Rep. Bush: Extend the Eviction Moratorium
By Congresswoman Cori Bush
We have been outside of the Capitol since last night demanding that our Democratic-controlled government take immediate action to prevent the mass eviction of millions of American families. If the federal eviction moratorium is allowed to expire, nearly 6.2 million households are at risk of being removed from their homes. We have until midnight. And, as the Speaker said, it’s “a moral imperative” to stave off this crisis.
In the midst of this pandemic, Congress instituted a federal moratorium on residential evictions and allocated $46.6 billion in emergency rental assistance to meet the needs of tenants and housing providers. But as recently as yesterday, only $3 billion of those funds have been distributed to renters by state and local governments.
We cannot allow the eviction moratorium to expire when emergency rental assistance remains unspent and hasn’t yet reached the pockets of families most in need. The moratorium was put in place as a safeguard to prevent the spread of COVID-19, so it is especially cruel that it is set to expire at a time when the Delta variant is ravaging our communities and less than half of eligible Americans remain unvaccinated. Allowing this moratorium to expire when Congress and the White House have the power to extend it would be a public health disaster for those at risk of eviction and those who have yet to be vaccinated.
I am urging the House, Senate, and President to do everything in our power to extend the federal eviction moratorium.
I’ve been evicted. I’ve been unhoused. I know what it’s like to live in my car with my two children. In the wealthiest country in the world, no person or family should ever go unhoused.
I plan to stay on the steps of the Capitol today calling on our federal government to keep the moratorium in place. This is a defining moment for our party. When we look back at our efforts to end this pandemic and ensure a just and equitable recovery, will we, as Democrats, be able to say we did everything possible to save lives?
Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori) represents Missouri’s 1st Congressional District in the House of Representatives, where she serves on the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Oversight and Reform.