# Plain Language Summary: Limiting Emergency Powers Act of 2021

Right now, when the President declares a national emergency, it can stay in effect for a very long time without Congress having much say in the matter. This bill changes that by requiring Congress to actively approve any emergency declaration within 30 days, or it automatically expires. Think of it like this: instead of an emergency staying active unless Congress votes to stop it, the new rule would be that it stops automatically unless Congress votes to keep it going.

Here's how it would work in practice. When a President declares a national emergency—whether it's for a natural disaster, a security threat, or something else—Congress would have 30 days to pass a joint resolution (basically a formal agreement between the House and Senate) that says "yes, we agree this is an emergency." If Congress doesn't pass this approval within those 30 days, the emergency declaration automatically ends. Congress could also vote to end an emergency at any time, or the President could end it themselves. Once an emergency does end, any money that was moved around to pay for emergency response would go back to where it came from, and any construction contracts started for the emergency would be canceled unless work had already begun.

The bill also sets a two-year limit on approved emergencies. Even if Congress votes to keep an emergency going, it would only last for two years before needing Congress to vote again to renew it. This applies to new emergencies going forward, but the bill also says that any emergencies declared before this law passes would get two years from when the law takes effect before they'd need renewal. The basic idea is to make sure that emergency powers—which are meant to be temporary—actually stay temporary and require ongoing approval from elected representatives in Congress rather than just the President alone.

Limiting Emergency Powers Act of 2021

Rep. Biggs, Andy [R-AZ-5]

Limiting Emergency Powers Act of 2021 This bill provides that a national emergency declared by the President terminates 30 days after a declaration unless a joint resolution affirming such declaration is enacted. All existing emergency declarations expire after two years unless the President requests a renewal that receives congressional approval.