President Joe Biden has asked Congress to extend the moratorium on evictions that was put in place due to the coronavirus outbreak, saying many renters still faced financial difficulties and those driven from their homes could face heightened risk from infection, the White House said on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th July, 2021) President Joe Biden has asked Congress to extend the moratorium on evictions that was put in place due to the coronavirus outbreak, saying many renters still faced financial difficulties and those driven from their homes could face heightened risk from infection, the White House said on Thursday.
"The President calls on Congress to extend the eviction moratorium to protect such vulnerable renters and their families without delay," the White House said in a statement.
However, the White House did not say what was the length of the extension Biden sought regarding the original moratorium that expires on July 31.
Biden had asked the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs to extend their respective eviction moratoria through the end of September, the statement said, indicating that Congress would probably give a minimum extension of two months.
The three departments have been central in Federal efforts to protect American homeowners and renters who had fallen into hard times due to the pandemic and unable to service their monthly rent and mortgages.
The White House noted that for nearly 11 months, the eviction moratorium issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), had served as a critical backstop to prevent hard-pressed renters and their families who lost jobs or income due to the measures implemented to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the CDC is unable to extend this privilege without Congressional approval due to a Supreme Court order, the statement said.
"Given the recent spread of the Delta variant, including among those Americans both most likely to face evictions and lacking vaccinations, President Biden would have strongly supported a decision by the CDC to further extend this eviction moratorium to protect renters at this moment of heightened vulnerability," it added.
