President Trump on Saturday signed several executive orders that he said would provide economic relief to millions of Americans, moving forward after talks with Democrats faltered. One of the executive orders would aim to provide $400 in weekly unemployment aid for millions of Americans whose $600 in weekly benefits expired last month. But some of this money would be required to be paid by states, many of which are already dealing with major budget shortfalls and have pleaded with Congress for more aid. Two of the other executive orders would relate to eviction protections and student loan relief. And the fourth executive order would seek to defer payroll tax payments from August 1 – retroactively – through December for people who earn less than $100,000. He said if he wins reelection he would seek to extend the deferral and somehow “terminate” the tax. The tax funds Social Security and Medicare benefits, and it’s unclear what will happen to those programs without the money. The first three issues had been the subject of talks with congressional Democrats, which faltered on Friday. The payroll tax initiative is one Trump has sought for more than a year with little congressional support.Trump signed the orders during a press event in Bedminster, N.J. On Friday, Trump acknowledged that the executive orders could be controversial and prompt lawsuits. Democrats on Friday signaled they were still holding out hopes that talks with the White House could be revived. Trump signed the orders two weeks after key parts of the $2 trillion Cares Act expired. The law passed in March with bipartisan support but the White House and Democrats were unable to reach agreement on legislation to deal with expiring provisions.The Cares Act provided enhanced weekly unemployment benefits of $600 through July, as well as temporary eviction protections, which also expired in July. Some experts have expressed confusion over the legality of a plan to unilaterally extend federal unemployment benefits. White House officials have studied using leftover money approved by Congress for use by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But it is unclear if the administration can repurpose those funds for unemployment benefits without violating the Antideficiency Act, a federal budgeting law.”States cannot pay unemployment insurance benefits in a way that has not been authorized by Congress through enactment of legislation,” said Michele Evermore, an unemployment insurance expert at the National Employment Law Project. “By definition, states’ administration of unemployment insurance must conform to federal law — and there is no federal law on the books allowing for an additional sum,”