PART 1
Some of the Congressional powers are the power to tax, the power to regulate commerce and the power to regulate immigration. For 150 years, the limits of the tax power was in issue (Sky 2008), but finally US v. Butler, 297 US 1 (1936) held that it is broad and limited only by the requirement of general welfare. If not reposed in Congress, the federal government cannot raise funds for social services. Life will not be fair because poorer states will have poorer services compared to richer states. The power to regulate commerce was initially vague because ‘commerce’ is not defined. Finally, NLRB v Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp, 301, US 1 (1937) held that any activity that impacts significantly or has cumulative effect that substantially impacts commerce falls within its purview (Lindstrom 2011). If given to states, there will be chaos, and conflict, because self-interest will dominate interstate trade and commerce. Lastly, the power to regulate immigration - initially uncertain – became clearer after case law began to restrict the power of states to regulate it and supported Congress’ exclusive power to exercise it under the Naturalization clause (Chacon 2014). If immigration regulation is given to states and not to Congress, states with favorable immigration law will be inundated with immigrants. In addition, national security might be put at risk because of lax immigration rules in some states.
PART 2
After visiting the websites of the three branches of government, I found some new and interesting facts. In Congress, which is part of the Legislative Branch tasked primarily with enacting laws, I discovered that a Select Committee on Benghazi has been created in 2014 after the attack on the US diplomatic mission in Libya. This surprised me because I did not know that the Legislative Branch is also involved in investigating incidents. The Executive Branch – tasked with the application of laws – also hold musical and arts performances that included Cyndi Lauper and Burt Bacharach, among others, in the White House. The SC, which is the head of the Judiciary Branch and which interprets laws includes in its website a year ender report by the Chief Justice. It focused on the importance of district courts. The Report’s annexes included 2016 caseload of the various federal courts and the SC.
References
Chacon, J. (2014). Who is Responsible for US Immigration Policy? Insights, vol. 14, no. 3, http://www.americanbar.org/publications/insights_on_law_andsociety/14/spring- 2014/who-is-responsible-for-u-s--immigration-policy-.html.
Lindstrom, T. (2011). Encyclopedia of the U.S. Government and the Environment: History, Policy, and Politics, Volume 1. ABC-CLIO.
Sky, T. (2008). To Provide for the General Welfare: A History of the Federal Spending Power. Associated University Press.
US v. Butler, 297 US 1 (1936).
