The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday issued a new 60-day moratorium on residential evictions in areas with high levels of COVID-19 infections citing the raging Delta variant after having rejected an earlier push by the White House.
Bryan Wood reports.
The Biden administration announced a new, limited moratorium banning home evictions in the U.S. for another 60 days, based on areas hit hard by the coronavirus.
A temporary ban on evictions expired a few days ago and put millions of people at risk of living on the street.
Progressive politicians like Cori Bush, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren fought to keep the moratorium, which yielded a success.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Tuesday's order for areas with high levels of COVID-19, covering about 90 percent of the nation's population.
The CDC said it will expand protections to other areas if they see a rise in infections, as the Delta variant sweeps the country, mostly in the South.
According to an Aspen Institute study, more than 15 million people in nearly 7 million households are behind on rental payments, and collectively owe more than $20 billion to landlords.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement, "This moratorium is the right thing to do to keep people in their homes and out of congregate settings where COVID-19 spreads." This new order protects renters through October 3rd - but almost certainly faces legal challenges.
The National Apartment Association, which manages nearly 10 million rental units - sued the government last week for billions of dollars in unpaid rent.
The group called the CDC's new order "an unfunded government mandate that forces housing providers to deliver a costly service without compensation and saddles renters with insurmountable debt." Biden has said the extension would give the federal government time to distribute unused, Congressionally approved funds, over $40 billion, to help pay unpaid rent and ultimately keep people in their homes.
He also acknowledged the legal risks of moving ahead, but said he’ll leave it up to the courts.
The court said the CDC "exceeded its authority" in issuing the nationwide moratorium.
The CDC has issued a new moratorium on evictions that will last until Oct. 3. It applies to those living in counties with..
