WASHINGTON — The CDC is expected to take new action on Tuesday to protect renters at risk of being evicted after progressive Democrats waged a pressure campaign in recent days criticizing the White House for allowing the eviction moratorium to expire.
President Joe Biden declined to preview the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's announcement when asked by reporters on Tuesday afternoon. But he said he expects them to act, acknowledging that the effort will likely be challenged in court.
"My hope is it's going to be a new moratorium, that in some way — and I'm not going to announce it now, I'll let them announce it — in some way covers close to 90 percent of the American people or renters," Biden said.
News of a extension drew praise from House Democrats who had been unhappy that the moratorium was allowed to expire on Saturday.
The original ban was put in place in September in an effort to keep people in their homes. The moratorium was extended multiple times, but the CDC made clear in June that a court order prohibited them from extending it beyond July 31.
Just days before the expiration, Biden called on Congress to pass an extension to the moratorium, arguing that he lacked the authority to do so unilaterally. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ultimately declined to hold a vote on an extension after it became clear she lacked enough Democratic support for it to pass, prompting some progressive lawmakers to lead protests outside the Capitol over the weekend.
The White House and Pelosi urged states to do a better job sending out emergency rental assistance funding, which was included as part of the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan. The funding is supposed to help tenants financially impacted by Covid pay for rent and utilities, but many states have struggled to set up efficient programs to get the money to people in need. Only a small fraction of the federal funds have actually been spent.
The Supreme Court in June declined to end the federal ban on evictions but in the concurrence Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that decision was made in part because the ban was expiring in July and said that any further extension would require congressional action. Gene Sperling, who is overseeing the White House's rollout of Covid emergency funds, said the ruling presented a "difficult obstacle" to the CDC and the White House.
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