Following the revelation Tuesday that House Democrats received $1 million from the chairman of an apartment rental company weeks before they let the nationwide eviction moratorium expire, Rep. Rashida Tlaib led calls to return the money—and extend the federal eviction moratorium.
"Democrats were bought off for leaving six million Americans without an eviction moratorium."
—Jackie Fielder, Daybreak PAC
As Common Dreams reported Tuesday, The Daily Poster's Andrew Perez and Joel Warner revealed that George Marcus—who is chairman of both the real estate brokerage firm Marcus & Millichap and the real estate investment trust Essex Property Trust—donated $1 million to the House Majority PAC on June 1, days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended the pandemic-related moratorium through late June.
Additionally, Marcus gave $263,400 last month to a committee benefiting the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) reelection campaign. He has also donated at least $6.5 million to PACs supporting Democrats' congressional campaigns, among other Democratic candidates and causes.
Tlaib (D-Mich.) called on Democrats to return Marcus' donation, arguing that accepting the check "does not help in building trust among people we are fighting for."
Daybreak PAC founder Jackie Fielder, a former California state Senate candidate whose campaign eschewed corporate contributions, tweeted that it is "unbelievable" that "Democrats were bought off for leaving six million Americans without an eviction moratorium."
On Tuesday, progressive House Democrats and grassroots organizers welcomed reports that President Joe Biden would later in the day announce a targeted eviction moratorium that will cover most—but not all—U.S. renters.
This content originally appeared on Common Dreams - Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community and was authored by Brett Wilkins.