Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
- President Joe Biden extended the moratorium on evictions through the end of March on his first day to provide relief to renters struggling during the pandemic.
- The moratorium extension was among 17 executive orders the president signed, addressing climate change, immigration, COVID-19 relief and more.
- Biden called on Congress to extend the eviction moratorium through the end of September and support additional funding for renters in his stimulus proposal.
President Joe Biden extended the moratorium on evictions through the end of March on Wednesday, part of a range of measures meant to provide relief to Americans still struggling through the pandemic.
In December, Congress approved an extension of the eviction moratorium through the end of January, but absent Biden’s extension signed on Wednesday, 30 million to 40 million renters would have been at risk of losing their homes, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
Biden is also calling on Congress to provide aid to renters. In his stimulus proposal released last Thursday, the president requested $30 billion in rental assistance in addition to the $25 billion in aid that was approved in the stimulus package passed in December.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, about 19% of renters were behind on their monthly payments in December, highlighting the importance of the eviction moratorium while the pandemic still hobbles the economy.
Along with providing rental assistance on his first day, Biden signed 16 other executive orders, including rejoining the Paris Agreement, requesting the Dept. of Education to extend the pause on federal student loan payments, and reversing a series of measures from former President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, like halting border wall construction and defending minors in the US under the DREAM Act from deportation.
Biden on Wednesday also called for a nationwide face mask and social distancing mandate.
With the moratorium extending only a couple more months, Biden has requested Congress to further the extension through the end of September and plans to ask federal agencies to extend moratoriums on foreclosures of federally guaranteed mortgages.