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Executive Order 13911 🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority Constitutional Fidelity (+0.46) 📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority

Executive Order 13911—Delegating Additional Authority Under the Defense Production Act of 1950 With Respect to Health and Medical Resources To Respond to the Spread of COVID–19

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Friday, March 27, 2020
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7 min read (1,467 words)
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85 Fed. Reg. 18403

Executive Brief • At a Glance

⏱️ 7 min read (1,467 words) • ● In Effect
🎯 Primary Mandate

Notwithstanding Executive Order 13603 of March 16, 2012 (National Defense Resources Preparedness), the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security are each delegated, with respect to responding to the spread of COVID–19 within the United States, the authority of the President conferred by sections 301, 302, and 303 of the Act (50 U.S.C. 4531, 4532, and 4533), and the authority to implement the Act in subchapter III of chapter 55 of title 50, United States Code (50 U.S.C. 4554, 4555, 4556, and 4560).

⚖️ Constitutional Footing
🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority
Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority
🏛️ Scope & Affected Sectors
Armed Forces & Military Establishments Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises Sovereign State Governments & Localities Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

Signed by President Donald J. Trump (1st Term) on March 27, 2020, this order concerns Delegating Additional Authority Under the Defense Production Act of 1950 With Respect to Health and Medical Resources To Respond to the Spread of COVID–19. In Proclamation 9994 of March 13, 2020 (Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID–19) Outbreak), I declared a national emergency recognizing the threat that the novel (new) coronavirus known as SARS– CoV–2 poses to our Nation's healthcare systems.

Constitutional Assessment: Scrutinized through Article II, Section 2, this action exercises the President's constitutional role as Commander in Chief. Early Framers recognized broad executive discretion in commanding military forces during conflict, provided it remains bounded by congressional declarations and respects civilian domestic courts.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

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Delegation of Authority Under Title III of the Act

Notwithstanding Executive Order 13603 of March 16, 2012 (National Defense Resources Preparedness), the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security are each delegated, with respect to responding to the spread of COVID–19 within the United States, the authority of the President conferred by sections 301, 302, and 303 of the Act (50 U.S.C. 4531, 4532, and 4533), and the authority to implement the Act in subchapter III of chapter 55 of title 50, United States Code (50 U.S.C. 4554, 4555, 4556, and 4560).

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Delegation of Authority Under Title VII of the Act

Notwithstanding Executive Order 13603, the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security are each delegated, with respect to responding to the spread of COVID–19 within the United States, the authority of the President conferred by section 708(c)(1) and (d) of the Act.

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Implementing Rules and Regulations

The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall each adopt and revise appropriate rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement this order.

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Policy Coordination

The Assistant to the President for Trade and Manufacturing Policy shall serve as National Defense Production Act Policy Coordinator.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises 🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners
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The Framers' Constitutional Council

1787 Prism

Evaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.

🏛️✅ Zone 1 (Maximum Authority)
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"When the President acts pursuant to an express or implied authorization of Congress, his authority is at its maximum, for it includes all that he possesses in his own right plus all that Congress can delegate."

— Justice Robert H. Jackson, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952) Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
JM

James Madison

Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy

"The constitutional magistracy was designed not to invent policy, but to be the faithful instrument of the laws passed by the people's representatives." — Speech in the First Congress (1789)

Madison would approve the structural posture of this order. The President acts strictly in subordination to statutory authority granted under Article II, Section 3 ("take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"). The checks and balances hold firm because the policy origin remains with the legislature.

Madisonian Stance: Concurring (Statutory)
AH

Alexander Hamilton

The Energetic Executive & Unified Command

"The direction of war implies the direction of the common strength; and the power of directing and employing the common strength must be under the direction of the single hand of the Executive." — Federalist No. 74 (1788)

Hamilton would forcefully champion executive discretion here. For foreign entanglements, commerce defense, and national security, deliberative assemblies are too slow and faction-ridden. A unified, energetic Executive exercising swift command is precisely what the Philadelphia Convention intended for national preservation.

Hamiltonian Stance: Strong Prerogative Support
GM

George Mason

Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment

"The president will be surrounded by flatterers and sycophants... and the great powers of the executive will gradually absorb the liberties of the people." — Cato IV (Anti-Federalist, 1787)

The Anti-Federalist prism advises continuous democratic vigilance. Even routine administrative directives aggregate centralized federal power away from town halls and state assemblies toward a distant executive apparatus.

Anti-Federalist Stance: Eternal Vigilance Required
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Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions

An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.

⚖️ Discretionary Twilight Zone
48 / 100 friction index
Dimension 1 • Art. I, §1 & §8

Legislative Encroachment & Purse

Moderate Friction

Administers commerce or fiscal programs requiring ongoing statutory delegation and legislative oversight.

Benchmark: Power of the purse, taxes/tariffs, and rule of law reserved to Congress.
Dimension 2 • Art. II, §1 & §3

Executive Scope & Faithfulness

High Friction

Invokes broad unilateral or emergency executive authorities that test the constitutional boundary of the Take Care Clause.

Benchmark: Faithfully execute laws enacted by Congress vs. unilateral decree.
Dimension 3 • 10th Amendment

Federalism & State Sovereignty

Moderate Friction

Engages state and local partners in cooperative federalism programs.

Benchmark: Police powers and un-delegated responsibilities reserved to the States.
Dimension 4 • 5th & 14th Amendments

Due Process & Individual Rights

Moderate Friction

Applies regulatory or compliance standards to private contractors or commercial entities.

Benchmark: Protection of private property, contracts, liberty, and procedural justice.
Dimension 5 • Separation of Powers

Youngstown Jacksonian Tier

Low Friction

The President operates strictly as the constitutional Chief Executive, carrying out policy established by Congress with strong statutory backing.

Benchmark: Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
⚖️ Audit Synthesis

This order operates within Justice Jackson’s Zone of Twilight, resting upon concurrent presidential authority or congressional silence.

Weighted composite: Art. I (25%), Art. II (25%), Federalism (15%), Due Process (15%), Youngstown (20%).
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How to read these dimensions: Executive power expands whenever an administration acts without explicit statutory authorization from Congress (Article I), touches upon police powers historically reserved to the states (Tenth Amendment), or limits private rights and property without judicial process. A low friction score indicates strict concordance with enacted law; a high friction score highlights orders testing the limits of presidential discretion.
Total Words
1,467
9,258 characters
Estimated Read Time
7 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
19.1
Post-Graduate Legal
Language Tone Score
+0.46
Constitutional Fidelity
How is this scored?
Text size:

Official Archival Text

View Source Document

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (50 U.S.C. 4501 et seq .) (the "Act"), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq .), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. #sec-1

Policy. In Proclamation 9994 of March 13, 2020 (Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID–19) Outbreak), I declared a national emergency recognizing the threat that the novel (new) coronavirus known as SARS– CoV–2 poses to our Nation's healthcare systems. In recognizing the public health risk, I noted that on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that the outbreak of COVID– 19 (the disease caused by SARS–CoV–2) can be characterized as a pandemic. I also noted that while the Federal Government, along with State and local governments, have taken preventive and proactive measures to slow the spread of the virus and to treat those affected, the spread of COVID–19 within our Nation's communities threatens to strain our Nation's healthcare systems. To deal with this threat, on March 18, 2020, I issued Executive Order 13909 (Prioritizing and Allocating Health and Medical Resources to Respond to the Spread of COVID–19), in which I delegated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services the prioritization and allocation authority under section 101 of the Act with respect to health and medical resources needed to respond to the spread of COVID–19. And on March 23, 2020, I issued Executive Order 13910 (Preventing Hoarding of Health and Medical Resources to Respond to the Spread of COVID–19), in which I delegated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services the authority under section 102 of the Act to combat hoarding and price gouging with respect to such resources. To ensure that our healthcare systems are able to surge capacity and capability to respond to the spread of COVID–19, it is the policy of the United States to expand domestic production of health and medical resources needed to respond to the spread of COVID–19, including personal protective equipment and ventilators. Accordingly, I am delegating authority under title III of the Act to guarantee loans by private institutions, make loans, make provision for purchases and commitments to purchase, and take additional actions to create, maintain, protect, expand, and restore domestic industrial base capabilities to produce such resources. To enable greater cooperation among private businesses in expanding production of and distributing such resources, I am also delegating my authority under section 708(c) and (d) of the Act (50 U.S.C. 4558(c), (d)) to provide for the making of voluntary agreements and plans of action by the private sector.

Sec. 2. #sec-2

Delegation of Authority Under Title III of the Act. (a) Notwithstanding Executive Order 13603 of March 16, 2012 (National Defense Resources Preparedness), the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security are each delegated, with respect to responding to the spread of COVID–19 within the United States, the authority of the President conferred by sections 301, 302, and 303 of the Act (50 U.S.C. 4531, 4532, and 4533), and the authority to implement the Act in subchapter III of chapter 55 of title 50, United States Code (50 U.S.C. 4554, 4555, 4556, and 4560). (b) The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security may each use the authority under sections 301, 302, and 303 of the Act, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the heads of other executive departments and agencies as he deems appropriate, to respond to the spread of COVID–19. (c) To provide additional authority to respond to the national emergency I declared in Proclamation 9994, the requirements of section 301(a)(2), section 301(d)(1)(A), and section 303(a)(1) through (a)(6) of the Act are waived during the period of that national emergency. (d) To provide additional authority to respond to the national emergency I declared in Proclamation 9994, the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security are each authorized to submit for my approval under section 302(d)(2)(B) of the Act a proposed determination that any specific loan is necessary to avert an industrial resource or critical technology shortfall that would severely impair national defense capability. (e) Before exercising the authority delegated under this section with respect to health or medical resources, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall consult with the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Sec. 3. #sec-3

Delegation of Authority Under Title VII of the Act. (a) Notwithstanding Executive Order 13603, the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security are each delegated, with respect to responding to the spread of COVID–19 within the United States, the authority of the President conferred by section 708(c)(1) and (d) of the Act. The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall provide to the Secretary of Homeland Security notice of any use of such delegated authority. (b) The delegation made in this section is made upon the condition that the Secretary of Health and Human Services or the Secretary of Homeland Security consult with the Attorney General and with the Federal Trade Commission, and obtain the prior approval of the Attorney General, after consultation by the Attorney General with the Federal Trade Commission, as required by section 708(c)(2) of the Act, except when such consultation is waived under subsection (c) of section 3 of this order and section 708(c)(3) of the Act. (c) The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security are each authorized to submit for my approval under section 708(c)(3) of the Act any proposed determination that any specific voluntary agreement or plan of action is necessary to meet national defense requirements resulting from an event that degrades or destroys critical infrastructure. (d) Before exercising the authority delegated under this section with respect to health or medical resources, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall consult with the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Sec. 4. #sec-4

Additional Delegations. (a) Notwithstanding Executive Order 13603, the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security are each delegated, with respect to responding to the spread of COVID–19 within the United States, the authority of the President conferred by section 107 of the Act (50 U.S.C. 4517). (b) In addition to the delegations of authority in Executive Order 13909 and Executive Order 13910, the authority of the President conferred by sections 101 and 102 of the Act (50 U.S.C. 4511, 4512) is delegated to the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to health and medical resources needed to respond to the spread of COVID–19 within the United States. (c) The Secretary of Homeland Security may use the authority under section 101 of the Act to determine, in consultation with the heads of other executive departments and agencies as appropriate, the proper nationwide priorities and allocation of health and medical resources, including by controlling the distribution of such materials (including applicable services) in the civilian market, for responding to the spread of COVID–19 within the United States. (d) Before exercising the authority under section 102 of the Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall consult with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. (e) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall periodically consider whether the designations made by him under section 102 of the Act pursuant to section 4(b) of this order remain necessary. Upon finding that such designation of material is no longer necessary, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall promptly publish a notice of withdrawal of the designation in the Federal Register , and in such other manner as he deems appropriate.

Sec. 5. #sec-5

Implementing Rules and Regulations. The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall each adopt and revise appropriate rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement this order.

Sec. 6. #sec-6

Policy Coordination. The Assistant to the President for Trade and Manufacturing Policy shall serve as National Defense Production Act Policy Coordinator.

Sec. 7. #sec-7

General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. DONALD J. TRUMP The White House, March 27, 2020.

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Referenced By Later Executive Orders (1)

Subsequent presidents who cited, amended, continued, or revoked this directive in later orders.

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 13,911, 85 Fed. Reg. 18,403 (Mar. 27, 2020).