With deadline looming, U.S. Senate makes few moves on flood insurance overhaul
There's been scarce sign of action in
Lawmakers are currently hammering out a massive omnibus budget deal to fund the federal government through the end of the fiscal year which also needs to be passed by
"I'm disappointed, bitterly disappointed, about the lack of enthusiasm about moving it to the top of the list" of priorities in
"I wish I knew how to make my colleagues be more enthusiastic about us getting something done," added Kennedy, who sits on the
But rather than focus on the NFIP, the Banking Committee has busied itself instead with hammering out a rollback of the Dodd-Frank regulations imposed on the banking and financial services industries in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
"It hurts me to have to say this but you initiate conversations on this subject and people say 'How do you feel about the gun bill?' or 'How do you feel about DACA?'" Kennedy said, rattling off a couple of the other issues currently facing
The NFIP has wracked up billions of dollars of debt to the
But a years-long split in
That hasn't sat well with a bipartisan collection of lawmakers representing storm-ravaged states from
A bill authored by Hensarling passed the
"The policy behind the House bill is just a big mistake -- and thankfully the
The
Although the
"I haven't gotten the sense that we're anywhere near any type of big reform agreement on NFIP," Graves said.
Hensarling, already term-limited as chairman, announced he'll be retiring from
Hensarling has long eyed his own version of flood-insurance reform and has pushed hard to accomplish it before handing in his gavel and heading off into retirement.
Efforts to build consensus on flood insurance "seem to fall apart," said Sen.
"I really hope it's not a punt (on flood insurance) but the time is fleeting," said Sen.
Doing so "has both pros and cons," Berni said.
Unlike in past years -- such as in 2014, when south
And while Berni said she didn't want to see lawmakers pass up chances to make needed improvements, taking on the program after Hensarling's departure will put
"What I think people forget is the flood insurance program is in the tank, what,
But Berni said arguments like Tester's overlook the fact that
Cassidy, who's co-sponsoring his own flood-insurance overhaul with New York Democratic Sen.
The Banking Committee's top Democrat, Sen.
"It's more important to them (
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