Pelosi wants extension of eviction moratorium set to expire Saturday

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on President Joe Biden's administration to extend the COVID-19 eviction moratorium that has prevented millions of U.S. households from being forced out of rental homes. On Thursday, Biden asked Congress to extend the moratorium amid a deadly rise in coronavirus infections and made clear his administation would not extend it again, due to a Supreme Court opinion last month that legislative extension was required.

With a U.S. government moratorium on residential evictions that has been in place for 11 months set to expire on Saturday, lawmakers and the White House pointed at each other on Friday to take action. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on President Joe Biden's administration to extend the COVID-19 eviction moratorium that has prevented millions of U.S. households from being forced out of rental homes.

On Thursday, Biden asked Congress to extend the moratorium amid a deadly rise in coronavirus infections and made clear his administation would not extend it again, due to a Supreme Court opinion last month that legislative extension was required. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said last month it would not extend the eviction moratorium past July 31. The CDC did not comment on Friday.

"We would like the CDC to expand the moratorium - that's where it can be done," Pelosi told reporters. "I think this is something that we will work out." Legislation has been drafted to extend it through Dec. 31. The U.S. House Rules Committee met on the "Protecting Renters from Evictions Act of 2021" bill but has not taken any action.

It was still possible the House could vote on the measure on Friday, but it is unclear if Democrats have the votes or if the Senate would take it up. Pelosi noted that out of $46.5 billion in rental relief approved by Congress, "only $3 billion has been distributed to renters... Congress must act again."

More than 15 million people live in households that are currently behind on rental payments, according to a study by the Aspen Institute and the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project. Those 6.5 million households collectively owe more than $20 billion to their landlords.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to leave in place the CDC's ban on residential evictions imposed to combat the spread of COVID-19 and prevent homelessness during the pandemic. "In my view, clear and specific congressional authorization (via new legislation) would be necessary for the CDC to extend the moratorium past July 31," wrote Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was one of five justices who voted to leave the moratorium in place.

The White House did not comment on Friday. Some states have chosen to extend eviction moratoriums beyond July 31, like New York, whose moratorium extends through Aug. 31.

This week, the National Apartment Association, with 82,600 members that collectively manage more than 9.7 million units, sued the U.S. government seeking billions in unpaid rent.