These state governments must work together. However, we cannot force people from their homes if our end of the bargain is not being met. Ocasio-Cortez stated that only $3 billion of the $46 billion allocated has been used to assist renters and small-business landlords.Ocasio-Cortez held a sit-in Saturday night in Washington, D.C., at midnight. She tweeted, "Were out here to prolong the moratorium, so where is Congress?" Its time we come back and #ExtendTheMoratorium.After eight House legislators, including Ocasio Cortez, asked President Joe Biden to extend the moratorium, Ocasio Cortez led the rally. POLITICO reported Friday that there are less than a dozen state bans on eviction.President Joe Biden released a statement Friday in which he urged state and local governments to "take all possible steps immediately to disburse these funds."Pete Buttigieg (Transport Secretary) waited to comment directly on Ocasio Cortez's video blasting Democratic inaction regarding the evictions ban. He said on ABC's Sunday morning, "This Week,": Let's be clear. The administration has been acting all along and the president sees this as a moral and not a political issue.He also cited emergency rental assistance as a state, even though it is not always available to all.On Sunday, Brian Deese (director of the National Economic Council) stated on Fox News that it is now up to states to distribute the billions to landlords and tenants. There is no excuse for the states to have the tools and the localities to have them. They must immediately transfer that money to the landlords and renters.Deese stated that the White House could extend the eviction moratorium on properties that have been backed by government guarantees like HUD, USDA, and VA. However, the main message is that landlords should not evict tenants without first seeking rental assistance.
