Federal COVID-19 Eviction Ban Expires Today

The nationwide COVID-19 residential eviction moratorium is set to expire at midnight Saturday. But the Biden administration didn’t extend the moratorium, and Democrats in Congress couldn’t gather enough votes to reinstate it. As a result, millions of American tenants are at risk of losing their homes.

President Joe Biden on Friday released a statement, saying that the state and local governments have the funds from American Rescue Plan to work on this issue instead.

“State and local governments began receiving Emergency Rental Assistance funding in February and were eligible for an additional $21.5 billion passed in the American Rescue Plan,” Biden said in the statement.

The President further emphasized that the state and local governments shouldn’t hesitate to use the funds and emphasized that they need to “prevent every eviction” possible.

“Five months later, with localities across the nation showing that they can deliver funds effectively – There can be no excuse for any state or locality not accelerating funds to landlords and tenants that have been hurt during this pandemic,” Biden said. “Every state and local government must get these funds out to ensure we prevent every eviction we can.”

Although the Biden administration didn’t offer any further action to extend the moratorium, the president said that he would continue his efforts to help the Americans who need rental assistance.

“My Administration will not rest – nor should state and local governments – until Emergency Rental Assistance dollars reach Americans in need,” he said.

Many Democratic lawmakers were furious about the lack of effort to extend the moratorium, especially because millions of Americans could be kicked out from their homes starting Sunday. Some Democrats lashed out at their fellow Democratic lawmakers who didn’t do enough to prevent this situation.

“Good morning. The eviction moratorium expires tonight at midnight. We could have extended it yesterday, but some Democrats went on vacation instead. We slept at the Capitol last night to ask them to come back and do their jobs. Today’s their last chance. We’re still here,” Rep. Corry Bush (D-Missouri) tweeted with her picture outside the Capitol with several others who protested with her.

Article by Dongyoon Shin