McCarthy: Biden's war on landlords is unconstitutional
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., sounds off on 'Fox News Primetime'
With President Biden's decision to rebuff Supreme Court overtures against extending the federal moratorium on evictions enacted by the CDC, untold numbers of American landlords are being unjustly hurt, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Wednesday.
"Fox News Primetime" host Ben Domenech noted to McCarthy, R-Calif., that Biden expressed he knew his executive action is likely unconstitutional but issued it anyway.
"They have never really had a problem flouting the Constitution when it gets in their way. But this one seems particularly egregious," said Domenech.
"It wasn't just the president, the Supreme Court said it [was unconstitutional]," McCarthy replied, adding that Biden "bent the knee" to demands of the far left "Squad" led by Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri because congressional Democrats didn't have the votes needed to pass it legally.
"[S]ocialists in Congress protested," he said. "What is really telling, regardless of the issue – we believe in the rule of law – they know this is breaking the law, but they are doing it – they are breaking the Constitution, and breaking the foundation of the institution of who we are."
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES NEW, TARGETED EVICTION MORATORIUM FOR MANY RENTERS
McCarthy and Domenech went on to discuss the "abhorrent" fact that landlords are being caught in the middle of this situation – unable to collect rent, but still required to provide upkeep and pay taxes and utilities on the properties, without any income.
The minority leader said Biden and Democrats are waging war on the small businesses that many of the nation's landlords operate.
"They know they will fail in the courts, but what's very telling … just like what happened all through COVID, large corporations get bigger and small businesses; family businesses got collapsed by government pressure. What's government doing today? Paying more to the workers to stay home than coming back to work," he said.
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"I started my first business when I was 20. The thing I learned in small business first to work, last to leave, last to be paid. This is government destroying small businesses as the fiber of America. And I believe the courts will, again, defeat this measure but we need to stand up and make sure they can't continue to go around the Constitution."
On Tuesday, the White House announced a new ban on evictions for renters in areas that collectively compose about 90% of the country, grounding their calculations from a COVID-based criterium. Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention drafted a new eviction moratorium aimed at protecting tenants in counties with "substantial and high levels of community transmission" of COVID-19.
The new two-month moratorium expires October 3.
Fox Business' Megan Henney contributed to this report.