Charlie Crist: “I want to thank Ranking Member Waters for her tireless leadership for a strong, affordable National Flood Insurance…”

“I want to thank Ranking Member Waters for her tireless leadership for a strong, affordable National Flood Insurance Program. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this bill. More than 5 million middle class and working Americans rely on the National Flood Insurance Program for economic security and peace of mind. Congress cannot allow this program to expire. A lapse would leave countless families unable to renew their policies, putting them in financial peril if disaster were to strike. It would also upend the housing market, with closings coming to a full stop due to the inability to secure required coverage. While I wish this bill included a much longer term extension, providing American families with another week of coverage is far preferable to a damaging lapse. But, my colleagues, we must do better than 1 week. The people have endured seven stopgap extensions, including two brief lapses, since September 2017--7 extensions, 14 months. The bill before us is number eight. While almost everyone can agree that flood insurance is long overdue for reform, particularly to address the affordability challenges that plague policyholders, we should not allow that goal to threaten the program's very existence. I urge my colleagues to not only support today's bill but to work together in the coming days to reach agreement on a longer term extension.”