The US follows a federal system based on the Constitution implying that the power of the state is distributed between the national as well as state governments. The well-known supremacy clause opines that the Constitution, along with the treaties and federal laws is to be regarded as the supreme law of the country. Yet, this Constitution allowed the creation of a federal government with restricted powers and certain responsibilities.
Local and federal government agencies offer a set of basic federal government services to all its citizens. Let’s take a look at these public services and learn more about them.
Energy: This is one of the most essential and critical services offered by government agencies. Energy is provided to all citizens to ensure that citizens are capable of heating, cooling, and lighting their homes while also running the household more efficiently. Electricity is the most significant energy service which is used for generating fossil fuel, nuclear and hydroelectric plants.
Law enforcement: This is yet another public service that most governments around the globe offer at local and national levels. The primary aim of law enforcement lies in protecting citizens from criminal offenses and preventing crimes in the future. It’s also used for conducting criminal investigations and also penalizing criminal offenders.
Education: Many countries give education as one of the basic federal government services. Public education aims to offer schooling to children from all strata of society free of charge. To accomplish this, governments take funds from taxpayers’ money. While this system is different across the world, most of them provide for children in primary and middle schools ranging between ages 4 and 18.
Public transportation: Many countries give citizens various transportation facilities funded by the public. These include rail lines, buses, and subway systems. Public transportation is among the crucial federal government services in urban zones where low car ownership is common. With the public transportation system, everyone gets access to transportation for going to work and running errands.
Waste management: It is the process of tracking, managing, and removing waste from the time they are created to its disposal. Waste management aids in ensuring that the citizens remain sanitary. The four classes of waste include municipal solid waste, industrial waste, hazardous waste, and agricultural waste. With proper waste management, a nation can ensure that the impact of hazardous materials is reduced through recycling and refusal.
Emergency services: These basic federal government services are introduced to ensure public health and safety through proper handling of emergency situations. The three primary emergency services are police, fire, and ambulance and each of these involves highly trained and skilled professionals who are ready to take charge of various emergencies. The scope and size of the emergency services generally depend on the location and the level of resources accessible to them.
Apart from these basic services offered by the federal government, there are some other areas covered as well. These include environmental protection, water supply, military forces, telecommunications, urban planning, consumer protection, and a lot more.
