For weeks, competing versions of a fourth COVID-19 package have been making their way through Congress. On July 27, US Senate leadership announced the details of a proposed $1 trillion Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act. Negotiations are ongoing in Congress over these provisions as well as those passed by the House in the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act earlier in July.

In the context of these negotiations, on Saturday, August 8, 2020, President Trump signed four executive orders (EOs) providing executive-based COVID-19 emergency relief in the areas of 1) temporary payroll tax deferment, 2) extended unemployment benefits, 3) eviction and foreclosure, and 4) student loans. Continue reading >