08/13/2026
Most Americans have no idea theyâve been living under emergency powers for their entire lives.
And even fewer realize that it doesnât matter who you vote for, both sides of the political aisle have been quietly expanding those powers, term after term, for nearly a century.
Trump has already signed 8 new emergency acts during his recent termâŚ
It all began in 1933, when the Emergency Banking Act was passed. On paper, it was framed as a temporary measure to stabilize the economy during the Great Depression. In reality, it handed the president sweeping authority to bypass the Constitution whenever a âstate of emergencyâ was declared.
Weâre talking about powers to:
Seize private property
Control production and distribution of goods
Take over communications and transportation
Deploy the military domestically
Restrict travel
Suspend basic constitutional rights
The catch? That âtemporaryâ state of emergency has never been lifted. We have been living under emergency rule since 1933, through wars, recessions, pandemics, and everything in between. And every administration, regardless of party, has found ways to keep it going and add more authority to the list.
The most obvious example in recent memory was COVID, when freedoms were stripped away overnight âfor public safety.â But that wasnât a new playbook, it was the same mechanism that has been in place for almost a century.
This is the reality most people have no idea theyâre living in.
And the question we should be asking isnât when theyâll take back those powersâŚ
Itâs what else theyâre planning to do with them next.
I break this down in detail in my most recent True Health Report Podcast.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts.-Andrew Kaufman MD
