The president of the United States has the power to order chemical and biological weapons testing on Americans, authorize dumping toxic chemicals or medical waste into the ocean, seize private property from noncitizens and shut down the internet.
That’s because dozens of national emergency powers are on the books that expand the president’s authority to do all this, and much more, without an act of Congress.
A growing discomfort in Washington about this reality is driving an effort to reform the use of national emergency declarations before the November presidential election.