With the passage of time, weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation became apparent; Congress commanded little respect and no support from state governments anxious to maintain their power. Congress could not raise funds, regulate trade, or conduct foreign policy without the voluntary agreement of the states.

Congress has the power to:

• Make laws.
• Declare war.
• Raise and provide public money and oversee its proper expenditure.
• Impeach and try federal officers.
• Approve presidential appointments.
• Approve treaties negotiated by the executive branch.
• Oversight and investigations.

According to the Supreme Court, lawmakers in Congress have the primary responsibility for regulating immigration. This power is considered “plenary,” meaning the courts have little oversight of immigration laws passed by Congress.

The clause states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside.”

The president is constitutionally required to be natural born, but foreign–born senators need only nine years of U.S. citizenship to qualify for office. Constitutional qualifications to be a senator are specified in Article I, section 3.

L. Tammy Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand, the daughter of Franklin Duckworth and Lamai Sompornpairin. Under long-standing US law, she is a natural-born citizen because her father was American.

The Congressional Research Service notes that the vast majority of Members (95 percent) had an academic degree:

• 168 Representatives and 57 Senators had a law degree.
• 83 Representatives and 16 Senators earned a master’s degree – often a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) – as their highest educational degree.