As is his habit, President Donald Trump has made a bad situation exponentially worse. With Congress unable to agree on a new pandemic relief package, Trump has issued four executive orders to provide that package. But the orders are a confusing, constitutionally questionable mess, providing inadequate unemployment benefits, making some but possibly not all states pay a portion of it (a sure sign that he plans to once again sock it to Democratic governors), while forcing a payroll tax cut that neither party wants and that could endanger Social Security.

Worst of all, the orders give Congress an excuse to stop working toward a real solution, which is the worst thing that could happen right now.

House Democrats proposed a new pandemic relief package months ago, but the GOP didn't even bother talking about it until recently. Its delay threw millions of Americans over a fiscal cliff as enhanced federal unemployment benefits and eviction protection expired. When Republicans still couldn't agree among themselves, Democrats negotiated directly with the White House. That went about as well as expected. Trump issued his four executive orders Saturday.

Even if they pass constitutional muster — a big if — the orders all fall somewhere between useless and damaging.

Instead of the $600 weekly boost to unemployment that Democrats proposed extending, Trump made it an inadequate $400 — then put the states on the hook for $100 of that, then suggested that some states (those chosen by the administration, of course) wouldn't have to pay that $100. Does anyone really believe this vindictive president won't use that double standard to punish blue states?

Trump has long sought to cut the payroll tax that employers withhold from workers' checks to fund Social Security and Medicare. This was always a bad idea, but Trump's executive order makes it worse because it's temporary and has to be paid back in a few months. In theory, workers might briefly see bigger paychecks, but employers are already wondering how they're supposed to revamp their entire withholding systems for a few months, for an order that could well be deemed unconstitutional.

Trump's order continuing the delay on required repayment of student loans is well and good, but his extension of the eviction moratorium isn't an extension at all; it merely calls on federal agencies to "consider" such a ban. As for small businesses and shattered state budgets, both are on their own.

This isn't just inadequate; it's worse than nothing because the Republican Senate now has an excuse to continue not doing its job. That excuse shouldn't work.

Trump's orders may well be overturned by legal challenges, leaving millions of Americans once again at the economic mercy of a pandemic that, thanks to this administration's incompetence, continues to ravage the nation. Congress should return to negotiations and approve a genuine relief package to replace this mess.

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