50 U.S.C. § 4512 (WAR AND NATIONAL DEFENSE)
§ 4512. Hoarding of designated scarce materials
In order to prevent hoarding, no person shall accumulate (1) in excess of the reasonable demands of business, personal, or home consumption, or (2) for the purpose of resale at prices in excess of prevailing market prices, materials which have been designated by the President as scarce materials or materials the supply of which would be threatened by such accumulation. The President shall order published in the Federal Register, and in such other manner as he may deem appropriate, every designation of materials the accumulation of which is unlawful and any withdrawal of such designation. In making such designations the President may prescribe such conditions with respect to the accumulation of materials in excess of the reasonable demands of business, personal, or home consumption as he deems necessary to carry out the objectives of this chapter. This section shall not be construed to limit the authority contained in sections 4511 and 4554 of this title.
(Sept. 8, 1950, ch. 932, title I, § 102, 64 Stat. 799; July 31, 1951, ch. 275, title I, § 101(b), 65 Stat. 132.)
heading: Termination of Section
text: For termination of section, see section 4564(a) of this title.
heading: Editorial Notes
heading: References in Text
text: This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this Act”, meaning act Sept. 8, 1950, ch. 932, 64 Stat. 798, known as the Defense Production Act of 1950, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 4501 of this title and Tables.
heading: Codification
text: Section was formerly classified to section 2072 of the former Appendix to this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.
heading: Amendments
text: 1951—Act July 31, 1951, authorized President to prescribe conditions and exceptions allowing maintenance of substantial inventories of critical materials in certain cases.
heading: Executive Documents
heading: Delegation of Functions
text: Authorities of President under this section with respect to health and medical resources needed to respond to the spread of COVID–19 within the United States delegated to Secretary of Homeland Security, see section 4 of Ex. Ord. No. 13911, Mar. 27, 2020, 85 F.R. 18404, set out as a note under section 4511 of this title.
Functions of President under this chapter relating to production, conservation, use, control, distribution, and allocation of energy, delegated to Secretary of Energy, see section 4 of Ex. Ord. No. 11790, June 25, 1974, 39 F.R. 23185, set out as a note under section 761 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade.
heading: Ex. Ord. No. 13910. Preventing Hoarding of Health and Medical Resources To Respond to the Spread of COVID–19
text: Ex. Ord. No. 13910, Mar. 23, 2020, 85 F.R. 17001, provided:
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”), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy. In Proclamation 9994 of March 13, 2020 (Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID–19) Outbreak) [50 U.S.C. 1621 note], 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 further 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) [50 U.S.C. 4511 note], in which I delegated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) the prioritization and allocation authority under section 101 of the Act [50 U.S.C. 4511] with respect to health and medical resources needed to respond to the spread of COVID–19.
To ensure that our Nation’s 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 that health and medical resources needed to respond to the spread of COVID–19, such as personal protective equipment and sanitizing and disinfecting products, are not hoarded. Accordingly, I am delegating to the Secretary my authority under section 102 of the Act (50 U.S.C. 4512) to prevent hoarding of health and medical resources necessary to respond to the spread of COVID–19 within the United States. I am also delegating to the Secretary my authority under the Act to implement any restrictions on hoarding, including my authority under section 705 of the Act (50 U.S.C. 4555) to gather information, such as information about how supplies of such resources are distributed throughout the Nation.
Sec. 2. Delegation of Authority to Prevent Hoarding.
(a) The Secretary is delegated the following:
(i) the authority of the President conferred by section 102 of the Act to prevent hoarding of health and medical resources necessary to respond to the spread of COVID–19 within the United States, including the authority to prescribe conditions with respect to the accumulation of such resources, and to designate any material as a scarce material, or as a material the supply of which would be threatened by persons accumulating the material either in excess of reasonable demands of business, personal, or home consumption, or for the purpose of resale at prices in excess of prevailing market prices; and
(ii) the authority of the President to implement the Act contained in subchapter III [50 U.S.C. 4551 et seq.] of chapter 55 of title 50, United States Code (50 U.S.C. 4554, 4555, 4556, and 4560).
(b) In exercising the authority delegated under this section, the Secretary shall consult the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(c) The Secretary shall adopt and revise appropriate rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement this order.
Sec. 3. Secretarial Duty Concerning Notices of Withdrawal of Designation. The Secretary shall periodically consider whether the designations made pursuant to section 2 of this order remain necessary. Upon finding that the need for such designation of material is no longer necessary, the Secretary shall promptly publish a notice of withdrawal of the designation in the Federal Register, and in such other manner as the Secretary deems appropriate.
Sec. 4. 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.