Trump Vows to Use Executive Order to Extend Jobless Benefit

President Donald Trump said he would use executive action to extend the pandemic unemployment benefit, along with other measures, vowing to break the deadlock on Capitol Hill over a clutch of pandemic relief measures.

Trump made the remarks during a news conference in Bedminster, New Jersey, on August 7. Calling the enhanced unemployment benefit one of the key issues of the talks between White House and congressional negotiators, who have so far failed to reach an agreement, Trump said his administration would extend the jobless benefit through the end of the year.

Known as the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program, this is the additional federal benefit of $600 per week over and above regular and state unemployment insurance payments and other forms of pandemic unemployment assistance. Established by the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, the FPUC benefit expired on July 31, with lawmakers and White House negotiators broadly in agreement on the need for an extension but at odds over its size and duration. Democrats have pushed for a full, $600-per-week extension through January 2021, while Republicans have called for something more modest, arguing that its current level is so generous as to disincentivize employment and so disproportionately hurt small businesses.

Asked during Fridays presser about whether Trump was considering extending the full $600-a-week benefit, the president said, “I wont say that yet. Youll see when it happens.”

He was also asked where the money would come from to pay for the extension given congressional power of the purse, Trump insisted that “we have plenty of money.”

Trump also vowed executive action to advance such issues as payroll tax deferment, continuing the evictions moratorium, and relief for indebted students.

“What were talking about is deferring the payroll tax for a period of months until the end of the year,” Trump said, adding that deferment of the payroll tax would be retroactive until July 1 and that it may be extended at the end of the year.

The president also promised to defer student loan payments and forgive interest until further notice, and extend the eviction moratorium.

“My administration continues to work in good faith to reach an agreement with Democrats in Congress that will extend unemployment benefits, provide protections against evictions. A terrible thing happens with evictions. Not fair. It wasnt their fault that we were infected with this disease from China,” Trump said.

Trump said he might sign the relevant executive orders by the end of the week, adding that while he acknowledges the likelihood that “well get sued,” the president said he wasnt worried about an unfavorable outcome.

“No, not at all, no. Well, you always get sued. I mean, everything you do, you get sued. I was sued on the travel ban and we won. I was sued on a lot of things and we won,” Trump said, adding that he woRead More – Source