A resolution celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the premier public health institute of the United States.

This resolution merely celebrates the anniversary of an existing federal agency and does not create new powers, impose obligations, or alter the constitutional structure. The Constitution grants Congress the authority to express sentiments and recognize public institutions under its general legislative powers, including the Necessary and Proper Clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 18) to carry out its enumerated functions. The establishment of the CDC itself is a valid exercise of federal power under the Commerce Clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) to regulate interstate commerce and promo…

While the Constitution does not explicitly prohibit Congress from issuing resolutions of commendation, the Tenth Amendment reserves to the States or the people all powers not delegated to the United States. A resolution celebrating a federal agency may imply an endorsement of expansive federal power over public health, which is not among the enumerated powers in Article I, Section 8. The proper role of the general government is limited to those powers expressly granted; public health is chiefly a matter of state and local concern. Therefore, such a resolution is constitutional only if it is un…

This resolution is a non-binding expression of the sense of the Senate, commemorating an agency of the federal government. It does not purport to regulate conduct, appropriate funds, or compel any action. As such, it falls within the general legislative power of Congress to deliberate and express opinions on matters of public interest, consistent with the principle that the legislative authority extends to all subjects on which the federal government may properly act. The resolution does not exceed the enumerated powers of Congress, nor does it infringe upon the reserved powers of the states u…

The Constitution confides to the legislative branch the power to make laws, but it does not forbid the expression of sentiment on matters within the sphere of its deliberations. A resolution celebrating an anniversary of a federal agency is not a law; it imposes no obligation, appropriates no money, and binds no one. It is an act of the legislative body's internal proceedings, akin to a rule or order, which the Constitution permits each House to adopt under its authority to determine the rules of its proceedings. Moreover, the subject matter—the public health—falls within the general welfare a…