WASHINGTON, August 27, 2021 (AFP) – The US Supreme Court on Thursday night lifted a moratorium on tenant evictions that expires in October, ending protections for millions of people facing financial difficulties amid the pandemic. Has been.
The Supreme Court in the United States ruled in favor of landlords, who said they were victims of unfair measures and argued that any further extension of the moratorium should be decided by Congress, and not by health officials, as was the case before.
The first moratorium on eviction of tenants was implemented in 2020, when the United States was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and unemployment soared at a rapid pace.
When the moratorium ended in late July, President Joe Biden’s administration urged lawmakers to pass emergency legislation to extend it. There was no progress on this and the Congress entered its summer recess.
Under pressure from the most progressive wing of his party – Representative (Deputy) Corey Bush camped in front of Congress for days – health officials in the Biden administration finally imposed a new moratorium of their own. He justified his decision by the public health risks this situation presented.
“For a federally-imposed moratorium on evictions, Congress must specifically authorize it,” the conservative-majority Supreme Court ruled in a 15-page argument on Thursday.
The White House immediately expressed its “disappointment”.
“As a result of this decision, families will face painful evictions, and communities across the country will be at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19,” lamented a spokeswoman for US President Jen Psaki.
“President Biden is once again calling on all entities he can – from cities and states to local courts, through landlords and government agencies – to act urgently to prevent evictions,” he said. ” They said.
The US executive calculated that the moratorium would be challenged in the courts, but it hoped to give tenants more time to use the funds allocated to help them pay their rent.
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