Houston Chronicle by Jeff Stein, Erica Werner and Renae Merle 8/8/2020
President Donald Trump on Saturday attempted to bypass Congress and make dramatic changes to tax and spending policy, signing executive actions that challenge the boundaries of power that separate the White House and Capitol Hill.
At an event in Bedminster, N.J., Trump said the actions would provide economic relief to millions of Americans by deferring taxes and, he said, providing temporary unemployment benefits. The measures would attempt to wrest away some of Congress's most fundamental, constitutionally mandated powers - tax and spending policy. Trump acknowledged that some of the actions could be challenged in court, but he indicated he would persevere.
Trump bemoaned how Democrats had refused to accept his demands during recent negotiations but attempted to brush it aside, saying four measures he signed Saturday "will take care of pretty much this entire situation."
But there were instant questions about whether Trump's actions were as ironclad as he made them out to be. A leading national expert on unemployment benefits said that one of the actions would not increase federal unemployment benefits at all. The expert said it would instead create a program that could take "months" to set up. And Trump's directive to halt evictions primarily calls for federal agencies to "consider" whether they should be stopped.
Trump also incorrectly referred to his measures as "bills." Congress writes and votes on bills, not the White House. The documents Trump signed on Saturday were a combination of memorandums and an executive order.
More:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Trump-is-expected-to-sign-executive-orders-15469825.php
