Did you know that Truthout is a nonprofit and independently funded by readers like you? If you value what we do, please support our work with a donation.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was among several critics on Friday who warned that the Biden administration’s plan to allow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium to expire on July 31 would have devastating consequences for millions of renters as well as threatening public health as Covid-19 cases surge.
President Joe Biden extended the moratorium by one month in June but has shown no signs that he plans to do the same this month.
According to U.S. Treasury Department data, dozens of jurisdictions across the country have yet to start distributing assistance funds for renters that were appropriated in March as part of the American Rescue Plan Act.
Millions of Americans on brink of eviction despite billions in aid passed by Congress. More than 80 jurisdictions hadn’t even started their distribution programs by end of May. June distribution increase (85%⬆️ from May) is promising but not fast enough. https://t.co/1b0Dwqvx9y pic.twitter.com/IMn8NQ29ut
— Emily A. Benfer (@emilyabenfer) July 23, 2021
“It is reckless not to extend the deadline when rental assistance funds have not gone out fast enough to protect people,” said Ocasio-Cortez on Friday. “Eviction filings have already spiked in anticipation of the deadline being lifted.”
According to analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released this week, 11.4 million renters — or one in seven — are behind on rent payments. Advocates say about six million are at risk of promptly losing their homes if the eviction moratorium is not extended at the end of July.
According to Paul Williams, a fellow at the Jain Family Institute, about 80% of those six million people “live in counties with rapid, Delta variant-driven [Covid-1] case growth.”
Vast majority of that 6 million are in counties with rapid, Delta variant driven case growth.https://t.co/fCdFCjeDgK
— Paul E Williams (@PEWilliams_) July 23, 2021
Though the Biden administration has not signaled that it plans to extend aid for renters, the White House on Friday announced it will allow homeowners with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-backed mortgages to delay their payments until September, a measure that will help 1.8 million people in forbearance.
Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, called on Biden to provide more assistance to renters as well.
“The CDC eviction moratorium is a necessary public health measure to lessen spread of [and] deaths from Covid-19,” Yentel said. “The need clearly remains as Delta surges.”
A terrifying moment. We appeal for your support.
In the last weeks, we have witnessed an authoritarian assault on communities in Minnesota and across the nation.
The need for truthful, grassroots reporting is urgent at this cataclysmic historical moment. Yet, Trump-aligned billionaires and other allies have taken over many legacy media outlets — the culmination of a decades-long campaign to place control of the narrative into the hands of the political right.
We refuse to let Trump’s blatant propaganda machine go unchecked. Untethered to corporate ownership or advertisers, Truthout remains fearless in our reporting and our determination to use journalism as a tool for justice.
But we need your help just to fund our basic expenses. Over 80 percent of Truthout’s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors.
Truthout has launched a fundraiser to add 340 new monthly donors in the next 5 days. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger one-time gift, Truthout only works with your support.