A highly classified document known as the Presidential Emergency Action Documents (PEADs), often referred to as the “Doomsday Book,” is locked away in a secure safe on the White House grounds. Created over decades, this stack of papers outlines extraordinary powers that a President may wield in the event of a nuclear attack or other significant catastrophes. Access to these documents is granted to a select few, with the full extent of the powers they contain remaining unknown to the public.
According to national security officials and documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act filings by the Brennan Center for Justice, the Doomsday Book includes pre-made orders that could suspend habeas corpus, impose martial law, block international travel for Americans, and restrict telecommunications. Successive administrations have kept these documents from Congress, arguing they constitute confidential legal advice for the President.
During Donald Trump’s presidency, concerns arose among his national security staff regarding the potential misuse of these powers. Advisors actively sought to limit Trump’s understanding of the extent of these authorities, fearing he might abuse them. Now, some former officials are expressing alarm about the prospect of Trump gaining access to the Doomsday Book in a potential second term. Notable figures, including Mark Harvey, who oversaw the book on Trump’s National Security Council, and Miles Taylor, a former chief of staff for Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, worry that Trump might deploy these powers in situations that do not warrant them.
Trump’s history of testing presidential limits, combined with a possible second term free from many of the restrictions he faced previously, has raised red flags. The Supreme Court ruled in July that Presidents enjoy partial immunity for their official actions, and Trump’s senior advisors have devised a plan to purge federal employees unwilling to comply with his orders. “He’s going to be surrounded by people who would say, ‘You have the power to do this,’” Harvey warned, highlighting the risks of unchecked authority.
Despite the alarming potential for misuse, former White House lawyers assert that a genuine emergency must exist for a President to invoke these powers. The draft orders in the Doomsday Book are intended for extraordinary situations that disrupt the federal government or Congress, ensuring the continuity of governance. If a President were to exaggerate a crisis, courts could potentially overturn the order.
The last revision of the Doomsday Book occurred during the Obama administration, and the Biden administration is currently reviewing the documents. Efforts are underway in Congress to gain clarity on these powers. A bipartisan group of senators, including Republicans Rand Paul and Mike Lee, alongside Democrats Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, is advocating for transparency regarding the draft orders, their usage, and the legal justifications behind them.
Paul has sought access to the PEADs in a classified setting but was denied, expressing concern over the implications of having emergency orders that could undermine constitutional governance. “The idea that we would have emergency orders written up to replace the constitutional republic in times of emergencies would alarm anybody,” Paul stated.
