'Enough talking!'
Trump announced the orders at a press conference at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club on Saturday, the same location where he warned such action would be taken a day earlier.
The orders will give a payroll tax holiday to Americans earning less than $100,000 a year. A second order will "protect people from eviction," Trump said.
A third order will extend unemployment benefits, giving Americans out of jobs $400 a week on top of the unemployment benefits they would have been entitled to before the pandemic, which is a decrease from the previous $600 per week benefit Democrats were looking to extend through the end of the year.
Trump also said that student loan repayments would be deferred and that any accrued interest would be forgiven indefinitely.
The announcements come following two weeks of tense negotiations between Democrats and White House officials that ultimately went nowhere. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) held a press conference on Friday, blasting the Trump administration for being unwilling to compromise.
The Democrats' $3.4 trillion dollar plan consisted of major funding for schools looking to reopen amid the ongoing pandemic and an extension of the $600 a week federal unemployment benefit which expired in July. It also called for more financial benefits for those threatened with eviction over unpaid bills.
Schumer and Pelosi addressed the potential of executive orders on Friday and warned they could be legally dubious, as Congress has authority over federal spending. Schumer also argued that executive orders would not be "close to as good" in terms of financially protecting struggling Americans.
Trump warned on Saturday that Democrats are pushing a "radical left-wing" agenda that has nothing to do with the "China virus" pandemic. Earlier, he had accused Democrats of holding the relief aid "hostage" and said they "don't want to help our people."
Trump's payroll tax cut is also a legal grey area as most experts agree such a move falls under Congressional authority and taxes not paid could eventually be owed unless Congress stepped in.
Turning the press conference into a semi-campaign speech, Trump said if he is re-elected in November he will officially forgive these taxes, but warned that they could end up being owed if Joe Biden is elected and refuses to wave the accrued fees.
Asked about the fact that Congress could challenge his authority to wave the taxes without their approval, Trump said he would expect any challenge to "move very quickly" through the courts, and he accused Congress of "obstruction."
He ended the press conference after reporters continued to challenge the legal authority surrounding the orders.
Over 160,000 US citizens have died from Covid-19 and many industries remain closed due to the pandemic and various state lockdowns.
Reader Comments
You see, this sounds great, but it is not what it seems. I am not against Trump, so before you lambaste me-I am merely telling you what was told to me by someone who is privy. The other reality-bubble to burst is that this just might cause the "stimulus" to be side-railed-especially if those evil paid actors decide to 'fight' his order. I have no idea, but if they wanted to (help) Americans; they would have done so a while ago. These liars and thieves don't work for you and me and our fellow Americans; they work for their corporate masters and themselves. I am concerned that people have put their eggs all in one basket, and have been relying on the "government". (*any or all of this can of course be proven to be wrong) I hope so.
Come on, Mr. Prez. Step up and issue some really relevant EOs over there already. You ain't got a hair on your ass if you don't.
Yeah, we know what their problem is.
They want to help themselves, broke blue states, and the illegals cash in on money not related to the virus. Based on the numbers, there should have never been a lockdown to start with. Y'all watch, right after the election this virus will mysteriously go away.
Trump 2020.