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Demanding Tax Cut in Next Stimulus Package, Trump Holds COVID Relief Hostage

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SharePrisons &amp; PolicingPolitics &amp; ElectionsRacial JusticePolitics &amp; ElectionsEnvironment &amp; HealthPolitics &amp; ElectionsPresident Donald Trump on Sunday said he will not approve anotherCovid-19 stimulus package if it doesn’t include a payroll tax cut, a policy that would strike a blow to Social Security and Medicare funding while offering no relief for the more than 30 million people who have lost their jobs over the past six weeks.“I told Steve just today, we’re not doing anything unless we get a payroll tax cut,” Trump said during aFox Newstown hall Sunday night, referring to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. “That is so important to the success of our country.”The town hall was thein less than a week that the president has proposed a payroll tax cut as a centerpiece of the next relief legislation, which is being negotiated by the White House and congressional leaders as the U.S. barrels toward an unemployment rate not seen since the.An NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist surveylast week found that half of all Americans said they or someone in their household has lost a job or seen their hours slashed due to the coronavirus pandemic.Economists have noted that a payroll tax cut—unlike additional direct payments, which—would do nothing for those who have been thrown out of work by the coronavirus crisis.University of Michigan economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers wrote in aNew York Timesin March that a payroll tax cut would give “the biggest breaks to those with the biggest paychecks, and delivers nothing to those who have lost their pay.”“And it’s a slow infusion of cash,” Stevenson and Wolfers added, “dripping out paycheck by paycheck.”Additionally, advocacy groups have warned that a payroll tax cut represents a threat to Social Security and Medicare.“‘Payroll tax cut’ is code for ‘gut Social Security and Medicare’s dedicated funding, then demand benefit cuts,'” Social Security WorksSunday night. “Democrats must stand strong and continue blocking Trump’s terrible idea.”Trump’s comments came in the early stages of talks over a “Phase Four” coronavirus stimulus package that advocates and experts say is urgently needed to stem mass layoffs, forestall a looming, and avert a.On top of a payroll tax cut, Republican congressional leaders and the Trump White House arethat any future stimulus measure include legal immunity for corporations whose workers contract Covid-19 on the job.As far as I can tell, Rs now have 2 redline demands — payroll tax cut and liability shield— Jeffrey Stein (@JStein_WaPo)Progressives, meanwhile, arethat addresses the needs of frontline workers, distributes direct $2,000 monthly payments to all U.S. households, provides emergency funding for the U.S. Postal Service, expands Medicare to cover the unemployed and uninsured, cancels rent and mortgage payments, and more.Indivisible, a progressive advocacy organization, ismembers of Congress to vote against any stimulus bill that doesn’t provide sufficient relief to the vulnerable.“If the bill doesn’t put people first, they should vote no,” the groupSaturday.This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.RelatedThe pandemic has made clear that our survival depends on rejecting our life of precarious drudgery under capitalism.In the absence of state subsidies, neighbors are finding creative ways to keep their local businesses afloat.Our system is very efficient at deploying money quickly to corporations and the wealthy, but not to those who need it.Get daily news, in-depth reporting and critical analysis from the journalists, activists and thinkers who are working to improve our world..

SharePrisons &amp; PolicingPolitics &amp; ElectionsRacial JusticePolitics &amp; ElectionsEnvironment &amp; HealthPolitics &amp; ElectionsPresident Donald Trump on Sunday said he will not approve anotherCovid-19 stimulus package if it doesn’t include a payroll tax cut, a policy that would strike a blow to Social Security and Medicare funding while offering no relief for the more than 30 million people who have lost their jobs over the past six weeks.“I told Steve just today, we’re not doing anything unless we get a payroll tax cut,” Trump said during aFox Newstown hall Sunday night,...

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Jake Johnson is a staff writer for Common Dreams.

https://www.commondreams.org/author/jake-johnson-staff-writer

Jake Johnson

Truthout is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to providing independent reporting and commentary on a diverse range of social justice issues.

Demanding Tax Cut in Next Stimulus Package, Trump Holds COVID Relief Hostage

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