US House Democrats, spearheaded by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other prominent party leaders, on Sunday urged the Biden administration to "immediately" extend the eviction moratorium through 18 October, arguing that it is a "moral imperative" to do so in order to prevent people from being thrown to the streets amid the new Delta variant of the pandemic currently raging in the US.
The joint statement expressed discontent over the Senate being unable to pass an extension of the moratorium, which expired on Saturday.
"Action is needed, and it must come from the Administration. That is why House leadership is calling on the Administration to immediately extend the moratorium", the House joint statement said. "An extension of the moratorium is based on public health and the delta variant."
Pelosi echoed the demands via her Twitter account, questioning why the CDC, while doubling down on masks, would fail to extend the moratorium it declared last autumn.
The moratorium expired after its extension was not passed in Congress, despite President Joe Biden earlier urging lawmakers to do so. The failure to extend it prompted concern among many Democrats, including Congresswoman Cori Bush, who initiated a sleepover near the Capitol building, calling on the House to reconvene and pass an extension.
On Sunday, Senator Cori Bush took to Twitter to say that "we're still here", posting a picture from the steps of the Capitol, where she is seen accompanied by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Congressman Jamaal Bowman.
"We have to reconvene the House and vote to reinstate the eviction moratorium to put an end to the eviction emergency. 11 million lives and livelihoods are on the line", Bush captioned the photo.
The sentiment is not shared by GOP counterparts who have criticized Democrats for acting too late on a moratorium extension, noting that the date of the order's expiration has been known since February.
Pelosi's exhortation prompted some scepticism online, with many raising eyebrows as the House went on a recess, failing to extend the moratorium.