Democratic Congressman Rips Biden for Being Slow to Come Around on Eviction Moratoriums: He Has an ‘Empathy Deficit’
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY) slammed the Biden administration on Tuesday for being slow in coming around to issue a new CDC eviction moratorium after the initial one expired on Saturday, accusing the president of having an “empathy deficit.”
Initially, the White House said it could not issue another moratorium since Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in an opinion concurring with the majority to not lift the ban and instead let it expire that Congress would have to pass an extension past the moratorium’s expiration.
Following pressure from progressives, including ones on Capitol Hill, the CDC issued on Tuesday a new, but limited, eviction moratorium that is effective through Oct. 3. It affects those in areas of the United States where there’s what the CDC deems “substantial” and “high” transmission of the coronavirus.
Spectrum News DC Congressional correspondent Eva McKend asked Jones if he and his fellow progressives “feel as though you have all been underestimated prior to this moment” by the Biden administration.”
I asked @MondaireJones who said “today marks a turning point in how this White House views progressives” if he feels they have been underestimated by Biden admin.
“We have,” he told me.
“We have the support of the American people. This is about our values.”#EvictionMoratorium pic.twitter.com/j3Ck5WMjlB
— Eva McKend (@evamckend) August 4, 2021
“I think we have,” responded Jones. “I think proof of that is the fact that the White House had no plans to issue this new moratorium and thought that it would be sufficient to punt to Congress just a few hours to go in terms of the deadline being about to elapse.”
“And we didn’t go back to our districts and stay there,” he continued. “We rallied out here [outside the U.S. Capitol]. And we raised this issue in the public consciousness. And, of course, we have the support of the American people. This is about our values. And I hope that increasingly more people in power will share those values.”
.@MondaireJones bringing the heat to Pres. Biden.
“It is odd to raise issues about the constitutionality of your own executive action shortly before making that executive action.”
“This is what I mean when I talk about an empathy deficit.” @AOC with the affirmation. “Mm hmm.” pic.twitter.com/V1Fa9yegzr
— Eva McKend (@evamckend) August 4, 2021
Jones also said, “It is odd, I think, to raise issues about the constitutionality of your own executive action shortly before making that executive action. And this is what I mean when I talk about an empathy deficit.”
Jones lamented that legal challenges to the moratorium “will cite directly to the president’s words. That is not the behavior, that is not the commentary of someone who is actually trying to help people. And it’s really frustrating to hear that kind of language come from the president of the United States.”
Watch above, via Spectrum News DC.
