What are the powers of Congress?

The powers of Congress include making federal laws, levying and collecting taxes, coining and regulating money, regulating commerce among the states and with foreign nations, and declaring war. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution lists 18 specific powers granted to Congress, sometimes called the enumerated powers. Beyond making laws, Congress has the power of the purse: it controls federal spending through annual appropriations and authorizes federal borrowing. No money can be drawn from the Treasury except through appropriations made by law, a rule found in Article I, Section 9.

Congress has exclusive power to levy and collect taxes, including duties on imports, excise taxes, and, since the 16th Amendment was ratified in 1913, taxes on personal and corporate income. The commerce clause gives Congress broad power to regulate business activity that crosses state lines or affects interstate commerce. This power has expanded significantly through Supreme Court interpretations and is the constitutional basis for federal labor laws, consumer protection laws, environmental regulations, and civil rights statutes such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Other listed powers include coining money and setting its value, establishing post offices and post roads, granting patents and copyrights, defining and punishing piracies and offenses on the high seas, raising and supporting armies, providing and maintaining a navy, calling forth the militia, and exercising exclusive legislation over the District of Columbia. Congress also has the power to declare war. Although the United States has been involved in many military conflicts since World War II, Congress has only formally declared war eleven times in its history, most recently against the Axis powers during World War II. Modern military actions have generally been authorized through resolutions such as the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force after the September 11 attacks.

The necessary and proper clause at the end of Article I, Section 8 grants Congress the authority to make all laws necessary and proper for executing its enumerated powers. The Supreme Court interpreted this clause broadly in McCulloch v. Maryland in 1819, opening the door to wide congressional latitude in carrying out its responsibilities.