Biden Calls On Congress To Extend Eviction Ban As July 31 Deadline Looms

President Joe Biden called on Congress to extend the national eviction moratorium that is set to expire on July 31.

The eviction ban, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was a response to protect the 7 million tenants behind on rent during the COVID-19 pandemic. With its expiration date looming around the corner, the administration is urging Congress to issue an emergency extension.

“This moratorium prevented hundreds of thousands of Americans from experiencing the heartbreak, homelessness and health risks that too often emanate from evictions — particularly during a pandemic,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement on Thursday.

The CDC has been issuing extensions to the moratorium since September. The July deadline was supposed to be “the final extension of the moratorium” since the Supreme Court ruled that the moratorium could only be renewed through legislation.

However, the rising number of Delta variant cases has increased the administration's worries, prompting it to call on Congress.

“Given the recent spread of the delta variant, including among those Americans both most likely to face evictions and lacking vaccinations, President Biden would have strongly supported a decision by the CDC to further extend this eviction moratorium to protect renters at this moment of heightened vulnerability,” Psaki said.

According to a recent study by the Social Science Research Network, evictions have led to increased COVID cases and deaths. States that lifted their moratoriums saw cases almost double compared to states that maintained their moratoriums.

“When people are evicted, they often move in with friends and family, and that increases your number of contacts,” Kathryn Leifheit, one of the authors on the research, told CNBC. “If people have to enter a homeless shelter, these are indoor places that can be quite crowded.”

It is not clear whether Congress can or will be able to meet Biden's emergency request in time and pass an extension of the ban before it expires on July 31.