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NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel Statement on Federal Appeals Court Ruling: CDC Eviction Moratorium Remains in Effect

Washington, DC – The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled today that it would continue to stay a lower court ruling seeking to overturn the CDC’s eviction moratorium. In today’s order, the Court noted that the Department of Justice “made a strong showing that it is likely to succeed” on its appeal of the order to overturn the moratorium.

This is good news for the millions of renters who remain stably housed because of the protections under the CDC eviction moratorium. Currently, more than 6 million renter households report being behind on rent and are at heightened risk of eviction, almost twice the number of homeowners who lost their homes to foreclosure in the 2008 financial crisis.

Congress responded to this urgent crisis by providing $46.5 billion in emergency rental assistance, and state and local governments are working diligently to distribute aid to households in need. If the CDC eviction moratorium expires or is overturned before those funds are expended, millions of renters would be at immediate risk of losing their homes. The result would be an historic wave of evictions, with tremendous, harmful consequences to individuals, communities, and our nation’s public health.

Evictions risk lives, push families deeper into poverty, and further strain our public health systems that are working to vaccinate as many people as possible to contain the virus. The impact would be felt immediately and for years to come, as evictions harm everything from physical and mental health to economic mobility. Because evictions predominantly harm people of color, disproportionately Black women, the CDC moratorium’s expiration could deepen racial disparities.

The Biden administration should continue to vigorously defend, enforce, and extend the moratorium until the historic emergency rental assistance funds provided by Congress reach the renters who need them to remain stably housed.

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