AOC and 63 other Democrats slam the Supreme Court over eviction ban ruling risking 'needless loss of human life'
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- The Supreme Court struck down Biden's eviction ban by a 6-3 vote on Tuesday.
- Over 60 Democrats, led by AOC, Cori Bush, and Ayanna Pressley, said it will cause needless death.
- They cited the surge of the Delta variant as a major concern in pushing people out of their homes.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Three weeks after President Joe Biden announced a 60-day eviction ban, the Supreme Court struck the extension down by a 6-3 vote. A group of Democrats immediately called on Congress to issue a new ban and protect renters from COVID-19.
A day after the high court's Thursday ruling, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Cori Bush, and Jimmy Gomez led over 60 Democratic colleagues in calling on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to work with them in extending the eviction ban. Their letter urged Congress to pass legislation on a new moratorium because the Delta variant "continues to claim thousands of lives" and now is not the time to leave renters vulnerable.
"The impending eviction crisis is a matter of public health and safety that demands an urgent legislative solution to prevent further harm and needless loss of human life," the letter said. "Allowing an eviction crisis to take hold will only erase the gains we've made and put our recovery further out of reach."
-Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) August 27, 2021
The Democrats noted that evictions have disproportionately impacted Black and brown communities that continue to bear an undue portion of the twin health and economic crises. They cited a Census Household Pulse Survey that found Black, Latino, Asian, and indigenous households are more likely to report being behind on rent payments.
Insider reported last month that, according to Princeton University's Eviction Lab, eviction rates were higher in areas with lower vaccination rates, supporting Democrats' argument that unnecessary death could come from restarting evictions.
The legality of the eviction ban issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eviction ban has been debated for months. Several courts have ruled previous extensions of the ban unconstitutional because the CDC does not have the authority to impose a nationwide ban, which landlords argue has cost them billions in unpaid rent. Congress would have that authority, though.
Leading up to Biden's new moratorium announced this month, progressive lawmakers were insistent on giving renters continued pandemic relief, going so far as to sleep on the steps of the Capitol until an extension was implemented.
"I knew I could not leave without doing whatever I could to save lives," Bush, who was once homeless herself, told Insider.
Many Democrats have voiced their opposition to the Supreme Court ruling on Twitter on Friday, with Rep. David Cicilline saying Congress should vote on an eviction ban extension.
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