Krishnamoorthi Blasts Reported Trump Administration Plan to Invoke “Emergency” Powers Over Elections

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) today sharply criticized new reporting that individuals aligned with the Trump Administration are circulating a draft executive order urging President Trump to declare a national emergency based on disputed claims of foreign interference in order to assert sweeping executive control over how Americans vote in the 2026 midterm elections. The Constitution assigns authority over federal elections to the states and Congress, not the White House, and emergency powers cannot be used to override election administration or circumvent the separation of powers.

“President Trump cannot declare an ‘emergency’ to override the Constitution and seize control of American elections,” said Congressman Krishnamoorthi. “The framers divided power precisely to prevent any one person from manipulating the rules of voting for political advantage. Free and fair elections are the bedrock of our democracy and the source of the government’s legitimacy. My Free Elections Act makes clear that emergency authorities cannot be abused to rewrite election rules or override the will of the American people.”

Earlier this month, Krishnamoorthi announced plans to introduce the Free Elections Act, legislation designed to reinforce longstanding constitutional and statutory protections against federal interference in elections.

The Free Elections Act would:

1. Reaffirm that authorities under the National Emergencies Act, the Insurrection Act, or related statutes may not be used to interfere with election administration.

2. Clarify that federal agencies and personnel, including DHS, ICE, and CBP, cannot be deployed to control, monitor, or influence election sites.

3. Strengthen guardrails to ensure elections remain in the hands of the people and the states, as the Constitution requires.