Rep. Garcia, Sen. Warren move to extend eviction moratorium
Bill would protect all renters through next March
U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia is leading calls in Congress to extend a moratorium on evictions during the coronavirus pandemic. (One Illinois/Ted Cox)
By Ted Cox
A Chicago congressman is leading the call for a moratorium on evictions to be extended into next year to deal with continuing economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia of Chicago joined Monday with fellow House member Barbara Lee of California and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in introducing the Protecting Renters From Evictions and Fees Act.
A current eviction moratorium, extended under the CARES Act relief package, is set to expire July 24 and only covers properties under federal programs and loans. The new bill extends the moratorium to March 27 of next year — the anniversary of the CARES Act taking effect — and would cover all renters. It would also prohibit fees, fines, and extra charges due to nonpayment of rent.
According to a news release on the bill, “Even before the coronavirus pandemic, 25 percent of renters had housing costs greater than half of their income. Families already living on the margin are now facing increased economic vulnerability due to COVID-19. Experts are warning that ending the moratorium now could lead to ‘an avalanche of evictions’ as Americans continue to face high unemployment rates — which are as high as 16.8 percent for African Americans and 13.3 percent overall. The latest U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey finds that 30 percent of renters have no or little confidence they can make their next housing payment, and renters of color are disproportionately more likely to be concerned about making their next housing payment.”
“No one should be kicked out of their home during a pandemic, and as existing eviction moratoriums expire it's more important than ever for Congress to protect renters,” Garcia said in a statement. “Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, and I are introducing the Protecting Renters from Eviction And Fees Act to ensure that no tenant can be evicted.
"My district consists principally of immigrant and working-class communities, and more than half of my constituents are renters,” Garcia added. “As our country faces historic levels of unemployment and with another first of the month around the corner, people in my district are hurting. The last thing they should worry about is having a roof over their head.”
“Renters who have lost their job or had their income reduced shouldn't have to fear losing their homes in the middle of a pandemic,” Warren said. “Housing is a human right and an absolute necessity to keep families safe during this crisis, and Congress must step in now to help keep people in their homes.”
Lee said that a pandemic was no time to make anyone homeless, adding, “As physical distancing and stay-at-home orders continue, keeping safe means having a home to stay inside. Congress must continue to lead with protection against housing evictions to ensure that all families have a space to live.”
Chicago and Illinois have both established eviction moratoriums, and only last Thursday Gov. Pritzker defended extending the moratorium, saying, “We do not want people to become homeless in this difficult crisis,” and adding that he was working to “balance the interests” of landlords and renters.
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston immediately signed on as a co-sponsor, as did U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin.
“Brace yourself,” former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich tweeted Monday. “The wave of evictions and foreclosures in the next two months will be unlike anything America has experienced since the Great Depression. And unless Congress extends extra unemployment benefits beyond July 31, we’re also going to have unparalleled hunger.”
“Without a significant federal intervention, there will be a rash of evictions and a spike in homelessness across the country," said Diane Yentel, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. "Ensuring housing stability for all is both a moral imperative and a public-health necessity.”
“The coronavirus crisis is far from over, and the implications for housing instability, an impending tsunami of evictions, and the devastation of homelessness are only growing as we ride continued waves of cases across the country,” said Shamus Roller, executive director of the National Housing Law Project. “Sen. Warren, Reps. Chuy Garcia and Lee recognize that the CARES Act moratorium was insufficient to cover all renters in the U.S., and that the expiration of the original moratorium is coming far too soon. NHLP applauds the lawmakers' Protecting Renters From Evictions and Fees Act to expand the moratorium to near-universal coverage for renters and to extend this moratorium to March 27, 2021, and we encourage its full inclusion in any final coronavirus package.”
An extended moratorium, protecting all renters, was also included in the $3 trillion HEROES Act, which has already passed the U.S. House, but it has not advanced in the Senate under Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. The new bill splits that measure off on its own.
John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” on HBO did an extended sequence on the threatened “wave of evictions” Sunday night, shared via Twitter on YouTube.