This past weekend the federal government’s moratorium on evictions during the COVD-19 pandemic came to an end. For a year the moratorium had helped families who couldn’t keep up with their rent because of pandemic-related job cutbacks, shorter hours or illness from being evicted.

As a result, eviction notices and actions are starting up, causing a run on the aid programs and courts that handle eviction hearings.

This is a problem that the government knew was coming. The Biden Administration knew it could not extend the moratorium through the CDC, where it originated, because courts have ruled the CDC doesn’t have the legal authority to continue the program. Biden left it up to Congress, which — surprise — was unable to act quickly to address the end of the moratorium.

Who do you blame? It’s hard to blame tenants who have suffered loss of income due to the pandemic. It’s hard to blame landlords who rely on timely rent payments to cover their debt payments and cost of operations.

We could blame the plodding pace of some state governments. The federal government had provided $46.5 billion to keep renters from being evicted, but in many states, that aid has run into bottlenecks and boondoggles as states try to figure out how to get that money to the people who need it. As a result, people who need it aren’t getting it.

Federal and state governments should be working hard to get that money out to landlords. Landlords should be pounding on the government’s doors to seek that aid money before putting their tenants out in the street.

There has been plenty of time for Biden, Congress and state regulators to figure out how to prevent people from being evicted in the middle of a pandemic.