Joseph Robinette Biden: The last-minute gridlock between President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress that resulted in the demise of the eviction ban this week threatens to impose new economic burdens on state and local governments.

 By Katy O'Donnell

07/31/2021 07:00 AM EDT

politico.com

The officials will have to respond to mass evictions triggered by landlords — including many struggling financially themselves because of lost revenue — who are poised to kick out tenants who fell behind on their bills during the pandemic. The renter safety net is severely weakened, with fewer than a dozen state eviction bans in place and state and local governments having disbursed only a fraction of the $46.5 billion in rental assistance that Congress authorized over the past year.

President Joe Biden in a statement Friday called on state and local governments “to take all possible steps to immediately disburse these funds” given the ending of the moratorium.

“There can be no excuse for any state or locality not accelerating funds to landlords and tenants that have been hurt during this pandemic,” he said. “Every state and local government must get these funds out to ensure we prevent every eviction we can.”

Biden also suggested that they institute their own bans: “State and local governments should also be aware that there is no legal barrier to moratorium at the state and local level.”

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