Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Eviction Ban Expires Saturday As Biden Calls On Congress To Extend It
AP: Biden To Allow Eviction Moratorium To Expire Saturday
The Biden administration announced Thursday it will allow a nationwide ban on evictions to expire Saturday, arguing that its hands are tied after the Supreme Court signaled the moratorium would only be extended until the end of the month. The White House said President Joe Biden would have liked to extend the federal eviction moratorium due to spread of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. Instead, Biden called on “Congress to extend the eviction moratorium to protect such vulnerable renters and their families without delay.” (Casey, 7/30)
Politico: Democrats At Odds Over Extending Eviction Ban Despite Biden Plea
House Democratic leadership on Thursday struggled to build support for a five-month extension of the nationwide eviction moratorium that's set to lapse this weekend after running into opposition from more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers, according to two sources familiar with the situation. With the ban set to expire Saturday and millions of Americans at risk of losing their homes, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) confirmed that Democrats in favor of extending the moratorium were still working to lock down backing for a possible last-minute vote Friday. The House is set to leave town at the end of this week until September. (O'Donnell, 7/29)
AP: Nevada Officials: Renters Have Path To Avoid Quick Evictions
Money is available for tenants who could face eviction as early as this weekend as pandemic protections expire, and Nevada’s governor and advocates called Thursday for affected renters to quickly contact programs set up to help. “We will see landlords evicting tenants for non-payment of rent,” and courts may be flooded, said Bailey Bortolin, director of the Nevada Coalition of Legal Service Providers and a board member at the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada. The center encourages property owners to work with renters through a coronavirus relief housing assistance program, commonly known as CHAP. (Ritter, 7/30)
In related news —
AP: U.S. Jobless Claims Down 24,000 To 400,000 As Economy Recovers
The number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits slid last week, another sign that the job market continues to recover rapidly from the coronavirus recession. Jobless claims dropped by 24,000 to 400,000 last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. (7/29)
Axios: Rep. Cheri Bustos: Communities Know What's Best To Improve Social Determinants Of Health
Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) said at at Axios event Thursday that she's calling on local communities to help Congress address "negative social determinants" like food deserts or unsafe housing. Social determinants are social factors that harm long-term health. Bustos, who introduced the Social Determinants Accelerator Act, wants local communities to tell Congress directly what they need to tackle problems. (Frazier, 7/29)
