President Trump said Monday night that he’s weighing an executive order to cut payroll taxes, after congressional negotiators rejected the proposal as part of a coronavirus aid package.
“I can do that also through an executive order. So we’ll talk about that,” the president told reporters at a White House briefing.
Mr. Trump has been pushing for a cut in payroll taxes, through the end of the year, to be included in the next round of emergency aid. But he agreed to pull the proposal from potential legislation when lawmakers in both parties panned the idea.
As negotiations between the White House and Democratic leaders move slowly, the president also said he’s considering executive action to halt evictions in federally backed housing. And Mr. Trump also is reportedly considering unilateral action to extend federal unemployment benefits if lawmakers can’t reach a deal with the administration.
A payroll tax cut would reduce the amount taken out of workers’ paychecks to fund Social Security and Medicare.
Workers pay about 7.65% of their wages and salaries, and employers match that amount.
The president has suggested suspending the entire amount to give workers a temporary pay increase and provide businesses with more cash.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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