Finger pointing begins after House fails to extend federal deportation ban



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Three U.S. agencies have extended federal moratoriums on foreclosure-related evictions in a bid to protect tenants after the House failed to pass legislation that would extend the ban.

Driving the news: Democratic House leaders failed to win enough votes to pass the legislation on Friday, adjourning the chamber for a six-week suspension the day before the ban expired. Up to 15 million people could be deported, according to estimates by the Aspen Institute.

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Inventory: Democrats were divided over how far the ban should be extended, with progressive members accusing more moderate colleagues of favoring vacations over deportees.

  • Representative Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Who has been deported three times in the past, sent a letter to his colleagues Friday begging for more empathy.

  • “I know firsthand the trauma and devastation that accompany the violence of being evicted, and we have a responsibility to do everything possible to prevent this trauma from being inflicted on our neighbors and our communities,” Bush wrote. .

  • Bush said on Friday night she would be spending the night outside the United States Capitol in an attempt to get her House colleagues to reconsider their departure.

  • Some lawmakers have also criticized the Biden administration for waiting until the last minute to demand action.

  • President Biden took them by surprise Thursday when he urged Congress to extend the ban, according to the Hill.

  • He said his administration would no longer have the power to unilaterally grant the extension after the Supreme Court ruled it could not be extended beyond July 31 without congressional approval.

  • “This left Democratic House leaders scrambling to muster enough votes in their own caucus, given widespread opposition from Republicans to extending the moratorium,” Hill wrote.

  • To note: Even if House Democrats had been successful in pushing the bill through, Senate Republicans would likely have killed it.

What they say : “Really, we only learned that yesterday. Not really enough time to socialize him within our caucus to build… the necessary consensus,” Pelosi told reporters on Friday. “We have had some great conversations with our members… regarding the technical details of the legislation, we just need more time.”

  • “There were obviously concerns about payments from landlords, as well as tenants,” Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said.

What’s happening now: After the House adjourned, the White House attempted to mitigate the situation.

  • The Ministry of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs and the Federal Housing Finance Agency have announced extensions of their own moratoria.

  • Agencies urged rental housing owners and operators to access emergency rent assistance resources to avoid evicting a tenant for non-payment of rent.

  • “Helping our fellow Americans, including our veterans, to keep their homes will go a long way in assuring them that they have one less thing to fear as they rebuild their lives as they come out of this crisis and try to protect their loved ones. The agencies said in a statement.

Editor’s Article: This article has been updated to state that Bush will be spending the night outside the United States Capitol.

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