The moratorium that prevented the eviction of people who could not pay rent due to the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic expired on Saturday, July 31, and almost four million families, many of them Latinas, are at risk of losing their homes since this Monday, but both Congress and the White House seem incapable of negotiating a new extension of the moratorium to avoid this socioeconomic tragedy.
The president, Joe Biden, indicated last Thursday that he would not try to extend the moratorium again due to a decision of the Supreme Court that, he said, prevented him, and left that responsibility therefore to Congress, but the House of Representatives (with Democratic majority), after negotiating for hours on Friday, he went on vacation in August without an agreement.
This Monday, its president, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, and a group of congressmen from that party returned the ball to the White House: "It is necessary to act and it must come from the Administration," he claimed through the social network Twitter.
"The president asked Congress to approve an extension of the moratorium on evictions. Unfortunately, it is clear that the Senate is not capable of doing so and any legislation in the House, therefore, will not be enough to extend the moratorium," said Pelosi .
The truth is that the House of Representatives, which she presides, was not able to reach an agreement, which could have been imposed with the Democratic majority, leaving the responsibility to the Senate (where the support of the Republicans is necessary because the Democratic majority there is minimal).
Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was very critical of the development of events.
"We cannot in good faith blame the Republican Party when the Democrats in the House of Representatives have a majority" and did not reach a solution, he told CNN.
Pelosi, for her part, assured this Monday: "The leaders of the House of Representatives ask the Administration to immediately extend the moratorium. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention redouble their efforts in the use of masks and vaccination, science and reason demand that they also extend the moratorium in light of the delta variant. Doing so is a moral imperative. "
[I couldn't pay the rent, what should I do now? Doubts about the end of the moratorium]
"The virus remains a threat. The moratorium must be extended and the funds that Congress allocated to help tenants and landlords must be spent. The extension of the moratorium is based on public health and the delta variant. It will also give time. for the money that the Congress assigned to flow, "concluded the president of the House of Representatives.
Pelosi referred to the need to extend the measure to allow more time for the $ 46.5 billion in aid approved by Congress, and that the Administration transferred to states and local governments, to be distributed to the people who need it. they need and thus prevent them from losing their home.
Seeking legal help: one of the keys to avoid evictions before the expiration of the moratorium
July 30, 202102: 10
The federal government hoped that the historic aid package would avoid an eviction crisis.
But the distribution has been very slow.
As of June, only about $ 3 billion of the first $ 25 billion tranche had been delivered.
Another $ 21.5 billion will go to the states.
[Ending the eviction moratorium may exacerbate the pandemic and harm millions of Latinos]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention established in the summer of 2020 a ban on evicting people with delays in paying their mortgage or rent as part of the response to the pandemic, which caused many workers to lose their jobs. or see their income decrease.
The measure was aimed at curbing the spread of the virus between people who ended up on the street and reached shelters.
The moratorium was subsequently extended, but last June the Supreme Court allowed it to remain until July, making it clear that it would block any further extension unless it had "clear and specific authorization from Congress."
Some states extend the moratorium on evictions that expires this Saturday
July 30, 202101: 26
"Renters struggling [to pay rent] are now facing a health crisis and an eviction crisis," Alicia Mazzara, a research analyst at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, told The Associated Press news agency.
"Without the CDC moratorium, millions of people are at risk of eviction or homelessness, increasing their exposure to COVID-19 just as cases are increasing across the country," he added, "the effects will fall heavily on people of color, particularly in black and Latino communities, who face a higher risk of eviction and more barriers to vaccination. "
[The Governor of California signs the extension of the moratorium on evictions until September 30]
Laura Landry lost both of her jobs when she was hospitalized in March 2020 after becoming infected.
He then availed himself of a measure that allowed holders of mortgages backed by the federal government for those who had difficulty paying each month.
He currently owes $ 20,000 for his house in New Orleans and does not know what will happen to him.
"That they allowed us to benefit from this containment plan was a blessing," Landry told The Washington Post.
"But then, when you think you have to make all those payments at the same time, that's when reality wakes you up," she said worriedly.
Some have their own moratoriums, such as in California, where it ends on September 30, in New York and New Jersey on August 31 (depending on income), in Hawaii on August 6, and in Maryland, on August 15, between others.
