Those applying for disaster assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the government shutdown can still apply, and the agency has resumed issuing flood insurance policies.
The move is a reversal of an unexpected and controversial ruling on Dec. 26 that would have frozen new or renewal flood insurance policies during the partial shutdown and impacted up to 40,000 home sales each month.
The National Association of Realtors thanked the agency for the reversal late last month.
“FEMA and the administration deserve credit for hearing our concerns and acting swiftly to address them,” NAR President John Smaby said in a statement. “This new decision means thousands of home sale transactions in communities across the country can go forward without interruption, as Congress intended when it renewed the flood insurance program.”
The partial government shutdown that began at midnight on Dec. 22 affects about a quarter of federal government functions, including agencies within the Department of Homeland Security. Now ending its second week, the shutdown has left thousands of federal employees without paychecks until Congress and the White House can reach a compromise on appropriations as President Trump demands $5 billion in border wall funding.
Of FEMA’s 19,631 employees, 15,208 must continue working without pay until an appropriations bill is passed and signed, according to a DHS directive released on Dec. 17.
Like most government websites, FEMA.gov is not being actively managed during the shutdown. People applying for disaster assistance can still do so on DisasterAssistance.gov, which remains fully operational.
More on the Government Shutdown:
-
- Shutdown Update: Trump Asks Dems for Deal, Nielsen Calls Border ‘Humanitarian Crisis’
- WATCH: Trump Tells Pelosi, Schumer He Will Shut Down Government Over Border Wall
- Christmas Shutdown: Deadline Passes Without Senate Agreement on Border Funding
- Federal Employees, Contractors Tweet Worries with #ShutdownStories
- Unhappy Holidays: Coast Guard Only Military Branch Facing No Pay During Shutdown
- Coast Guard to Receive December Paychecks; No Guarantee of 2019 Pay During Shutdown
- Bureau of Prisons Employees Lead Lawsuit Over All Essential Workers Being Denied Shutdown Pay