Congress #6B
Expressed Powers
Quick Review
1.
2.
Malapportionment
Gerrymander
A.
B.
1 Congressional district has
500,000 people, a nearby
Congressional district has 750,000
people
1 Congressional district is primarily
Republicans, a nearby
congressional district has primarily
Democrats
Definitions
 Expressed
/ Enumerated
Powers: written in Constitution
Expressed Powers
 Tax
& Spend
 Payroll taxes – Social Security
 Income taxes
Borrow

Deficit Spending: spend more than
earned in revenue (money coming in /
taxes) in a given period
 In one month earned $1000, but spent
$1200 – what is your deficit?
 Debt: Total amount owed

If you continue to overspend by $200 per
month for a year, what is your debt?
Commerce
Intrastate Commerce:
inside 1 state
 Power of State
 Interstate: between two +
states
 Power of Congress

More Powers
Currency – legal tender
 Foreign Relations & War Powers:
 Raise a military
 Declare war!

More Powers

Naturalization –
citizenship and
immigration

Bankruptcy: judges
decide if one cannot
repay debt
And some more…

Postal Power: Post Office

Copyrights & Patents
 Copyright: work of art
 Patent: invention

Weights & Measures: standardized
And the rest…

Judicial Power: Congress
determines the size & structure of the
federal courts
And so, what can Congress not
do?
Congress #7
Implied Powers
Matching
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Commerce
Expressed Power
Senate
House of Reps.
Bicameral
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
2 houses
435 members who
serve 2 year terms
Things that are
written in the
Constitution
Business
100 members who
serve 6 year terms
McCullough v. Maryland (1819)
 Congress
created a national bank
 Not an expressed power
 Many thought it was
unconstitutional
SC’s Decision
Supreme Court = bank is legal
 Const. says: Congress can do things
that are “necessary & proper” to
carry out their laws
 aka the elastic clause of the Const.

McCullough’s Impact
 Implied
powers: Congress can
do things related to their
expressed powers
Implied Powers Chart
Expressed Power Implied Power
 Naturalization
 Citizenship test
 Passport
 Border fence
CHART continues

Raise a military

Draft

Patents &
Copyrights

Pirating laws

FBI warning at
the beginning of
movies
The Stretch-iest of all!

Interstate
Commerce
Drugs
 Minimum wage
laws
 Regulate the
environment

How do commerce &
environment relate?

If one state has a lot of pollution, it will
affect the commerce of that state.
Fewer people will want to go there.
Thus, less buying and selling of
goods in that state.
Cong #9: Non-Legislative Power
Quick Review: Matching 
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Expressed
Power
Implied
Power
Deficit
Debt
Bankruptcy
Necessary &
Proper
Clause
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Power to tax
Draft
Elastic Clause
Total amount owed
Can’t repay debt
Overspend in a
given period
Non-Legislative Powers

Impeachment: officially charged w/
“treason, bribery, or other high crimes
or misdemeanors”
 HR impeaches
 S holds trial & can remove them
from office
 President, VP, federal judges
Impeached!
More POWER!
Investigate
 Steroids &
Baseball
 Bank bailout
 Oversight
 Make sure govt
agencies spend
money
appropriately

Senate’s Powers
Confirm Appointments
 President nominates federal judges,
ambassadors, and others
 S confirms
 Ratify Treaty
 Pres negotiates treaty
 S ratifies
