Trump said the orders would provide an extra $US400 ($NZ600) per week in unemployment payments, less than the $US600 per week passed earlier in the crisis. Some of the measures were likely to face legal challenges, as the U.S. Constitution gives Congress authority over federal spending. Trump's move to take relief measures out of the hands of Congress drew immediate criticism from some Democrats. "This scheme is a classic Donald Trump con: playacting at leadership while robbing people of the support they desperately need." The Democratic-majority House of Representatives passed a coronavirus support package in May which the Republican-led Senate ignored.

Source: Otago Daily Times August 09, 2020 00:22 UTC