NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump has issued executive orders to revive an expired unemployment benefit and defer some payroll taxes, contending he must act because lawmakers have failed to agree on a new coronavirus relief package.
But the weekly unemployment benefit of up to $400 falls short of the $600 those out of work had been receiving, and the employee payroll tax deferral is subject to being paid back. Democrats dismissed Trump's orders as falling short of what people need in the face of the pandemic and economic crisis. His presidential rival, Joe Biden, is accusing Trump of putting Social Security as risk with "half-baked" measures.
Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday dismissed President Donald Trump's executive orders as "laughable" and another chapter in the federal government's botched response to the coronavirus as he praised New Yorkers for mostly good behavior that has reduced the infection rate in his state.
The Democrat was particularly critical of Trump's Saturday announcement that states must pay part of $400 weekly unemployment insurance benefits.
He told a telephone news conference that Trump's plan would likely cost New York state $4 billion.
"The concept of saying to states, you pay 25% of the insurance, is just laughable," Cuomo said. "It's just an impossibility. So none of this is real on the federal side. This is going to have to be resolved."
He said he didn't know if Trump was "genuine in thinking the executive order is a resolution or if this is just a tactic in the negotiation. But this is irreconcilable for the state. And I expect this is just a chapter in the book of Washington COVID mismanagement."
