Trump mulling executive plan to roll out checks, other stimulus features
WASHINGTON - President Trump is considering an executive order that would unilaterally impose a stimulus plan and include a suspension of the payroll tax, an extension of federal unemployment benefits, an eviction moratorium and another round of individual stimulus checks.
The constitutionality of such a move in unclear. And some people tell FOX Business Trump may be using this as a negotiating tactic to bring Democrats to the table and hammer out a compromise.
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Either way, Trump is floating this idea with key advisers.
Earlier in the weeks, a senior administration official told Fox News Monday that the administration is weighing taking unilateral action to quell the economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ MORE: Progress slow as urgency grows on virus relief legislation
"As the negotiations continue to progress as a snail's pace, the administration is considering a number of options that might be available without congressional legislative action," the official told Fox News.
Despite the urgency of the legislation, talks on Capitol Hill have repeatedly stalled out.
Republicans claim that Democrats' intransigence is slowing the process unneccessarily,
However, both parties agreed that Tuesday's talks showed some cautious signs of progress.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Tuesday's session was “probably the most productive meeting we've had to date." Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the two sides set a goal of reaching an agreement by the end of the week to permit a vote next week.
“I would characterize concessions made by Secretary Mnuchin and the administration as being far more substantial than the concessions that had been made by the Democrat negotiators," Meadows said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., issued a pointed reminder that she and Schumer are “legislators with long experience" and a track record of working complicated deals — a rejoinder to critics complaining that they are being too tough and that the talks are taking too long.
“We agree that we want to have an agreement," Pelosi said. “Let’s engineer back from there as to what we have to do to get that done.”
FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com contributed to this report