Report of the Special Committee on the Termination of the National Emergency
Senate Report 93-549 was a document issued by the "Special Committee on the Termination of the National Emergency" of the 93rd Congress (Hence the "93" in the name) (1973 to 1975). Its purpose was to discuss and address the 40 year long national emergency that had been in effect in the United States since 1933. During the continued emergency, Congress voted to transfer powers from Congress to the President. The debate to end long-running states of National Emergency was ended in 1976 with the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601-1651), which rescinded the president's authority under the prior emergencies[1][2][3] and established an expiration period (subject to annual presidential renewal) on future declared emergencies.
Content
The report primarily consists of the history of the national emergency and examples of Congressional acts that transferred powers to the President. The report stated, "since March 09, 1933 the United States has been in a state of declared national emergency ... A majority of the people of the United States have lived all of their lives under emergency rule. For 40 years, freedoms and governmental procedures guaranteed by the Constitution have, in varying degrees, been abridged by laws brought into force by states of national emergency."
Modern controversy
This report has been used in opposition to the war on terror under George W. Bush's presidency. Often, it is portrayed as a current report written by the current sitting Congress.[citation needed] It is frequently mentioned by conspiracy theorists.[citation needed]
See also
External links
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- ^ Ackerman, Bruce A. (2007) Before the Next Attack: Preserving Civil Liberties in an Age of Terrorism p. 124 "The National Emergencies Act of 1976 terminated all existing emergencies…"
- ^ Pyle, Christopher H. and Richard M. Pious (1984) The President, Congress, and the Constitution: Power and Legitimacy in American Politics p. 150 "The National Emergencies Act … terminated four existing states of emergency…"
- ^ Hall, Kermit L. et al. (2005) The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States p. 772 "To correct this situation, Congress in 1976 passed the National Emergencies Act, which declared that any and all existing states of emergency would terminate two years from the bill's enactment …"