- Argument‹4 of 4
Donald Trump paved the way for reopening America's economy
Understanding the harmful effect that a never-ending lockdown would have on the US economy, Trump provided support to help states safely reopen as soon as they were able to.
The argument
The Trump Administration is investing approximately $2 billion in community health centers, helping their 28 million patients in medically under-served areas receive the care and testing they need. Donald Trump also negotiated and launched the Paycheck Protection Program – helping to save 51 million American jobs. Donald Trump was also able to secure direct payments to help the countless Americans who are hurting due to the pandemic. His administration took executive action to give tax relief to workers, ensure unemployment benefits for those out of work, prevent families from losing their homes to eviction or foreclosure, and provide student debt relief for Americans already hurting due to the virus.
Premises
Counter-arguments
The rollout of the small-business programme had many delays and confusion from both the private banks authorised to make the loans and applicant businesses. This set back the American economy further and hindered small businesses' recovery.
Rejecting the premises
[Rejecting P1] The standard set here is one the argument never tests the record against. Protecting public health also covers testing capacity, consistent guidance and coordination between states, none of which appears in the list that follows. [Rejecting P2] These were programmes enacted by Congress in bipartisan legislation rather than executive achievements, and the jobs figure counts positions at businesses that received loans rather than jobs demonstrably saved. The rollout itself was marked by delays, inconsistent bank criteria and loans reaching large firms with other sources of credit.