The Center for Disease Control’s moratorium on evictions will stop this month, pandemic related unemployment support times out this month, and food assistance is running out, all while temperatures drop. What is holding Congressional leaders back from doing their job and passing another round of COVID-19 relief funding? I won’t pontificate about their motives, because my outlook is bleak. Suffice to say Iowa’s congressional delegation needs to step up and get to work. Proposed relief legislation ranges from a recent $908 billion package to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s $2.4 trillion allocation. While these numbers may be varied, one thing is clear: we need money to prioritize people. With nearly one in five adults behind on their rent, assistance is desperately needed. I urge Rep. Dave Loebsack to use his dwindling time in Congress to push for $100 billion in rental assistance, extend the moratorium on evictions, and boost the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It’s far past time Congress put the needs of the community first, we need a new relief bill with a harsh winter ahead.

— Mackenzie Aime, Iowa City