The Powers of Congress

1. The Powers of Congress

2. Powers Granted to Congress • Delegated powers give Congress the authority to make laws in five important areas • Financing Government • Regulating and Encouraging American Trade and Industry • Defending the Country • Enforcing laws • Providing for Growth

3. Powers Granted to Congress • Financing Government • Congress has the authority to raise and collect taxes, borrow money, and print and coin money • Regulating and Encouraging American Trade and Industry • Congress can regulate trade with foreign countries and among the states • Pass laws that protect the rights of inventors

4. Powers Granted to Congress • Defending the Country • Congress has the power to declare war and to maintain an army and a navy • Enforcing Laws • Congress can pass laws concerning such crimes as counterfeiting and treason • Congress establishes a system of national courts • Providing for Growth • Congress has the power to regulate immigration and pass naturalization laws • Provide for admission of new states

5. Implied Powers • Congress has the power “to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers” • Known as the necessary and proper or elastic clause of the Constitution • It allows Congress to stretch the delegated powers listed in the Constitution to cover many other subjects • Powers claimed under the elastic clause are called implied powers

6. Power to Impeach • Power to accuse high federal officials of serious crimes against the country • Including the President, Vice President and federal judges • Also can bring them to trial • Congress may remove these officials from office, if found guilty of serous crimes • The process of drawing up and passing the list of charges is called impeachment • The Vice President or President of the Senate presides over the trial • Ex. Treason or betraying or endangering one’s country

7. Special Powers • House has three special powers • The House alone can start impeachment proceedings • All bills for raising money must begin in the House • If no presidential candidate receives the number of electoral votes needed to be elected, House members choose the president

8. Special Powers • The Senate has four special powers • All impeachment trials must be held in the Senate • If no vice-presidential candidate receives the number of electoral votes needed to be elected, then senators choose the vice president • All treaties, or written agreements, with foreign nations must be approved in the Senate by 2/3 vote • Certain high officials appointed by the President must be approved in the Senate by a majority vote

9. Limits on Powers • Passing Ex Post Facto Laws • A law that applies to an action that occurred before the law was passed • Passing Bills of Attainder • A law that sentences a person to prison without a trial • Suspending the Writ of Habeas Corpus • The writ is a court order requiring that the accused person be brought to court • Taxing Exports • Goods sent to other countries our exports and a tax on exports would harm trade

10. Limits on Powers • Passing Laws that Violate the Bill of Rights • Favoring Trade of a State • Cannot pass laws giving a state or group of states an unfair trade advantage • Granting Titles of Nobility • Congress cannot make a noble class or small group of persons with rights superior to those of other citizens • Withdrawing Money Without a Law\ • Congress must provide the money for carrying out any new laws it passes

11. Other Roles of Congress • One of the congress members’ most important duties is to serve their constituents • Constituents – the people in their home districts or states • Power to conduct investigations • Either house of Congress may investigate national issues