Extended evictions ban faces legal, political backlash

The US government’s authority to prohibit evictions is seen as questionable as Biden, Democrats change course.

US President Joe Biden and Democratic Party leaders are facing a legal and political backlash from Republicans and real estate owners for the president’s decision Tuesday to extend a moratorium on evictions of renters in the United States despite questionable legal authority. At President Biden’s request, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a revised national ban on evictions during the coronavirus pandemic targeted on US counties where transmission rates are highest and covering about 90 percent of renters at risk of eviction. There are an estimated 6.5 million households presently facing eviction for unpaid rent in the US.