House Adjourns Without Extending Covid-19 Eviction Moratorium – The Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTONA federal moratorium on the eviction of tenants who fell behind on rent during the Covid-19 pandemic is set to expire as scheduled this weekend after U.S. lawmakers were unable to advance a last-minute extension.

The Biden administration had called on lawmakers Thursday to extend the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions moratorium further, saying the CDC couldnt extend the moratorium itself because of a recent Supreme Court ruling.

House lawmakers adjourned late Friday for their August recess without action on the measure after Democratic leadership tried and failed to secure votes. The CDC moratorium ends at a time of heightened vulnerability for tenants as the Delta variant of the virus continues to spread in many parts of the country, the Biden administration warned.

State and local governments have struggled to distribute $47 billion in federal money aimed at helping tenants who cant pay rent because of the pandemic-triggered downturn, leaving many people at risk of being forced out of their homes when the moratorium expires.

Just $3 billion of the aid authorized by Congress in December and March had been delivered to landlords and tenants as of June 30, the Treasury Department said in a report last week. About 8.2 million adults were behind on their rent or mortgage as of July 5 and have low confidence they can pay on time next month, a Census Bureau survey showed.

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House Adjourns Without Extending Covid-19 Eviction Moratorium - The Wall Street Journal