Should Congress pass a long-term flood insurance reauthorization instead of another short extension?
The National Flood Insurance Program provides most residential flood coverage in the U.S. Its authorization was set to lapse September 30, 2026. The stopgap funding law signed September 2 extended it only to December 11, 2026, the latest in years of short extensions attached to spending bills. In a lapse, FEMA generally cannot sell or renew policies, which can stall thousands of home closings in flood zones. The bipartisan H.R. 5484 would instead reauthorize the program for multiple years, while the program owes the Treasury more than $20 billion from past catastrophes. Where do you stand?
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The case for
Realtors, counties, and coastal-state lawmakers of both parties argue serial short-term extensions and lapse threats create needless uncertainty for homeowners. Industry estimates put disrupted sales at over a thousand transactions per day during a lapse. A multi-year reauthorization would stabilize the only flood coverage most households can get while Congress debates bigger reforms.
Source: National Association of Realtors →The case against
Taxpayer watchdogs argue Congress keeps extending a program more than $20 billion in debt without fixing it. Below-risk premiums subsidize repetitive-loss and high-value coastal properties, encourage building in floodplains, and shift costs to taxpayers. They contend any extension should carry reforms such as risk-based rates, means-tested help, and updated flood maps, not another status-quo renewal.
Source: Taxpayers for Common Sense →My Democracy does not take a side. You choose your position below, and your message carries it. Sources represent one organization on each side; they don’t reflect My Democracy’s position.
This campaign is about this bill
H.R. 5484: National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2025What it does
This bill would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program and make changes to its structure, rules, or operations.
Latest action: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. (Sep 19, 2025)
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What’s your position?
Both sides are laid out above. Your message will carry your position. My Democracy does not take a side.