Congressmen Cohen Presides at a Hearing Examining Potential Reforms of Emergency Powers

WASHINGTON - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today presided at a hearing examining the potential reforms of the 1976 National Emergencies Act and presidential emergency powers.

Chairman Cohen noted that the Subcommittee examined emergency powers at a hearing in 2019 when then-President Trump attempted to use emergency powers to divert billions of dollars in military construction funding to build a border wall.

In his opening statement, Congressman Cohen said in part:

"Congress passed the National Emergencies Act during a period of post-Watergate reforms after it became increasingly concerned that presidential emergency powers were becoming unwieldly and over-extended. Before 1976, no statutory procedures existed for the presidential declaration of a national emergency, and Congress had no defined supervisory role…

"The American people deserve our continued vigilance on this matter. They deserve to know that a President cannot re-write the law or exploit obscure loopholes in an effort to abuse power."

See the entire opening statement here.

See Chairman Cohen's questioning of witnesses here.

Witnesses at today's hearing were:

• Ms. Elizabeth Goitein, Director, Liberty & National Security, Brennan Center for Justice;
• Mr. Soren Dayton
  Policy Advocate, Protect Democracy;
• Ms. Elizabeth Goitein, Director, Liberty & National Security, Brennan Center for Justice;Mr. GianCarlo Canaparo
  Senior Legal Fellow, Meese Center, The Heritage Foundation;
• Mr. Joel W. McCleary, Managing Partner, Four Seasons Ventures LLC.

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