Where Congress Gets Its Power
Article I of the Constitution and the specific powers it grants.
Congress derives its authority from Article I of the United States Constitution, which states: "All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States." This makes Congress the lawmaking branch of government — the President cannot make laws, and the courts cannot make laws. Only Congress can.
The Constitution grants Congress specific powers: the power to tax, spend, regulate commerce, declare war, raise armies, coin money, establish post offices, and make all laws "necessary and proper" for carrying out those powers. The 535 voting members of Congress — 100 Senators and 435 Representatives — are the only federal officials directly elected by the people to write the laws that govern the nation.
Congress also holds the "power of the purse," meaning no federal money can be spent without Congressional approval. This is one of the most powerful checks on the executive branch — the President proposes a budget, but Congress decides what actually gets funded.