WASHINGTON, D.C. – With hours remaining before the program’s lapse, the U.S. Senate today passed U.S. Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) six-month reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).   

The House and the Senate also approved a seven-day extension that prevents the program from lapsing Friday.  Sen. Kennedy now will focus on House passage of his longer-term extension.

“For the past week, I’ve been working hard to convince my colleagues in the Senate that a lapse in the NFIP would be a disservice to families across this country, not just in the coastal states.  I’m glad my colleagues came around.  More than five million Americans rely on this program to protect their homes, families and businesses.  I don’t have to drive home the importance of this program to anyone in Louisiana, where it is as essential as air,” said Sen. Kennedy. “I am frustrated with the inefficiency in Washington that is causing us to extend the program again without long-term reforms, but families deserve to be protected.”

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