U.S. Constitution · Article I, Section 8

Enumerated Powers of Congress

Create a free account or sign in to follow Article I, Section 8 and get alerts.

Alerts when a new grade, SI Solution or Think Tank idea cites Art. I, § 8 or any part of it.

Live in the VFA record

Cited in 58 SI Solutions, 902 grades, 21 Think Tank ideas and 2 SI Senate measures this month.

2138 public items cite this provision or its parts · 983 in October 2026 (last month: 41)

Week of 2026-08-03: 27Week of 2026-08-10: 28Week of 2026-08-17: 20Week of 2026-08-24: 0Week of 2026-08-31: 9Week of 2026-09-07: 0Week of 2026-09-14: 21Week of 2026-09-21: 4Week of 2026-09-28: 13Week of 2026-10-05: 655Week of 2026-10-12: 321Week of 2026-10-19: 3

Citations per week, last 12 weeks

The text

  1. Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 · Taxing and Spending Clause; General Welfare Clause; Uniformity Clause 905 cites explained

    The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

  2. Article I, Section 8, Clause 2 · Borrowing Clause 57 cites

    To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;

  3. Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 · Commerce Clause 839 cites

    To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

  4. Article I, Section 8, Clause 4 · Naturalization Clause; Bankruptcy Clause 117 cites

    To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

  5. Article I, Section 8, Clause 5 · Coinage Clause 25 cites

    To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

  6. Article I, Section 8, Clause 6 · Counterfeiting Clause 3 cites

    To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

  7. Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 · Postal Clause 58 cites

    To establish Post Offices and post Roads;

  8. Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 · Copyright and Patent Clause; Intellectual Property Clause 14 cites

    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;

  9. Article I, Section 8, Clause 9 · Tribunals Clause 11 cites explained

    To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

  10. Article I, Section 8, Clause 10 · Define and Punish Clause 26 cites explained

    To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;

  11. Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 · Declare War Clause; Marque and Reprisal Clause 70 cites explained

    To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

  12. Article I, Section 8, Clause 12 · Army Clause 75 cites

    To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

  13. Article I, Section 8, Clause 13 · Navy Clause 13 cites

    To provide and maintain a Navy;

  14. Article I, Section 8, Clause 14 · Military Regulation Clause 30 cites

    To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

  15. Article I, Section 8, Clause 15 · Calling Forth Clause 1 cite

    To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

  16. Article I, Section 8, Clause 16 · Militia Clause 1 cite explained

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

  17. Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 · Enclave Clause; District Clause 87 cites explained

    To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat 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, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;—And

  18. Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 · Necessary and Proper Clause 601 cites explained

    To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

National Archives transcription (public domain; original spelling and capitalization). archives.gov

In the founders’ words

  • “Money is, with propriety, considered as the vital principle of the body politic; as that which sustains its life and motion, and enables it to perform its most essential functions.” Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist No. 30 (1787-12-28)
  • “For what purpose could the enumeration of particular powers be inserted, if these and all others were meant to be included in the preceding general power? Nothing is more natural nor common than first to use a general phrase, and then to explain and qualify it by a recital of particulars.” James Madison, The Federalist No. 41 (1788-01-19)
  • “It will then be matter of opinion, what tends to the general welfare; and the Congress will be the only judges in the matter.” Brutus (attributed to Robert Yates), Brutus, No. 6 (1787-12-27)
  • “The conclusion therefore is inevitable, that the respective state governments will not have the power to raise one shilling in any way, but by the permission of the Congress.” Brutus (attributed to Robert Yates), Brutus, No. 6 (1787-12-27)
  • “The words "pursuant to the constitution" will be no restriction to the authority of congress; for the foregoing section gives them unlimited legislation; their unbounded power of taxation does alone include all others, as whoever has the purse strings will have full dominion.” Centinel (attributed to Samuel Bryan), Centinel, No. 5 (1787-12-04)
  • “The defect of power in the existing Confederacy to regulate the commerce between its several members, is in the number of those which have been clearly pointed out by experience. To the proofs and remarks which former papers have brought into view on this subject, it may be added that without this supplemental provision, the great and essential power of regulating foreign commerce would have been incomplete and ineffectual.” James Madison, The Federalist No. 42 (1788-01-22)
  • “A very material object of this power was the relief of the States which import and export through other States, from the improper contributions levied on them by the latter. Were these at liberty to regulate the trade between State and State, it must be foreseen that ways would be found out to load the articles of import and export, during the passage through their jurisdiction, with duties which would fall on the makers of the latter and the consumers of the former.” James Madison, The Federalist No. 42 (1788-01-22)
  • “Yet it is very certain that it grew out of the abuse of the power by the importing States in taxing the non-importing, and was intended as a negative and preventive provision against injustice among the States themselves, rather than as a power to be used for the positive purposes of the General Government, in which alone, however, the remedial power could be lodged.” James Madison, James Madison to Joseph C. Cabell, February 13, 1829 (1829-02-13)
  • “The dissimilarity in the rules of naturalization has long been remarked as a fault in our system, and as laying a foundation for intricate and delicate questions.” James Madison, The Federalist No. 42 (1788-01-22)
  • “The power of naturalization, when viewed in connection with the judicial powers and cases, is, in my mind, of very doubtful extent. By the constitution itself, the citizens of each state will be naturalized citizens of every state, to the general purposes of instituting suits, claiming the benefits of the laws, &c.” The Federal Farmer, Letters from the Federal Farmer, No. 18 (on naturalization) (1788-01-25)
  • “The utility of this power will scarcely be questioned. The copyright of authors has been solemnly adjudged, in Great Britain, to be a right of common law. The right to useful inventions seems with equal reason to belong to the inventors. The public good fully coincides in both cases with the claims of individuals.” James Madison, The Federalist No. 43 (1788-01-23)
  • “If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it.” Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson to Isaac McPherson, August 13, 1813 (1813-08-13)

Public-domain primary sources, quoted word for word and checked against the linked text.

Leading Supreme Court cases

Cited in the VFA record

“Where this provision is cited”

SI Solutions (288)

Showing the 25 most recent. All 288: JSON.

grades (902)

Showing the 25 most recent. All 902: JSON.

Think Tank ideas (21)

roll-call votes (925)

Showing the 25 most recent. All 925: JSON.

Roll-call votes are listed when the measure voted on has a current Constitution Index grade citing this provision. Counts include only published items.

Cite this page

Values for America Constitution Explorer, https://www.valuesforamerica.com/constitution (text: National Archives transcription, public domain), Article I, Section 8, https://www.valuesforamerica.com/constitution/article-1/section-8

Data: this provision as JSON.