Washington, DC - "I want to make it unmistakably clear that I’m protecting people from evictions." ~ President Donald J. Trump
TEMPORARILY HALTING EVICTIONS: President Donald J. Trump is taking action to put a temporary halt to evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Following an Executive Order by President Trump, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is using its authority to temporarily halt evictions through the end of 2020 in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
- Under the CDC Order, American renters who meet certain conditions cannot be evicted if they have affirmatively exhausted their best efforts to pay rent, seek Government rental assistance, and are likely to become homeless due to eviction.
- Those who benefit from this assistance are still obligated to pay accrued rent or housing payments in accordance with their lease or contract.
- Landlords are still permitted to pursue eviction against tenants committing criminal acts, threatening the health or safety of other residents, and damaging property, among other offenses.
- The intent of this Order is to use Federal authority to prevent evictions that could exacerbate the spread of COVID-19.
- It is essential during the pandemic that Americans have an effective place to quarantine, isolate, and social distance, and evicting people from residences undermines that objective.
PROTECTING AMERICANS: President Trump has provided extensive relief to help keep Americans in their homes during the fight against COVID-19.
- The Trump Administration is following through on President Trump’s Executive Order to protect American homeowners and renters during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Last week, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced they would extend their eviction and foreclosure moratorium for Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured homeowners through the end of the year.
- HUD has already allocated $7 billion in grants to State and local governments that could be used for rental assistance to address increased eviction risk.
- HUD is also explicitly considering factors associated with eviction risk when allocating nearly $2 billion in CARES Act funding and working with Federal grant recipients to facilitate their use of various funds to assist renters at risk of eviction.
- The Department of the Treasury has also allocated $142 billion in Coronavirus Relief Funds to States and localities, with broad application for rental assistance and other programs.
PROVIDING ASSISTANCE: Over the course of the pandemic, President Trump has made providing assistance to Americans facing financial hardship a top priority.
- HUD is providing housing counseling services and has published resources and guidance to help tenants, landlords, and lenders, including a toolkit to help landlords and public housing authorities work with their tenants during this time.
- President Trump successfully delivered economic impact payments to tens of millions of Americans to help relieve burdened families and workers.
- President Trump has also worked to expand and maintain unemployment benefits to help Americans who are out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic.