A nationwide moratorium on evictions expired Saturday after Democratic lawmakers failed to pass a bill to protect millions of people who could be forced from their homes during the pandemic. Some progressive Democrats slammed Democratic leaders for beginning their summer recess before extending the moratorium. Democratic Congressmember Cori Bush began camping out on the steps of the Capitol on Friday in protest.

Rep. Cori Bush: “The night was necessary to continue this awareness, because we need the powers that be to understand that we’re not just going to let this go quietly, when the lives of actual people that we’re supposed to represent, like actual whole people, like human beings, actually are at risk by this policy decision, or the lack of one. So, we’re out here.”

After Congress failed to extend the moratorium, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic lawmakers urged President Biden to take executive action, but the White House claims its power is limited due to a recent Supreme Court ruling in which Justice Kavanaugh said it was his view that congressional authorization would be necessary to extend the moratorium.