The United States Constitution
The Fiscal and Monetary Powers Clause are two of Congress’ enumerated powers found in the Constitution of the United States, Article. I. Section. 8., clause 5 and clause 6:
(Clause 5 – Money)
[The Congress shall have Power] To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
(Clause 6 – Counterfeiting)
[The Congress shall have Power] To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
The World Leader in Counterfeiting: Lima’s Fake Dollars
From the U.S. Senate web site:
These clauses permit Congress to coin money and to issue paper currency. By extension, under its ability to enact laws “necessary and proper” to carry out these powers (as stated at the end of Article 1, Section 8), Congress created the Federal Reserve System to regulate the nation’s monetary supply.
What is the Gold Standard? – Learn Liberty
Article I, section 8 authorizes Congress to borrow funds and to coin money and regulate its value. The Constitution neither expressly grants nor precludes congressional power to establish a national banking system, to emit bills of credit that can be used to pay debts to the national government, to promote a paper‐money currency by making such bills of credit legal tender for all public and private debts or to control the value of that currency. By the 1930s the Supreme Court found all these to be implied powers.
Fiscal and Monetary Powers, by James May, Answers.com
Currency in Circulation: Value – From The Federal Reserve
The Secret Service Division was created on July 5, 1865 in Washington, D.C., to suppress counterfeit currency. Chief William P. Wood was sworn in by Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch.
Confessions: Master Counterfeiter Prints a Fortune – ABC News
More
- Pocket Constitution
- The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription – The National Archives
- United States Constitution: Texts, Commentaries, Historical Texts and Judicial Decisions – Law Library of Congress
- CRS Annotated Constitution
- The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation – FDsys
- Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation, Govinfo.gov
- CRS Annotated Constitution, LII
- Heritage Guide to the Constitution
- “Federalism and the Constitution: Limits on Congressional Power,” CRS Report RL30315 (31-page PDF
)
- “Legislative Powers of Congress: A Brief Reference Guide,” CRS Report 97-434 (20-page PDF
)
- “Common Legal Questions and Answers Concerning Currency, Legal Tender and Money,” CRS Report 83-150 (21-page PDF
)
- U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing – www.moneyfactory.gov
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Weights and Measures Division
- United States Secret Service
- Clauses 5 and 6. Fiscal and Monetary Powers of the United States – from Cornell’s Legal Information Institute
- Fiscal and Monetary Powers of the United States – from FindLaw
- United States Mint – from Wikipedia
- National Institute of Standards and Technology – from Wikipedia
- Counterfeit money – from Wikipedia
- Gold standard – from Wikipedia
- Fiat money – from Wikipedia
- Fear and Loathing in the CPI

A free download of our Pocket Constitution is available on Scribd.
Our Pocket Constitution: details on our web site.
The Five Thousand Year Leap: 28 Great Ideas That Changed the World
The American Patriot’s Almanac: Daily Readings on America
Pocket Constitution
The Federalist Papers
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution
The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution
The Essential American: 25 Documents and Speeches Every American Should Own
The Founders’ Key: The Divine and Natural Connection Between the Declaration and the Constitution and What We Risk by Losing It
Logical Foundations of Constitutional Liberty
The Reason of Rules: Constitutional Political Economy
Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788
Constitutional Law for Criminal Justice
Courses
- Congressional Operations Briefing – Capitol Hill Workshop
- Drafting Federal Legislation and Amendments
- Writing for Government and Business: Critical Thinking and Writing
- Custom, On-Site Training
For more than 40 years, TheCapitol.Net and its predecessor, Congressional Quarterly Executive Conferences, have been teaching professionals from government, military, business, and NGOs about the dynamics and operations of the legislative and executive branches and how to work with them.
Our custom on-site and online training, publications, and audio courses include congressional operations, legislative and budget process, communication and advocacy, media and public relations, testifying before Congress, research skills, legislative drafting, critical thinking and writing, and more.
TheCapitol.Net is on the GSA Schedule, MAS, for custom on-site and online training. GSA Contract GS02F0192X
TheCapitol.Net is a non-partisan small business.
Teaching how Washington and Congress work ™