Coronavirus relief orders face scrutiny

President Donald Trump prepares to sign four executive orders during a news conference at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. Seizing the power of his podium and his pen, Trump on Saturday moved to bypass the nation's elected lawmakers as he claimed the authority to defer payroll taxes and extend an expired unemployment benefit after negotiations with Congress on a new coronavirus rescue package collapsed.(AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (Susan Walsh, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

President Trump on Saturday signed executive orders aimed at providing coronavirus relief to struggling families and businesses. 

"We have to get money out to the people," Mr. Trump said.

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Among the orders is $400 a week in expanded unemployment benefits.  It's less money than Democrats were seeking, and partly paid for and distributed by each state.

It's unclear which states can afford it, how fast money can be sent out, and whether it's constitutional.  

"Whether they're legal or not takes time to figure out," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN.  "My constitutional advisers tell me they're absurdly unconstitutional."

The president also postponed the due date of payroll taxes for some workers. 

Democrats argue the order could starve money from Social Security and Medicare and oversteps the president’s authority.