The US Health Agency issues a new moratorium on evictions

Under pressure from the left wing of the US Democrats, the CDC issued a new moratorium on evictions of tenants.

Rochelle Wallinsky, director of the Agency for Disease Control and Prevention, justified the move Tuesday with a “rapid increase in infections” of the Delta type. The suspension is valid until October 3 – however, it is likely to be challenged in court.

The Supreme Court ruled in June that the freeze could only be extended in the future with the approval of the US Congress. But he said goodbye to the summer vacation by the end of August without agreeing to an extension.

Despite a potential challenge in court, the new moratorium gives tenants extra time, US President Joe Biden said. Many affected are waiting for immediate rental assistance that has already been approved for payment.

House spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi said the suspension would give time “until the funds approved by Congress flow in” and help limit the spread of the virus. In this way, it protects both affected tenants and landlords.

According to the US Treasury, less than $3 billion in subsidies for rent and utilities had been paid to affected families by June — out of a total of $25 billion made available to states and municipalities in early February.

Rep. Cory Bush, who was once homeless, welcomed the move, saying, “Today our movement moved mountains,” she wrote on Twitter. Bush had spent Saturday night in front of the Capitol in protest.

More than ten million people in the United States are behind on their rent payments, according to CBPP, an independent research institute. About 3.6 million tenants assumed they would be evicted within the next two months.