job training, safe working conditions, and the minimum wage?
- Which department protects America’s natural resources?
- Decide which of the 15 departments you would be most interested in running and explain why.