Article I · Section 8 of 10
What Congress can do
Article I: Congress
The one-line version
The list of Congress's powers, like taxing, trade, money, and declaring war.
Section 8 in plain English
Congress has the power to:
- Tax, and spend to pay debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare. Some taxes on goods must be the same across the country.
- Borrow money for the United States.
- Regulate trade with other countries, between the states, and with Native American tribes.
- Set one national rule for becoming a citizen (naturalization) and national laws on bankruptcy.
- Make coins and money, set their value, and set standard weights and measures.
- Punish people who make fake U.S. money or bonds.
- Set up post offices and postal roads.
- Protect authors and inventors for a limited time. This is the basis for copyright and patent law.
- Create federal courts below the Supreme Court.
- Define and punish piracy, serious crimes at sea, and offenses against international law.
- Declare war, and authorize private ships to capture enemy ships (letters of marque and reprisal).
- Raise and fund an army, but army funding can last no longer than two years at a time.
- Create and fund a navy.
- Make rules for the armed forces.
- Call up the state militias to enforce federal law, stop rebellions, and fight off invasions.
- Organize, arm, and train the militia. States appoint the officers and train the militia by Congress's rules.
- Govern the national capital (now Washington, D.C.), and federal land bought for forts and other federal buildings.
- Make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out these powers and every other federal power in the Constitution.
Original text, 1788
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
To establish Post Offices and post Roads;
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;
To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
To provide and maintain a Navy;
To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
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;
To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles 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, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;—And
To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.