The White House said on Friday it was pleased that the district court has left its eviction moratorium in place, urging local officials to promptly distribute the $46.5 billion in emergency rental assistance funds to Americans in desperate need.
In a statement, the White House said it is “aware that further proceedings in this case are likely.”
In a statement, White House Press Secretary wrote, “Throughout the pandemic, preventing evictions and keeping people in their homes has been a proven way of slowing the spread of COVID-19.
“The Administration believes that CDC’s new moratorium is a proper use of its lawful authority to protect the public health.
“We are pleased that the district court left the moratorium in place, though we are aware that further proceedings in this case are likely.
“The President continues to call on State and local elected officials and judges to issue local eviction moratoriums and move aggressively to distribute the $46.5 billion in emergency rental assistance funds that are available through the bipartisan COVID relief act that Congress passed in December 2020, and through the President’s American Rescue Plan that was enacted in March 2021.
“And, the President calls on landlords to seek out rental assistance and not evict tenants from their homes, and echoes Attorney General Garland’s calls for state and local courts to implement policies to discourage eviction filings until landlords and tenants have sought emergency rental assistance funds.”
Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. government, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. and New York City.