Expressed Powers

-Expressed, Delegated, Enumerated, Exclusive the same

• Congress and federal gov. only

-Powers given to Congress in Article One

-Examples:

• Declare war and form army

• Coin/make money

• Regulate foreign trade

• Regulate interstate commerce

Why do you think things like declaring war, making money, and regulating trade (both inside and outside the United States) are left ONLY to the federal government?

What sorts of problems might we run into if these powers were reserved? What about if they were concurrent?

Implied Powers

-Powers given to Congress by the Necessary and Proper Clause

• Elastic clause - Congress can stretch powers to meet needs

-Interpretation of the Constitution

• Loose interpretation

Examples:

• Creating an air force

• “Bailout” plan

Additional Powers

-Power to Investigate

• Reviews laws, government activities, special investigations

-Power to Propose Amendments

• By a 2/3 vote of BOTH houses

-Power to Impeach

• Can charge (poss. remove) federal official with wrongdoing in office

• President/Vice President/judge

Powers of the House

-Must start all Appropriation Bills

-”power of the purse”-- Power of the House whereby all revenue producing bills must be introduced in the House of Representatives

• Closer to the people

-Picks President if no winner in Electoral College

• Closer to the people

-Begins the Impeachment Process

• Investigates and charges an official with misconduct in office

How is having the “power of the purse” an influential power of the

House of Representatives? Why do they have it? What do they use it

for? How does that give them more power?

Impeachment, charging a federal official of misconduct or wrongdoing

while in office, is a two-part process.

The first part of impeachment happens in the House of

Representatives. The House acts as a grand jury, surveying the evidence to decide if there is enough to officially charge the official with committing

something illegal. If the house finds enough evidence, they will officially

charge the official. That is the impeachment.

The second part of the process happens in the Senate. The Senate

will hold a trial for the federal official to determine whether or not that

official will be removed from office and potentially serve time in jail. The

Senate, then, acts as the jury in the process.

Therefore, it is possible for a President to be impeached but not removed from office. We have had two Presidents impeached, but we

have never removed a President from office.

Powers of the Senate

-Approves Presidential Appointments

• Supreme Court justices, federal judges, ambassadors - checks and balances

-Approves all Treaties

-Acts as jury in Impeachment cases

• The impeachment trial occurs in the Senate

President Obama’s most recent appointment to the Supreme Court

was that of Elena Kagan. As with all Presidential appointments, she had

to gain approval from the U.S. Senate. Why is it important for the Senate to approve all Presidential

appointments and treaties?

Other Limits

-10th Amendment

• Reserved powers for the states

• Congress cannot interfere with reserved powers

-Checks and Balances System

• Judicial can declare laws unconstitutional

• President can veto laws

-Two Party System

• No real power for 3rd party groups

Why is it important to put limits on the laws Congress is able to pass?

What is the President’s role in checking Congressional power?

Committee Government-developed committees to

divide the work load of Congress

• Committee membership important to Representatives

-standing committees-- Permanent committees of Congress who study, revise, and pass legislation

• Continue from session to session – education, commerce

-select committees--committees which study more temporary problems in society

-joint committees-- committees which involve members of both Houses of Congress meeting together

Both houses of Congress operate in committee government as an

attempt to divide the Congressional workload and achieve better and

faster legislation.

Committee Membership

-Based on seniority

-Term that refers to how long a member has been in Congress and is important in assigning committee memberships

-Party leaders make committee assignments

• From majority and minority

-majority party of each house appoints the chairperson of each committee

• Decide when committees will meet, what bills will be studied, and forms subcommittees