The Handbook for Integrity in the United States Congress

The United States Congress has been a mess for decades regarding their willingness to make decisions that are best for the country not their political agenda including investigations and legislation they have either passed or attempted to get passed. Legislative actions must conform to the content of the Constitution.

The institution of Congress and their responsibilities and for that matter the federal government is in a state of dysfunction based on the activity or the lack of it in getting things done. The federal government has grown to an out of control entity and needs to change the way it operates but to determine what changes are necessary it is important to understand the requirements and the responsibilities.

The federal government and specifically the Executive Department have grown to 15 cabinet positions some of which have a constitutional base for their existence but their actions raise some questions. The constitutional basis for other departments does not exist. It is understood that the Constitution was written at a time when which is quite different than the world we live in today. In addition the volume of laws passed by Congress and the regulations issued by the Executive Departments and agencies has widened the reach of the federal government. Curbing the reach of the federal government is the responsibility of Congress to take the necessary steps to reduce this reach.

Our Constitution is a living document and has seen amendments added to it over the years but these amendments did not include adding additional Executive Departments and agencies. Over the years as the needs of citizens sometimes change. In some respects based on the world as it has been throughout our history additional departments and agencies have been created to fill a need at the federal government level. While this is good the reach of these departments and agencies in some cases need to be examined.

Examining all the responsibilities of Congress including those in the Constitution and those not specifically identified but implied in relation to protecting the rights of all Americans will be discussed. All unconstitutional agencies, departments and programs should be reviewed to determine what actions Congress should take in keeping them as they are, revising their responsibilities or eliminating them entirely. This is the aim of this book. If policies are initiated which have no constitutional basis Congress must take appropriate action.

Below are the specific responsibilities of the federal government.

1) Defense, war prosecution, peace, foreign relations, foreign commerce, and interstate commerce;

2) The protection of citizens’ constitutional rights (e.g the right to vote) and ensuring that slavery remains illegal;

3) Establishing federal courts inferior to the SCOTUS;

4) Copyright protection;

5) Coining money;

6) Establishing post offices and post roads;

7) Establishing a national set of universal weights and measures;

8 ) Taxation needed to raise revenue to perform these essential functions.

The above responsibilities are clearly defined within the Constitution. We as citizens need to make sure the government does not slack in their duty to honor these responsibilities. Having a process in place to not only provide for these responsibilities but ensuring the funding is there to be solvent where organizations exist to provide the service/responsibility.