Johnny Isakson: “amendment No. 1574 modifying the Congressional authorization for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, SHEP, is clearly…”

“amendment No. 1574 modifying the Congressional authorization for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, SHEP, is clearly supported in the Constitution. Article I of the Constitution grants Congress the power to authorize and appropriate funds and Article I, Section 8, specifically grants Congress the power ``To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with Indian Tribes.'' The power of Congress to fund the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project is unquestionably granted by the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. The Supreme Court has also expressly stated that ``Commerce with foreign nations means commerce between citizens of the United States and citizens or subjects of foreign governments. It means trade, and it means intercourse. It means commercial intercourse between nations, and parts of nations, in all its branches. It includes navigation, as the principal means by which foreign intercourse is affected.'' The power to regulate, authorize, and appropriate funding for the ports comes from the authority to regulate navigation, arising from the Commerce Clause. The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, and by extension all harbor deepening projects, involves the general welfare of the United States. The Port of Savannah is a turnstile for cargo that impacts the United States as a whole.…”