Civics question 58 of 128
Name one power that is only for the federal government.
6 accepted answers
- Print paper money
- Mint coins
- Declare war
- Create an army
- Make treaties
- Set foreign policy
You only need to give one of these. The officer accepts any of them.
Source: official USCIS question list for the 2025 version of the civics test. This site is independent and not affiliated with USCIS.
Background
Any one of these answers: print paper money, mint coins, declare war, create an army, make treaties, or set foreign policy. What these share is that they concern the nation as a single actor, and the Constitution reserves them to the federal government so that fifty states cannot run fifty currencies or fifty foreign policies. Article I, Section 10 states the prohibition directly, barring states from coining money, entering treaties, keeping troops in peacetime, or taxing imports and exports without the consent of Congress. Note that some powers belong to both levels, including taxing, borrowing, building roads, and running courts; these are called concurrent powers. Where a valid federal law and a state law conflict, the Supremacy Clause in Article VI makes the federal one control.
This background section is written by US Citizenship Test Practice to explain the civics fact. It is not part of the USCIS question list, and the official answer above is the one to give at the interview.
Where this question sits
It is part of System of Government, inside the American Government section of the test.