As Republicans and Democrats debate over the provisions of the next COVID-19 relief bill, President Donald Trump said that his administration is drafting an executive order to extend several pandemic safeguards.
Previously, the president said that he may have to take direct action to re-enable a federal moratorium on evictions that was passed in the CARES Act several months ago, suspend payroll taxes for Medicare and Social Security, and extend unemployment benefits that expired on July 31.
Regarding the suspension of the payroll tax, Trump said that "many economists" on "our side" support the measure, although it doesn't have much support from Republicans or Democrats in Congress.
Trump appeared to take issue with a provision in the House-passed HEROES Act that would grant $1 trillion in funds to state and municipal governments.
The president described it as a "$1 trillion bailout" for "poorly run states ... and cities." He said that "they've been poorly run for a number of years," saying that it is not "COVID-related."
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have been meeting on a daily basis since last week. Pelosi and Schumer have said that the talks have been positive, although Meadows told reporters on Thursday that a deal likely will not be made in the near future.
But Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the majority leader of the Senate, said that he believes there will be a deal "at some point in the near future" but isn't sure "exactly when."