Press Releases

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today issued the following statement after voting against a legislative package that included the forgiveness of $16 billion in debt incurred by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP):

“I could not support the supplemental funding bill today. It started as disaster relief, but the package we voted on grew to include erasing $16 billion of NFIP debt without reforms or offsets. It also included provisions related to bankruptcy judges and family farms.

“I want to help victims of the recent series of natural disasters affecting our country and I don’t have a problem with changing bankruptcy laws and judges, but wiping away $16 billion of NFIP’s debt is irresponsible and adds more troubles to our country’s immense fiscal challenges.

“There are no offsets for the $16 billion in debt relief. I believe this is unacceptable. The House doesn’t usually demand offsets for emergency funding, but NFIP’s $16 billion in debt has accumulated over the years, not just in the disasters of recent months. I could vote to waive interest and interest payments on the debt for several years, but giving NFIP a write-off on its debt won’t solve its long-term problems and will set a bad precedent.

“I support efforts to stabilize NFIP and have worked with my colleagues such as Congressman Duffy of Wisconsin to reform the program. We can also address the impact of these devastating natural disasters without exacerbating our fiscal woes. Unfortunately, the House today did not choose this path.”

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