Memphis Standard

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today questioned expert witnesses at a hearing before the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management titled “Never Ending Emergencies – An Examination of the National Emergencies Act.” When he was Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, Congressman Cohen held hearings on the National Emergencies Act and achieved bipartisan support for its reform.

In his line of questioning, Congressman Cohen focused on the need to separate these structural issues from the politics and personalities of the day, and compared this effort to his work to limit the President’s pardon power:

“This is an important area … I introduced it when Trump was President and I introduced it when Biden was President.  It’s the issue.  The president can get away with all kinds of things that he shouldn’t and Congress is surrendering its power. I did the same thing with pardons. I had a bill for the whole time President Trump was in about pardons and re-entered it now. I don’t care if it’s Hunter Biden or if it’s Donald Trump Jr.: Presidents shouldn’t be pardoning family members, shouldn’t be pardoning campaign people, et cetera. It goes for either party. And I hope it [reforming the National Emergencies Act] gets traction now because it’s the principle that’s important.”

See his exchange with the witnesses here.

Witnesses at today’s hearing were:

• Mr. Soren Dayton, Director of Governance, Niskanen Center;
• Mr. Satya Thallam, Policy Advisor, Arnold & Porter;
• Ms. Elizabeth Goitein, Senior Director, Liberty and National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law

Original source can be found here.