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Bypassing Congress: Trump signs economic aid orders during Corona

The president ordered a deferral of the payment of payroll taxes and an extension of the validity of unemployment benefits, in an amount lower than the previous bailout plan during a course that could run into legal difficulties. Biden and senior Democrats wanted a $ 2 trillion plan: "half-baked steps." Republicans were willing to pay a trillion dollars "only"

• United States
• Donald Trump
• Corona virus

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US President Donald Trump bypassed Congress last night (Saturday) when he signed orders to delay taxes on wages and extend unemployment benefits, at a lower amount. This, after negotiations with Congress on a new aid package for the Corona crisis collapsed.

Trump's orders are gnawing at congressional control of federal spending, and are likely to run into legal hurdles. The president justified his actions as necessary given that lawmakers have failed to reach an agreement on injecting more money into an economy struggling to stabilize, which puts him at risk of his re-election to the presidency in November.

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Trump has worked to extend the supplementary unemployment benefits provided by the government to millions of unemployed citizens during the Corona period. However, the order included a payment of up to $ 400 a week, about a third less than the $ 600 the unemployed have received so far. The questions of how many people will receive the payment and how long it will take him to arrive remain unanswered.

The previous unemployment benefits, which expired on Aug. 1, were fully funded by Washington, but now Trump is asking states to fund 25 percent of them. He is trying to save the $ 44 billion previously approved to help countries deal with the crisis, but said countries could decide how much of the amount, if any, they want to fund, which could lead to lower unemployment benefits. Many countries have faced budget cuts since the outbreak, and are likely to have difficulty meeting the new demand.

Trump hopes the four presidential decrees he has signed will signal to citizens that he is working to deal with the economic crisis where Congress is not. It is not yet clear what the economic impact of his actions will be, and the orders do not address certain areas included in congressional negotiations - including funding for schools, state governments and local authorities.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democrat minority leader Chuck Schumer dismissed Trump's statement, saying his actions were "minor" compared to the economic and health crisis the Americans are facing. Democrats first asked for a $ 3.4 trillion aid package, but said they dropped it. Their demand in congressional talks for two trillion.On the other hand, the Republicans proposed a $ 1 trillion

plan.Trump's rival in the election, Democratic candidate Joe Biden, called the orders a "series of half-baked measures," accusing him of risking social resilience, funded by The tax money that comes from the citizens' salaries.

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Adopting the act of issuing presidential decrees to evade congressional approval is a sharp contrast to Trump's criticism of former President Barack Obama on the same issue, even though the former president used the decrees more narrowly. Although Trump excuses this as a necessary step in relation to the failure of congressional negotiations, the president himself did not take an active part in those talks.

"The orders will more or less take care of the whole situation, as we know it," Trump said. This is despite the fact that they cover a narrower range of areas than congressional legislation, and that its advisers also recognize that the decrees do not address all of the required needs.