Congressman Carter Hosts Senator Whitehouse on Insurance Affordability Tour in New Orleans, Louisiana

February 9, 2026 Press Release NEW ORLEANS, LA – On Friday, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) hosted Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, for an “Insurance Affordability Tour” in New Orleans with stakeholders across LA-02. The U.S. property insurance system is under acute strain. Private insurers face multiple challenges that contribute to unaffordable premiums, more restrictive coverage, and declining availability for policyholders. Much of this pressure is due to persistent natural catastrophe risks – floods, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, hailstorms, and earthquakes – that exist in every state. Meanwhile, rising flood insurance premiums under the Risk Rating 2.0 system of the National Flood Insurance Program are prompting policyholders to drop their coverage and weakening the insurance pool. “Louisiana families and businesses are facing a crisis of rising homeowners and flood insurance premiums, worsening our housing affordability issues. We've seen premiums skyrocket, forcing families to make impossible choices between protecting their homes and paying for groceries, healthcare, or their children's education. Family businesses that have been pillars of our communities for generations are now wondering if they can afford to stay open here in south Louisiana. Some of our neighbors are being forced to go without coverage entirely, putting everything they've worked for at risk,” said Rep. Carter. The Members first toured an Upper Ninth Ward neighborhood of New Orleans to see the impact of the homeowners’ and flood insurance crisis in Louisiana. The tour included stops at development projects that have stalled due to rising insurance costs and visits with homeowners using fortified roofs to lower their insurance premiums. They also convened a roundtable with business and housing advocates about insurance affordability issues in Louisiana, with industries including banking, real estate, and insurance all represented. Finally, the Members toured the facilities of unCommon Construction, a workforce development organization that addresses the construction trades labor shortage, where high school students earn hourly pay and school internship credit for building a house in a semester. “Our people shouldn't be penalized for geography. We've built our lives, our culture, and our economy here. We live in a working coastal community where we transport American goods worldwide from our ports, produce energy for the nation, and catch the best seafood on earth,” Rep. Carter continued. “That's why I invited Senator Whitehouse to Louisiana, to hear directly from residents about how these rising costs are affecting them and to better understand how Congress can be proactive. Whether it's reforming the National Flood Insurance Program, investing in mitigation and resilience, or finding new approaches we haven't considered yet. We will take what we learn here today back to Washington and fight to be a productive partner in combating these rising insurance costs.” Background: In 2025, the United States experienced a billion-dollar extreme weather disaster every ten days, totaling $115 billion in damages . Simultaneously, the insurance gap for American policyholders is widening, and 1 in 8 American homeowners has now forgone homeowners’ insurance entirely. The extreme weather-driven insurance crisis poses systemic shocks to the housing market, labor supply, state and local tax bases, and the federal government’s fiscal stability. View photos from the events here . ###