Bonamici Leads 66 Members of Congress to Protect Millions of Americans from Eviction

WASHINGTON, DC [06/29/2020] – Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) led 66 of her colleagues in calling on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to extend the eviction moratorium for tenants living in federally supported housing.

Without further action, the current moratorium established by the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act will expire on July 25. The members of Congress urged HUD to extend the eviction moratorium for all residents of federally-supported housing to a full year from the enactment of CARES.

"As July approaches, another month's rent will soon be due for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet," the Members wrote. "With more than 20 million Americans in the labor market currently unemployed, including one out of every six Black workers and nearly one in five Hispanic workers, extending HUD's eviction moratorium to twelve months is a necessary step to prevent catastrophic, long-term fallout for so many families and our entire economy."

The letter noted that about 30 percent of renters had little or no confidence in their ability to pay June rent, according to the Census Bureau's Household Pulse surveys in May. Housing insecurity is especially pervasive in communities that are hardest hit by COVID-19, with about 50 percent of Black households reporting they had little or no confidence in their ability to pay June rent.

Bonamici also spoke on the House floor in favor of H.R. 7301, the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020. The legislation would extend the eviction and foreclosure moratoria, authorize $200 billion to address housing needs related to COVID-19, and more.

Video of Bonamici's remarks can be viewed here.

"A family of five living in Sherwood, Oregon, wrote to me and said, ‘it feels cruel to be facing eviction during a pandemic that stripped our family of its only income,'" Bonamici said on the House floor. "It feels cruel because it is cruel. And thousands more families will face this same cruel reality unless the Senate and President join us in acting swiftly."

In addition to Bonamici, the letter to HUD was signed by: Jesús G. "Chuy" García, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jahana Hayes, Joe Neguse, Frederica S. Wilson, Ayanna Pressley, Bennie Thompson, Peter A. DeFazio, Jerrold Nadler, Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr., Raúl M. Grijalva, Ann McLane Kuster, Cheri Bustos, Lois Frankel, Frank Pallone, Jr., Nanette Diaz Barragán, Don Beyer, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Rick Larsen, Bobby L. Rush, Earl Blumenauer, Joaquin Castro, Nydia M. Velazquez, Lisa Blunt Rochester, David N. Cicilline, Sharice L. Davids, Adriano Espaillat, Jared Huffman, Marcy Kaptur, Carolyn B. Maloney, Eliot L. Engel, Jan Schakowsky, Ted W. Lieu, Juan Vargas, David Trone, Jimmy Gomez, Jerry McNerney, Jim Cooper, Steve Cohen, Val B. Demings, Jackie Speier, James P. McGovern, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Judy Chu, Mike Doyle, Ami Bera, M.D, Marcia L. Fudge, Joseph P. Kennedy, III, Ann Kirkpatrick, Grace Meng, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Stephen Lynch, Jason Crow, Rosa L. DeLauro, Tim Ryan, Alan Lowenthal, Adam Smith, Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, Peter Welch, José E. Serrano, Norma J. Torres, Dwight Evans, Linda T. Sánchez, Alma S. Adams, Ph.D., and Pramila Jayapal.

The full text of the letter can be viewed here and below.

Benjamin S. Carson Sr., M.D.

Secretary

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

451 7th Street S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20410

Dear Secretary Carson,

As July approaches, another month's rent will soon be due for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet. Without further action, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) moratorium on evictions created by the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act will expire on July 25, 2020. This expiration will be devastating for millions of Americans and their families.

The ongoing pandemic continues to threaten the health and economic wellbeing of millions of Americans as many remain out of work or are just beginning to regain a financial foothold. We commend the Federal Housing Administration's decision to extend its moratorium on foreclosures and evictions for homeowners with FHA-insured Single-Family mortgages, but many residents of other HUD-supported housing will lose similar protections on July 25, 2020. As Congress continues to consider additional relief, we urge to you exercise your authority to extend the eviction moratorium for all residents of federally-supported housing to a full year.

Housing insecurity continues to be pervasive, particularly among communities disproportionately bearing the burdens of COVID-19. According to the Census Bureau's Household Pulse surveys in May,about 30 percent of renters had little or no confidence in their ability to pay June rent.[1] An Urban Institute study found that nearly half of working-age renters reported they "couldn't pay their rent or utilities, were experiencing food insecurity, or couldn't afford needed medical care" and that Black, Indigenous, and other Communities of Color are being hit exceptionally hard: Hispanic and Black renters were more than twice as likely as white renters to report being unable to pay their full rent or paying late in the past 30 days.[2] In the second week of May, about 50 percent of Black households said they had little or no confidence in their ability to pay June rent.[3]

These disparities will only be exacerbated and further entrenched if Congress and the Administration do not quickly take action to provide additional relief. With more than 20 million Americans in the labor market currently unemployed, including one out of every six Black workers and nearly one in five Hispanic workers, extending HUD's eviction moratorium to twelve months is a necessary step to prevent catastrophic, long-term fallout for so many families and our entire economy.[4]
We will continue working toward comprehensive solutions that address every facet of the public health and economic crises that weigh heavily on our communities. In the meantime, we strongly encourage you to extend HUD's eviction protections to keep as many Americans as possible in their homes as they strive to recover from this unprecedented pandemic.

Sincerely,

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