WASHINGTON — Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement upon Congress’ failure to extend the eviction moratorium:
“It is unacceptable that the House adjourned without urgently passing legislation, that our Progressive Caucus members supported, to keep people in their homes when more than 11.4 million people will begin facing eviction tomorrow.
“The eviction moratorium was meant to conclude with the end of the pandemic, but that crisis is nowhere near over. Case numbers and hospitalizations are rising again, and just this week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reinstated an indoor mask mandate. And with recent estimates that up to 80 percent of households who are behind on rent and at risk of eviction live in communities with over 100 percent COVID-19 case growth rates in July, mass evictions are certain to exacerbate the spread of the virus.
“We stand by our call for the White House to act with the urgency this crisis deserves by extending the moratorium on eviction and foreclosures unilaterally. Federal law allows broad authority to the CDC to make regulations to prevent the introduction, transmission, or spread of communicable diseases. There is no reason why the White House should not immediately move ahead, even if there is a legal challenge to that order. The reality is that this is a desperate situation for millions of families across the country, and we need action that meets that desperation. We also join the call for, where possible, states and localities to use their executive authority to issue moratoriums on eviction and foreclosure for their residents.
“This administration can and must act now to extend the moratorium in light of the upsurge in deadly infections so that every vulnerable American, no matter their zip code, will be protected from the threat of eviction.”
