The White House on Monday was forced to push back on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s claim that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could reinstitute the eviction moratorium.
“The CDC has the power to extend the eviction moratorium. As they double down on masks, why wouldn't they extend the moratorium in light of delta variant?” Pelosi tweeted on Sunday. “It is a moral imperative to keep people from being put out in the street which also contributes to the public health emergency. The virus is still a threat, the moratorium must be extended and the funds Congress allocated to assist renters and landlords must be spent.”
It is a moral imperative to keep people from being put out in the street which also contributes to the public health emergency.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 1, 2021
The virus is still a threat, the moratorium must be extended and the funds Congress allocated to assist renters and landlords must be spent.
In June, the Supreme Court decided the CDC moratorium was unconstitutional and gave Congress a July 31 deadline to fix the problem through legislation. The White House only gave Pelosi notice on Thursday that it needed to pass legislation extending the moratorium. She failed to garner enough votes in time.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki addressed Pelosi’s tweet on Monday, correcting the speaker’s claim that the CDC could extend the moratorium.
CDC officials “have been unable to find legal authority for a new, targeted eviction moratorium,” Psaki said.
“Our team is redoubling efforts to identify all available legal authorities to provide necessary protections,” she continued. “In the meantime, the president will continue to do everything in his power to help renters from eviction.”
NEW: Pres. Biden "is taking further action to prevent Americans from experiencing the heartbreak of eviction," press sec. Psaki says, adding, "To date, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and her team have been unable to find legal authority for a new, targeted eviction moratorium." pic.twitter.com/EULapgiB2q
— Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) August 2, 2021
Progressive Democrats like Reps. Cori Bush, Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar slept on the Capitol steps in protest of Congress leaving for August recess without making progress on the eviction moratorium.