Did Congress Give the CDC More Authority Than the President?

The agency’s legal defense of its eviction moratorium implies that it has vast powers to order Americans around.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans have argued about the merits of guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which have been described as both too strict and too lax, too rigid and too changeable. Imagine how bitter an already rancorous debate would have been if the CDC had the power to command as well as recommend the best methods for reducing virus transmission.

Except according to the...