Article I Section 8

Powers of Congress

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes,^def duties,^def imposts^def and excises,^def to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and *general^def welfare^def of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

– *general welfare

To borrow money^def on the credit of the United States;

To regulate commerce^def with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;

To establish a uniform rule of naturalization^def and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies^def throughout the United States;

To coin^def money, regulate^def the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix^def the standard of weights and measures;

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting^def the securities^def and current^def 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 piracies^def and felonies^def committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations;

To declare war, grant letters of *marque^def ^*def and reprisal,^def and make rules concerning captures on land and water;

– *marque and reprisal

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^def of the land and naval forces;

To provide for calling forth the militia^def to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections^def and repel invasions;^def

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining,^def 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^def prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession^def of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat^def 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,^def arsenals,^def dockyards, and other needful buildings;–And

To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing^def powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.