Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pelosi Joins Calls For White House To Extend Anti-Eviction Protections
AP: Pelosi, Democrats Call On Biden To Extend Eviction Ban
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the House Democratic leaders on Sunday called on the Biden administration to immediately extend the nation’s eviction moratorium, calling it a “moral imperative” to prevent Americans from being put out of their homes during a COVID-19 surge. An estimated 3.6 million Americans are at risk of eviction, some as soon as Monday. (Mascaro, 8/2)
Politico: Pelosi Turns Tables On White House, Urges Eviction Ban Extension
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team on Sunday urged President Joe Biden to immediately renew and extend the eviction moratorium until Oct. 18 after House Democrats failed to marshal the votes to prevent its lapse this weekend. Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) issued a joint statement Sunday night putting the ball back in the Biden administration’s court, after the White House on Thursday said it could not extend the eviction ban and urged Congress to do it. (O'Donnell, 8/1)
Politico: Progressives Press Biden To Extend Eviction Ban
Progressive House lawmakers on Saturday urged President Joe Biden to extend a nationwide eviction moratorium before it expires at midnight, after Democrats in Congress failed to muster the votes to renew it themselves. Eight Democrats led by Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Cori Bush of Missouri told Biden in a letter that a looming eviction crisis demanded "an urgent government response.” (Guida, 7/31)
AP: Evictions Expected To Spike As Federal Moratorium Ends
Evictions, which have mostly been on pause during the pandemic, are expected to ramp up on Monday after the expiration of a federal moratorium as housing courts take up more cases and tenants are locked out of their homes. Housing advocates fear the end of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium could result in millions of people being evicted in the coming weeks. But most expect an uptick in filings in the coming days rather than a wave of evictions. (Casey, 8/2)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Housing Officials Brace For Wave Of Evictions With End Of Moratorium
Courts and housing officials nationwide are ramping up to deal with millions of tenants who are on the verge of losing their homes now that the federal eviction moratorium has expired. The question is will it be a tsunami or merely a flood of evictions. "Pick any term you want —it's going to be bad," said Matt Mleczko, a graduate research assistant at Princeton University's Eviction Lab. The Eviction Lab was founded by Matthew Desmond, who wrote "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City" after studying the situation in Milwaukee. (Spivak, 7/31)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Judge In One Metro Atlanta County Extends Ban On Evictions
The nationwide eviction moratorium has expired. But one metro Atlanta judge has extended another lifeline to renters in her county. DeKalb Chief Superior Court Judge Asha Jackson recently signed a new emergency order creating a ban on evictions throughout the county for another 60 days. The order was based on the continued COVID-19 public health emergency and the cyberattack that targeted DeKalb’s Tenant-Landlord Assistance Coalition earlier this year, dramatically slowing its distribution of federal aid. (Estep, 8/1)
In related news about covid's economic toll —
CBS News: These States Cut Unemployment Aid Early To Supercharge Hiring. It Isn't Working.
In May, Missouri Governor Michael Parson explained he was directing the state to cut off $300 in weekly jobless payments, months before the federally funded benefits were due to expire in September. The "excessive" aid had "incentivized people to stay out of the workforce," he said. But Parson's plan to supercharge hiring by curtailing jobless benefits may not be paying off, based on a new analysis of hiring data from Gusto, a company that handles payroll and other services for small and midsized businesses. So far, a dozen states that were the first to cut pandemic jobless benefits have experienced hiring growth on par with states that kept the federal benefits, the Gusto analysis found. (Picchi, 7/30)
