National Taxpayers Union urges all Representatives to vote “NO” on H.R. 4791, the “Protecting Renters from Evictions Act.” This legislation would extend the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium on evictions over the next several months. At its core, H.R. 4791 threatens property rights, creates incentives for people to not pay their bills, and doubles down on flawed “Washington-knows-best” policy.
Earlier this year when the American Rescue Plan was announced, NTU responded favorably to a provision to extend the eviction moratorium. At the time, NTU wrote “it makes sense to extend the current federal eviction moratorium beyond the end of January, given the pandemic will still present a major disruption to Americans’ lives and incomes in a few weeks’ time. No one should have to be kicked out of their home in the middle of a pandemic, which is why NTU has supported prior eviction moratoria.” Thankfully, the economic and health situation of the country has changed dramatically since the start of the year. Effective and safe vaccines have been administered to hundreds of millions of Americans, COVID cases are significantly lower, government lockdowns have eased, and almost anyone who wants a job can find one. For nearly every region of the country, things are almost back to “normal.”
Given the vast overall improvements between January and July, most Americans are well equipped and well resourced to meet their financial obligations. It therefore makes little sense to prohibit evictions either through the end of the calendar year or for the next several months. Congress has also taken unprecedented steps to address issues of lower-income Americans who may have experienced financial hardship in the past or are out of work. In addition to enhanced unemployment benefits for those out of work, Congress has passed over $50 billion in emergency rental assistance, the vast majority of which is waiting to be distributed. Congress should work to ensure that money is sent out efficiently, to those who qualify, before extending a nationwide, one-size-fits-all federal eviction policy.
Further, many of the cosponsors of this legislation have supported the economically-flawed “cancel rent” movement, which would have a significant financial impact on small landlords and taxpayers. A long-term extension of the eviction moratorium would be a backdoor implementation of the radical “cancel rent” policy. Tenants who willingly choose to not pay their monthly rent bill would not be penalized for doing so. Landlords, big and small, have the right to determine who rents their units, at what price, and for how long. Property rights are essential to a free society and further expansion of eviction policy, without economic or public health data to back it up, would further degrade these fundamental rights.
In short, the Protecting Renters from Evictions Act is another example of why Washington should not be in charge of managing important aspects of the economy.
Roll call votes on H.R. 4791 will be included in NTU’s annual Rating of Congress and a “NO” vote will be considered the pro-taxpayer position.
If you have any questions, please contact NTU Director of Federal Affairs Thomas Aiello at Thomas.Aiello@ntu.org