Anger and frustration mounted as President Joe Biden showed no signs of reversing plans to allow a nationwide eviction moratorium to expire at midnight Saturday -- one Democratic lawmaker even camping outside the Capitol in protest as millions of Americans were about to be forced from their homes.
Biden's decision announced days before the eviction deadline stunned many in Congress and exposed a rare divide between the president and his party, with potential lasting political ramifications. Lawmakers said they were blindsided by Biden's inaction, some furious that he called on Congress to provide a last-minute solution to protect renters that they were unable to deliver.
"There can be no excuse for any state or locality not accelerating funds to landlords and tenants that have been hurt during this pandemic," he said in a statement late Friday. Biden, heeding the court's warning, called on Congress on Thursday to swiftly pass legislation to extend the date. But Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, the top Republican on another panel handling the issue, said the Democrats' bill was rushed.Landlords, who have opposed the moratorium and challenged it repeatedly in court, are against any extension. They, too, are arguing for speeding up the distribution of rental assistance.
Rather than allow a failed vote by House Democrats, leaders tried to simply approve an extension by consent, without a formal vote, but House Republicans objected. The Senate may try to pass a similar bill, but it was expected to fail."We control the House, Senate, and White House," Bush said Saturday on Twitter from the Capitol. "We must keep people housed."
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