Monday's White House statement stated that it could not find legal ways to extend the eviction moratorium. This despite the fact that millions may soon lose their homes as COVID-19 Delta continues to spread.Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, stated that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was unable to locate legal authority for a targeted eviction moratorium. Our team is intensifying efforts to find all legal authorities that can provide the protections needed.The White House cited a Supreme Court decision in June and said that it could not unilaterally extend the moratorium on evictions. Psaki made a statement urging Congress to act late last week. However, the House was forced into recess without a vote. It is not clear if the Senate would approve an extension of the moratorium if it passes the House.Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, at a press conference on July 27, (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images).Although the federal eviction moratorium ended over the weekend, more than 6.5million households in the United States are still behind on their rental payments, which total more than $20 billion according to a study done by the Aspen Institute, and the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project. Many renters will have to pay back months of rent if there are no federal protections."On this particular topic, the president has not just kicked the tires but he has doubled, triple, and quadruple checked," Gene Sperling, White House COVID-19 economic assistance coordinator, stated at a briefing Monday. He added, The rise of the Delta variant is especially harmful for those most likely to face expulsions. As that reality became more apparent going into last week, I think everyone started to ask what else we can do.Some renters in certain areas are still covered by local and state moratoriums. Others have been extended due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. The county's chief executive officer praised the decision of a DeKalb County judge to extend the moratorium.Continue the storyIn a press release, Michael Thurmond, CEO of DeKalb, stated that this emergency order was a blessing. DeKalb residents would have faced the harsh reality of seeing their belongings left on the streets in the midst rising COVID-19 infections rates without the extension of the CDC moratorium.On July 30, housing activists in Boston called for protection for homeowners and tenants at the Massachusetts State House. (David L. Ryan/Boston Globe via Getty Images).The White House encouraged other jurisdictions in Monday's statement to take similar actions to protect renters. The White House also requested federal and local courts to take all possible measures to stop evictions. The National Low Income Housing Coalition stated that it is encouraging the White House to treat the crisis with the seriousness it deserves, and to consider and implement immediate measures to protect renters against eviction.The advocates of moratoriums argue that they are especially important in times of pandemics when people are forced to move and living conditions become more difficult. A Census Bureau survey this month found that 3.6 million people are at least somewhat or very high risk of being evicted.Two coexisting crises are plaguing America: the spread COVID-19 from evictions and the eviction crisis itself. Emily Benfer, coauthor of the study and chair of American Bar Associations Task Force Committee on Eviction, stated to Yahoo News. Moratoriums are an essential component of any pandemic strategy. They are just as important as hand-washing or self-quarantining in stopping the spread of COVID-19. Moratoriums can't end the eviction crisis or protect families from the severe and debilitating consequences of eviction or foreclosure if the rent isn't paid without rent relief.Although billions of dollars were allocated to rental aid through federal pandemic relief programs, states with Democratic or Republican leadership have not been able to distribute it. Only $3 billion has been spent on the $47 billion Emergency Rental Assistance Program. When landlords are unable to collect rent, it can cause a domino effect on the wider housing market. Regular payments to mortgage holders and landlords will not be made.Eviction protest in New York City October 2020. (Paul Frangipane/Bloomberg via Getty Images).House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged Democratic members to go to their respective districts and get the funds distributed in a Monday letter. Pelosi said to reporters on Friday that she only learned about the end of the eviction moratorium yesterday.Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said that Democrats were to blame for the expiration and praised CNN.Ocasio Cortez stated that we cannot blame the Republican Party for having a majority in the House. She added, "Now, there is something to say for the fact this court order was placed on the White House one month ago and the White House waited till the day before the House adjourned before releasing a statement asking Congress to prolong the moratorium.Rep. Patrick McHenry (Republican from North Carolina), who is a proponent for ending the moratorium, described the situation as a complete failure by the Biden administration.Three days remain before the end of CDC's unconstitutional eviction moratorium. What is President Bidens solution to this problem? McHenry, the ranking Member on the House Financial Services Committee said last week. Blame the Court, and ask Congress to fix it. This is absurd. This is absurd.Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.), protest the extension of Sunday's eviction moratorium at the Capitol steps. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images).Over the weekend, Rep. Cori bush, D-Mo. held a vigil at Congress, where she slept on the Capitol steps, and encouraged her colleagues to return to the polls. Ocasio Cortez, D.N.Y. joined her for Sunday's rally.Bush stated in a Sunday statement that we are currently in an eviction crisis. We agreed last night that allowing the federal eviction moratorium expire was a moral failing, and we will continue to work together to show that our movement is strong. As someone who was evicted from my home and left without housing, I understand the trauma millions of families would face if we don't act quickly.____Yahoo News has more information:
