Trump issues covid relief executive orders
LIVE: President @realDonaldTrump holds a news conference https://t.co/B7SnQcWVQt
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 8, 2020
(32 minutes)
(He'd actually called it 'the Chinese flu', of course.)
‘Trump signs executive orders on Covid-19 relief after talks break down between White House and Democrats’, RT.com, 8 Aug, 2020
“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 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.”
‘Negotiators fail to reach deal in coronavirus relief talks;
Trump again vowed to issue a series of contentious executive orders amid the stalemate’, politico, July 7, 2020
“Friday’s meeting in Pelosi’s office capped off two weeks of closed-door negotiations between White House officials and Democratic leaders without a breakthrough. Meanwhile, millions of Americans remain unemployed and coronavirus cases and deaths continue to spike in many areas of the country.
Clinching an agreement was never going to be easy. From the start, the White House and Democratic leaders were trillions of dollars apart, with Democrats pushing for the $3 trillion HEROES Act and the White House aiming to stay at $1 trillion. Senate Republicans also were divided on their own opening offer, with hard-line conservatives opposing additional federal spending.
Pelosi and Schumer said Friday that they were willing to cut down their ask by $1 trillion if the White House increased their offer by $1 trillion, a move administration officials rejected.
In their numerous discussions, Mnuchin, Meadows, Schumer and Pelosi made progress on narrowing their differences on unemployment insurance but remained far apart on state and local aid, election security funding and help for renters, among a host of other issues."
No mention of stim checks to individuals, but IIRC,the Democrats had been asking for the same measly #1200, only arguing about how many dollars per dependent children.
Speaker Pelosi hasn't Tweeted about it yet.
Nor has Chuck; he has #OtherFishToFry:
The statement by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence pulls back the curtain on Putin’s disinformation operations
The fact that Pres. Trump & some Senate GOP have echoed this campaign and done nothing to stop it should alarm every Americanhttps://t.co/JNOU7u0SBI
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) August 8, 2020
Gawd's blood, I hate to say it, but at least it's something. The stalemate was expected to last until election day.
Comments
Trump is playing the hero. I
Trump is playing the hero. I have no idea if he can make good on these promises. Or if he even wants to. It is all about catching the headlines for Trump as he must be taking note of unfriendly polls.
Whatever Trump's motives or the outcomes, if any, he has taken an active role today. And that will cheer him up.
Meanwhile, back at the DNC, seriously guys, are you really going to go with Russia, Russia, Russia again?
The Democrats seem, once again, trying to run on the national security apparatus ticket. It's not a coincidence that they favor so many ex-CIA, FBI, Military candidates.
In my view, every Progressive that wins an election and thereby attains a little power is a strike against the Empire.
Trump seems to want to win. He will do say promise anything that he can think of to attaaain his goal.
That's more than we can safely say about Biden at this point.
NYCVG
When all else fails,
just buy the damn votes. GWB started this with his measly $200 checks. (This is what tipped men I knew to vote for Bush, and these were men earning six figures.)
Never knew the POTUS had the power of the purse. But as Congress has long deferred to the POTUS on making war, might as well give him the purse as well.
The payroll tax holiday is another terrible idea. Objected when Congress did it for Obama, and therefore, I can criticize Trump's move without being a hypocrite.
Congress does hold the purse strings
He will get lots of headlines. But he is not in charge of the purse. I don’t like it. His ego is completely out of control. He needs to be reined in.
When was the last time
the House said no to Trump and made it stick?
Has there been a first time yet?
I mean, why start now?
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.
Not that I recall.
Fascinating how a know-nothing nincompoop like Trump has successfully left the GOP, DNC, HRC, and Congressional Democrats unable to do anything other than gnash their teeth and flail their arms. Not finding CTs all that compelling, I reject that they're all in cahoots with Trump. Their loathing is authentic. And it's compounded by the reality that they keep losing to him. They don't get his game, and even if they did, they can't do anything different and also remain the lackeys of the banks, health insurers, PHarma, and MIC.
maleficence is a facade
both teams have scripted play books
an attempt to formulate public opinion
to match the poles
Agreed - "not in cahoots"
But they profit from his actions so....
"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."
This ought to flummox Pelosi and Schumer
I bet that this was their compromise (take it or leave it) position. 9th dimensional chess is a bitch. So, Russia!!! That'll win the elction. I am hearing HER will give a major speech at Bidens coronation. Should put Biden over the top.
Please explain
Over the top as in winning the general election or over the top as in completely losing his ever diminishing mind.
I want multiple presidential debates. Let the whole world know without a doubt that this country is nuts.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
over the top as in completely losing
his ever diminishing mind
seems right.
DNC is trying like hell to keep
him in the basement.
Less exposure is better for
the image.
The strategy they wish
they'd used in 2016. The less seen, the better HRC did in the polls.
perhaps the poles have it wrong
Either way works. Dull minds with..
overexposure = DeTrump
underexposure = ByeDone
media seems better with the
behind the curtain routine
this go around
Over the top
as in "it's all downhill from here".
I made the prediction over a month ago,
Donald Trump wants to win reelection so bad that he will actually do some good things. Last week it was the National Park bill. Now this.
There is a lot to critique here. First and foremost for me is the payroll tax holiday. But there is some to like as well. And he quite effectively pitches that he wants to help the American people and the Dems just want to stymie him.
I think most readers here can see beyond/thru all this. But it is effective politics in my mind. Trump working hard to save America and its economy. Dems off on vacation.
Score one for the Donald.
Another Trump flop
that will be forgotten by next week. It will go to court, get struck down, be appealed, get struck down, go to the Supreme Court, get struck down.
The only thing is running out the clock during August recess and dominating a couple of news cycles.
Where is he going to get the money for those unemployment checks? The eviction stuff might stick for Federal mortgages, but nothing else.
"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone
Any thoughts on who the plaintiff
will be? It's a bit of a political hot potato for DC Dems to take on. On legal principal Trump's move should be shot down or Congress accepts being irrelevant. All hail John Roberts' unitary executive. (Actually, I'd expect Roberts to shoot down this Trump move, but I could be wrong.)
The other problem for DC neoliberal Democrats is that they too are in favor of hobbling Social Security. Haven't given up on Obama's 'Grand Bargain.'
He played the Democraps like
a player piano. He held his hands over the keyboard and they played for him. Congrats Nancy, you just won the election for Trump.
On to Biden since 1973
Major attack on Social Security and Medicare
Embedded in Trump's statement is the plan to "starve the beast" – as Larry Kudlow (Trump's chief economic advisor) put it in 1996 (WSJ paywall):
Trump pledged to make the payroll tax deductions permanent upon his re-election. In other words, he has pledged to defund Social Security and Medicare. He flat-out said it.
There will be more and detailed coverage of this, no doubt, but right now a good starting point to learn what Trump is up to is this Common Dreams article: Trump Just Admitted on Live Television He Will 'Terminate' Social Security and Medicare If Reelected in November
A few snips from the article:
Much more in the Common Dreams article. Doubtless those of you who are proficient at posting Tweets can add far more than I have cobbled together.
"Market solutions"
There it is, folks, your one and only neoliberal playbook. What Democrat can resist "market solutions"?
That ought to provoke a public debate or two.
“When there's no fight over programme, the election becomes a casting exercise. Trump's win is the unstoppable consequence of this situation.” - Jean-Luc Melanchon
i'd thought of sliding
'unbenevolent dictator' into the title, but then i'd thought if he could really put the moratorium on evictions into play, as well as extend the UI benefits, why not?
or do those involve the House's power of the purse, as well?
well, pelosi's tweetin' by now, having her daughter give her some able assists:
@SpeakerPelosi 16h
Democrats repeat our call to Republicans to return to the table, meet us halfway and work together to deliver immediate relief to the American people.
Read my full statement with @Senator Schumer
Christine Pelosi @sfpelosi
2h
LIVE @SpeakerPelosi on #FoxNewsSunday - Trump’s meager Executive Orders “unconstitutional sloth” “illusions” that rob Social Security and Medicare.
oddly, this one disappears, then reappears...as if my magic:
@SenSchumer 15h
Instead of putting in the work to solve Americans’ problems, Pres. Trump chose to stay on his golf course to announce unworkable, weak & narrow policy announcements to slash the unemployment benefits that millions desperately need and endanger seniors’ Social Security & Medicare
from Team Biden:
@JoeBiden 15h
'Today, Donald Trump stated that if re-elected, he'll undermine the entire financial footing of Social Security.
Our seniors and millions of Americans with disabilities are under enough stress without their hard-earned Social Security benefits in doubt.'
ha ha ha! @JoeBiden 17h
It’s an important choice, and I want you to be one of the first to know who I’ve picked as my running mate – text FIRST to 30330 to get notified when I’ve made my decision.
gotta get to sunday chores, but this will be quite a media foodfight (so much coverage is 'as was reported', 'allegedly'), as well as 'constitutional or not' stuff.
Nancy Pelosi and her religious crap can take a hike.
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin
but...but...the Democrats DO
care; pray for the greedy, wealthy, exploitative Republicans who offered $400 not (our ask) $600 a month UI extension! i don't think DT's moratorium on evictions has come up from what i just found at the hill.... i'll enter some of it soon.
(we harvested 5 g. our luscious sweet basil crop, i washed it, plucked it, refrigerated the leaves, and need to blanch it, shock and awe it, then freeze it for pesto later soon.)
the rank hypocrisy is overwhelming, isn't it?
When she and Boehner invited Pope Francis
to come and lecture Congress on morality, she lost me completely.
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin
jeezum crow;
how in the most beautiful world in the world could i have forgotten about john boenher? ewwww; now i can see his bottle-tanned leering face. ish.
pope francis (pretend liberation theologist) on morality; ay yi yi. made the indigenous slave-owning (thus killing) junipero sera a saint.
good job there, miz speaker. but she Prays Harder, reminding me of that airport Hertz car rental slogan: We Try Harder!
yum on pesto; and those leaves were so succulent that they were actually a pleasure to pinch off.
the 12 or whatever 'progressives' who'd signed ro Khana's letter to indicting the 'maduro regime' liked the idea of the Pope helping negotiations...or something.
Give me Papery, or give me Death!
I love making all kinds of pesto and freezing it.
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin
Could a desperate President Trump order de-facto M4A?
h/t to u/clonal_antibody at reddit
it's brilliant!
what a rollicking great idea, esp. given he's so keen on EOs! don't quote me on this, but IIRC, snoopy said that the biden/bernie unity pact had jettisoned M4All.
what a shithole nation; fancy this is where we are! this might tickle your fancy; it sure did mine.
(Black Swan author) Nassim Taleb: Covid-19 brought socialism to America, 7 Aug, 2020, RT.com
I thought it was Trump's ambition
to abolish Medicare and Social Security and bring us back to the good old days of Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman."
“When there's no fight over programme, the election becomes a casting exercise. Trump's win is the unstoppable consequence of this situation.” - Jean-Luc Melanchon
just might be, but why aren't the
Ds on the sunday shows railing against that 'payroll taxes, etc.? because: Obomba? they're having a discussion that on Snoop's 'Pelosi Prays' thread, far too confusing 4 me.
i did some pokin' about for 'analyses', this time on CNN, and the partisan hackery was so evident that they were almost useless. i'd thought to enter a few, but srsly, this is the only new bipartisan columned i'd found:
'Trump's illegal power grab and the specter of American Bonapartism', 10 August 2020
figured i'd move on to the 'Veep Sweepstakes'. ; )
okay, a few addtions (some confusing in my ignorance):
first, a longish one from the hill (a compilation of several earlier pieces):
‘White House officials, Democrats spar over legality, substance of executive orders’, aug 9, 2020, thehill.com.