Across the country, millions of Americans dread the approach of April 1. It will be the first day of a new month since state lockdowns have occurred in response to the coronavirus, and businesses have been closed. Rent is due, and for countless Americans now suddenly out of work, they have no way to pay for a place to live.

Homeowners and mortgage holders are seeing some relief. On March 20, the federal government announced a nationwide halt to mortgage foreclosures and evictions for anyone whose loans are currently handled through the federal apparatus, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development or Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In total, this covers thirty-six million borrowers or over half the country’s mortgages. The moratorium is currently set to expire in mid-May, although it’s open to extension depending on the length of the crisis.

While this might count as a relief for the property owners and landlords, tenants paying rent have seen no such alleviation of their problems. Many of the businesses that have been forced to close because of the viral pandemic include retail stores and restaurants, leaving their already low-wage workers without a source of income. This will disproportionately hit individuals who rent instead of owning their home.

There are over forty million renters in the United States, the highest of any time in the country’s history. Renters tend to be younger, and black and Hispanic families are twice as likely to rent as white families. The cost of rent varies from place to place, but most Americans pay an average of more than $1,000 a month to keep a roof over their head.

The solution to this, developed by congressional Republicans and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, would be a onetime cash payment from the federal government to lower class and middle-class Americans. The latest Republican plan allocated $1,200 for most individuals (along with an extra $500 per dependent), but the bill was blocked by congressional Democrats this morning.

If the proposal once again finds its legs, Mnuchin believes most Americans would not receive their checks until at least April 6. This would require leniency on the part of landlords, or the imposition of late feels on already struggling renters.

While legislators hoped this onetime fix would assist people through a month of trouble until May, other members of congress believe the body is not doing enough to assist renters.

“[W]e should impose a 60-day moratorium on mortgages, rent, fees and utilities for both individuals making less than $75,000 a year and small businesses with less than 250 employees,” wrote Florida Senator Rick Scott in a Fox News op-ed. “Those payments would be postponed and paid out over the following 12 months.” Scott wrote this from his self-quarantine, which he has been in since March 12 after coming into contact with someone infected with the coronavirus.

Hunter DeRensis is the senior reporter for the National Interest. Follow him on Twitter @HunterDeRensis.

Image: U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the coronavirus response daily briefing as Vice President Mile Pence and Attorney General William Barr look on at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 23, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst.