Elizabeth Warren, Cori Bush to Introduce Bill Imposing Eviction Moratoriums

By Tadi Abedje Published: September 24, 2021

Elizabeth Warren, Cori Bush to Introduce Bill Imposing Eviction Moratoriums

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., center left, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., center right, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., right of Schumer, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., left of Pelosi, with bipartisan members of the House and Senate, hold a moment of silence for 500,000 U.S. COVID-19 deaths, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, on the east front steps of the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

In Summary

It is in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to block President Joe Biden’s moratorium.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for ordinary Americans, especially those who can’t pay their rent because they are out of work.

However, liberal lawmakers will introduce legislation that would give the Department of Health and Human Services to power to create federal eviction moratoriums, according to USA Today. It is sponsored by Representative Cori Bush from Missouri and Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts.

The plan comes close to a month after the Supreme Court ruled that the CDC didn’t have the power to impose the freeze, dealing a major blow against the Biden administration.

The legislation is called the Keeping Renters Safe Act of 2021, which would protect renters from eviction, as reported by USA Today. According to section 361 of the Public Health Service Act, “the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized to take measures to prevent the entry and spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the United States and between states.”

“This pandemic isn’t over, and we have to do everything we can to protect renters from the harm and trauma of needless eviction, which upends the lives of those struggling to get back on their feet,” Warren said in a press release. “Congress must pass the Keeping Renters Safe Act of 2021 to put the eviction moratorium back in place and clarify that HHS has the authority to protect renters throughout this public health crisis.”

“Housing is a human right, not a bargaining chip to let fall between bureaucratic cracks,” Bush said. “The Keeping Renters Safe of 2021 will save lives and give us more time: time for renters to receive financial assistance, time for the economy to fully recover, and time for the pandemic to finally come to an end.”