Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks during a bill enrollment ceremony for the Emergency Security Supplemental Appropriations Act at the U.S. Capitol on July 30, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Democrats have failed at a long shot effort to pass an extension on the federal eviction moratorium. On Friday night, House Democrats attempted to quickly pass a bill to extend the moratorium through unanimous consent, but failed to garner enough votes to pass the measure.
The moratorium, meant to keep renters in their homes amid coronavirus lockdowns, is set to expire at the end of the day on Saturday. On Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said there is a moral imperative for the extension, arguing the resurgence of the Delta variant has made it necessary.
“We’re in a situation where the pandemic has, of course, taken its new shape. As we’ve talked before, these viruses are resourceful,” said Pelosi. “When they are transmitted, they mutate and that makes it more of a challenge.”
Many Democrats have pushed for the Biden administration to take action on the issue. However, the White House is limited on what it can do after the Supreme Court ruled in June it would require an act of Congress to extend the moratorium any further.
As the eviction moratorium deadline approaches tomorrow, I call on all state and local governments to take all possible steps to immediately disburse these funds given the imminent ending of the CDC eviction moratorium. https://t.co/lei4rN3D9a
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 31, 2021
According to a census survey from early July, over three million people nationwide expect to be evicted in the coming months and nearly 6.5 million said they have fallen behind on their rent. In the meantime, Congress has already allocated $47 billion to help renters pay their rent, but states have been slow to distribute those funds with only around $3 billion being spent by states and localities as of the end of June.
Source: One America News Network
