Defense Production Act (DPA)

Defense Production Act (DPA) (1950)

1) Link to the Text of the Act
Read the statute (50 U.S.C. §§ 4501 et seq.)

2) Why It Was Done
Originally enacted during the Korean War, the DPA was designed to ensure the U.S. government could mobilize and prioritize industrial capacity for national defense needs, including production, materials, and technology.

3) Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights
Built on WWII-era mobilization authority. After the war ended, much of that power lapsed, and the DPA reinstated and modernized it under a peacetime framework.

Acts

National Emergencies Act (NEA)

National Emergencies Act (NEA) (1976)

1) Link to the Text of the Act
Read the statute (50 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq.)

2) Why It Was Done
The NEA was enacted to limit presidential emergency powers by requiring declarations of national emergency to be formally proclaimed, published, and subject to congressional oversight and renewal.

3) Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights
Before 1976, hundreds of emergency statutes had been invoked without clear limits or sunset provisions. The Act was part of post-Watergate reforms to reassert congressional authority.

Acts

International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)

International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) (1977)

1) Link to the Text of the Act
Read the statute (50 U.S.C. §§ 1701–1707)

2) Why It Was Done
Congress passed IEEPA to give the President authority to regulate commerce and block assets during declared national emergencies originating outside the United States, especially threats involving foreign states or actors.

3) Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights
IEEPA replaced parts of the Trading with the Enemy Act (1917), which was considered too broad for peacetime use. The National Emergencies Act (1976) provided the framework within which IEEPA operates.