page_title: Powers of the United States Congress
section_title: Article I
hierarchical_section_title: Powers of the United States Congress / Enumerated powers / Article I
caption_attribution_description: English: U.S. Post Office and Court House (1942) Athens (Clarke County, Georgia) cropped This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code. Note: This only applies to original works of the Federal Government and not to the work of any individual U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, county, municipality, or any other subdivision. This template also does not apply to postage stamp designs published by the United States Postal Service since 1978. (See § 313.6(C)(1) of Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices). It also does not apply to certain US coins; see The US Mint Terms of Use. This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights.
context_page_description: Powers of the United States Congress are implemented by the United States Constitution, defined by rulings of the Supreme Court, and by its own efforts and by other factors such as history and custom. It is the chief legislative body of the United States. Some powers are explicitly defined by the Constitution and are called enumerated powers; others have been assumed to exist and are called implied powers.
context_section_description: Among the powers specifically given to Congress in Article I Section 8, are the following:
  1. To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
  2. To borrow money on the credit of the United States;
  3. To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Native American tribes;
  4. To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;
  5. To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;
  6. To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States;
  7. To establish post offices and post roads;
  8. To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;
  9. To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;
  10. To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations;
  11. To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;
  12. To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;
  13. To provide and maintain a navy;
  14. To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;
  15. To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;
  16. To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
  17. To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles (16 km) square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings.
  Article I grants several other powers outside of Section 8. Sections 2 and 3 give Congress the exclusive impeachment power, allowing impeachment, trial, and removal of the President, federal judges and other federal officers. Section 4 allows Congress to "at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations [on the times, places, and manner of holding elections to Congress], except as to the Places of chusing Senators" and to appoint by law their own day to assemble. Section 9 allows Congress to withhold consent to any officer of the United States accepting any foreign present, emolument, office, or title. Section 10 allows Congress to control all state laws that lay duties on imports or exports and to withhold consent to any state keeping troops or ships of war in time of peace, engaging in war, or entering into any agreement with another state or foreign power.
caption: An enumerated congressional power is to establish post offices including this one in Athens, Georgia, pictured in 1942.
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