The federal government of the United States is the federal government of the constitutional republic of fifty states and one district that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and their various powers are delineated in the U.S. Constitution; the powers are specified in greater detail in laws enacted by Congress.

The seat of government of the United States is in Washington, D.C., a geographical area that is not located within any state. This has led to "Washington" commonly being used as a metonym for the U.S. federal government.