Eviction ban set to expire Saturday after House fails to pass extension

Rep. James P. McGovern, House Rules Committee Chairman: “If Congress doesn’t act, renters from coast to coast are at risk of losing their homes and the COVID pandemic will be supercharged, particularly in unvaccinated communities. That’s because research tells us that if someone is evicted, they are most likely to move in with friends or family or into a shelter. That only increases community spread and leads to more infections and sadly, in some cases, more deaths caused by the pandemic.”

Rep. Tom Cole, House Rules Committee Ranking Member: “Republicans have proposed a bill that would have fixed the issues with the emergency rental assistance programs to keep renters in their homes. Yet the majority has refused to act. And now, because of their refusal to act, we are suddenly being dragged into the Rules committee. Majority has only themselves to blame for allowing this crisis to fester.”

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, (R) Washington: “The moratorium is completely unnecessary. Unlike last year when it was first imposed, we have a widely available vaccine and deaths and hospitalizations have plummeted nationwide. Congress has also enacted to provide almost $50 billion in emergency rental aid through various COVID relief packages, but only three billion has been spent instead of pushing through this last-minute power grab, I would urge my Democrat colleagues to focus on holding the Biden administration accountable.”

Rep. Maxine Waters, (D) California: “Is it an emergency enough that you’re going to stop families from being put on the sidewalk? Is it emergency enough that you’re going to need to wonder what the hell is going to happen with these children that won’t be able to go back to school because they don’t even know where they’re going to be sleeping or they’re going to be? It’s an emergency. And so, yes, we should move forward, and we should do everything that we can.”

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, (R) Washington: “So, I think that this is rushed. This is this is not the way to legislate. And the majority has not done its job to actually do the hearings so that we could move forward on a legislation that would be appropriate for this time.”

Rep. Maxine Waters, (D) California: “The fact of the matter is children and families are going to be on the street. Have you ever seen furnishings of families put on the sidewalk when the sheriffs put them out of their home? That is going to be going on all over the country and not just in so-called poor, poor areas. It’s going to be in everybody’s district one way or the other.”