Trump hints at steps to block evictions, suspend payroll tax

Washington, DC: U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, August 4 continued to underscore his hopes for a swift vaccine to combat COVID-19 while he also hinted that he may take steps to block evictions if Congress does not act.

"We're determined to have a vaccine very quickly," Trump told reporters at the White House. He also said, "We want to take care of the eviction problem." He said he may not have to take steps, that will depend on progress that Congress makes on a relief package. "People are being evicted very unfairly," he said. "It's not their fault, it's China's fault." After weeks of railing against what he has claimed are the potential risks of voting by mail, Trump urged voters in at least one Republican state - Florida - to vote by any means.

Trump, who is trailing presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in polls, has repeatedly warned in recent weeks without evidence that mail-in voting could result in widespread fraud.

Voting by mail has been embraced as a way to limit exposure to the novel coronavirus, though the system to do so will vary from state to state. Most absentee ballots are also conducted by mail.

On Tuesday, Trump said that in Florida, where he has voted absentee, there was no difference between "vote by mail" or absentee voting, and urged voters in the state to trust their system. The comments come one day after he vowed to sue Nevada, which plans to send mail-in ballots to every voter ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington already conduct their elections entirely by mail, while California and Vermont have decided to do so this year due to the pandemic. The issue has spawned partisan litigation in dozens of states over issues like absentee ballots and signature requirements.

Democrats and voting rights groups have warned that cost-saving measures instituted at the Postal Service by a Trump financial backer who is now the postmaster general could lead to delays in service just as voting by mail ramps up.