Trump Pursues Payroll Tax Cut as GOP, Democrats Look Elsewhere

A big cut in the payroll tax is high on President Donald Trump’s wish list for the next coronavirus response bill, but the idea is getting the brushoff from newly-cost-conscious Republicans and Democrats who would rather send aid to people who aren’t getting a paycheck.

Trump has backed a payroll tax cut since long before the pandemic brought the economy to a halt and threw millions of people out of work. He suggested the idea in August 2019 as a way to boost the economy and tried to include it in the $2.2 trillion stimulus bill passed in late ...