The Biden administration this week called for Congress to extend the federal eviction moratorium past its July 31 deadline, claiming the surge of the Sars-Cov-2 “Delta variant” warranted the additional protection.
The administration in a press release noted that the Supreme Court had forbidden the executive branch from unilaterally extending the moratorium any longer, and that, as the court put it, “clear and specific congressional authorization (via new legislation) would be necessary for the CDC to extend the moratorium past July 31.”
“In light of the Supreme Court’s ruling, the President calls on Congress to extend the eviction moratorium to protect such vulnerable renters and their families without delay,” Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
The administration did not specify just how long it wanted the moratorium to extend. Psaki said that Biden has also asked several federal agencies to extend their own moratoria for homeowners in certain federally backed loans.
The ban has been in place since last year.