Statement on Signing the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act
Issued 2020-03-27 by Donald J. Trump
Plain-English Overview
AI-generated summary explaining what this action does, who it affects, and why it matters
When President Donald J. Trump signed the "Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act," also known as the CARES Act, into law, he issued a "signing statement." In this statement, he expressed constitutional concerns about specific parts of the new law. He stated that his administration would treat certain requirements in the law as advisory rather than mandatory. These requirements include consulting Congress on hiring for a pandemic oversight committee, allowing a special inspector general to report to Congress without presidential supervision
AI-generated summary for educational purposes
Constitutional Analysis
How this action fits (or doesn't) within Article II authority and existing law
This signing statement ("Statement on Signing the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act") was issued alongside a bill the President signed into law. Signing statements allow presidents to express constitutional or policy objections to specific provisions of legislation they have just signed. Their legal weight and constitutional propriety have been contested since the practice became common in the 1980s.
Critics — including the American Bar Association — argue that using signing statements to announce an intent to not enforce portions of a law effectively creates a line-item veto, which the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in Clinton v. City of New York (1998). Defenders argue presidents have a duty to identify constitutional concerns and that signing statements are a legitimate form of executive interpretation. The constitutional propriety depends on whether this specific statement announces non-enforcement or merely records the President's views.
Official Summary
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