Gene Sperling, White House American Rescue Plan Coordinator, speaks at a briefing in James Brady Press Briefing Room on August 02/2021 in Washington DC.WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden was defended by a top White House aide on Monday. This came two days after a nearly one-year-long nationwide halt to rental evictions had expired."Unfortunately, on June 29, the Supreme Court declared that the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] cannot grant such an extension without clear and explicit congressional authorization," stated Gene Sperling, economist who heads the White House effort for Covid relief funds distribution.He said that authorization was not granted and that the CDC director and her staff were unable to obtain legal authority to extend the moratorium.Sperling then described new measures Biden had authorized. These mainly consisted of direct agencies to continue trying to prevent evictions.The White House's claim that it doesn't have the legal authority to extend eviction bans has not been well received by the progressive wing. They have been pressing both Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Biden for weeks to make sure the moratorium is extended by all means."This court order was issued to the White House one month ago and the White House waited till the day before the House adjourned in order to release a statement requesting Congress to extend the moratorium," Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, N.Y., progressive Democratic Rep., said Sunday on CNN.However, it's much more complicated than that. The White House spent the last few weeks trying to circumvent the directive of the high court while simultaneously working to improve slow federal and state rental assistance programs.It became apparent that the CDC had no legal authority to extend the ban. The White House announced late last week that Biden would allow it to lapse.The White House stated that President Biden would have supported a decision made by the CDC to extend the eviction moratorium. "Unfortunately, this option is no more available," the Supreme Court stated.
