US President Donald Trump on Friday declared the coronavirus pandemic an emergency by invoking a law known as the Stafford Act. The law, enacted in 1988, empowers the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist state and local governments during natural catastrophes and coordinate the nation’s response.
Only the president can declare a major disaster under the law.
“We have very strong emergency powers under the Stafford Act,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. “I have it memorized, practically, as to the powers in that act. And if I need to do something, I’ll do it. I have the right to do a lot of things that people don’t even know about.”
