National emergencies must be democratically declared

National emergencies must be democratically declared

In November 1979, President Jimmy Carter declared a national emergency in response to the Iran hostage crisis. This declaration is still in effect along with more than 40 others, representing an egregious overreach of executive power that must end. The U.S. executive branch has a long history of using national emergencies to expand its power, usually only temporarily. However, in 1973, a Senate special committee found that four outdated national…