Ilhan Omar Floats Rent & Mortgage Cancellation Bill as a Long-Term Solution
Progressive congresswoman says it's "imperative we pass bold, long-term solutions.”
About 1 in 7 renters — including nearly a quarter of Black renters — remain behind on rental payments.
Whilst they won a major battle when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) unexpectedly issued a new moratorium on evictions through October 3, Rep Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) knows that's only a temporary solution.
“We’re really grateful for this extension, but again, you know, this is a short-term fix. We obviously need a long-term solution. This was to have the ability to buy time for local municipalities and states to get the money out. As you remember, we allocated billions of dollars to make sure renters had rental assistance and landlords were able to get their checks so that they can also pay their mortgages. So what I’m hoping for is that before the 60 days ends, that there is progress that’s made in that regard and Congress reconvenes so that we can actually do legislation to provide long-term solution.”
Omar has introduced the Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act to permanently cancel all payments on rental homes and mortgages until the end of the pandemic and provide relief to small landlords “who are also struggling due to Congress’s inaction,” according to a statement from the second-term congresswoman's office.
“We can already predict another housing crisis will occur, which is why it’s so imperative we pass bold, long-term solutions,” Omar said in the statement. “The bottom line is we have the House, Senate, and White House—there are no excuses for our inability to act. We have the power to stop the next eviction crisis and must act now.”
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