Congressman Kweisi Mfume Releases Statement on Eviction Moratorium

Press Release

Congressman Kweisi Mfume (MD-07) released the following statement urging the Biden Administration to extend the eviction moratorium through October 18, 2021.

"On Thursday, the President asked Congress to pass legislation extending the eviction moratorium. Despite our best efforts in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday and over the weekend, it is clear the Senate will not pass a bill. Therefore, I am calling on the Biden Administration to take immediate action and extend the eviction moratorium through October 18, 2021, in order to avoid an unprecedented wave of evictions."

"I am also calling upon the U.S. Treasury Department to help us with this problem by mandating that states distribute the rental assistance funds they have already received to the vulnerable renters and landlords for whom these funds were allocated. Congress allocated over $46.5 billion to help renters and landlords, but states have still not distributed a significant portion of these funds."

"The eviction moratorium was originally instituted by the CDC to curb the spread of COVID-19. As sharply rising infection rates across the country indicate, the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. Since COVID-19 spreads more readily in shared spaces, evictions would place many families at an increased risk for contracting and spreading the virus if they are forced out of their homes. This risk is especially pressing as the highly transmissible delta variant makes its way through the country."

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