What are the 4 main powers of Congress?
The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers.
- Power to tax and spend for the defense & general welfare of the U.S.
- Power to borrow money.
- Power to regulate foreign and interstate commerce.
- Establish naturalization and bankruptcy laws.
- Power to coin money.
- Punish counterfeiters of money and securities (stocks)
- Establish post offices.
- Grant patents and copyrights.
These included: to lay and collect taxes; pay debts and borrow money; regulate commerce; coin money; establish post offices; protect patents and copyrights; establish lower courts; declare war; and raise and support an Army and Navy.
Congress is given 27 specific powers under Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution.
The most important powers include the power to tax, to borrow money, to regulate commerce and currency, to declare war, and to raise armies and maintain the navy. These powers give Congress the authority to set policy on the most basic matters of war and peace.
The enumerated powers (also called expressed powers, explicit powers or delegated powers) of the United States Congress are the powers granted to the federal government of the United States by the United States Constitution. Most of these powers are listed in Article I, Section 8.
- lawmaking. The primary function of Congress is to pass rules that all Americans must obey. ...
- representing the people. ...
- performing oversight. ...
- helping constituents. ...
- educating the public.
- Lay and collect taxes to provide for the common defense and general welfare of the people.
- Borrow money.
- Regulate interstate commerce.
- Coin money.
- Establish post offices and roads.
- Promote the progress of science and the arts.
- Pass naturalization laws (determine how people become citizens)
- Congress has the power to lay and collect taxes.
- Borrow money.
- Coin, print, and regulate money.
- Declare war.
- Raise, support, and regulate an army and navy.
- Establish laws of naturalization.
- Grant copyrights and patents.
- Create lower federal courts.
These include the power to declare war, coin money, raise an army and navy, regulate commerce, establish rules of immigration and naturalization, and establish the federal courts and their jurisdictions.
What are 4 powers Congress does not have?
Section 9: Powers Denied Congress
No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed. No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or Enumeration herein before directed to be taken. No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.
- Clause 1 Migration or Importation Clause. ...
- Clause 2 Habeas Corpus. ...
- Clause 3 Nullification of Procedural Protections. ...
- Clause 4 Direct Taxes. ...
- Clause 5 Export Taxes. ...
- Clause 6 Ports Preferences. ...
- Clause 7 Appropriations Clause. ...
- Clause 8 Foreign Emoluments and Titles of Nobility.

Terms in this set (10)
Describe What are the main powers given to Congress? They can tax. They can borrow money. They can declare war.
In the United States federal government, the term “implied powers” applies to those powers exercised by Congress that are not expressly granted to it by the Constitution but are deemed “necessary and proper” to effectively execute those constitutionally granted powers.
The Constitution assigned to Congress responsibility for organizing the executive and judicial branches, raising revenue, declaring war, and making all laws necessary for executing these powers.
The most important power Congress has is to make laws, and a bill only becomes a law after it has passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate. A bill first needs to be introduced, which can only be done by a member of Congress.
The Senate maintains several powers to itself: It ratifies treaties by a two-thirds supermajority vote and confirms the appointments of the President by a majority vote. The consent of the House of Representatives is also necessary for the ratification of trade agreements and the confirmation of the Vice President.
In World War II, the three great Allied powers—Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union—formed a Grand Alliance that was the key to victory.
- How the U.S. Government Is Organized.
- Legislative Branch of the U.S. Government.
- Executive Branch of the U.S. Government.
- Judicial Branch of the U.S. Government.
- Infographic: How the Supreme Court Works.
Over time, the amount of legislation considered by the U.S. House of Representatives increased and committees became a permanent way for Members to divide their work. There are five different types of committees—standing committees, subcommittees, select committees, joint committees, and the Committee of the Whole.
What are the 5 main roles of the president?
- Chief Citizen.
- Commander in Chief.
- Chief Diplomat.
- Chief Executive.
- Chief Host.
- Chief Legislator.
- Chief Politician.
The Constitution explicitly assigns the president the power to sign or veto legislation, command the armed forces, ask for the written opinion of their Cabinet, convene or adjourn Congress, grant reprieves and pardons, and receive ambassadors.
Enumerated powers are the powers granted to the Federal government, and specifically Congress, which are mostly listed in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.
The Constitution outlines four major types of power: enumerated, implied, inherent, and prohibited.
Among the express powers of Congress as defined in the Constitution are the power to lay and collect taxes, borrow money on the credit of the United States, regulate commerce, coin money, declare war, raise and support armies, and make all laws necessary for the execution of its powers.