This archive report was first published on 9 August 2020.
On August 8, 2020, President Trump signed a series of executive measures to provide pandemic relief, sidestepping Congress in the process.
The move was reminiscent of his 2018 decision to shut down the government over his demand for funding for a border wall, a signature campaign promise.
One of the executive orders invoked the Stafford Act, a federal disaster relief statute, to divert money from a homeland security fund and allow states to use allocated funds to help people laid off amid the pandemic.
However, the mechanism would pull from the same fund that covers natural disasters, raising concerns about the impact on hurricane relief efforts.
President Trump claimed that the action would provide $400 weekly in enhanced unemployment benefits, but with states being directed to pick up $100 of that aid, the federal amount would be no more than $300 a week.
It remains unclear how quickly states will be able to adjust to a new system and whether they will have the resources to supplement an additional benefit.
When asked about the potential challenges, President Trump replied, "If they don't, they don't — that's going to be their problem."
