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20 

HEALTH AND HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF MARION 
CTY. v. TALEVSKI 
THOMAS, J., dissenting 

enumeration of powers . . . nugatory and improper.”  Id., at 
212.  That the bill required state consent was likewise in-
sufficient because, if the power “be not possessed by Con-
gress, the assent of the States . . . cannot confer the power.” 
Ibid. 

Upon  assuming  office,  President  James  Monroe  sent  a 
message  to  Congress  agreeing  with  Madison’s  views;  the 
message  was  then  referred  to  a  special  Committee  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  led  by  Congressman  Henry 
Tucker.  Corwin, 36 Harv. L. Rev., at 559–560.  The Tucker 
Committee produced an exhaustive report on internal im-
provements,  which  disagreed  with  nearly  every  aspect  of 
Madison and Monroe’s position.  Id., at 560–561.  Signifi-
cantly,  however,  the  Committee  agreed  that  the  General
Welfare Clause did not vest the power needed to make in-
ternal improvements, relying instead on the Constitution’s
specific  enumerations  such  as  the Post  Roads  Clause.   31 
Annals  of  Cong.  454  (1817)  (“disavow[ing]  any  use  of  the 
general phrase in the Constitution to provide for the com-
mon defence and general welfare, as applicable to the enu-
meration of powers, or as extending the power of Congress
beyond the specified powers”).  The Tucker Committee also 
agreed with President Monroe that the spending power did 
not “extend the specified or incidental powers of the Gov-
ernment” or allow Congress to exercise any “jurisdictional
[i.e.,  regulatory]  rights”  over  improvements.    Id.,  at  459– 
460.  Thus, “if the power to make a road or dig a canal is not 
given” by one of Congress’ enumerated regulatory powers, 
“the power of appropriating money cannot confer it.”  Id., at 
459.9 

—————— 

9 After a debate on the Tucker Report, the House approved a resolution
declaring Congress’ authority to appropriate money to construct internal
improvements pursuant to its enumerated powers, voting down several 
other  resolutions  that  would  have  declared  a  congressional  power  to
make  monetary  grants  to  States  untethered  to  any  enumerated  power
and that the Federal Government had the power to itself construct and