The United States government is the national government of the constitutional republic of 50 states that is the United States of America. The United States government consists of three separate but equal branches- the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The original idea for three branches of government was from the Virginia Plan, written by Edmund Rudolph. The United States also works on a system of checks and balances. This means that the three branches balance each other's powers. The seat of the United States government is in Washington, D.C.