U.S. CDC announces new 60-day eviction moratorium

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday issued a new 60-day moratorium on residential evictions in areas with high levels of COVID-19 infections citing the raging Delta variant after having rejected an earlier push by the White House.

Bryan Wood reports.

The Biden administration announced a new, limited moratorium banning home evictions in the U.S. for another 60 days, based on areas hit hard by the coronavirus.

A temporary ban on evictions expired a few days ago and put millions of people at risk of living on the street.

Progressive politicians like Cori Bush, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren fought to keep the moratorium, which yielded a success.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Tuesday's order for areas with high levels of COVID-19, covering about 90 percent of the nation's population.

The CDC said it will expand protections to other areas if they see a rise in infections, as the Delta variant sweeps the country, mostly in the South.

According to an Aspen Institute study, more than 15 million people in nearly 7 million households are behind on rental payments, and collectively owe more than $20 billion to landlords.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement, "This moratorium is the right thing to do to keep people in their homes and out of congregate settings where COVID-19 spreads." This new order protects renters through October 3rd - but almost certainly faces legal challenges.

The National Apartment Association, which manages nearly 10 million rental units - sued the government last week for billions of dollars in unpaid rent.

The group called the CDC's new order "an unfunded government mandate that forces housing providers to deliver a costly service without compensation and saddles renters with insurmountable debt." Biden has said the extension would give the federal government time to distribute unused, Congressionally approved funds, over $40 billion, to help pay unpaid rent and ultimately keep people in their homes.

He also acknowledged the legal risks of moving ahead, but said he’ll leave it up to the courts.