article 1 congress assignment quizlet

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Article 1 - Congress

11th - 12th grade.

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What is the focus of Article I of the Constitution?

describing the powers and structure of the legislative branch

defining bicameral and unicameral houses

explaining the veto and override process

reviewing the executive branch of the government

Which statement about congress is accurate?

It contains only the House of Representatives.

The Senate's membership is based on a state's population

It is bicameral according to the Constitution

Membership in both houses is based on equal representation

According to the Constitution, how long is a senator's term?

The Necessary and Proper Clause in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress _______ powers.

Congress has expressed financial power to

establish a national banking system

create and collect new taxes

order the president to borrow money

seize property for government projects

Which is n example of an expressed power Congress holds?

creating a national banking system

taking away the right of habeas corpus

declaring war and maintaining a military

building and maintaining roads

Why is the Necessary and Proper Clause a source of ongoing debate?

Congress cannot agree on how broad its implied powers should be

the wording of the clause is often undergoing revision

the clause deals with specified powers that are ambiguous and misinterpreted

The clause establishes reserved rights, which vary from state to state

Which of these is an expressed power of Congress?

admitting new states

eliminating amendments to the Constitution

determining what is cruel and unusual punishment

Which of these is considered a power of governance?

regulating trade between states

maintaining armed forces

declaring war

Which of these actions is forbidden by the Constitution?

creating a law ex post facto

borrowing money from the government

passing " necessary and proper" laws

regulating trade with foreign countries

Congress declares a person to be guilty of a crime without having been given a trial. This is an example of

habeas corpus

a bill of attainder

an ex post facto law

cruel and unusual punishment

What statement about the Necessary and proper clause is accurate?

It is the source of implied powers

it is written so as not to be open to debate

it specifically refers to both financial and military powers.

It specifically reserves powers to other branches.

Most of Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution describes what kind of congressional powers?

interpretive

Article 1, Section 7 of the Constitution explains what?

The reason for a unicameral house

the process of creating a law

the steps to selection a state representative

the requirements of citizenship

Which statement about the lawmaking process is accurate?

A bill can only originate in the Senate

A bill can have a second chance after a veto

A bill can only originate in the House of Representatives

A bill can often be passed quickly and easily.

Congress checks on the power of the presidency by

overriding a presidential reversal or veto

debating the bill in both of the houses

making laws without presidential review

sending the bill back to several committees

Who are our two state senators form Texas?

Michael McCloud, John McCain

Ted Cruz and Mike Pence

Ted Cruz and John Cornyn

John Cornyn and Michael McCloud

Which of these is the next step in the lawmaking process after a bill makes it out of a committee?

The bill is sent to the president to sign.

The bill is sent to the house of congress it was not introduced in..

The bill is debated in the house of Congress that it was introduced in

The bill is voted on in the house of Congress that it was introduced in.

What can happen if the president chooses to veto a law that has been approved?

The law returns to being introduced in one of the houses.

The president's decision can be overridden by a majority of Congress.

The law is rejected and cannot be reconsidered.

The president's decision is scheduled for review within a year.

Identify the house/s of congress in charge of impeachment hearings?

House of Representatives

Both the HOR and the Senate

None of the Above

Which of these steps in the lawmaking process might happen after a bill is sent to the president?

The president can veto the bill.

The president can send it to committee.

The president can ask the house to debate it.

The president can sign the bill into law

What is considered the most important power congress holds?

collecting taxes

electing leaders

creating laws

determining citizenship

Why has the House of Representatives grown so much faster than the Senate?

Representation is based on population, and the US has grown steadily.

The number of senators allowed per state has been routinely reduced

Fewer and fewer representatives have been re-elected to additional terms.

The Constitution requires the number of representatives to increase each debate.

Which statement applies to both senators and representatives?

They serve four-year terms.

They can be expelled for breaking rules.

They must have a college education.

They are required to be registered voters

According to the Constitution, how long is a representatives term?

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Article 1 of the constitution.

Click here or scroll down for a summary of Article 1 of the Constitution.

Article 1 has 10 sections and 2,268 words. It is the longest article by far of the constitution. Article 1, Section 8 contains 429 words and 2,589 characters.

Article 1 of US Constitution

Article 1, section 1, article 1, section 2.

• The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.
• No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.
• Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.  The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative;  and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.
• When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies.
• The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

Article 1, Section 3

• The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State,  chosen by the Legislature thereof,  for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.
• Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year;  and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies.  
• No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.
• The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.
• The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.
• The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.
• Judgment in Cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.

Article 1, Section 4

• The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.
• The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year,  and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December,  unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day.

Article 1, Section 5

• Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.
• Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.
• Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal.
• Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.

Article 1, Section 6

• The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.
• No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.

Article 1, Section 7

• All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.
• Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.
• Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill.

Article 1, Section 8

• The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
• To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;
• To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
• To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
• To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
• To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
• To establish Post Offices and post Roads;
• To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
• To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
• To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;
• To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
• To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
• To provide and maintain a Navy;
• To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
• To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
• To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
• To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;—And
• To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Article 1, Section 9

• The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.
• The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.
• No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.
• No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid,  unless in Proportion to the Census or Enumeration herein before directed to be taken.  
• No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.
• No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another.
• No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.
• No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

Article 1, Section 10

• No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.
• No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it’s inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Controul of the Congress.
• No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.

Article 1 is the first article of the United States Constitution and also the longest article of the constitution.

But, what is Article 1 of the Constitution?

Article 1 deals with the legislative branch. This refers to Congress, which comprises the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Table of Contents

Article 1 of the Constitution Summary – The Legislative Branch

The Founding Fathers divided the United States Constitution into seven individual articles. These 7 articles each laid the foundation for a specific aspect of the American government.

For example, Article One of the Constitution laid the foundation for the United States Congress – the federal government’s legislative branch.

This branch is tasked with the creation of new laws or legislation.

In the next few paragraphs, we’ll examine everything you need about Article One of the Constitution. 

What is the United States Congress?

Article 1 is about the Legislative Branch. According to the foundation outlined in Article One of the Constitution, the United States Congress is a bicameral legislature.

Legislature  is another word for an assembly or group of people tasked with deliberation.

Bicameral  means that this legislature has two distinct bodies, with these bodies being known as the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The House of Representatives is known as the “lower house” of the United States Congress, and the Senate is known as the “upper house.”

The Senate has more power and fewer members.

What Is the House of Representatives?

As the Lower House of the bicameral Congress, the House of Representatives is tasked with initially passing federal legislation in the form of proposed bills.

Once the House approves these Representatives’ bills, they will need to be approved by the Senate. The House of Representatives, as the name would suggest, features representatives from every state in the country.

The number of representatives is determined by each state’s population number. Therefore, a state with a larger population has a greater number of representatives.

What is the Senate?

The Senate is the second part of congress that bills will have to pass through before they make it to the desk of the President of the United States .

The Senate is a smaller body than the House of Representatives, and it is much harder to become a member.

The Senate is composed of representatives from each state, similar to the House of Representatives.

The United States vice president is in charge of the Senate. 

Division of Power Allows for Checks and Balances

Article 1 of the Constitution explicitly lays the foundation for the United States Congress. It creates a bicameral legislative branch so that there are checks and balances regarding what laws are passed. This is clear to see by having both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

If the Constitution gave all the power to one house, they could theoretically pass any laws or amendments they wanted. If that body were to become compromised or corrupt, there would be no other body to keep them in check.

This Concept of Checks and Balances Is Not Unique to Article One

The point of Article One is to ensure that only fair laws are allowed to become federal legislation.

This system of checks and balances within the legislative branch of government mirrors the checks and balances between the legislative, executive, and judiciary branches that make up the United States government as a whole.

The Founding Fathers, when writing the constitution , aimed to include as many checks and balances in the Constitution as possible to prevent the government from being corrupt. They also wanted to avoid creating amendments not in line with the Constitution .

Article One Dictates How the United States Congress Should Be Staffed

Article 1, Section 1 lays the foundation for this bicameral legislature and defines what these two bodies are tasked with doing.

Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution also explicitly details how these two separate bodies are staffed.

The terms for becoming a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate are thoroughly explained in Article One.

Both positions require unique qualifications that aim to make it so only those who are indeed up to making critical legislative decisions are allowed to join.

Staffing the House of Representatives

According to Article One of the Constitution, the House of Representatives members is elected once every two years. Each state’s citizens’ current population determines the number of seats available.

Staffing the US Senate

In Article 1, Section 2, the terms set forth for staffing the Senate are slightly more strict, as the Senate has a slight increase in power over the House of Representatives.

Instead of the number of representatives determined based on population, every state is given two senators, no matter the size of the state.

This mechanism makes it so that states with lower or more thoroughly dispersed populations are not silenced by states with higher or more condensed populations.

Each senator serves a six-year term.

According to Article One, senators were supposed to be elected by the state legislatures. This changed with the introduction of the 17th Amendment where senators are now elected directly by each state’s citizens.

The Many Other Powers of the Legislative Branch

The remaining sections of Article One of the Constitution establish the specific goals and powers of the United States Congress and its two distinct branches.

For example, Article 1, Section 4 says that the United States Congress is given the autonomy to police its elections and police its members by punishment or expulsion.

Article 1, Section 6 of the Constitution also sets forth how members of the United States Congress are to be compensated.

How Bills Become Laws (And How the President Can Stop Them)

Article 1, Section 7 of the US Constitution dictates how bills are passed through the House of Representatives, then through the Senate , and finally, make it to the US President’s desk.

The president has veto power, which means that the president can choose not to pass the said bill into law.

However, if the president agrees with the bill, they will sign it, and the bill will be passed into law.

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The Terms of Article One Are Important for Understanding Congress’ Powers

Article 1, Sections 8 and Article 1, Section 9, and Article 1, Section 10 of Article 1 give the United States Congress a few more essential powers, such as the power to print and regulate money, the ability to establish post offices, the power to appoint federal courts beneath their jurisdiction, and, perhaps most importantly, the power to declare war.

While the Constitution of the United States was cautious in giving no single branch of the United States government total control, it does give a large amount of power to its legislative branch.

Effects of 13th Amendment

The 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865 and affects article 1 of the constitution. The 13th Amendment effectively abolished slavery and gave them constitutional rights.

Therefore in Article 1, when it refers to free men or citizens, that definition is changed by the 13th Amendment.

Here’s a table that summarizes Article 1 of the US Constitution:

This table provides a brief summary of the 10 sections of Article 1 of the US Constitution, which outlines the powers and structure of the legislative branch of the federal government.

The following is a graphical representation of Article 1 of the Constitution. Feel free to borrow it or print it out as long as you keep the reference to this website. You can click on it for a larger copy.

Click on the following video for more information about Article 1:

Article 1 Quiz

If you would like to download a PDF with our quiz, then please go to:

Download the quiz PDF

Alternatively, you can take our online quiz here:

Edward Savey

12 responses.

I challenge your note that “Article 1 Section 9 Clause 1 – Importation of Slaves; is shown as no longer in effect since its built in date has passed.” It only prohibits Congress from enacting prohibitions prior to January 1, 1808. The law that Congress passed effective 1/1/1808 only prohibited Importation of Slaves. The Migration of persons a State thinks proper to admit has not been prohibited by Congress. The exception being that “Migration or Importation” was prohibited in the Alien Contract Labor Act of 1885 which was enacted February 28, 1885. That Act was later rescinded.

If you want to talk about the rescinded Labor Act of 1885… deal with the democrats… Why do you think Slaves were considered 3/5.. that was to slow the role of the democrats having too much power…open your eyes to the evil of the democrats.

The Democratic party is no longer the “solid south” nor is the Republican party any longer true to the ideals of Lincoln belatedly championed. The south is now a stronghold for Republicans who have until very recently argued that the traitorous flag of the Confederacy and its famous leaders should have some place of honor in the Union they sought to sunder to keep humans as slaves. Learning about history is important, but things change. Republicans are now on the wrong side of Jim Crow and the long cruel shadow it has cast across our country.

Well said Some people just don’t like History..

Only U S Citizens should receive Social Security benefits. If a immigrant wants to become a citizen then they should be eligible. Illegal immigrants should not be eligible for any U S benefits

I agree that no immigrant that has not followed the proceedures to become a citizen, should never be allowed to benefit from the Social Security that is paid by hard working citizens. Unfortunately the government/IRS has been borrowing from Social Security, our monies for decades. No one seems to be able to stop the theft let alone prevent them from giving our funds to illegals. They don’t even pay back the funds they borrow.

That’s not true.. You should go read the policy from the Social Security Administration..

The Gov cannot physically take money out of your acct.. However, there is nothing in the policy saying that they can’t take a collateral loan against the Social Security Trust Fund.. Your Money is still there.. Go read the policy..

And they do not. That is a lie that Republicans have made up just to rile you and the rest of the supporters up..

I have a question about who can be a representative or senator. This is part of what I read: “No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained the age of 25….’who shall not when elected, be an inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.”

I don’t understand. How can you be elected to a state in which you are not an inhabitant? I asked a lawyer and he says that is not how it is done NOW. But I don’t see where that was amended. Help please.

It’s the double negatives that make it confusing. “No person shall be a Representative who: (a) hasn’t turned 25; and (b) will not live in the state that elected them (after they are elected).” If you flip it, and remove the negatives: “A person shall be a Representative who (a) has turned 25; and (b) will live in the state that elected them. “

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The first amendment, legislative branch.

Signing Details

Signed in convention September 17, 1787. Ratified June 21, 1788. A portion of Article I, Section 2, was changed by the 14th Amendment; a portion of Section 9 was changed by the 16th Amendment; a portion of Section 3 was changed by the 17th Amendment; and a portion of Section 4 was changed by the 20th Amendment

Section 1: Congress

All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

Interpretations & Debate

Read interpretations of article i, section 1.

Section 2: The House of Representatives

The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.

Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.

When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies.

The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers;and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

Read Interpretations of Article I, Section 2

Section 3: The Senate

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.

Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies.

No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.

The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.

The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.

Read Interpretations of Article I, Section 3

Section 4: Elections

The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.

The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day.

Read Interpretations of Article I, Section 4

Section 5: Powers and Duties of Congress

Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members,and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.

Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.

Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal.

Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.

Read Interpretations of Article I, Section 5

Section 6: Rights and Disabilities of Members

The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.

No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.

Read Interpretations of Article I, Section 6

Section 7: Legislative Process

All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.

Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.

Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill.

Read Interpretations of Article I, Section 7

Section 8: Powers of Congress

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises , to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards and other needful Buildings;-And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Read Interpretations of Article I, Section 8

Section 9: Powers Denied Congress

The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.

The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.

No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.

No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken.

No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.

No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another.

No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

Read Interpretations of Article I, Section 9

Section 10: Powers Denied to the States

No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.

No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Controul of the Congress.

No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.

Read Interpretations of Article I, Section 10

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Lesson Plan: Enumerated and Implied Powers of Congress

Enumerated and implied powers.

Peter Sagal discussed the difference between enumerated and implied powers.

Description

Article I Section 8 of the Constitution lists powers expressly delegated to Congress. This lesson has students learn about the concepts of enumerated and implied powers of Congress and explore real life examples of these powers. Students will use the Constitution Clips resources to summarize the specific enumerated powers and identify the additional powers of Congress implied by them. This lesson works well in classes with one-to-one devices or could be adapted to fit a flipped classroom.

INTRODUCTION:

Begin the class by viewing the following video clip that provides an overview of enumerated and implied powers. Students should answer the questions associated with the clip. After viewing the clip, review the answers with the students to ensure they have an understanding of the concepts.

Video Clip: Enumerated and Implied Powers (2:15)

Explain what is meant by enumerated powers. Where are they found?

What is the Necessary and Proper Clause? What does this do to the powers of Congress?

• What are examples of these implied powers of Congress from the video clip?

EXPLORATION:

Assign each of the enumerated powers of Congress found in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution to individual students or small groups. Have the students use the Constitution Clips website or the links below to view video clips about each power. Use the Enumerated Power Handout to summarize the assigned power and record implied powers associated with it. Students should determine what other powers would be "necessary and proper" in order for Congress to execute these enumerated powers. Students will present their summaries and implied powers to the class and the class will complete the chart.

EXPRESSED POWERS:

Lay and Collect Taxes

Borrow Money

• Regulate Commerce

Naturalization Rules

Bankruptcy Rules

Punishments for Counterfeiting

Establish Post Offices

Patents and Copyrights

Establish Lower Courts

Maritime Crimes

Declare War

Raise and Support Armies

Provide and Maintain a Navy

Rules for the Military

Call Forth Militias

Organize Militias

• Rules for the Capital

APPLICATION:

After students have completed the Enumerated Power Handout, students will work in small groups to rank these enumerated powers from most important to least important. Each group will share their rankings with the class and explain why they chose this order.

CONCLUSION:

As an exit slip, have the students individually respond to the following prompt:

• Explain the importance of the Necessary and Proper Clause to the functioning of Congress.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

Argumentative Essay Free Response Question- Foreign Policy Powers Respond to this writing prompt (Google Doc) presented in the style of the Argumentative Question component of the redesigned AP Government and Politics exam.

Concept Application Questions Free Response Question- Respond to this writing prompt (Google Doc) presented in the style of the Argumentative Question component of the redesigned AP Government and Politics exam.

Rewrite the Constitution- If you were to write the Constitution today, what enumerated powers would you include? Recreate Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution to reflect our nation's current values, technology and ideals. After rewriting these powers, explain why you choose these.

Research a Bill- Using the C-SPAN's Congressional Chronicle , choose a bill that was recently introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. Research the proposed legislation and provide the following for the bill:

• Name, Number and Sponsor(s)
• Summary of the Bill
• An explanation of which enumerated power(s) of Congress this bill relates to

Additional Prompts:

• Should the powers of Congress have been more specifically described in the Constitution?
• Is the federal government given too much power through the necessary and proper clause?
• Does Congress and the federal government have the appropriate amount of power? Explain your reasoning.

Additional Resources

• Enumerated Powers Handout - Google Docs

Video clips from C-SPAN

In this lesson, students will learn about the powers of Congress, how they have evolved throughout history, and their impact on public policy.

• Constitution
• Counterfeit
• Elastic Clause
• Enumerated Power
• Expressed Powers
• House Of Representatives
• Implied Powers
• Intellectual Property
• Naturalization
• Necessary And Proper Clause

The Annenberg Guide to the United States Constitution

Article I, Section 8

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;—And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

The Meaning

Article I, Section 8, specifies the powers of Congress in great detail. These powers are limited to those listed and those that are “necessary and proper” to carry them out. All other lawmaking powers are left to the states. The First Congress, concerned that the limited nature of the federal government was not clear enough in the original Constitution, later adopted Amendment X, which reserves to the states or to the people all the powers not specifically granted to the federal government.

The most important of the specific powers that the Constitution enumerates is the power to set taxes, tariffs and other means of raising federal revenue, and to authorize the expenditure of all federal funds. In addition to the tax powers in Article I, Amendment XVI authorized Congress to establish a national income tax. The power to appropriate federal funds is known as the “power of the purse.” It gives Congress great authority over the executive branch, which must appeal to Congress for all of its funding. The federal government borrows money by issuing bonds. This creates a national debt, which the United States is obligated to repay.

Since the turn of the 20th century, federal legislation has dealt with many matters that had previously been managed by the states. In passing these laws, Congress often relies on power granted by the commerce clause, which allows Congress to regulate business activities “among the states.”

The commerce clause gives Congress broad power to regulate many aspects of our economy and to pass environmental or consumer protections because so much of business today, either in manufacturing or distribution, crosses state lines. But the commerce clause powers are not unlimited.

In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has expressed greater concern for states’ rights. It has issued a series of rulings that limit the power of Congress to pass legislation under the commerce clause or other powers contained in Article I, Section 8. For example, these rulings have found unconstitutional federal laws aimed at protecting battered women or protecting schools from gun violence on the grounds that these types of policy matters are properly managed by the states.

In addition, Congress has the power to coin money, create the postal service, army, navy and lower federal courts, and to declare war. Congress also has the responsibility of determining naturalization, how immigrants become citizens. Such laws must apply uniformly and cannot be modified by the states.

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Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she boards Air Force Two after a campaign event July 23, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP)

'Border czar'? Kamala Harris assigned to tackle immigration's causes, not border security

If your time is short.

In March 2021, President Joe Biden tasked Vice President Kamala Harris with working alongside officials in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to address the issues driving people to leave those countries and come to the United States.

The Biden-Harris administration said it would focus on five key issues: economic insecurity, corruption, human rights, criminal gang violence and gender-based violence.

Border security and management is the Homeland Security secretary’s responsibility.

Vice President Kamala Harris might soon get a new official title: 2024 Democratic presidential nominee. In the meantime, Republicans have revived a title they gave her in 2021: "border czar." 

Claims that President Joe Biden named Harris the "border czar" and that she is responsible for overseeing U.S. border enforcement gained prominence at the Republican National Convention as the party sought to link her to his immigration policy. 

The refrain intensified once Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris. It was echoed in ads and by Trump campaign surrogates, including Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance , the Republican vice presidential nominee.

"Here’s Biden appointing Kamala Harris to be his border czar to deal with illegal immigration," a narrator says in a video the Republican National Committee posted on its X account, @GOP. "And here are a record number of illegal immigrants — 10 million and counting — flooding over the border after Harris was put in charge of stopping illegal immigration."

We’ve repeatedly fact-checked claims about the number of people entering the U.S. illegally under Biden. The federal data tracks how many times officials encountered a person trying to cross the southern border, but it doesn’t reflect the number of people let in. And if one person tries to cross the border multiple times, that counts as multiple encounters, even if it’s the same person. 

For this fact-check, we’re focused on the scope of Harris’ border responsibilities. 

"Border Czar Kamala Harris' reversal of President Trump's immigration policies has created an unprecedented and illegal immigration, humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border," Trump campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told PolitiFact in a statement. 

But Biden didn’t put Harris in charge of overseeing border security.

In a meeting with Harris in March 2021 , Biden said Harris would lead U.S. diplomatic efforts and work with officials in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to stem migration to the U.S. Biden said that when he was vice president, he "got a similar assignment" and that the Obama administration secured $700 million to help countries in Central America.

"One of the ways we learned is that if you deal with the problems in country, it benefits everyone. It benefits us, it benefits the people, and it grows the economies there," Biden said then.

Biden asked Harris "to be the chief diplomatic officer with Central American countries" and address the root causes that make people leave their home countries, said Michelle Mittelstadt, communications director for the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. 

Managing the border "has always been" the Homeland Security secretary’s role, Mittelstadt said.

Biden tasked Harris with addressing the root causes influencing people’s decisions to migrate to the United States.

"I’ve asked her … to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that help — are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border," Biden said in March 2021.

Biden held a similar role as vice president to former President Barack Obama. In a 2015 New York Times opinion piece, Biden said he would work with the Northern Triangle’s leaders on security, anti-corruption and investment efforts in the region.

"Donald Trump’s administration didn’t really sustain this strategy, but what Harris sought to revive in 2021 ran along the same lines," said Adam Isacson, defense oversight director at Washington Office on Latin America, a group advocating for human rights in the Americas. 

Within weeks of Biden’s remarks about Harris’ role, Republicans including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., began calling Harris the " border czar " often in tandem with pointing out she had not yet been to the border.

In April 2021, when a reporter asked Harris whether she would visit the border, she said that her role is addressing the factors that make people leave their home countries, not managing the border.

Featured Fact-check

"The president has asked (Homeland Security) Secretary (Alejandro) Mayorkas to address what is going on at the border. And he has been working very hard at that, and it’s showing some progress because of his hard work," Harris said at an event . "I have been asked to lead the issue of dealing with root causes in the Northern Triangle, similar to what the then-vice president did many years ago."

Harris said she’d focus on economic struggles, violence, corruption and food insecurity in the countries. 

In June 2021, Harris visited El Paso, Texas, with Mayorkas. They outlined their responsibilities to reporters. Harris said she was addressing "the root causes of migration, predominantly out of Central America," and Mayorkas said, "It is my responsibility as the Secretary of Homeland Security to address the security and management of our border."

But this distinction didn’t stop critics from linking Harris with U.S.-Mexico border security. 

"The administration’s messaging on this in mid-2021 was not as clear as it should have been," Isacson said. "But at no time did Harris or the White House state that her duties included the U.S.-Mexico border, or border security."

Immigration experts said it’s hard to measure Harris’ success in her role, and that a "root causes" approach implies that the results will be seen long term, not immediately.

In July 2021, the administration published a strategy , with Harris writing the lead message, for confronting the factors that drive migration in Central America. The plan focused on economic insecurity, corruption, human rights, criminal gang violence and gender-based violence.

In March 2024, the administration said it secured more than $5.2 billion in private sector investments to the region. However, only about $1 billion has been distributed, the Partnership for Central America, a group working with the administration, reported .

The White House said the investments have generated more than 70,000 new jobs in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, provided job training to 1 million people and expanded digital access to 4.5 million people. 

"Still, her engagement on this issue has been sporadic," Isacson said. "She has not traveled very often to the region or otherwise sought to make ‘root causes in Central America’ a central theme of her vice presidency."

Illegal immigration at the U.S. southern border from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador has dropped since 2021. Encounters with people from other countries, Venezuela, have risen . 

"But it’s hard to prove that U.S. assistance is a central reason" for the Northern Triangle countries’ decline, Isacson said.

The issues pushing people to leave Central American countries "are extremely complex and require deep restructuring of so much in those societies," said Cecilia Menjivar, a sociology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles who specializes on immigration. "So it’s very difficult for one person to change all that, even if it is a powerful person."

Immigration patterns at the U.S.-Mexico border have more to do with conditions in Latin American countries than "any U.S. policy," Mittelstadt said. 

For example, a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela has displaced nearly 8 million people since 2014, according to the United Nations. Political, economic and security crises in Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Ecuador have also led to more migration from these countries, Mittelstadt said. 

In contrast, immigration encounters with people from El Salvador have dropped in past years, partly because of the country’s crime crackdown .

The Republican National Committee said Biden appointed Harris "to be his border czar to deal with illegal immigration...Harris was put in charge of stopping illegal immigration."

Biden tasked Harris with addressing the root causes that drive migration to the United States. He did not task her with controlling who and how many people enter the southern U.S. border. That's the Homeland Security secretary’s responsibility.

Experts say that seeing the results of addressing root causes driving people out of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras  — violence, economic insecurity and corruption — takes time.

The statement contains an element of truth, but it ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate it Mostly False.

Read About Our Process

The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter

Our Sources

Truth Social, post , July 22, 2024

The Hill, House Republicans tee up vote condemning Harris as ‘border czar’ , July 23, 2024

C-SPAN, Sen. J.D. Vance campaign rally in Radford, Virginia , July 22, 2024

GOP, post on X , July 21, 2024

PolitiFact, Francis Suarez’s misleading claim about millions of migrants getting free cellphones, plane tickets , July 28, 2024

PolitiFact, There aren’t 20 million to 30 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally, as Sen. Marco Rubio claimed , June 11, 2024

The White House, Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris in a meeting on immigration , March 24, 2021

PolitiFact, Central America and the root causes of migration to the US , June 7, 2021

The New York Times, Joe Biden: A Plan for Central America , Jan. 29, 2015

The White House, Remarks by Vice President Harris at virtual roundtable of experts on the Northern Triangle , April 14, 2021

The White House, Remarks by Vice President Harris, Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas, Chairman Durbin, and Representative Escobar in press gaggle , June 25, 2021

Fox News, Obama-era DHS secretary: 'There's a real problem' when you have 'bipartisan outrage' , July 23, 2024

The White House, FACT SHEET: Strategy to address the root causes of migration in Central America , July 29, 2021

The White House, FACT SHEET: Vice President Harris announces public-private partnership has generated more than $5.2 billion in private sector commitments for Northern Central America , March 25, 2024

Migration Policy Institute, Shifting patterns and policies reshape migration to U.S.-Mexico border in major ways in 2023 , October 2023

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Venezuela crisis explained , April 17, 2024

PolitiFact, Donald Trump fact-check: 2024 RNC speech in Milwaukee full of falsehoods about immigrants, economy , July 19, 2024

CBS News, The facts about Kamala Harris' role on immigration in the Biden administration , July 23, 2024

Email interview, Michelle Mittelstadt, communications director for the Migration Policy Institute, July 22, 2024

Email interview, Adam Isacson, defense oversight director at Washington Office on Latin America, July 22, 2024

Email interview, Henry Ziemer, research associate for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, July 22, 2024

Email interview, Cecilia Menjivar, sociology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, July 22, 2024

Statement, Karoline Leavitt,  Trump campaign national press secretary, July 23, 2024

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'Border czar'? Kamala Harris assigned to tackle immigration's causes, not border security

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Takeaways from AP’s investigation into DEA corruption, agent accused of rape

FILE - This June 13, 2016 photo shows Drug Enforcement Administration agents in Florida. Thousands of secret law enforcement documents offer a never-before-seen window into a rape case and a culture of corruption among federal narcotics agents who parlayed the DEA’s shadowy money laundering operations into a worldwide pursuit of binge drinking and illicit sex. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP, File)

This October 2014 photo obtained by The Associated Press shows then-U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Agents Jose Irizarry and George Zoumberos in a rooftop pool at a luxury hotel in Cartagena, Colombia, during a DEA assignment for “Operation White Wash.” Irizarry long considered Zoumberos a brother but in his interviews with investigators accused his former partner of a list of crimes. (AP Photo)

FILE - This 2017 photo obtained by The Associated Press shows Jose Irizarry in Cartagena, Colombia. Irizarry, a former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent serving a 12-year federal prison term for laundering money for the very Colombian drug cartels he was sworn to police, has maintained to AP in recent interviews that he was not a rogue agent and accountability is long overdue for the many others who joined him in a wild ride that mocked the DEA’s mission. (AP Photo/File)

This combination of 2012-2017 photos obtained from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration shows U.S. dollars, Colombian pesos, euros and Canadian dollars involved in the DEA’s shadowy international money laundering investigations. An Associated Press investigation raises questions about the efficacy of this little-known law enforcement tool, which has been criticized for facilitating the flow of millions of dollars in cartel funds. (DEA via AP)

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MIAMI (AP) — Thousands of secret law enforcement documents obtained by The Associated Press offer a never-before-seen window into a culture of corruption among U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents who parlayed the agency’s shadowy money laundering operations into a worldwide pursuit of binge drinking and illicit sex.

Among the documents is a recovered WhatsApp chat, in which a group of agents bragged about what they called a “world debauchery tour” on the government’s dime, exchanged lurid images of their latest sexual conquests and even joked at one point about “forcible anal rape.”

That exchange seemed even darker months later when one of the agents in the chat was accused of that very crime in Spain.

The newly obtained documents show the 2018 arrest of George Zoumberos on charges accusing him of forcing anal sex on a 23-year-old woman in a Madrid hotel room set off alarms at the highest levels of the DEA. The case finally ended with the charges dismissed and the agent given a letter of reprimand.

Here are some of the key findings of the AP investigation .

What does the WhatsApp chat show?

The yearlong group chat, recovered by federal authorities, included five DEA agents identified by AP. Among them was José Irizarry, a notoriously corrupt agent and ringleader of the debauchery now serving a 12-year federal prison sentence.

The chat portrays life in the DEA as an unending, degenerate party. Agents planned DEA travel around binge-drinking and sex with no fear their encrypted messages would ever be read by anyone else.

“Tough life this war on drugs,” an agent quipped in one message.

Before one jaunt, an agent wrote colleagues he was “hoping you’ve organized some welcome p---y for me tomorrow when I land.”

References to anal sex were so common in the group chat that agents coined a term for it – pancaking – and often accompanied such mentions with an emoji of a stack of pancakes.

There were frequent mentions of prostitutes and at least two references to assaulting them and leaving it to an informant to “clean up” the mess.

What happened in the rape case?

On the night of the alleged sexual assault in Madrid in April 2018, Zoumberos told authorities the woman approached him at a bar and they eventually went back to his hotel.

Zoumberos, married and 38 at the time, maintained the interaction was consensual and told the DEA that the woman was “never upset.”

The woman gave a completely different account in her first public remarks about the case. “I told him very clearly that I didn’t want to have sex,” she told AP, which does not typically identify those who say they are victims of sexual assault.

She said she told Zoumberos she could not have sex because she was having her period. Around 3 a.m., the woman said, police and an ambulance arrived and found her bruised around the wrists and Zoumberos drunk. She told AP she locked herself in the bathroom before fleeing the hotel through the fire exit in a state of shock.

Zoumberos was briefly jailed in Madrid but released within hours following a jailhouse visit from U.S. Embassy officials. A Spanish judge later dismissed the case, ruling only that the allegations were not “duly justified.” The agent eventually returned to duty with a DEA letter of reprimand chiding him for “poor judgment.”

Internal records and interviews show the DEA never spoke with the woman or attempted to reconstruct what happened the night of the alleged rape.

“We dropped the ball,” a law enforcement official familiar with the matter told AP, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss internal investigations.

Zoumberos, who now lives in North Carolina, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Have any agents faced accountability?

The DEA has refused for years to discuss its handling of the arrest. It did not answer detailed questions from AP about the case but said in a statement that “the alleged misconduct in this case is egregious and unacceptable and does not reflect the high standards expected of all DEA personnel.”

Ben Greenberg, a former U.S. attorney in Miami who reviewed the messages at AP’s request, called them “beyond inappropriate.”

“In the context of such serious criminal allegations,” he said, “the chats look like evidence of a crime and not just grotesque banter.”

The FBI and a federal grand jury in Tampa have been investigating DEA misconduct in money laundering probes for years, following a roadmap sketched out by Irizarry, who pleaded guilty to corruption counts in 2020. But so far, Irizarry is the only government employee to face criminal charges.

Of the agents in the group chat, only one remains with the DEA today. Three others were among at least a dozen agents disciplined or ousted for either participating in the bacchanalia or failing to sound the alarms about it.

More than a year after his rape arrest, Zoumberos resigned from the DEA after invoking his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination in refusing to testify to the grand jury.

After Administrator Anne Milgram took the reins of the DEA in 2021, the agency placed new controls on how funds can be used in money laundering stings, and warned agents they can now be fired for a first offense of misconduct if serious enough, a departure from prior administrations.