[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 69 (Tuesday, May 15, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3159-S3160]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--S. 2344

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the national flood insurance program is to 
expire the end of May, this month. The insurance program provides 
coverage for almost 6 million people who work in flood zones. It is 
self-sustaining. For more than 40 years it has guarded American 
homeowners against flood-related disasters. If the program expires, new 
housing construction will stall, new housing construction will come to 
a halt, and taxpayers will be on the hook for future disasters.
  We have not been able to bring flood insurance to the floor because 
we have had a lot of problems with Senate procedure that some believe 
is abusive. It has left us with so little time. As you see, I have 
filed cloture on two nominations to the Federal Reserve. I will file 
later on a judge who has been waiting for almost a year.
  No one believes there is enough time to pass, conference, and enact a 
long-term flood insurance bill before the end of this month, so under 
the situation we will have to do another short-term extension simply to 
keep the bill from expiring. Thus I will seek to pass an extension of 
this important program now.
  Therefore, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to 
consideration of Calendar No. 366, S. 2344, which is an extension of 
the National Flood Insurance Program, that that bill be read a third 
time, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, and there 
be no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, I object. I will hold my comments until 
after the majority leader finishes his talk, so I can explain my 
position.
  Mr. REID. The Senator can go ahead if he wishes.
  Mr. COBURN. The majority leader wants me to go ahead?
  Mr. REID. Seriously, I am anxious to hear it.
  Mr. COBURN. We have had 14 short-term extensions to the National 
Flood Insurance Program. That is over the past 4\1/2\, 5 years. There 
is a bill set to be brought to the floor. Yet we are going to have a 
short-term extension again.
  This program is not financially sound and it is not self-sustaining. 
It runs a $900 million deficit every year. What is the National Flood 
Insurance Program? Do we need it? Yes. Am I objecting that we do need 
it? No. But the vast majority of the moneys that are expended by hard-
working Americans go to subsidize the insurance for homeowners of 
second and vacation homes. Multiple times in the Senate and in the 
House, both sides have concurred that this should be taken away, this 
subsidy for those in terms of second homes and vacation properties.
  What I would expect, if we are going to do an extension, is that then 
we ought to do an extension with something that both bodies have 
already passed, which includes making those people who have properties 
eight times the average value of the rest of the homes in the flood 
insurance program carry their fair share of their insurance. So I am 
not inclined, no matter what happens to the flood insurance program, to 
allow us to continue to extend.
  I would make one other point. We will not have time in December to 
fix this, with everything else that is coming up. So the time to fix 
this is now. I will not object to the 5-year reauthorization coming to 
the floor. I don't think anybody on our side will as well. We should 
address this and be done with it. But another short-term extension is 
not what this country needs. We cannot afford losing another $900 
million, plus the American taxpayer is on the hook for $1.34 trillion 
with this program right now. The average subsidy to the average home--
not the vacation home--is over $1,000 a year.

  I have no objection to supporting those who actually need our help, 
who are in flood-prone areas. But for those who have the tremendous 
benefit and the opportunity to have second and third homes, I think it 
is objectionable we continue to subsidize their purchase of flood 
insurance.
  With that, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, before my friend leaves the floor, I hope we 
can do a short-term bill. As my colleague knows, the impediment to the 
regular function of the Senate this year has been the offering of 
irrelevant amendments. I am wondering if I could say through the Chair 
to my friend, the junior Senator from Oklahoma, what kind of agreement 
does he think we can get on the number of amendments on something like 
this?
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, I would respond to the majority leader 
through the Chair and say I will help him in any way I could with my 
side of the aisle to make sure we have cogent amendments to this bill 
and also agree to a limited number of them, since it is important that 
we reauthorize this program.
  Mr. REID. I say again through the Chair to my friend, how many 
amendments does he think he would need?
  Mr. COBURN. One or two.
  Mr. REID. I thank my friend from Oklahoma. It is something I wish to 
be able to do. We have so much to do--we have the farm bill, we have 
cyber security, we have the FDA bill, I am filing cloture on 
nominations--people who have been waiting to change their lives. So I 
am sorry we cannot legislate more.
  I have sympathy with my friend from Oklahoma. I don't agree with 
everything he said, but this is a program that needs to be changed and 
I recognize that. I will continue working with my friend. Maybe there 
is some way we can work together and figure out a way to move this 
forward. It is hard.
  What I would suggest is I would be happy to work on my side, because 
Senator Johnson has talked to me twice today on this legislation, to 
figure out what amendments my folks want to offer, because they want to 
offer amendments. If my friend from Oklahoma would also make a decision 
on his side of, as he indicated, cogent

[[Page S3160]]

amendments, relevant amendments, we could put this in a little package 
and move to it without having to file cloture and do these amendments. 
I wish to do that.
  I will work on my side to find out what amendments there are. If my 
friend will do that, on Monday or Tuesday we will talk about this and 
see if we can get a very concise agreement to do it. This is important 
legislation. My friend is not denying that. But I think we do have to 
make some changes in it. I am happy to move forward on it. I think the 
House is going to take something up real soon.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. COBURN. If the Senator from New Jersey will give me a courtesy of 
5 minutes to speak as in morning business and I will be through.
  I appreciate what the majority leader has said. I will work my side 
of the aisle, to see if the possibility of moving this is there and I 
will give it my 100-percent effort between now and next Monday when I 
see the majority leader to see if we cannot do it.
  I will make a couple of points. Our Nation is in big trouble and we 
are not acting as if it is in big trouble. It seems that the way we are 
operating is from crisis to crisis. That is not good for the country, 
it is not good for the agencies, it is certainly not good for the 
individuals, and it makes it where we actually cannot do effective 
legislating.
  The idea behind the flood insurance program is almost 50 years old. 
There is nothing wrong with its intent. But we cannot afford $900 
million a year in subsidies to the very wealthy in this country for 
their second or vacation homes. If we are talking about fairness, as 
the President talks, then it is time to reform this program--whether it 
is with an extension or not--this component of it where there is a fair 
premium, where we are not subsidizing those who can in fact take care 
of themselves in this country.
  Whether it is this bill or the farm bill where we are subsidizing 4 
percent of the farmers with 60 percent of the crop insurance premium, 
it is the same issue.
  I look forward to working with the majority leader and I will do my 
part to try to gather up the amendments that might be there and work 
with our leadership to try to bring this bill to the floor.
  I thank the Senator from New Jersey.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.

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