General Welfare

The Constitution says Congress can spend money for the “general welfare.” When did the Supreme Court begin to interpret the “Welfare” clause as a general grant of power that allows Congress to spend money for practically anything – 1875, 1901, or 1936?Answer: 1936 (In the famous Butler case, the Supreme Court unlawfully changed the Constitution by saying that Congress would no longer be restricted to spending money for the twenty purposes delegated to it in the Constitution. Instead, they granted Congress almost unlimited power to spend money for anything it felt was for the good of the people – even if it was for local needs for private individuals.)