--- title: "12 Powers Congress Quotes by 10 authors" description: "Browse 12 Powers Congress quotes by 10 authors. Discover the best Powers Congress sayings and thoughts." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/oliver-ellsworth-29122_abuse_the-powers-of-congress-must-be-defined-b_725408.jpg" --- > [The powers of congress must be defined, but their means must be adequate to the purposes of their constitution. It is possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-ellsworth/the-powers-of-congress-must-be-defined-but-their-means-must-be/) [Oliver Ellsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-ellsworth/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/oliver-ellsworth-29122_abuse_the-powers-of-congress-must-be-defined-b_725408.jpg) > [In effect, Hillary Clinton would be abolishing the lawmaking powers of Congress in order to write her own laws from the Oval…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/in-effect-hillary-clinton-would-be-abolishing-the-lawmaking-powers-of/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/donald-trump-18_clinton_in-effect-hillary-clinton-would-be-aboli_1027136.jpg) > [Hillary Clinton's plan would trigger a constitutional crisis unlike almost anything we have ever seen before. In effect, she would be abolishing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/hillary-clinton-s-plan-would-trigger-a-constitutional-crisis-unlike-2/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/donald-trump-18_clinton_hillary-clinton-s-plan-would-trigger-a-c_1412952.jpg) > [To take a single step beyond the boundaries specially drawn around the powers of Congress is to take possession of a boundless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/to-take-a-single-step-beyond-the-boundaries-specially-drawn-around/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ea/thomas-jefferson-43_american-government_to-take-a-single-step-beyond-the-boundar_170911.jpg) > [If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare... they may appoint teachers in every state... The powers of Congress would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/if-congress-can-employ-money-indefinitely-to-the-general-welfare-they/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/james-madison-373_america_if-congress-can-employ-money-indefinitel_496462.png) > [The powers of Congress are totally inadequate to preserve the balance between the respective States, and oblige them to do those things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-knox/the-powers-of-congress-are-totally-inadequate-to-preserve-the-balance/) [Henry Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-knox/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67b/henry-knox-34360_balance_the-powers-of-congress-are-totally-inade_2681505.jpg) > [It is fundamental that the great powers of Congress to conduct war and to regulate the Nation's foreign relations are subject to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-goldberg/it-is-fundamental-that-the-great-powers-of-congress-to-conduct-war/) [Arthur Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/arthur-goldberg-36616_action_it-is-fundamental-that-the-great-powers_1167576.png) > [Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, of course, lays out the delegated, enumerated, and therefore limited powers of Congress. Only through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-crane/article-i-section-8-of-the-constitution-of-course-lays-out-the/) [Ed Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-crane/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/ed-crane-39299_articles_article-i-section-8-of-the-constitution_1099836.jpg) > [I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground that 'all powers not delegated to the United States, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-consider-the-foundation-of-the-constitution-as-laid-on-this-ground/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/thomas-jefferson-43_american-government_i-consider-the-foundation-of-the-constit_2381782.jpg) > [The Constitution, in addition to delegating certain enumerated powers to Congress, places whole areas outside the reach of Congress' regulatory authority. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/the-constitution-in-addition-to-delegating-certain-enumerated-powers/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/clarence-thomas-7661_amendments_the-constitution-in-addition-to-delegati_3226364.jpg) > [We recognize the force of the argument that the effects of war under modern conditions may be felt in the economy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/we-recognize-the-force-of-the-argument-that-the-effects-of-war-under/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ace/william-o-douglas-2931_amendments_we-recognize-the-force-of-the-argument-t_2506819.jpg) > [“...the Constitution is an invitation for the president and Congress to struggle for the privilege of directing foreign policy. Although the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-h-hamilton/the-constitution-is-an-invitation-for-the-president-and-congress-to/) [Lee H. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-h-hamilton/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/lee-h-hamilton-21219_american-people_the-constitution-is-an-invitation-for-th_916995.png) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powers-congress/#itemlist", "name": "Powers Congress Quotes", "numberOfItems": 12, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The powers of congress must be defined, but their means must be adequate to the purposes of their constitution. It is possible there may be abuses and misapplications; still, it is better to hazard something than to hazard at all.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oliver Ellsworth" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-ellsworth/the-powers-of-congress-must-be-defined-but-their-means-must-be/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/oliver-ellsworth-29122_abuse_the-powers-of-congress-must-be-defined-b_725408.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/oliver-ellsworth-29122_abuse_the-powers-of-congress-must-be-defined-b_725408.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/oliver-ellsworth-29122_abuse_the-powers-of-congress-must-be-defined-b_725408.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The powers of congress must be defined, but their means must be adequate to the purposes of their…” — Oliver Ellsworth", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In effect, Hillary Clinton would be abolishing the lawmaking powers of Congress in order to write her own laws from the Oval Office. And you see what bad judgment she has. She has seriously bad judgment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donald Trump" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/in-effect-hillary-clinton-would-be-abolishing-the-lawmaking-powers-of/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/donald-trump-18_clinton_in-effect-hillary-clinton-would-be-aboli_1027136.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/donald-trump-18_clinton_in-effect-hillary-clinton-would-be-aboli_1027136.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/donald-trump-18_clinton_in-effect-hillary-clinton-would-be-aboli_1027136.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In effect, Hillary Clinton would be abolishing the lawmaking powers of Congress in order to write her own…” — Donald Trump", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hillary Clinton's plan would trigger a constitutional crisis unlike almost anything we have ever seen before. In effect, she would be abolishing the law-making powers of Congress in order to write her own laws from the Oval Office. And you see what bad judgment she has. She has seriously bad judgment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donald Trump" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/hillary-clinton-s-plan-would-trigger-a-constitutional-crisis-unlike-2/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/donald-trump-18_clinton_hillary-clinton-s-plan-would-trigger-a-c_1412952.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/donald-trump-18_clinton_hillary-clinton-s-plan-would-trigger-a-c_1412952.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/donald-trump-18_clinton_hillary-clinton-s-plan-would-trigger-a-c_1412952.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Hillary Clinton's plan would trigger a constitutional crisis unlike almost anything we have ever seen…” — Donald Trump", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To take a single step beyond the boundaries specially drawn around the powers of Congress is to take possession of a boundless field of power, no longer susceptible to definition.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Jefferson" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/to-take-a-single-step-beyond-the-boundaries-specially-drawn-around/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ea/thomas-jefferson-43_american-government_to-take-a-single-step-beyond-the-boundar_170911.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ea/thomas-jefferson-43_american-government_to-take-a-single-step-beyond-the-boundar_170911.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ea/thomas-jefferson-43_american-government_to-take-a-single-step-beyond-the-boundar_170911.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To take a single step beyond the boundaries specially drawn around the powers of Congress is to take…” — Thomas Jefferson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare... they may appoint teachers in every state... The powers of Congress would subvert the very foundation, the very nature of the limited government established by the people of America.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Madison" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/if-congress-can-employ-money-indefinitely-to-the-general-welfare-they/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/james-madison-373_america_if-congress-can-employ-money-indefinitel_496462.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/james-madison-373_america_if-congress-can-employ-money-indefinitel_496462.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/james-madison-373_america_if-congress-can-employ-money-indefinitel_496462.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare... they may appoint teachers in every…” — James Madison", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The powers of Congress are totally inadequate to preserve the balance between the respective States, and oblige them to do those things which are essential for their own welfare or for the general good.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Knox" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-knox/the-powers-of-congress-are-totally-inadequate-to-preserve-the-balance/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67b/henry-knox-34360_balance_the-powers-of-congress-are-totally-inade_2681505.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67b/henry-knox-34360_balance_the-powers-of-congress-are-totally-inade_2681505.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67b/henry-knox-34360_balance_the-powers-of-congress-are-totally-inade_2681505.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The powers of Congress are totally inadequate to preserve the balance between the respective States, and…” — Henry Knox", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is fundamental that the great powers of Congress to conduct war and to regulate the Nation's foreign relations are subject to the constitutional requirements of due process. The imperative necessity for safeguarding these rights to procedural due process under the gravest of emergencies has existed throughout our constitutional history, for it is then, under the pressing exigencies of crisis, that there is the greatest temptation to dispense with fundamental constitutional guarantees which, it is feared, will inhibit governmental action.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-goldberg/it-is-fundamental-that-the-great-powers-of-congress-to-conduct-war/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/arthur-goldberg-36616_action_it-is-fundamental-that-the-great-powers_1167576.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/arthur-goldberg-36616_action_it-is-fundamental-that-the-great-powers_1167576.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/arthur-goldberg-36616_action_it-is-fundamental-that-the-great-powers_1167576.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is fundamental that the great powers of Congress to conduct war and to regulate the Nation's foreign…” — Arthur Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, of course, lays out the delegated, enumerated, and therefore limited powers of Congress. Only through a deliberate misreading of the general welfare and commerce clauses of the Constitution has the federal government been allowed to overreach its authority and extend its tendrils into every corner of civil society.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ed Crane" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-crane/article-i-section-8-of-the-constitution-of-course-lays-out-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/ed-crane-39299_articles_article-i-section-8-of-the-constitution_1099836.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/ed-crane-39299_articles_article-i-section-8-of-the-constitution_1099836.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/ed-crane-39299_articles_article-i-section-8-of-the-constitution_1099836.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, of course, lays out the delegated, enumerated, and therefore…” — Ed Crane", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground that 'all powers not delegated to the United States, by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states or to the people.' To take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of Congress, is to take possession of a boundless field of power not longer susceptible of any definition.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Jefferson" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-consider-the-foundation-of-the-constitution-as-laid-on-this-ground/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/thomas-jefferson-43_american-government_i-consider-the-foundation-of-the-constit_2381782.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/thomas-jefferson-43_american-government_i-consider-the-foundation-of-the-constit_2381782.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/thomas-jefferson-43_american-government_i-consider-the-foundation-of-the-constit_2381782.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground that 'all powers not delegated to the…” — Thomas Jefferson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Constitution, in addition to delegating certain enumerated powers to Congress, places whole areas outside the reach of Congress' regulatory authority. The First Amendment, for example, is fittingly celebrated for preventing Congress from \"prohibiting the free exercise\" of religion or \"abridging the freedom of speech.\" The Second Amendment similarly appears to contain an express limitation on the government's authority.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Clarence Thomas" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/the-constitution-in-addition-to-delegating-certain-enumerated-powers/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/clarence-thomas-7661_amendments_the-constitution-in-addition-to-delegati_3226364.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/clarence-thomas-7661_amendments_the-constitution-in-addition-to-delegati_3226364.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/clarence-thomas-7661_amendments_the-constitution-in-addition-to-delegati_3226364.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Constitution, in addition to delegating certain enumerated powers to Congress, places whole areas…” — Clarence Thomas", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We recognize the force of the argument that the effects of war under modern conditions may be felt in the economy for years and years, and that if the war power can be used in days of peace to treat all the wounds which war inflicts on our society, it may not only swallow up all other powers of Congress but largely obliterate the Ninth and the Tenth Amendments as well.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William O. Douglas" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/we-recognize-the-force-of-the-argument-that-the-effects-of-war-under/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ace/william-o-douglas-2931_amendments_we-recognize-the-force-of-the-argument-t_2506819.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ace/william-o-douglas-2931_amendments_we-recognize-the-force-of-the-argument-t_2506819.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ace/william-o-douglas-2931_amendments_we-recognize-the-force-of-the-argument-t_2506819.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We recognize the force of the argument that the effects of war under modern conditions may be felt in the…” — William O. Douglas", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...the Constitution is an invitation for the president and Congress to struggle for the privilege of directing foreign policy. Although the president is the principal foreign policy actor, the Constitution delegates more specific foreign policy powers to Congress than to the executive. It designates the president as commander-in-chief and head of the executive branch, whereas it gives Congress the power to declare war and the power of the purse. The president can negotiate treaties and nominate foreign policy officials, but the Senate must approve them. Congress is also granted the power to raise and support armies, establish rules on naturalization, regulate foreign commerce, and define and punish offenses on the high seas. Although the president is the chief foreign policy maker, Congress has a responsibility to be both an informed critic and constructive partner of the president. The ideal established by the founders is neither for one branch to dominate nor for there to be an identity of views between them. Rather, the founders wisely sought to encourage a creative tension between the president and Congress that would produce policies that advance national interests and reflect the views of the American people. Sustained consultation between the president and Congress is the most important mechanism for fostering an effective foreign policy with broad support at home and respect and punch overseas. In a world of both danger and opportunity, we need such a foreign policy to advance our interests and values around the globe.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lee H. Hamilton" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-h-hamilton/the-constitution-is-an-invitation-for-the-president-and-congress-to/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/lee-h-hamilton-21219_american-people_the-constitution-is-an-invitation-for-th_916995.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/lee-h-hamilton-21219_american-people_the-constitution-is-an-invitation-for-th_916995.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/lee-h-hamilton-21219_american-people_the-constitution-is-an-invitation-for-th_916995.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...the Constitution is an invitation for the president and Congress to struggle for the privilege of…” — Lee H. 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