Ilhan Omar Calls For Government To “Cancel Rent And Mortgage Payments Now”
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar is calling on the government to cancel debt and mortgage payments immediately as Americans continue to suffer the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic.
The progressive Democrat, who’s among the fiercest critics of the Trump administration, said ejecting Americans out of their homes at this time is a “moral outrage.”
Evicting millions of people during a pandemic would be a moral outrage.
Cancel rent and mortgage payments now.https://t.co/XIggUrRQvz
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 19, 2020
“Evicting millions of people during a pandemic would be a moral outrage,” she said on Thursday. “Cancel rent and mortgage payments now,” the Minnesota lawmaker said.
In her tweet, Omar cited a CNN report that warned of possible “huge wave of evictions” in January — as Americans continue to be impacted by the economic strain of the coronavirus.
An estimated “11 to 13 million” renting households are at risk of getting booted out of their homes, CNN said, citing a report from Stout, an investment bank and global advisory firm.
Rent, mortgage relief needed
It noted that as many as 6.4 million potential eviction filings could come in by January 1 next year when the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) moratorium — that temporarily prohibits new and previously filed evictions from pushing through — is lifted.
The emergency CDC order went into effect on September 4th and was meant to stay through December. It can be availed when the tenant gives the landlord a signed statement declaring that they meet the requirements for the program like earning less than US$100,000 annually, and proving that they’ve experienced “significant loss of income” due to the coronavirus.
But critics argued that despite the moratorium, renters will still need to start paying back again starting January since the order “does not cancel or freeze rent.”
With Congress also unable to pass a new round of coronavirus stimulus to extend the moratorium or provide rent relief, struggling household renters will again face the threat of eviction.
Lockdowns across the country earlier led to millions of job losses as businesses struggled to survive and ended shuttering operations altogether.
As the US saw COVID-19 cases rising again, certain states like New York, Illinois and Michigan have announced additional restrictions meant to stop the spread of the infection that has so far affected 12 million Americans and killed over 250,000.
Omar, AOC: ‘We need to pay people to stay at home’
Aside from calling for the cancelation of rent and mortgage payments, Rep. Omar also earlier suggested that the government pay Americans to stay home along with her fellow Squad member, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The two progressive lawmakers tweeted: “To get the virus under control, we need to pay people to stay home.”
To get the virus under control, we need to pay people to stay home.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 19, 2020
This suggestion, however, was met with skepticism from some known women personalities in the Republican Party.
AOC wants to lock down our economy, lock the American people in their homes, and put the government in charge of every single part of our lives.
No wonder she supports @ReverendWarnock.
It’s not going to happen on my watch. https://t.co/NMAQYu29ZI
— Kelly Loeffler (@KLoeffler) November 19, 2020
“AOC wants to lock down our economy, lock the American people in their homes, and put the government in charge of every single part of our lives,” said Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler, who is in the midst of a fierce reelection runoff.
Former US ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley also slammed the suggestion.
AOC, Are you suggesting you want to pay people to stay home from the money you take by defunding the police? Or was that for the student debts you wanted to pay off, the Green New Deal or Medicare for All? #WhereIsTheMoney https://t.co/wZxxz67wcv
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) November 19, 2020
“AOC, Are you suggesting you want to pay people to stay home from the money you take by defunding the police? Or was that for the student debts you wanted to pay off, the Green New Deal or Medicare for All? #WhereIsTheMoney,” Haley said.
