ABC Decries Trump's Executive Orders to Deliver COVID Unemployment Aid #Political
“President Trump taking matters into his own hands, sidestepping Congress on coronavirus relief, setting up the stage for a potential legal battle,” announced White House correspondent Rachel Scott. And as she began the video portion of her report, Scott huffed about Trump “pushing to bypass Congress with the stroke of his pen” and “placing the blame on Democrats after both parties failed to reach a deal.”
Adding: “The House Democrats passed a $3 trillion stimulus package bay in May and offered to meet Republicans halfway, but the White House called it a nonstarter.” The clear undertone was that Democrats were the ones trying to get aid to Americans while the President and Republicans dithered.
After playing a soundbite of a struggling American who needed the relief, Scott chided the President’s effort. “But with the President's executive action, that crucial aid could be tied up in court for months, Congress, not the president, controls federal spending,” she said.
After her admission that the opposition would tie up Trump’s relief, Scott showed off this soundbite of her sparing with the President and demanding he give a specific date that people would receive the checks (click “expand”):
SCOTT: Mr. President, when will this relief get in the hands of Americans that need it? What date?
TRUMP: We think it's going to be very rapid. We want it to be very rapid. It’s going to be distributed in a way that -- whichever the faster way. There are various methods and it will be rapidly distributed.
SCOTT: But you're signing an executive order today, and Americans want to know when they're going to see this relief?
TRUMP: Very soon. They’re going to see it very soon.
SCOTT: Very soon?! 30 million Americans are out of work sir!
TRUMP: Excuse me, there it is, right there.
She wanted a specific date so the media could pile on if the aid was delayed by the legal fight.
Scott gave congressional Democrats the last word by parroting them, calling the orders “weak and narrow.” Adding: “… it does nothing to increase testing or help reopen schools, and that if the President was serious about wanting to help Americans, he would return to the negotiating table.”
Chief anchor George Stephanopoulos tapped into similar resentment moments after Scott’s report, suggesting it was a “game of chicken” to Trump. “I think this is designed to put pressure on the Democrats to stay at the negotiating table to make more compromises,” he said before noting that his Democratic friends felt they had better positioning. “But the bottom line for people who are not getting their unemployment assistance right now, this is not going to happen any time fast.”
“Well, you know, you call it a game of chicken but for many Americans, it’s not a game at all,” declared co-anchor Dan Harris, using Stephanopoulos to take that shot.
ABC wouldn’t dare treat Obama (their president) like that. Republicans would be accused of wanting to prolong the suffering if they took the orders to court or dragged out negotiations.
This blatant and hostile double standard was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Geico, Procter & Gamble (via Kellogg’s), and Amazon. Their contact information is linked if you want to tell them about what they’re funding.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
August 9, 2020
8:02:36 a.m. EasternWHIT JOHNSON: But first to the relief that may be coming for unemployed Americans hit hard by the pandemic, struggling to make ends meet. We go to ABC's Rachel Scott in Bedminster, New Jersey, for more on President Trump's executive actions. Rachel, good morning.
RACHEL SCOTT: Whit, good morning. President Trump taking matters into his own hands, sidestepping Congress on coronavirus relief, setting up the stage for a potential legal battle.
[Cuts to video]
Overnight, President Trump said he's had enough.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Therefore, I'm taking executive action, we've had it.
SCOTT: Pushing to bypass Congress with the stroke of his pen. Taking to the podium at his private golf club to announce executive action on coronavirus relief. The President restoring unemployment benefits, but slashing the weekly checks to $400. Requesting states share the costs. Minimizing evictions, suspending interest on student loans. And enacting payroll tax cuts. President Trump placing the blame on Democrats after both parties failed to reach a deal.
TRUMP: Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have chosen to hold this vital assistance hostage. On behalf of very extreme partisan demands.
SCOTT: The House Democrats passed a $3 trillion stimulus package bay in May and offered to meet Republicans halfway, but the White House called it a nonstarter.
(…)
SCOTT: But with the President's executive action that crucial aid could be tied up in court for months, Congress, not the president, controls federal spending.
Mr. President, when will this relief get in the hands of Americans that need it? What date?
TRUMP: We think it's going to be very rapid. We want it to be very rapid. It’s going to be distributed in a way that -- whichever the faster way. There are various methods and it will be rapidly distributed.
SCOTT: But you're signing an executive order today, and Americans want to know when they're going to see this relief?
TRUMP: Very soon. They’re going to see it very soon.
SCOTT: Very soon?! 30 million Americans are out of work sir!
TRUMP: Excuse me, there it is, right there.
[Cuts back to live]
SCOTT: And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer are calling the President’s executive actions here “weak and narrow,” saying it does nothing to increase testing or help reopen schools, and that if the President was serious about wanting to help Americans, he would return to the negotiating table. Dan?
DAN HARRIS: Rachel Scott challenging the President. Rachel, thank you.
Let's bring in our chief anchor, George Stephanopoulos who will be hosting This Week this morning right here on ABC News. George, good morning.
So, these executive orders smart politics in that it makes the President look like he’s taking action when Congress won’t or is there going to be a problem here potentially when Americans don't get relief quickly?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I think what we’re seeing right now is a game of chicken. Rachel did some good questioning of the President right there. If you look at the substance – It’s only one actually, one executive order, the others are just presidential memoranda that he signed. There are real questions about whether or not the president can spend the money that Congress has not allocated for these purposes; whether or not anything can happen quickly.
So, I think this is designed to put pressure on the Democrats to stay at the negotiating table to make more compromises. Democrats as you saw in their response feel that they're in a fairly strong position right now, and they think that the pressure is going to be on the President to come back to the negotiating table. But the bottom line for people who are not getting their unemployment assistance right now, this is not going to happen any time fast.
HARRIS: Well, you know, you call it a game of chicken but for many Americans, it’s not a game at all.
(…)
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