The Supreme Court mustered a bare 5-4 majority last month, to allow the eviction ban to continue through the end of July. One of those in the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, made clear he would \u2026<\/b>
\nBOSTON \u2014 The Biden administration announced Thursday it will allow a nationwide ban on evictions to expire Saturday, arguing that its hands are tied after the Supreme Court signaled the moratorium would only be extended until the end of the month. The White House said President Joe Biden would have liked to extend the federal eviction moratorium due to spread of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. Instead, Biden called on \u201cCongress to extend the eviction moratorium to protect such vulnerable renters and their families without delay.\u201d Aides to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Sherrod Brown, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, said the two are working on legislation to extend the moratorium. Democrats will try to pass a bill as soon as possible and are urging Republicans not to block it. The moratorium was put in place last September by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. \u201cGiven 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,\u201d the White House said in a statement. \u201cUnfortunately, the Supreme Court has made clear that this option is no longer available.\u201d The court mustered a bare 5-4 majority last month, to allow the eviction ban to continue through the end of July. One of those in the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, made clear he would block any additional extensions unless there was \u201cclear and specific congressional authorization.\u201d Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in June this would be the last time the moratorium would be extended when she set the deadline for July 31. It was initially put in place to prevent further spread of COVID-19 by people put out on the streets and into shelters. Housing advocates and some lawmakers have called for the moratorium to be extended due to the increase in coronavirus cases and the fact so little rental assistance has been distributed. Congress has allocated nearly $47 billion in assistance that is supposed to go to help tenants pay off months of back rent. But so far, only about $3 billion of the first tranche of $25 billion has been distributed through June by states and localities. Some states like New York have distributed almost nothing, while several have only approved a few million dollars. \u201cThe confluence of the surging delta variant with 6.5 million families behind on rent and at risk of eviction when the moratorium expires demands immediate action,\u201d said Diane Yentel, executive director of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. \u201cThe public health necessity of extended protections for renters is obvious. If federal court cases made a broad extension impossible, the Biden administration should implement all possible alternatives, including a more limited moratorium on federally backed properties.\u201d Gene Sperling, who is charged with overseeing implementation of Biden\u2019s $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package, said it was key that states and local authorities speed up the rental assistance distribution. \u201cThe message is that there are no excuses,\u201d he told The Associated Press. \u201cStates and cities across the country have shown these programs can work, that they can get money out the door effectively and efficiently,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe fact that some states and cities are showing they can do this efficiently and effectively makes clear that there is no reason that every state and city shouldn\u2019t be accelerating their funds to landlords and tenants, particularly in light of the end of the CDC eviction moratorium.\u201d The trouble getting rental assistance to those who need it has prompted the Biden administration to hold several events in the past month aimed at pressuring states and cities to increase their distribution, coax landlords to participate and make it easier for tenants to get money directly. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta also has released an open letter to state courts around the country encouraging them to pursue measures that would keep eviction cases out of the courts. On Wednesday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unveiled a tool that allows tenants to find information about rental assistance in their area. Despite these efforts, some Democratic lawmakers had demanded the administration extend the moratorium. \u201cThis pandemic is not behind us, and our federal housing policies should reflect that stark reality. With the United States facing the most severe eviction crisis in its history, our local and state governments still need more time to distribute critical rental assistance to help keep a roof over the heads of our constituents,\u201d Democratic U.S. Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri, Jimmy Gomez of California and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts said in a joint statement. But landlords, who have opposed the moratorium and challenged it repeatedly in court, were against any extension. They have argued the focus should be on speeding up the distribution of rental assistance. This week, the National Apartment Association and several others this week filed a federal lawsuit asking for $26 billion in damages due to the impact of the moratorium. Related Articles Coronavirus: Orange County reported 522 new cases with 55% of the county fully vaccinated\t What you need to know about the University of California\u2019s plans for 2021-22\t Biden announces new push to get people vaccinated\t Israel will offer 3rd COVID booster to older citizens\t Disneyland requires all visitors to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status\t \u201cAny extension of the eviction moratorium equates to an unfunded government mandate that forces housing providers to deliver a costly service without compensation and saddles renters with insurmountable debt,\u201d association president and CEO Bob Pinnegar said, adding that the current crisis highlights the need for more affordable housing. \u201cOur nation faces an alarming housing affordability disaster on the horizon \u2014 it\u2019s past time for the government to enact responsible and sustainable solutions that ultimately prioritize making both renters and housing providers whole,\u201d he added. Associated Press Supreme Court reporter Mark Sherman and Congressional reporter Kevin Freking contributed from Washington.<\/p>\n