BEDMINSTER, NJ (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Saturday announced plans to sign an executive order aimed at providing economic relief to Americans affected by the coronavirus pandemic after the White House failed to reach a deal with Congress , said a source from the White House.
PHOTO PHOTO: US President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, US, August 7, 2020. REUTERS / Joshua Roberts
“In the midst of inactive Congress, POTUS will take action to help Americans in need,” the official told Reuters. Trump arrives due to give a news conference at his golf club in New Jersey at 3.30pm ET (1930 GMT).
About two weeks of talks between White House officials and Congress Democrats ended on Friday with both sides still about $ 2 trillion apart on next steps to address the heavy human and economic toll that the coronavirus pandemic has taken. ‘ the United States, where she has killed more than 160,000 people.
An increase of $ 600 a week in unemployment benefits that served as a lifeline for the tens of millions of Americans who lost their jobs in the pandemic expired at the end of July. Democrats wanted to expand payments on that amount, while Republicans wanted to cut them, saying they acted as an incentive to work back.
Trump said on Friday night that he would sign executive orders to extend improved unemployment benefits, unilaterally suspend the tax bill, lock in student loan repayments and rent payments in the coming days.
Trump initially played down the threat of the disease and has drawn criticism for inconsistent reports about steps of public health such as social distance and masks.
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Friday brought a proposed $ 3.4 trillion in coronavirus bailout, which was passed by the House in May but ignored by the House of Representatives, by almost one-third as Republicans would agree to more than double $ 1 trillion counter-offer.
White House negotiators Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows have rejected the offer.
First Chamber leader Mitch McConnell, who was ousted late last month, ran into direct opposition from his party, with 20 of the 53 Republicans expected to oppose it.
POSSIBLE COURSE EXECUTION
Democrats have already warned that such executive orders are legally dubious and likely to be challenged in court.
While Trump had repeatedly pushed the idea of executive orders to support relief, Schumer said on Friday that the White House team acknowledged that power was limited.
“The other choice is for them to do executive orders, which they do, by their own admission, that they are not so good to us again and again,” Schumer said. “It does not deal with the opening of schools. It does not handle testing. It does not cover emergency treatment. It does not handle elections. It does not handle so many things. ”
The U.S. Constitution gives Congress authority over federal spending, so Trump does not have the legal authority to issue executive orders that determine how money should be spent on coronavirus.
But a court battle could take months, and Trump has persuaded Congress to spend earlier, declaring a national emergency shelter on the U.S.-Mexico border to move billions of dollars from the defense budget to pay for a wall he promised during his 2016 election campaign.
Congress passed legislation to stop him, but there were too few votes in the Republican-controlled Senate to pass his veto – a scenario that would likely play out again with less than 90 days before the November 3 presidential election.
Report by Jeff Mason, written by Scott Malone, Edited by Franklin Paul and Diane Craft
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