STATEMENT: Trump Administration's Temporary Eviction Moratorium is a "Band-Aid, Not a Solution"

Statement

Today, Congressman Denny Heck (WA-10) issued the following statement in response to the announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of a temporary eviction moratorium for certain renters:

"The Trump Administration's announcement of a temporary eviction moratorium is a band-aid, not a solution. While Secretary Mnuchin claims this action will help 40 million families, the reality is that those same families will still owe months of rent payments when this eviction halt expires. This action doesn't prevent families from losing their homes, nor does it do anything to help mom and pop landlords who need rental income to pay their mortgages. It simply postpones immense financial damage until the end of our public health emergency.

"This action is no substitute for robust rental assistance - at best, it buys time to keep families in their homes until Congress passes a comprehensive package that includes emergency rental assistance. Americans must be able to stay in their homes both during and after this pandemic. I've been fighting to get rental relief to families since March, and I introduced the Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act to provide $100 billion in rental assistance. I urge the Administration and Senate Republicans to immediately pass this legislation and help keep millions of Americans in their homes."

Congressman Heck co-chairs the New Democrat Coalition's Housing Task Force, which released the report Missing Millions of Homes in the summer of 2018. In the past year he has introduced the Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act, the Emergency Rental Assistance Act (H.R. 6314), the Yes In My Backyard Act (H.R. 4351), the Tribal Access to Homeless Assistance Act (H.R. 4029), a reauthorization of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (H.R. 5319), and the Fulfilling the Promise of the Housing Trust Fund Act (H.R. 5599). He also cosponsored the Build More Housing Near Transit Act (H.R. 4307) and the Veteran HOUSE Act (H.R. 2398), both introduced by Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52).

Source