Congress Can Fix Flood Insurance This Year

It would be hard to find a more unlikely pair of congressmen than the two of us to find agreement on a highly controversial issue. After working on the complicated issue of flood insurance, however, we’ve concluded that the way the federal government handles disasters is itself a disaster.

Drastic reform of the National Flood Insurance Program is long overdue. The program now subsidizes insurance for millionaires, puts low-income families in harm’s way, and keeps people trapped in vulnerable homes by masking the true risk of flooding. The president and Congress have just extended the program for three months, creating a perfect opportunity for Congress to enact bipartisan reforms.