Originally Posted by rickair7777

No, the only precedent or legal basis for Federal control is martial law. Even that is legally nebulous, primarily based on precedent vice law except for the insurrection act... but there's no insurrection, and there's no way you can spin people picnicing in the park as an "insurrection".

The executive can most certainly deploy federal to troops to aid and assist in a humanitarian crisis, and this has already happened, with more to come. But there's a line drawn with federal troops at police functions, although there are some legal loopholes with Posse Commitatus, notably the entire USMC.

Frankly the legal ins and outs are complicated. You can generally work your way into federal control or at least federal police assistance during rioting/looting situations vis a vis the Insurrection Act.

But absent an Insurrection, there's no way for the fed to impose carte blanche restrictions on state citizens, or even enforce such restrictions imposed by state governors. That could be changed if laws were passed, and survived the inevitable constitutional challenges but that would take years. The federal military can and is providing a lot of assistance on the ground, but there's a pretty bright red line at policing (unless rioting or other insurrection occurs).