Stimulus Deal Unlikely by Friday Deadline, So Trump May Take Action on Unemployment Benefits, Other Measures

White House officials aren't confident a deal on the next economic relief package can be reached by the self-imposed Friday deadline, and if an agreement can't be made, President Donald Trump may bypass Congress on eviction moratoriums, federal unemployment benefits and payroll tax suspensions.

Days of meetings between administration officials, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer led to some concessions on both sides, but it hasn't been enough to bring a final package to fruition. Although Friday is a self-imposed deadline, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said if a deal can't come together by then, it may not be worth pursuing much longer.

"I've become extremely doubtful that we'll be able to make a deal if it goes well beyond Friday," Meadows told reporters. "We've been spending so much time together that if you're not making progress, there's no sense to continue."

On Tuesday, Trump told reporters he was considering taking executive action to reinstate the federal unemployment benefits, which expired on July 31, if Congress can't reach a deal by the end of the week. Those benefits, provided under the CARES Act, paid people $600 a week on top of state unemployment benefits.

Democrats are pushing to continue the CARES Act benefits for another year. Republicans proposed reducing them to $200 per week on a temporary basis until a system could reimburse people for about 70 percent of their lost wages. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would support the $600 per week extension if it had the president's backing.

Trump didn't offer any details as to whether an executive order would institute a percentage form of compensation or a flat rate, only saying, "We are looking at it." Two other items the president is eyeing for an executive order are a payroll tax suspension and an eviction moratorium.

"People are being evicted very unfairly. It's not their fault. It's China's fault," Trump said on Tuesday. "And this is not a time—you never want to be in a shelter, but this is not a time to be in a shelter with the COVID. They catch it, they get it, and it's no good."

The CARES Act protected renters living in federally subsidized apartments or units with federally backed mortgages from eviction until July 25. Without extending that, landlords can evict tenants who are unable to pay rent, disproportionately affecting low-income individuals who likely hold jobs in the hospitality industry, one of the hardest-hit sectors.

Meadows told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday that Trump was prepared to take executive action on unemployment benefits and the eviction moratorium if negotiators didn't make "significant progress."

Whether Trump has the executive power to take action on items originally passed by Congress is a bit murky. Meadows said the White House is working with legal counsel to take a close look at what the president can do. However, the president's broad executive powers, and the flexibility given to the executive branch under the CARES Act, give the White House confidence they can "address those two things."

"He will address those two things. So the good news for your viewers is if Congress can't get it done, the president of the United States will," Meadows told Blitzer.

Since negotiations aren't a "fine wine" that gets better with time, Meadows' optimism that a deal can be reached "falls off a cliff exponentially" after Friday, he said. But Schumer told reporters on Wednesday the Democrats are prepared to continue meeting until an agreement is reached.

"We will stay here as long as it takes to get an agreement," he said. "And we urge Mr. Meadows to sit down and continue to work with us and to do it as long as it takes."