The Supreme Court last month allowed the order issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to remain in effect until July 31, but said action by Congress was required to keep it up after that date to extend.

"Given the recent proliferation of the Delta variant, including Americans who are most likely to face evictions and have no vaccinations, President Biden would have strongly supported a decision by the CDC to extend this eviction moratorium further to protect tenants at this moment of heightened vulnerability . " . Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has made it clear that this option is no longer available, "White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Thursday.

Psaki said, "In light of the Supreme Court ruling, the President is calling on Congress to extend the eviction moratorium to immediately protect such vulnerable tenants and their families."

The moratorium aims to keep people inside their homes and out of crowded environments, including homeless shelters, to stop the spread of Covid-19. The number of cases is rising across the country, fueled by the highly communicable Delta variant, which is spreading to areas with low vaccination rates.

House spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi wrote to her Democratic counterparts late Thursday urging them to extend the moratorium until the end of the year, calling it a "moral imperative".

The bill is expected in the house on Friday. It has an uncertain fate in the Senate, where all 100 Senators would have to agree to a quick passage. If not, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would have to take several procedural steps to enforce the law – something that would consume valuable ground time, just as they are considering the Infrastructure Act.

Biden has also asked the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs to extend their respective eviction moratoriums through September, Psaki said.

The president urges states and municipalities to "urgently accelerate" efforts to disburse emergency funds for rent as the CDC eviction moratorium ends this weekend.

A coalition of brokerage groups had asked the Supreme Court to block the CDC order, arguing that "Congress never gave the CDC the amazing power it now claims". They argued the moratorium resulted in "over $ 13 billion a month in unpaid rent".

The CDC's order first came into force in September and was initially due to expire at the end of 2020, but later to be extended several times. As one of his first acts, Biden asked the CDC to extend the ban until March 31.

The original eviction ban was approved by lawmakers in March 2020 as part of a massive Covid-19 aid law.

The $ 1.9 trillion stimulus package that Biden signed in March includes nearly $ 50 billion in housing assistance for troubled renters, homeowners and people affected by homelessness. The plan provides $ 27 billion in rental benefits, $ 10 billion in mortgage payments, and $ 5 billion in combating homelessness.

Nearly $ 50 billion in federal rent relief was provided through federal tenant incentives, including $ 25 billion from the December stimulus package and $ 22 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act in March.

This story has been updated with further developments.

Annie Grayer, Kristin Wilson, Ali Zaslav, and Manu Raju contributed to this report.

source https://seapointrealtors.com/2021/09/01/biden-calls-on-congress-to-extend-eviction-moratorium-set-to-expire-saturday/

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