Millions of American families are at risk of being evicted from their homes starting Saturday, as they have not been able to pay rent for several months due to the pandemic, as the deadline for suspending the evictions that was protecting them expires.
On Friday, the deputies failed to reach an agreement to grant an additional period of time to tenants who are facing financial hardship, despite the imminent circumstances, especially with the outbreak of the mutated Delta, which is a reason for the high number of Covid-19 infections again.
A parliamentary committee proposed extending the deadline until December 31, but this offer did not receive sufficient support, including among Democrats, so it was then proposed to extend the grace period until October 18.
A congressional source told AFP that the proposal was not unanimous among Democrats themselves.
"It´s a public health issue," White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre said earlier Friday during the daily briefing.
The members of the House of Representatives began their recess, which lasts until the end of August, to be followed by the senators a week later, which dispels hope of reaching an agreement quickly.
More than 10 million people have not paid their rent, according to estimates by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, an independent research institute.
Also, about 3.6 million tenants are considered to be at risk of eviction from their homes within two months, according to a study by the Statistics Office conducted in early July on 51 million tenants.
President Joe Biden asked Congress on Thursday to extend the suspension period, but his move has faced criticism, with many accusing him of waiting until the last minute to act.
"We´re three days away from the unconstitutional CDC deadline to suspend expulsions, and what´s the solution, according to President Biden?" said Patrick McHenry, Republican Vice Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. Blame the court and call on Congress to address the matter.”
He stressed that the Republican members of the committee had drawn up a text allowing the extension of the deadline, but they had not received any response.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the main US public health agency, directed this moratorium on tenant evictions in September 2020, and it has been extended several times.
"Keeping people in their homes and out of crowded places or gatherings is an essential stage to help stop the spread of Covid-19," the center explained on its website.
However, the Supreme Court ruled in June that the extension must come from Congress, not the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This deadline came after a previous deadline set by the administration of former President Donald Trump in March 2020 to prevent the expulsion of millions of people who lost their jobs due to the epidemic, but the center pointed out that this previous deadline “did not extend to all tenants.”
To further complicate the situation, there is a delay in the receipt of funds promised by the federal government to help tenants pay their rent, in their bank accounts.
The money is paid to states and local associations, which are then charged with distributing aid to families. However, this requires the establishment of advanced systems for receiving applications, verifying the status of individuals, and paying money, among others.
Consequently, only $3 billion reached families out of the $46 billion approved by the government, including $25 billion that was spent in early February.
