Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee are in the early stages of drafting a bill that would include changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and aid for victims of other natural disasters.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louis.) told The Hill on Tuesday that he and Sen. Mike Rounds (R.S.D.) will be joining Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R.C.). He said he was asked to lead this effort. Due to the devastating wildfires in California.
“I just talked to Tim Scott,” Kennedy said. “He asked Mike Rounds and me to put together a bill that deals with all kinds of catastrophes, not just flooding.”
Asked for more information about the bill, Kennedy said, “It's too early to talk about the details,” noting that members of Congressional staff have “just begun meetings.” He added that senators also want to “involve our members in the House.”
He said part of the purpose was to “ [National Flood Insurance Program]” and “probably expand” without “tax subsidies.”
He said the idea is not “just to reform the flood insurance program,” but to “try to help victims of fire, wind, hail and catastrophe, and without the federal government subsidizing the program.” The goal is to make that happen.”
The Hill has reached out to Scott and Lowndes for comment.
President Kennedy also told Punchbowl News in a report released early Tuesday that he was considering developing “new and different” programming that would “cover wind, hail, fire and floods.” Ta.
Lawmakers have considered possible reforms to the flood insurance program in recent years, but they have had to pass dozens of short-term reauthorizations since fiscal year 2017.
Kennedy's comments also came as some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were discussing the prospects for emergency disaster relief for the ongoing fires in California.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said it has sufficient resources to meet California's needs in the aftermath of the fires. However, some early estimates assessed losses due to fire.
more 100 billion dollars.
Contributed by Sylvain Lane.
