The Squad, a Marxist clique in the House, complained about greedy landlords and called on President Joe Biden to order the CDC to extend the unconstitutional eviction moratorium—all while pocketing up to $65,000 in rental income.
Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., both own rental properties and disclosed thousands in rental income, the Washington Times reported.
Tlaib reported rental income between $15,001 and $50,000 in 2020 from a Detroit property, and Pressley reported rental income up to $15,000 in 2019 and 2020.
Tlaib called on the federal government to shield tenants from “landlords and bill collectors in the midst of a pandemic,” but she collected an estimated $1,800 per month for eight months last year.
“Always tons of agreement for tools of war and destroying families abroad, but never this much enthusiasm for protecting American families at home from landlords and bill collectors in the midst of a pandemic,” Tlaib tweeted.
Always tons of agreement for tools of war and destroying families abroad, but never this much enthusiasm for protecting American families at home from landlords and bill collectors in the midst of a pandemic. https://t.co/mknY1aMyxI
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) December 30, 2020
Pressley, who leads the “Cancel Rent” movement, said rental payments and eviction moratoriums are “literally a matter of life and death,” the Washington Times reported.
Zillow records indicated that Pressley stopped renting her Boston home in August 2019 after she listed the rental for $2,500 in June, $2,400 in early July and then $2,300 in late July.
Despite paying lip-service to lower-income constituencies, Tlaib and Pressley have tried to use their offices to protect their own pocketbooks.
This year and last, the Squad introduced the Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act, a bill that would force federal taxpayers to reimburse landlords for rent lost during the ongoing government shutdowns and COVID-19 hysteria.
The bill would also prohibit rent and mortgage payments while the COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions continue.
“Cancelling rent and mortgage payments for the duration of the COVID-19 virus pandemic would relieve financial pressure, allow residents to stay home from work without the added concern of losing their housing and limit the spread of the virus,” Tlaib said in March 2020.
