The answer to the question of whether or not the US federal government is too powerful is heavily linked to one’s interpretation of the Constitution. Some conservatives and libertarians would argue that the government has expanded well beyond the limited bounds envisaged by the Founding Fathers and has become the dominant force in US politics. The attempts by the US federal government to sidestep the Constitution and expand its inf luence at the expense of both the states and private citizens seem to support this position.
Historically, when the federal government has wished to extend its powers at the expense of the states, it has often used the interstate commerce clause (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3) as justification for its activities. This tactic allows the federal government to bypass the 10th Amendment, which asserts that powers not expressly granted to the federal government are ‘reserved to the States’.
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