CDC issues new eviction ban as Joe Biden administration attempts to quell criticism

The CDC on Tuesday issued a new moratorium on
evictions until October 3, as the Joe Biden administration seeks to quell the
criticism that it was allowing vulnerable renters to lose their homes during a
pandemic.

The latest eviction ban is expected to help
millions of Americans keep their homes amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in the
United States, mainly due to the spread of the coronavirus delta variant. The administrations in various states
have been slow to release federal rental aid, making the ban necessary. It
would cover areas where 90% of the US population lives, the Associated Press
reported.

The announcement came as a surprise as the
Biden administration had said that a Supreme Court ruling prevented such a ban.
But it could also be seen as a win for the progressive lawmakers who pushed the
White House to do more to prevent some 3.6 million Americans from losing their
homes during the COVID-19 crisis.

President Biden had hinted at a fresh ban
earlier on Tuesday, but ceded the responsibility of doing so to the CDC.

“My hope is it is going to be a new
moratorium,” Biden was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

The new policy came amid a scramble of actions
by the Biden administration to reassure Democrats and the country that it could
find a way to limit the damage from potential evictions through the use of
federal aid. But pressure mounted as key lawmakers said it was not enough.

Top Democratic leaders joined Representative
Cori Bush, who has been camped outside the Capitol building, the freshman
congresswoman who once lived in her car as a young mother, leading a passionate
protest urging the White House to prevent widespread evictions.