Project 2025 Tracker / What’s done, what’s next

5. Department of Homeland Security · Major · Needs Congress

Wind down the National Flood Insurance Program and privatize it

Not started

154 5. Department of Homeland Security

“The NFIP should be wound down and replaced with private insurance starting with the least risky areas currently identified by the program.”

What has happened

  1. Not started

    No bill, budget proposal, or FEMA action winds down or privatizes the NFIP; Congress has kept extending it in short-term bills and FEMA published the FY2027 Write-Your-Own arrangement as usual. Private-flood bills in committee would add competition, not replace the program. The most recent extension is recorded here: section 139 of the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 (Public Law 119-103, enacted 2026-09-02) carries the program's authority under sections 1309(a) and 1319 of the National Flood Insurance Act from 2026-09-30 to 2026-12-11.

Research log

What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence

Research notes

  • Congressional record (bills in Congress, from congress.gov; titles and latest actions): extension bills S. 1015 and H.R. 2822 (through 2026-12-31), H.R. 5574 (through 2025-11-21), S. 3151 / H.R. 6560 NFIP Automatic Extension Act; reform bills H.R. 5484 NFIP Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2025, H.R. 5500, H.R. 6934 NFIP Affordability Act, H.R. 7862. Private-market bills: S. 2053 / H.R. 5608 (Write-Your-Own companies selling private flood products), H.R. 6620 (private coverage counting as continuous coverage). All introduced or referred; none winds the program down. The program’s operating authority has been carried in the continuing and consolidated appropriations acts (public laws from congress.gov, 119-HR-1968, 5371, 7148, 7147) — texts not read.
  • FEMA: NFIP; Assistance to Private Sector Property Insurers, Notice of FY 2027 Arrangement (2026-05-05, adjusted 2026-05-19) and routine flood-hazard determinations continue. FEMA’s 2026-07-10 proposed rescission of floodplain-management standards is deregulatory, not a wind-down.
  • Federal Register full-text “National Flood Insurance Program” privatiz* since 2025-01-20: 0 documents. The FEMA Review Council’s 2026-05-07 report (see #273) was searched for NFIP privatization language; nothing found.
  • 2026-09-06: P.L. 119-103 §139 read in the enrolled bill (govinfo’s public-law text was not yet posted on 2026-09-06). The event date moves to the latest contrary instrument, as on #1376.
Action
eliminate
Object
National Flood Insurance Program
ID
386