Isai RochaU.S. president Donald Trump signed four executive orders Saturday, including one that would extend American supplemental unemployment benefits.
The order would apply an additional $400 of weekly unemployment benefits, on top of the beneficiary’s standard bi-weekly payment.
The extra benefit is less then the extra $600 a week that were written into the Cares Act in March and expired July 25.
“It’s generous, but we want to take care of our people. It wasnt their fault,” Trump said Saturday. “States will be asked to cover 25 percent of the cost using existing funding such as the tens of billions of dollars available to them through the Coronavirus relief fund.”
Trump went on to say that the federal government would cover the other 75 percent of the cost, although he did not explain how.
With congress unable to come to terms on a coronavirus relief bill Friday, Trump addressed three additional issues that both the Senate and House of Representatives went back and forth over, addressing a deferment in payroll taxes, an extension in student loan repayment and a moratorium on evictions.
The president said the employer payroll tax would be deferred from August 1, until the end of 2020.
The student loan payment deferral will also extend to the end of 2020 and Trump said it would potentially extend past that in the future.
Trump did not address a potential stimulus check, such as the $1,200 one that was distributed to Americans through the Cares Act.
In acting against congress, Trump said during a Friday press brief that he fully expects to be sued over his executive orders.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.