With evictions looming, White House presses governments to distribute housing aid

The White House is urging states and cities to speed up the deployment of federal aid to stave off evictions after a moratorium lapsed and Congress failed to extend it.

"State and local governments long ago received Emergency Rental Assistance— a $46.5 billion plan to protect millions of Americans facing deep rental debt and potential eviction during the pandemic," press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Monday. "Too many states and cities have been too slow to act."

States have distributed only a fraction of the aid meant to support both landlords and tenants during the coronavirus pandemic, according to officials.