A surge of evictions is expected as a four-month federal moratorium, which protected millions of renters from losing their homes amid the COVID-19 pandemic, expired Friday, with no additional plan yet agreed upon by Congress.
The federal CARES Act was initially passed on March 27, which included the eviction moratorium.
The entire act, however, expired at the end of July altogether. This puts 23 million U.S. tenants in the danger of losing their homes during both economic and public health crises amid the pandemic.
On July 27, Senate Republicans proposed the HEALS Act stimulus bill, a $1 trillion proposal that extends several important programs from the CARES Act, but it did not include a plan extending the eviction moratorium ban. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) has said that 20 Republicans will not vote for any continuation of unemployment benefits.
The newly proposed plan by Senate Republican will also cut the unemployment benefit from $600 a week to only $200 a week. Republicans has been arguing that the stimulus funds could encourage Americans to stay home, rather than going back to work.
