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Trump Executive Actions on COVID Are Smoke and Mirrors That Help No One

Richard Trumka
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One way to view President Donald Trump’s executive actions last week on COVID relief is that they represent unlawful overreach. But that would imply that while his actions are illegal, they are nevertheless effective — and therein lies the core problem. What our showman president signed last week was nothing more than smoke and mirrors. 

Trump’s actions will not help the 30 million people who just lost $600 a week in unemployment benefits. They won’t get a single dollar. Nor will they stop the spree of mass evictions. They will not cut anyone’s taxes — only their Social Security and Medicare.  

Make no mistake: the president’s goal is not to help people. Rather, after months of inaction and incompetence from the White House and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the goal is to make it appear, against all evidence, as if they are in control of this crisis. McConnell and his allies think they are off the hook. They think they can bail on bipartisan negotiations to keep working people whole and leave Washington for an August vacation without addressing our country's public health and economic crises.

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