The Changing Powers of Congress | 国会权力的变化

📚 The Changing Powers of Congress | 国会权力的变化

In the US Constitution, Congress is described as the first branch of government, but its influence has never been fixed. The powers of Congress have expanded and contracted through constitutional interpretation, political practice, war, economic crisis, and judicial review.

在美国宪法中，国会被描述为政府的首要权力分支，但其影响力从来不是固定不变的。通过宪法解释、政治实践、战争、经济危机和司法审查，国会的权力时而扩大，时而收缩。

1. The Constitutional Blueprint | 宪法蓝图

The Founding Fathers placed Congress in Article I of the Constitution, deliberately making it the most detailed branch of the federal government. The bicameral structure, combining the House of Representatives and the Senate, was designed to balance popular representation with state interests.

制宪者将国会置于宪法第一条，有意使其成为联邦政府中规定最详细的权力分支。两院制结构由众议院和参议院组成，旨在平衡民众代表权与各州利益。

In the early republic, Congress was expected to dominate national policymaking. Its powers were listed and limited, yet broad enough to allow the new nation to govern effectively.

在早期共和国时期，国会预计将主导国家政策制定。其权力被逐项列举并受到限制，但范围足够广泛，使新国家能够有效治理。

2. Enumerated Powers | 列举权力

Article I, Section 8 lists specific powers such as taxation, borrowing money, regulating interstate and foreign commerce, coining money, establishing post offices and roads, declaring war, and raising armies. These are known as enumerated or delegated powers.

第一条第八款列举了征税、借款、管理州际与对外贸易、铸造货币、设立邮局和道路、宣战、征募军队等具体权力。这些被称为列举权力或委托权力。

The list was intended to prevent a central government with unlimited authority. By granting only defined powers, the framers aimed to preserve significant autonomy for the states.

这一清单旨在防止中央政府拥有无限权力。通过仅授予明确界定的权力，制宪者希望保留各州相当大的自治权。

3. The Necessary and Proper Clause | ‘必要和适当’条款

The final clause of Article I, Section 8 allows Congress ‘to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers’. This is often called the elastic clause because it stretches congressional authority.

第一条第八款最后一项允许国会 ‘为执行上述权力而制定一切必要和适当的法律’。这一条款通常被称为弹性条款，因为它扩展了国会的权力。

Chief Justice John Marshall used the clause in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) to uphold the creation of a national bank. The ruling established that Congress can choose any reasonable means not prohibited by the Constitution to carry out its duties.

首席大法官约翰·马歇尔在 ‘麦卡洛克诉马里兰州案’（1819）中运用该条款支持设立国家银行。这一裁决确立国会可以选择宪法未禁止的任何合理手段来履行职责。

4. The Commerce Clause and Economic Power | 商业条款与经济权力

The power to regulate commerce ‘among the several states’ has become one of the most important sources of congressional authority. It has been used to justify federal laws on working conditions, civil rights, and environmental protection.

管理 ‘各州之间’ 商业的权力已成为国会权力最重要的来源之一。它被用来为关于工作条件、民权和环境保护的联邦法律提供依据。

Landmark decisions such as Wickard v. Filburn (1942) and Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964) expanded the meaning of interstate commerce enormously. More recently, however, United States v. Lopez (1995) limited this expansion by striking down a federal gun-free school zone law.

‘维卡德诉菲尔本案’（1942）和 ‘亚特兰大之心汽车旅馆诉美国案’（1964）等里程碑式裁决极大地扩展了州际商业的含义。然而，后来 ‘美国诉洛佩斯案’（1995）推翻了一项联邦校园禁枪区法律，限制了这种扩张。

5. The Power of the Purse | 财政权

Congress holds the power to tax and spend, known as the power of the purse. Every year, the federal budget and appropriations bills must pass through both chambers, giving the legislative branch direct control over government funding.

国会拥有征税和开支的权力，即所谓财政权。每年联邦预算和拨款法案必须在两院通过，使立法机关直接控制政府资金。

The president can propose a budget, but Congress can alter or reject it. The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act 1974 created the Congressional Budget Office and restricted the president’s ability to withhold funds, strengthening legislative control.

总统可以提出预算，但国会可以修改或否决。《1974年国会预算与扣留控制法》设立了国会预算办公室，并限制总统扣留资金的能力，从而加强了立法控制。

6. War Powers and Foreign Policy | 战争权与外交政策

The Constitution divides foreign policy powers between Congress and the president. Congress can declare war, provide

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