Rep. Bonamici Speaks in Favor of Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act

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.