WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) penned an op-ed in the American Press highlighting the need to make flood insurance more affordable and reliable for Louisiana families ahead of hurricane season. He called for reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), including ending FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0 rate hikes and ensuring coverage continues even in the event of a government shutdown.
“I understand, as does President Trump, that Americans are tired of being ripped off. In 2019, we worked together to delay Risk Rating 2.0 for a year. Now, I want to do it again—permanently.” said Dr. Cassidy.
“Let’s make flood insurance reliable, accountable, and affordable again. ” continued Dr. Cassidy.
Read the full op-ed here or excerpts below:
Hurricane Season Is 12 Weeks Away—It’s Time to Make Flood Insurance Affordable Again
Another hurricane season is behind us, and for the first time since 2015, not a single hurricane made landfall in Louisiana. That’s good news for people with flood insurance, but even better news for people without it—a group that is growing fast because the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has become too expensive.
In Louisiana, roughly 70,000 policyholders dropped their coverage between 2022 and 2024. The following year, another 52,000 followed suit. These aren’t negligent homeowners—they are families priced out of protection by the astronomical costs of a post-Biden NFIP. And they are the people who need coverage most.
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Under President Biden, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) implemented a new risk assessment program—Risk Rating 2.0—in 2023, despite Congress never approving it. It jacks up rates, making premiums so expensive that people have no choice but to go without flood insurance.
I understand, as does President Trump, that Americans are tired of being ripped off. In 2019, we worked together to delay Risk Rating 2.0 for a year. Now, I want to do it again—permanently. Last June, I led a group of Republican colleagues in the effort to do so, and I won’t stop working until we succeed. Last month, I followed up with FEMA, emphasizing the urgent need to address the harm that Risk Rating 2.0 is doing to the NFIP as well as policyholders in my state and across the nation.
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Congress needs to act, and soon. In the meantime, federal support is critical. I’ve secured about $13 billion for Louisiana through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), much of it going directly to flood protection projects throughout the state.
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Let’s make flood insurance reliable, accountable, and affordable again.
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