Trump Wants to Use the Military Against His Enemies. Congress Must Act.

Federal military forces are usually barred from enforcing civilian laws by the Posse Comitatus Act .

Julian Zelizer : Unless Congress acts now to reform this dangerous and antiquated law, there’s little anyone could do to stop him.

Zelizer says the Insurrection Act grants virtually limitless discretion to the president.

The law's anachronisms leave it ripe for abuse, Zelizer writes.

Congress should take up these or similar reforms without delay. Our nation is faced with the prospect of a president willing to use the United States military as his own personal domestic police force. The danger that this would pose to democracy cannot be overstated, but it can—and must—be averted..