US Lawmaker to Sleep Outside Capitol to Promote Extending Eviction Moratorium
A moratorium on evictions was declared by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent tenants from eviction for failing to pay rent amid a raging coronavirus pandemic and financial troubles caused by lockdowns.
US Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush announced on Friday that she intends to camp in front on the Capitol building in Washington DC, in protest against the Saturday expiration of the ongoing eviction moratorium because the House has not passed an extension.
She invited fellow members of Congress to join her in her outdoor Capitol sleepover, stating that “we must reconvene to protect people from violent evictions during a deadly pandemic”.
“I cannot in good conscience leave Washington tonight while a Democratic-controlled government allows millions of people to go unhoused as the Delta variant is ravaging our communities”, Bush wrote in a letter to colleagues. “Millions of people are about to lose their homes, and, as Democrats, we must not give up on the chance to save their lives.”
Earlier in the day, Bush urged her counterparts to extend the eviction moratorium, but the House of Representatives adjourned for its August recess without passing an extension.
A moratorium was declared by the CDC last autumn, banning the eviction of renters who failed to pay. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated that the end of the CDC order could affect over 11 million renters.
GOP members criticized Democratic counterparts for attempting to extend the moratorium at the last minute, noting that the date of its expiration has been known since February.
US President Joe Biden, who on Thursday called on Congress to extend the eviction moratorium, stated on Friday that “state and local governments can and should use both the Emergency Rental Assistance and their American Rescue Plan state and local funds to support policies with courts, community groups, and legal aid to ensure no one seeks an eviction when they have not sought out Emergency Rental Assistance funds.”
Eviction Moratorium Set to Expire After Congress Fails to Extend It
The nationwide pause on evictions is set to expire on Saturday after Congress failed to extend it.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ordered last year a moratorium on evictions, but federal courts have since said the agency overreached with the pause and the Supreme Court ruled in June that any extension would have to be approved by Congress.
Democrat leaders chose on Friday to ask for unanimous consent in the House of Representatives for a bill that would have extended the pause.
But that method enables a single member to block passage, and Republicans blocked it.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Calif.), and Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) in a joint statement after the vote blamed Republicans, even though Democrats hold the majority in the lower chamber and could have passed the bill without any Republican votes.
“We are proud and pleased that, overwhelmingly, House Democrats have understood the hardship caused by rental evictions and support extending the eviction moratorium to October 18, 2021. Unfortunately, not a single Republican would support this measure,” they claimed.
The bill in question, the Protecting Renters from Evictions Act of 2021, was introduced this week by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.).
The legislation would have extended the eviction moratorium until December 31. That was “the right thing to do to prevent increases in homelessness and the spread of the coronavirus,” Waters said.
Waters after the vote said she did not agree with House Democrats leaders on their approach.
“While leadership chose to seek unanimous consent from the Republicans, they did not get it. I wanted leadership to put my bill up for a vote on the Floor,” she said.
A survey of House members before the vote signaled that there was not enough support to pass the legislation, she added, but she was hopeful some members would have had “a change of heart” and voted yes based on a request from President Joe Biden and the support of many Democrat members.
“I believe we should have fought to our very last breath,” Waters said.
The House went on recess following the attempt to pass the bill, prompting some Democrats to call for it to reconvene.
Even if the House had passed the bill, it would have required the approval of the Senate. Democrats also control the upper chamber, but only through Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote.
Biden, who would have signed the bill if it passed, went to Camp David on Friday evening.
Biden on Friday said in a statement that state and local governments should “take all possible steps to immediately disburse” emergency funding they received from Congress as the eviction pause was set to expire at midnight Saturday.
“There can be no excuse for any state or locality not accelerating funds to landlords and tenants that have been hurt during this pandemic,” Biden said. “Every state and local government must get these funds out to ensure we prevent every eviction we can.”
Four federal agencies also Friday announced moves aimed at preventing evictions.
At Biden’s request, the Departments of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Federal Housing Finance Agency extended foreclosure-related eviction moratoria until September 30.
Additionally, the secretaries of the agencies urged home owners and operators to “make every effort to access Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) resources to avoid evicting a tenant for non-payment of rent.”
Biden Administration Set to Ignore Abortion Transparency Requirement
The public comment period closed on Wednesday for a rule proposed by the Biden administration that would reverse a Trump administration rule regarding program integrity for certain health insurance plans that cover elective abortions.
At issue is Section 1303 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. This section of the law requires that insurers collect a separate payment for certain abortion coverage in qualified health plans approved to be sold on exchanges and keep those separate payments in separate accounts used only to pay for elective abortion services.
Under the Obama administration, this requirement was not enforced, and the Trump administration rule sought to correct this problem. Now, the Biden administration seeks to return to the Obama administration policy of allowing separate payments to be made together, undermining the clear text of the law.
The Heritage Foundation has long articulated the many ways in which Obamacare entangles taxpayer dollars with elective abortions. Heritage experts have also highlighted how Section 1303 has, in practice, amounted to an accounting gimmick due to noncompliance and lack of enforcement. (The Daily Signal is the news and commentary platform of The Heritage Foundation.)
In response to the Biden administration’s proposed rule, Heritage submitted a public comment.
An abridged and lightly edited version of that comment follows:
Background on Section 1303
In Section 1303 of Obamacare, Congress addressed a number of issues involving coverage and funding of abortion arising from other provisions of the legislation that imposed new benefit requirements on private insurance plans and provided new, income-related federal subsidies for purchasing such plans.
States have the authority to permit or prohibit the inclusion of abortion coverage in qualified health plans offered through their exchange. Qualified health plans may, but are not required to, cover abortions. For plans that do include abortions, federal funds, including tax credits and advance payment reductions, can’t be used for abortions that are restricted under the Hyde Amendment (hereafter referred to as “elective” abortion services).
The Hyde Amendment is language incorporated into the annual appropriations bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies.
Since 1976, the amendment has prohibited funds appropriated through the departments to be spent on abortions and for health benefits coverage of elective abortion. Current Hyde Amendment language includes exceptions for rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger.
Notably, President Joe Biden and the House of Representatives’ fiscal year 2022 budget proposes to eliminate the Hyde Amendment.
In addition to restrictions on taxpayer funds for elective abortions, Section 1303 establishes additional rules for plans that cover elective abortions.
The issuer of a plan is to collect a separate payment for elective abortion coverage and the rest of the premium. The separate abortion payments are to be put in a separate allocation account used exclusively to pay for elective abortions.
In addition to collecting a separate payment for elective abortions and segregating funds for such services, qualified health plans are supposed to provide notice at the time of enrollment that a plan includes abortion coverage.
In summary, federal law under Obamacare’s accounting and notice requirements regarding elective abortion coverage is unambiguous. The law requires separate—that is, two distinct—payments for elective abortion services and other services covered under a policy. The law requires that a separate allocation account be used exclusively to pay for elective abortions. And the law requires that consumers have transparency regarding coverage for elective abortions.