A new bill in the US House of Representatives would bring the National Flood Insurance Program back online immediately, renew all existing policies retroactively, and extend the program through December 2026.
The NFIP went dark on Oct. 1 after lawmakers failed to reach a funding deal, triggering the ongoing government shutdown. That lapse left thousands of homeowners in limbo.
A short grace period kept coverage active for a few weeks, but that window has now closed, said Rep. Mike Ezell of Mississippi, who introduced the bill. Without a fix, policyholders could face steep rate hikes.
Ezell said the shutdown and lapse combined to hit coastal and flood-prone communities hardest. Under the current Risk Rating 2.0 framework, many policyholders aren’t paying full-risk rates. Losing partial-risk protection, he warned, could cause premiums to soar.
My bill restores coverage retroactively and shields families from political gridlock. No one in Mississippi should lose insurance because Washington can’t get its act together.
Michael Hecht, head of Greater New Orleans, said the lapse also disrupts the premium “guidepaths” that legacy NFIP policyholders depend on – a problem that could destabilize local markets if left unresolved.
For many Americans, flood insurance isn’t optional. It’s a mortgage requirement. That’s why Jimi Grande, senior vice president for federal and political affairs at NAMIC, said the shutdown created unnecessary risk.
“Before the shutdown even began, we told Congress this would leave homeowners exposed,” he said.
NAMIC is backing Ezell’s bill, calling it a critical step toward getting coverage restored fast while giving Congress more time to pursue structural reforms.
Those changes, Grande said, are long overdue – the kind that would put NFIP on firmer financial ground and keep homeowners protected without depending on last-minute political rescue acts.
