White House Chief Economic Advisor Says Federal Eviction Moratorium Will Be Lengthened

White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Sunday that the federal moratorium on evictions, which expired Saturday and aimed to protect millions of renters from getting evicted during the coronavirus pandemic, will be lengthened.

Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, made the remarks at the end of an interview on CNN’s State of the Union. He did not offer specific information about the moratorium, including when it would be lengthened or how long it would last.

As Sunday’s CNN interview was wrapping up, host Jake Tapper mentioned that “people are worried about being evicted in days, literally in days.”

Kudlow gave a quick and brief response saying, “by the way we will lengthen the eviction. we will lengthen.” Tapper clarified, “the eviction moratorium? Well, that’s good news.”

Kudlow had been speaking about a proposed GOP package for new coronavirus relief measures, which includes a $1,200 check, breaks for small tax credits for small businesses and restaurants, as well as a re-employment and retention bonus.

The initial moratorium on evictions, which was enacted in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic in late March, expired despite calls for its extension from Democrats in Congress. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Chuy Garcia have been pushing a bill that would have done just that.

The ban on evictions, which applied to federally supported or funded rental properties, covered more than 12 million renters, according to the ACLU, which also warned that a wave of evictions will disproportionately harm communities of color.

Although some states have initiated and extended their own moratoriums on evictions, others, like Wisconsin and Michigan, have let their eviction bans expire, leaving low-income renters particularly vulnerable — especially in the absence of federal protections.