President Donald Trump’s administration has requested authority to ban evictions for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said Saturday.
Trump had previously announced his intention to prevent foreclosures and evictions during the crisis, but Carson clarified that there were bureaucratic hoops to jump through first.
“HUD does not have authority to mandate that evictions can’t occur, but we are in contact with all the [public housing agencies] across the country and are petitioning Congress for the power to be able to actually enforce that,” Carson said. (RELATED: Trump Tests Negative For Coronavirus)
Ben Carson, Sec. of Housing and Urban Development: “The president has authorized the immediate cessation of foreclosure and eviction proceedings for American families, forward mortgages as well as reverse mortgages. … FHFA has decided the same for 60 days.”
— Eric Crawford (@ericcrawford) March 21, 2020
Carson detailed the order at a press briefing Saturday as Republicans and Democrats in the Senate continued to negotiate over the third phase of a $1 trillion stimulus package requested by the Trump administration. (RELATED: NBC News Staffer Dies After Contracting The Coronavirus)
If passed, the bill would give $1,200 checks to every person who makes less than $75,000 annually. The amount would be reduced by $5 for every $100 an individual makes over the $75,000 boundary. Children would also receive $500.