Title 50, War and National DefenseRelease 119-110
§4514 Limitation on Actions Without Congressional Authorization
Title 50 › CHAPTER 55 — DEFENSE PRODUCTION › SUBCHAPTER I — PRIORITIES AND ALLOCATIONS › § 4514
Summary
Wage or price controls cannot be put in place under this chapter unless Congress first approves them by a joint resolution. No private person can be forced to help produce or support chemical or biological weapons unless the President, or a designee at level I of the Executive Schedule under section 5312 of title 5, authorizes it and does not redelegate that authority.
Full Legal Text
Title 50, §4514
War and National Defense, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Wage or price controls
No provision of this chapter shall be interpreted as providing for the imposition of wage or price controls without the prior authorization of such action by a joint resolution of Congress.
(b)Chemical or biological weapons
No provision of this subchapter shall be exercised or interpreted to require action or compliance by any private person to assist in any way in the production of or other involvement in chemical or biological warfare capabilities, unless authorized by the President (or the President’s designee who is serving in a position at level I of the Executive Schedule in accordance with section 5312 of title 5) without further redelegation.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
This chapter, referred to in subsec. (a), was in the original “this Act”, meaning act Sept. 8, 1950, ch. 932, 64 Stat. 798, known as the Defense Production Act of 1950, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 4501 of this title and Tables. Codification Section was formerly classified to section 2074 of the former Appendix to this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.
Prior Provisions
A prior section 104 of act Sept. 8, 1950, ch. 932, title I, as added
July 31, 1951, ch. 275, title I, § 101(c), 65 Stat. 132; amended
June 30, 1952, ch. 530, § 103, 66 Stat. 297, related to limitations on imports of fats and oils, prior to termination at close of
June 30, 1953, pursuant to section 4564(a) of this title.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
Section deemed to have become effective Mar. 1, 1992, see section 304 of Pub. L. 102–558, set out as an
Effective Date
of 1992 Amendment note under section 4502 of this title.
Executive Documents
Delegation of Authority Authority of President under subsec. (b) of this section delegated to Secretary of Defense, without authority to redelegate, by section 204 of Ex. Ord. No. 13603, Mar. 16, 2012, 77 F.R. 16653, set out as a note under section 4553 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
50 U.S.C. § 4514
Title 50, War and National Defense
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110