White House mulls pushing tax deadline to September or December

The White House is considering again delaying the deadline to file federal taxes and adopting economic measures to support Americans that do not require further legislation from Congress, NBC reported.

Tax Day, which has already been pushed from April 15 to July 15, could be extended to Sept. 15 or Dec. 15, although an official decision has not been made, the outlet reported, citing two people familiar with the discussions.

Trump administration officials have also considered blocking new federal regulations amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, NBC News reported. Additionally, White House officials are assessing whether the president can protect businesses from lawsuits if employees become infected with coronavirus while at work.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) signaled that they will not support a fifth coronavirus bill unless it provides liability protections for employers against lawsuits. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Wednesday that a “tidal wave” of lawsuits against small businesses could flood courts without liability protections. 

Democratic lawmakers, labor unions and trial attorneys have voiced their opposition to a liability shield.

The White House’s consideration of the policy comes as the Trump administration was hit with a historic jobs report Friday. The U.S. lost 20.5 million jobs in April, as the unemployment rate spiked to 14.7 percent.

The administration has also considered a tax break for sales of real estate and stocks that would involve indexing capital gains to inflation, although one official told NBC News that aides are not assessing that option.

White House spokesman Judd Deere told the outlet that trade and energy policies, in addition to cutting taxes and federal regulations, will boost the economy again.

“As President Trump has said, we are going to ensure that we take care of all Americans so that we emerge from this challenge stronger and with a growing economy, which is why the White House is focused on pro-growth, middle-class tax and regulatory relief,” Deere said in a statement to NBC News.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.