§1622 National Emergencies

Summary

The President’s national emergency ends if Congress passes a law (called a joint resolution) that ends it, or if the President issues a proclamation saying it is over. If both a law and a proclamation give end dates, the emergency ends on the earlier date. After that date, emergency powers stop being used, but anything already started—like court cases, actions for acts that happened before the end date, or rights, duties, or penalties that already existed—still continues or stays in effect. Within six months after a national emergency starts, and every six months after that, each House of Congress must meet to vote on whether to end it. A joint resolution to end the emergency must be sent to the right committee and that committee must report it in 15 calendar days. The House or Senate must vote on it within 3 calendar days after the report. If the two Houses disagree, a conference must file a report within 6 calendar days after managers are named, and both Houses must act on that report within 6 days; if conferees can’t agree in 48 hours they must report back they disagree. The emergency also ends automatically on its anniversary unless, within the 90 days before that anniversary, the President publishes a notice in the Federal Register and sends Congress a notice saying the emergency will continue.