Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, issued a statement following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) decision to extend the eviction moratorium.

"From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of millions of renters, I thank the President for listening and for encouraging the CDC to act! This extension of the moratorium is the lifeline that millions of families have been waiting for. From the very beginning of this pandemic, it was clear that eviction moratoriums not only kept people housed, but also saved lives.

“With a surging COVID-19 delta variant, this action by the CDC helps to protect our public health, national security, and our economy. And so, as I have said before, this is not only a moral imperative, but it is also a public health imperative.

“As Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, I have made it a priority of mine to ensure that both renters and landlords are supported. That is why I secured nearly $50 billion in emergency rental assistance that would go directly into the pockets of landlords to cover every penny of back-rent they are owed and keep struggling families housed throughout the pandemic. I urged corporate landlords not to evict tenants, met with members of the Biden administration to expedite and simplify the emergency rental assistance program, and introduced legislation to protect renters from evictions.

“I thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Representatives Cori Bush, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Jamaal Bowman, Mondaire Jones, Mark Takano, Jimmy Gomez, and leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus Joyce Beatty and Pramila Jayapal, and other members of Congress, including Senators Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders for their steadfast leadership on this issue. Congresswoman Cori Bush, specifically, bravely stood before the world and shared her life’s experience as a medium to create change and I am so thankful for her advocacy.

“This temporary reprieve will not go to waste! The CDC’s targeted eviction moratorium will buy time for state and local governments to get their act together and ensure that renters and landlords receive the money that Congress allocated for them while keeping our most vulnerable off the streets. In the days and weeks ahead, I will work with my colleagues in Congress and with the Administration to help the governors, mayors and others who are implementing this moratorium to get the money out the door. Renters should not be thrown out on the street.” 

               

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