United States Congress: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:40, 10 August 2002

Revision as of 23:18, 23 September 2002

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The '''United States Congress''' is the [[legislative branch]] of the [[United States government]]. The structure and responsibilities of Congress are defined in [[United States Constitution/Article One|Article One]] of the [[United States Constitution]]. The United States Congress has two houses: the [[United States Senate|Senate]] and the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]].

The powers of the Congress are set forth in [[United States Constitution/Article One|Article 1]] (particularly Article 1, Section 8) of the [[United States Constitution]]. Congress's powers were later supplemented by the post-Civil War amendments to the Constitution (Amendments [[United States Constitution/Amendment Thirteen|13]], [[United States Constitution/Amendment Fourteen|14]], and [[United States Constitution/Amendment Fifteen|15]], each of which authorizes the Congress to enforce its provisions by appropriate legislation), and by the [[United States Constitution/Amendment Sixteen|16th Amendment]], which authorizes an [[income tax]]. Other parts of the Constitution--particularly [[United States Constitution/Article One|Article 1, Section 9]], and the first ten amendments to the Constitution (the "[[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]]")--impose limitations on Congress's power.