Last Thursday, the Biden administration announced that it would not seek to extend the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) moratorium on housing evictions, prompting progressives to lash out by launching a multiple-night rally on the steps of the United States Capitol.
President Joe Biden has extended the moratorium twice before. But after a divided Supreme Court ruled on June 29 that extensions beyond last Saturday would require congressional action, he declined to extend it further.
In a statement, the White House noted that Biden would have “strongly supported” an extension of the moratorium as the Delta variant of the Wuhan coronavirus spreads and many of those facing eviction this week are unvaccinated, but the Biden administration is leaving any revived eviction moratorium to Congress.
However, the House of Representatives’ August recess began last Friday. Most representatives are back in their districts for several weeks, but Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) stayed behind in Washington and slept on the Capitol steps to show her opposition to Biden’s inaction and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's refusal to reconvene her chamber to work on a legislative moratorium on evictions.
According to her Twitter feed, Bush slept outside on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. Bush remained at the Capitol on Monday evening, as she spoke to MSNBC.
Last night, we stood on the steps of the Capitol in a moment of silence for all the people who are unhoused whose lives have been taken because of policy violence.
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) August 2, 2021
For all of those whose lives will be at risk until the eviction moratorium is extended.
We need to save lives. pic.twitter.com/NapSb96MxB
It’s 2 AM on Sunday. We haven’t slept since Thursday night. The eviction moratorium expired, so we’re now in an eviction emergency. 11 million are now at risk of losing their homes at any moment.
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) August 1, 2021
The House needs to reconvene and put an end to this crisis.
5 AM. This morning felt cold, like the wind was blowing straight through my sleeping bag.
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) August 2, 2021
Since Friday—when some colleagues chose early vacation over voting to prevent evictions—we’ve been at the Capitol.
It’s an eviction emergency. Our people need an eviction moratorium. Now.
“My message is: Let’s get it done,” Bush told USA Today reporters who visited her at the Capitol this weekend. “We’ve got to realize the urgency of this moment.”
The message to Bush should be: “You didn’t get it done.” She didn’t realize the urgency of this moment. Why was Bush displaying selective outrage this weekend, instead of pushing her Democratic colleagues to draft legislation to extend the moratorium before the House recessed?
In the face of this partisan obstruction, @HouseDemocrats join @POTUS in urging state and local governments to immediately disburse the $46.5 billion in emergency rental assistance approved by the Democratic Congress, so that many families can avoid eviction.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 1, 2021
Bush was joined in her demonstration on Saturday evening by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), as well as other Squad members Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA). In a further blow to the Democrats, Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday blamed the "conservative" members of her own caucus for allowing the moratorium to expire.
We’re out here to extend the moratorium, so where’s Congress? It’s time we come back and #ExtendTheMoratorium pic.twitter.com/5n2h4NMfEp
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 1, 2021
CNN's @jaketapper: Who's to blame for the eviction moratorium expiring?
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) August 1, 2021
Rep. @AOC : "There was, frankly, a handful of conservative Democrats in the House that threatened to get on planes rather than hold this vote and we have to really just call a spade a spade." #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/FXW7o1SIOD
The moratorium-driven rift among Democrats seems to be proving that Biden is not capable of being the unifying figure he campaigned as. The party’s members have long prided themselves on representing diverse views in Congress (as evident by its massive leadership conferences), but this emphasis on diversity now looks poised to create further dysfunction within Democratic ranks. When it comes to mediating these differences, Biden is nowhere to be found.
Pelosi struggles to control a squad undermining her slim House majority, which got one seat slimmer with the inauguration of Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-TX) on Friday. In the Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has long grappled with trying to jam the Biden agenda through a spectrum stretching from Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) on one end to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on the other. While the Senate is still working in Washington, there has been no significant action on the eviction moratorium from the upper chamber.
The moratorium was originally enacted by the CDC under former President Donald Trump in September 2020 as a way to limit homelessness during any impending Wuhan coronavirus outbreaks. Though it was initially set to expire last Dec. 31, the moratorium was extended a total of four times between Trump and Biden on January 31, March 31, June 30, and July 31.
Under the moratorium, no single person earning less than $99,000 nor joint-filing couple earning less than $198,000 annually could be evicted due to Wuhan coronavirus-related financial losses.