The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is set to expire at 11:59pm this Friday, September 30, 2022, unless its authorization is extended by Congress. Funding for the federal government will also expire at the same time.
While a continuing resolution, or CR, to keep the government open is expected to pass in time, Congress is once again cutting it close, due to a policy issue unrelated to the NFIP that is slowing down the process. The CR, which will include an NFIP extension, would go until December 16th. NFIP would also be extended to that date.
The NFIP’s most recent five-year reauthorization expired on September 30, 2017, nearly five years ago. The NFIP has been subject to approximately 20 extensions of varying lengths since the 2017 deadline, and, unless Congress acts, its current extension will expire September 30, just as a strong hurricane bears down on Florida.
The threat of a lapse of the NFIP at the same time as a potentially devastating hurricane makes landfall vividly illustrates why it is so important for Congress to act and pass a long-term reauthorization of the program with reforms.
PIA issued an action alert earlier this month encouraging PIA members to ask Congress to extend the NFIP for as long as possible. That alert, which remains in effect, can be found here.
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