The US government’s ban on coronavirus evictions ends at midnight Saturday, putting millions of American renters at risk of being evicted.
The US House of Representatives rejected a meeting without reviewing tenant protection measures after a Republican congressman thwarted an attempt to extend the measures by unanimously approving them until October 18, according to Reuters.
Democratic leaders said they lacked sufficient support to put the proposal to a formal vote.
The Senate held a session on Saturday, but the leaders gave no indication that they would consider extending the eviction ban, and the White House has made clear it will not extend such protections unilaterally, saying it does not have the legal authority to do so.
More than 15 million people in 6.5 million American households are currently behind on their rent payments and collectively owe more than $20 billion to their landlords, according to a study by the Aspen Institute and the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project.