Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Friday called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to extend its eviction moratorium amid a massive backlog in the distribution of rental aid, The Hill reported. In a Friday statement, Ocasio-Cortez urged the Biden administration to prevent the CDC’s ban on most evictions from expiring on July 31 despite the agency saying in June it would not likely extend the ban past that date. Ocasio-Cortez said that it was “reckless” to allow the ban to lapse with a fraction of the $46 billion in federal rental aid actually in the hands of tenants, landlords and utilities companies. More than 4.7 million Americans are not current on their housing payments and expect to be evicted or foreclosed on within two months, according to a survey conducted by the Census Bureau between June 23 and July 5. Roughly 8 million also said they don’t expect to make their next housing payment on time.
