Just three days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction ban expired, the CDC issued another one Tuesday. The video above shows President Joe Biden answering reporter questions about the ban.
The new moratorium is set to last until Oct. 3. It’s seen as a reversal for the Biden administration, who said a Supreme Court ruling was the reason the previous moratorium had to expire.
“The courts made it clear that the existing moratorium was not constitutional,” President Biden said. “It wouldn’t stand. And I made that clear back in July 15th, on July 18th.”
Biden went on to say, “Any call for a moratorium based on the Supreme Court recent decision is likely to face obstacles.”
The President said he sought input from legal scholars about whether there were other options available to him.
According to Biden, the advice was mixed, although some of them said, “It’s worth the effort.”
The CDC has identified a legal authority for a new and different moratorium for areas with high and substantial increases in COVID-19 infections. It would protect 90 percent of Americans.
In addition to talking about the moratorium, Biden urged states and cities to disburse the nearly $47 billion in relief for renters facing eviction in the next 60 days.
“We’re urging them to distribute those funds to the landlords. I believe that would take care of the vast majority of what needs to be done to keep people in their, in their apartments now,” Biden said.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen briefed House Democrats over the phone Tuesday about the work underway to make sure the $47 billion gets in the hands of renters and landlords. She gave them data on how their districts and states are performing with distributing the relief, according to a person on the call.
According to this person, Yellen agrees “we need to bring every resource to bear” and she wants “to leave no stone unturned.”
