Emergency Power vs. Democratic Principles: The National Emergencies Act

• In Event: Revisiting Watergate: Crisis, Renewal, and the Presidency

Abstract

The 1976 National Emergencies Act was designed to strike a balance between power and limits on power by providing presidents with statutorily defined authority to respond to emergencies. Under the law, Congress was provided with the tools and responsibility to help strike this balance. Nearly 50 years later, has the National Emergencies Act delivered on this promise? If not, what can be done to strengthen the law?

Author

• Chris Edelson, American University