More than 3.6 million Americans are at risk of eviction, some in a matter of days, as nearly $47 billion in federal housing aid to the states during the pandemic has been slow to make it into the hands of renters
A nationwide eviction moratorium is set to expire Saturday night after President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress worked furiously but ultimately failed to align on a long-shot strategy to prevent millions of Americans from being forced from their homes during a COVID-19 surge.
More than 3.6 million Americans are at risk of eviction, some in a matter of days, as nearly $47 billion in federal housing aid to the states during the pandemic has been slow to make it into the hands of renters and landlords owed payments. The moratorium expires at midnight Saturday.
Tensions mounted late Friday as it became clear there would be no resolution in sight. Hours before the ban was set to expire, Biden called on local governments to 바카라take all possible steps바카라 to immediately disburse the funds. Evictions could begin as soon as Monday.
바카라There can be no excuse for any state or locality not accelerating funds to landlords and tenants that have been hurt during this pandemic,바카라 Biden said in a statement.
바카라Every state and local government must get these funds out to ensure we prevent every eviction we can,바카라 he said.
The stunning outcome, as the White House and Congress each expected the other to act, exposed a rare divide between the president and his allies on Capitol Hill, and one that could have a lasting impact as the nation's renters face widespread evictions.
Biden set off the scramble by announcing he would allow the eviction ban to expire, rather than challenge a recent Supreme Court ruling signaling this would be the last deadline. He called on Congress on Thursday to swiftly pass legislation to extend the date.
Racing to respond, Democrats strained to rally the votes early Friday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi implored colleagues to pass legislation extending the deadline, calling it a 바카라moral imperative,바카라 to protect renters and also the landlords who are owed compensation.
Congress must 바카라meet the needs of the American people: both the families unable to make rent and those to whom the rent is to be paid,바카라 she said in an overnight letter late Thursday.
But after hours of behind-the-scenes wrangling throughout the day, Democratic lawmakers had questions and could not muster support to extend the ban even a few months. An attempt to simply approve an extension by consent, without a formal vote, was objected to by House Republicans. The Senate may try again Saturday.
Lawmakers were livid at the prospect of evictions in the middle of a surging pandemic.
바카라Housing is a primary social indicator of health, in and of itself, even absent COVID,바카라 said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. 바카라A mass eviction in the United States does represent a public health crisis unto itself."
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the Financial Services Committee chair who wrote the emergency bill, said House leaders should have held the vote, even if it failed, to show Americans they were trying to solve the problem.
바카라Is it emergency enough that you're going to stop families from being put on the street?바카라 Waters testified at a hastily called hearing early Friday morning urging her colleagues to act. 바카라What the hell is going to happen to these children?바카라
But Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, the top Republican on another panel handling the issue, said the Democrats' bill was rushed.
바카라This is not the way to legislate,바카라 she said.
The ban was initially put in place to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 by people put out on the streets and into shelters.
Congress pushed nearly $47 billion to the states earlier in the COVID-19 crisis to shore up landlords and renters as workplaces shut down and many people were suddenly out of work.
But lawmakers said state governments have been slow to distribute the money. On Friday, they said only some $3 billion has been spent.
By the end of March, 6.4 million American households were behind on their rent, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As of July 5, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey.
Some places are likely to see spikes in evictions starting Monday, while other jurisdictions will see an increase in court filings that will lead to evictions over several months.