This week the Centers for Disease Control announced a moratorium on evictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) says he is concerned about some provisions of the order.
He says under the rule, tenants won’t be evicted this year, but they will need to come up with eight months of rent in January.
Brown is pushing Congress to renew the weekly $600 unemployment benefit that expired in July, and to approve emergency assistance so people can stay in their homes.
“The most important thing is to get help to those tenants and frankly the landlords that own these two and three multi-family units that have to pay their mortgage too. And it puts money in people’s pockets and it puts money in small businesses and it will help our economy.”
Brown describes the CDC edict as a Swiss cheese rule that’s overly complicated and difficult to apply for (read the full order below).
According to the order tenants can still be charged “fees, penalties, or interest as a result of the failure to pay rent or other housing payments on a timely basis, under the terms of any applicable contract.”
Senator Brown calls the order overly complicated and difficult to apply for. The order states that tenants need to fill out a declaration form as well as meet a list of requirements to be eligible.
Since Congress failed to act on a new package of relief measures that might have renewed that $600 weekly unemployment benefit, President Trump mandated a $300 weekly benefit which Ohioans who qualify for unemployment may start receiving this month.
That state was approved to get $717 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover the cost of the benefit that will be retroactive to August 1.
But Senator Sherrod Brown says it’s a poor substitute for the larger amount.
“The simplest, best, most direct, most compassionate, most effective for our economy way to do it, is to renew the $600 a week, so people can rely on getting that check once a week so they can feed their families and they can stay in their apartments.”
Brown says that benefit kept 12 million Americans out of poverty.
He remains concerned about a potential wave of evictions, despite the CDC move.
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