Task 5. a) What are the powers of Congress as provided in the Constitution?

The Constitution (Article I, Section 8) empowers the Congress to levy taxes, collect revenue, pay debts and provide for the general welfare; borrow money; regulate interstate and foreign commerce; establish uniform rules of naturalization and bankruptcy; coin money and regulate its value; punish counterfeiters; establish a postal system; enact patent and copyright laws; establish Federal courts inferior to the Supreme Court; declare war; provide for the Armed Forces; impeach and try Federal officers (Sections 2 and 3); and to have exclusive legislative power over the District of Columbia.

In Article II, Section 2, the Senate is given the power to consent to the ratification of treaties and confirm the nomination of public officials. Congress is also given the power to enact such laws as may be "necessary and proper" to implement its mandate in Article I, and in certain amendments to the Constitution.

B) What is the confirmation power of the Senate?

Under Article II of the Constitution, the President appoints, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, Justices of the Supreme Court and Federal judges, and other Federal officers whose appointments are established by law, including the heads of executive branch departments and agencies and independent regulatory commissions. This means that while the President nominates the individuals of these important positions in the Federal Government, the Senate must confirm them before they officially take office. The Senate confirmation process can involve a background check of the nominee, often using information supplied by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; meetings between the nominee and individual Senators; hearings and a vote on the nomination by the committee with jurisdiction over the office; and debate and vote in the full Senate, where a majority is necessary to confirm the appointment.