Powers under a national emergency - 10 US Code S2803 After declaring a national emergency, the Secretary of Defense has the following powers: (a) Subject to subsections (b) and (c), the Secretary concerned may carry out a military construction project not otherwise authorized by law if the Secretary determines   (1) that the project is vital to the national security or to the protection of health, safety, or the quality of the environment, and   (2) that the requirement for the project is so urgent that deferral of the project for inclusion in the next Military Construction Authorization Act would be inconsistent with national security or the protection of health, safety, or environmental quality, as the case may be. (b) When a decision is made to carry out a military construction project under this section, the Secretary concerned shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress on that decision. Each such report shall include   (1) the justification for the project and the current estimate of the cost of the project,   (2) the justification for carrying out the project under this section, and   (3) a statement of the source of the funds to be used to carry out the project. The project may then be carried out only after the end of the five-day period beginning on the date the notification is received by such committees in an electronic medium pursuant to section 480 of this title.  (c)  (1) The maximum amount that the Secretary concerned may obligate in any fiscal year under this section is $50,000,000.  (2) A project carried out under this section shall be carried out within the total amount of funds appropriated for military construction that have not been obligated. Let Chuckie, Nancy, and the rest take that to court!