HARRISBURG, Pa. — Governor Wolf is asking lawmakers to extend his moratorium on evictions and foreclosures in Pennsylvania. It's set to expire in less than a week, and he is not legally allowed to extend it again.
"With the pandemic going on, our landlords want to kick us out of our houses," Jesus Hernandez Raya of Chester County, said. "It is unfair if we don't have the resources to pay."
Jesus was part of the rally, hosted by CASA Wednesday morning, that demanded lawmakers ensure thousands of families aren't left homeless once Governor Wolf's temporary moratorium expires this coming Tuesday.
Now he is recommending lawmakers fix Act 24 to raise the cap on rental and mortgage assistance, which is currently set at $750 a month. That money comes from Cares Acts fund.
Governor Wolf said in a statement, in-part, "Pennsylvanians should not have to forego food or medicine in order to remain current on rent and to be eligible for relief."
Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman calls the Governor's move a "political maneuver" that's playing with peoples' lives.
"If the Governor needed us to do this before August 31st, he wouldn't have sent a press release out telling us about that less than a week before august 31st," Sen. Corman said. "Which tells me he's not really serious about getting it done."
Senator Corman said it would be difficult to legislate, because the constitution prevents lawmakers from changing contracts.
"And a lease agreement between a tenant and a landlord is a contract," Corman said. "So we're looking at all avenues right now."
Meanwhile Jesus, a cancer survivor who has difficulty finding work, is left in limbo.
"We are under uncertainty, we don't know what to do, we don't know where to go," Jesus said. "And if they put us on the streets it's just going to be really bad."