Ted Budd: “I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to yet another short-term extension of…”

“I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to yet another short-term extension of the National Flood Insurance Program, or the NFIP. This is our eighth one--our eighth one since fiscal year 2017 began. I think we owe it to the taxpayers and I owe it to the residents of North Carolina's 13th District to fight for reform. We cannot support another short-term renewal, especially considering the program is $20 billion--and I have even heard that it is even upwards of that--$20 billion in the hole. It is hemorrhaging money, Mr. Speaker. And it is concerning that folks cannot even agree to or even support modest reforms to one of the most flawed government programs we have ever seen. Mr. Speaker, I urge opposition of this extension and believe this continuous kicking of the can down the road cannot go on forever. There is still time to adopt even modest reforms, and I sure hope that we do so. I think Senator Mike Lee of Utah said it best when he gave his description of a ``yes'' vote to extend the NFIP yet again with no reforms back in the summer. He said: ``This is terribly discouraging. It's not just this program; it's all that it represents. If we aren't willing to adopt even modest reforms to a minor program like NFIP, how will we ever address any of the far more vexing problems facing our government?'' This Senator from Utah gets it, and, Mr. Speaker, I wish others would as well.”