President Biden and Democrats are Failing America’s Renters

Cmte Financial Services (R)
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President Biden and Democrats are Failing America’s Renters

With only days left before the expiration of the national eviction moratorium, President Biden and Democrats are failing America’s renters. Congress appropriated more than $46 billion in emergency rental assistance (ERA), but the latest data shows less than seven percent of the funding reached those who need it. By adding unneeded complexity and uncertainty to the programs, Democrats have made it harder for states and localities to get the ERA funds out the door.

Last month, Ranking Member Patrick McHenry (NC-10) led all Committee Republicans in introducing H.R. 3913, the Renter Protection Act to fix the Administration’s mismanagement of the ERA programs, get the funds to those in need quickly, and help keep more American families in their homes.

“Congress approved a total of $46 billion in rental aid between two coronavirus relief bills passed under former President Trump and President Biden. …”

“While the program has distributed all of that money to state and local grantees, only $1.5 billion made it to tenants, landlords and utility companies as of May, according to data released by the Treasury Department last week.”

“State and local officials disbursed $1.5 billion in federal rental assistance in June, the Treasury Department reported Wednesday morning, bringing the total rental aid distributed over the first six months of the year to a little over $3 billion — about 6.5 percent of the total aid Congress has allocated.”

"House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Patrick McHenry has sounded the alarm on the apparent mismanagement of coronavirus relief funds. The top Republican lawmaker noted that Americans in need haven’t been given access to the funds."

“'This report confirms my concerns: the Biden Administration is failing to provide Emergency Rental Assistance to Americans in need,' McHenry told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement Wednesday. 'With millions of families worried they’ll lose their homes in 10 days, we need to act now to correct this gross mismanagement.'"

“State and local officials have managed to dole out just $3 billion of the over $46 billion in rental aid allocated by Congress for the coronavirus pandemic, according to Treasury Department data released Wednesday, as the looming expiration of the federal eviction moratorium at the end of this month prompts mounting criticism of the Biden administration’s management of the aid program.”

“Kitwana is exactly the type of person Congress was trying to help. She's a single mom with two teenage kids living in Lithonia, Ga. She lost her job at a call center when COVID-19 cases were spiking last winter.”

“And she quickly applied when the county's rental assistance portal went live in February.”

"'I submitted my application at least four different times,' she says. 'And nobody would get back to me.'"