White House Issues Statement on National Flood Insurance Program Extension

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The White House issued the following statement by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on extending the National Flood Insurance Program:

"The Administration supports the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and efforts to ensure the program does not lapse on July 31, 2018.

"As the Congress considers legislation to reauthorize the program, the Administration continues to strongly support reforms to the program to ensure its long-term viability. As currently structured, the NFIP cannot handle catastrophic losses like those caused by the devastating hurricanes in 2017.

"In October 2017, the Administration proposed a number of commonsense reforms to put the program on a sound financial footing while ensuring that affordable rates are maintained for low-income policyholders.

"The Administration also supported H.R. 2874, the 21st Century Flood Reform Act, which included several responsible reforms, as well as enactment of the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act, which would help develop the private market for flood insurance.

"The Administration urges the Congress to consider these reforms and others as the future of the NFIP is debated.