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WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today Friday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) should extend the moratorium on evictions initiated last year due to the covid pandemic – 19.
The moratorium applies to homes whose rent is subsidized by federal government programs, and began by decree during the term of former President Donald Trump ( 2017 – 2021 ). This measure was extended in September and last January.
The 29 June, in response to lawsuits brought by homeowners, the Supreme Court cautioned that CDC does not have the authority to extend the moratorium beyond 31 July , unless there is a decision of Congress.
On Thursday President Joe Biden asked the Democratic leaders in Congress to gather the necessary votes so that the extension is done by legislative means and not by decree .
According to activists who in the last year have organized protests and called “tenant strikes”, some 40 million people could be evicted for lack of money to pay income due to job loss or income derived from the pandemic.
Rep. Maxine Waters, Democrat of California, has proposed legislation that would extend the moratorium until 31 from December. But Pelosi, also a California Democrat, has indicated that “it is imperative” that there be a moratorium, even if Waters’ initiative is not approved.
“This is not a matter of more money; the money is there already approved and sleeping in municipal and governor’s offices across the country, ” said Pelosi at a press conference.
Pelosi said that Congress already allocated $ 46, 000 millions of dollars for state governments to assist tenants, but “less than 10% of those funds have been used, about $ 3, 000 million dollars. ”
“ Why should tenants be punished for the system did not give the money to pay the rent to the landlords? ”added Pelosi.
According to the National Council for Multifamily Housing (NMHC), an entity that monitors rental housing , at the end of the first week july ana 76. 5% of tenants had made full or partial payments on their rents. In the first week of July of 2017, this is before the impact of the pandemic, NMHC had registered the payment of the 79. 7% of rents.