A pandemic-related restriction on residential evictions in the United States expired at midnight on Saturday, placing millions of American tenants at risk of being evicted.
The moratorium's expiration was a setback for President Joe Biden, who made a last-ditch effort to Congress on Thursday to prolong it, citing the raging Delta outbreak.
After a Republican congressman thwarted a move to prolong the tenant protections by unanimous consent until Oct. 18, the United States House of Representatives adjourned without examining them on Friday. Democratic leaders claimed they didn't have enough votes to put the plan to a vote.
The Senate met on a rare Saturday, but the eviction prohibition was not discussed. Following a Supreme Court ruling in June, the White House made it plain that it would not unilaterally extend the protections, claiming it had the legal authority to do so.
According to a report by the Aspen Institute and the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project, more than 15 million people in 6.5 million families in the United States are currently behind on their rent payments, owing landlords a total of more than $20 billion.
"every state in this country, families are sitting around their kitchen table right now, trying to figure out how to survive a devastating, disruptive, and unnecessary eviction." Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren stated on Saturday.
Democratic Representative Cori Bush and others gathered outside the United States Capitol on Friday night to draw attention to the issue.
She inquired as to how parents might work and care for their children if they were evicted. "We cannot put people on the street in a deadly global pandemic," Bush remarked on Saturday.
Some landlords have struggled to keep up with the mortgage, tax, and insurance payments on properties without rental income due to the moratorium, which was opposed by landlord associations.
Since late March 2020, a general eviction moratorium has been in effect through various mechanisms. To curb the spread of COVID-19 and avoid homelessness during the pandemic, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) imposed a ban in September 2020.
It has been extended several times, the most recent being till Saturday. In June, the CDC announced that no more extensions would be granted. The CDC verified that the moratorium was no longer in effect, but declined to comment further.
In explaining why the eviction restriction must be extended, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pointed out that "only $3 billion has been distributed to renters." out of $46.5 billion in rental aid already approved by Congress.
Pelosi stated late Saturday that Democrats want "the $46.5 billion provided by Congress be distributed expeditiously to renters and landlords."
Early Sunday, a group of Democratic lawmakers gathered outside the Capitol to demand that the ban be reinstated.
California and New York, for example, have elected to extend eviction moratoriums beyond July 31. On Friday, federal agencies that fund rental housing urged property owners to take advantage of support programs rather than remove tenants.
