[cucuuc]

No, it doesn’t. It refers to the executive. Whenever we complain about the poor quality of government, (the VA, DMV,) we’re complaining about an organ of the executive (be it federal, state or municipal).

In fact the word govern implies executive.

[PhasmaFelis]

Er, not in the US. E.G. "those government fat cats in Washington" is more likely to mean the Congress (or at least the Congressmen you don't like) than anything else.

[thaumasiotes]

In the US, "the government" refers to all three branches. When we complain about the poor quality of government, we're frequently talking about Congress, too.

[shaftoe]

And don't forget the buearacrats and government employees. They're certainly lumped in there because they're party of the giant apparatus.

I'm curious now what Europeans call them.