What powers does a president have when a national emergency is declared?
Through federal law, when an emergency is declared, a variety of powers are available to the president to use. The Brennan Center for Justice lists 136 special provisions that become available to a president who declares a national emergency.
A CRS report states, “Under the powers delegated by such statutes, the president may seize property, organize and control the means of production, seize commodities, assign military forces abroad, institute martial law, seize and control all transportation and communication, regulate the operation of private enterprise, restrict travel, and, in a variety of ways, control the lives of United States citizens.”