As hurricane season heats up, Congress has a limited window to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program.
© AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Funding for the federal government and the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) authorization expire after Sept. 30, and lawmakers are not close to reaching a deal to prevent a shutdown.
Federal flood insurance policies that have already been issued would still be active if the program isn’t reauthorized, but the program would be prevented from issuing new policies and could face further funding restraints.
“A lapse of the NFIP at the height of hurricane season would be an apocalyptic nightmare,” Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) told The Hill in a statement this week.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are weighing a stopgap funding measure to avoid a shutdown, but it’s not clear what specifically would be included if an interim funding deal is reached — including whether it would include new flood insurance funds.
Read more from our colleague Aris Folley at TheHill.com.
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