A fight over flood insurance is putting the Trump administration at odds with Republican officials. For Jersey Shore homeowners, the debate comes down to a familiar concern: How much more will protecting your home cost?
On this episode of Tidal Flooding Talk, meteorologist Joe Martucci welcomes POLITICO reporter Tom Frank to explain the politics behind rising flood insurance bills.
At the center is FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0, a pricing system designed to make insurance costs better reflect each property’s flood risk. Frank explains that the federal flood insurance program has long charged some homeowners less than what was needed to cover their risk. Major disasters have exposed that gap, forcing the program to borrow money.
But bringing prices closer to the actual risk creates another problem: Coverage becomes harder for some families to afford.
That tension sparked a lawsuit from Republican attorneys general during the Biden administration. According to Frank, the Trump administration inherited the case and continued defending the system, putting it on the opposite side of fellow Republicans seeking relief from rising costs.
The dispute shows why flood insurance politics can be more complicated than red versus blue.
“The split is geographic,” Frank says.
Lawmakers representing coastal states often want the same thing: affordable coverage for their residents. That can put Republicans from Florida and Louisiana alongside Democrats from New York and New Jersey.
The broader question is who should pay. Should homeowners shoulder more of the cost of living in places that flood? Or should the federal government spread more of that burden across taxpayers to keep coverage affordable?
Frank also discusses FEMA’s flood map updates. When maps place additional homes in high-risk areas, some owners with mortgages can face a requirement to buy flood insurance. That adds another expense to already tight household budgets.
Meanwhile, the water does not wait for a political agreement. Coastal storms, heavy rain and overflowing rivers can damage homes regardless of party affiliation. Frank also reminds viewers that standard homeowners insurance generally does not cover flood damage.
For the Jersey Shore, this debate reaches well beyond Washington. It touches the cost of owning a home, recovering from storms and remaining in a coastal community.
Watch the full conversation on Tidal Flooding Talk, presented by the New Jersey Coastal Coalition.
